by M.G. Marquez
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
MAGGIE
Yvan visited me at home. He prepared me coffee and brought cookies for me. I could’ve hugged him for that but have found it awkward so I didn’t.
“Might at least know how to say ‘no’ to some people, okay?” He’s been trying to scold me over and over again but I never grow tired of him. I enjoy him go all-motherly on me. He’s cute. “Hey, are you listening to me?”
“I am!” I even raised my hand in fake innocence.
“What did you two talk about anyway?”
“I was trying to fix things up between the two of them, Lyn and Jason. You know, Jason seemed so sad about the break-up so I thought it would such a good thing if they got back together. Right?”
“No.” He shook his head to show me his complete rejection of my idea. Wth. “I think it’s better this way. Lyn doesn’t deserve that kind of guy,”
“So she deserves someone like you?” I pursed my lips as soon as I said it.
“Wait, what?” Appalled by what I said, he waited for me to speak out my mind and discuss my jealousy casually like we’re ‘Hey, I know you’re jealous but it’s okay, I love you’ kind of couple. We’re not a couple. We’re just friends.
Then suddenly our door opened and a hurricane came in. Guji rushed in like a mad grandma and ruined the moment Yvan and I was just sharing. I thanked him mentally because he ruined it. He saved me a lot of explanation from Yvan.
“What are you doing here?” Guji said, turning to Yvan.
“What are YOU doing here?” I asked him, my arms crossed over my chest. “I don’t remember inviting YOU in my house.”
“I don’t care, SB. Just say good bye to him now,”
“Wait… are you going to kill me now?”
“STUPID. We’re going out!”
From deep fear of dying in his hands, my emotion shifted into something called rage. He’s going all so bossy again and if I remember correctly, we’re supposed to not talk to each other.
“I’m not going anywhere with you. We’re supposed to be mad at each other!”
“I’m still mad at you but you have to come with me, whether you like it or not.” He grabbed my hand and dragged me alongside of him. I kept on looking back to check whether Yvan was trying to save me from this monster.
He wasn’t.
Hurts a lot.
“Let me go!” I told Guji when his grip got too tight.
“If I’ll let you go now then you’ll run away from me. I can’t let that happen,”
“I DON’T WANT TO COME WITH YOU.” I stepped on his feet and he let my hand go. I was aiming for his handsome face but he caught my hand and pulled me close. That made me all jellylike because we’re effing two-inches away from each other. He’s gorgeous two-inch up close. He then wrapped his arm around my shoulders and the other on my legs.
I was swept off my feet and was carried princess-style.
Damn, I have a good look of his sexy neck at this position.
“Hey! Put me down!” I complained, still looking at his neck. “KIDNAPPING! YVAAAAAN! HEEEEELP –”
“Shut up or I’ll kiss you?”
Okay. That shut me up. Though the kissing part would be a great idea but hell no, not a chance.
I’m not a daredevil.
I don’t dare kiss a devil.
“What do you want from me?” Guji tied both of my hands and feet. Great. Only a few more instances like these I’ll call the police and tell them that Guji’s part of some kidnapping syndicate.
“I left a note for my sister and told her that if I didn’t come home tonight, there’s only one person responsible for that. AND IT’S YOU –”
“Will you please shut up for a second? Just one second, please!”
I did. And he was happy I did that. “There! You could shut your mouth –”
“OKAY. Your one second is up! I could talk talk talk whenever I want!”
“Argh! If you don’t stop annoying me…” He then crawled into my personal space and I’m consistently wishing that there’s no door behind me so I could run away. But there is a door, and I am dying against it. “You won’t like what I’ll do to you after,”
Geez, BD. When did you get start being so sexy? “Fine. I won’t speak… anymore.”
“Thank you.” He moved himself away from me and I secretly wiped the sweat on my face to my shoulder. I wish I have hands.
I watched him go over his troubles on the driver’s seat. He put his face on both of his hands as if he was crying. No. He wasn’t crying. He wasn’t like that.
“I’m sorry,” I started. It’s hard for me to say those two words because helly as hell, I don’t give a shit. My pride is as high as Mt. Everest so saying sorry is such a pain in the butt.
“I’m sorry because I’m insensitive. To your feelings. We won’t be celebrating your birthday anymore –”
“Whatever.”
Oh, fuck that. I lowered my pride for him and he’ll step over it just like that? How much cruel could he get?
“You know you’re so –”
“Janella, I just know how you can make it up to me,” as he said that, he looked at me seriously. His eyes were a different shade of brown like chocolate between milk and dark. I blinked at the beauty I’ve seen.
“W-what? What was that?” I stumbled over the words because I was too distracted of his eyes. I have to look away but I can’t. I was worried that those eyes would be gone if I looked away.
“Will you be my girlfriend? Just for one day?”
Crap.
My stomach then rose up to my throat and I couldn’t swallow it down. I’m suffocating in my place because I’m not breathing. I cannot breathe as those words drown my mind with a series of flashbacks and it kills me.
Ero Hernandez.
It has always been his line and I’m so allergic to it. He asks me that like he’s into dating me but then he’ll flirt with some other girls seconds later. And I was like, “Damn. Why am I torturing myself like this?”
No.
“Hey Janella! Are you even listening to me?” I woke up in reality by Guji’s voice. “I’ve been talking to you like for I don’t know how long, and you’re not listening to me? What the hell is your problem –”
“SHUT UP.”
“Wait,” he lowered his voice and I know he’s concerned. “Are you okay? You shouted at me like you’re really angry at me. Did I say something wrong?”
“Nothing.” When I finally took my makeshift handcuffs off my hands and the ones on my feet, I opened the door next to me.
Guji grabbed my arm. “Wait, Janella. It’s okay for me that you say no, but don’t do this to me. I’m not okay with you acting so cold all of a sudden. What’s the problem?”
I’m so amazed with this guy, you know that? He ranked one in my list of The Most Annoying People in The World and now, he has topped my chart of The Most Concerned People in My Life, too. How amazing could irony be?
“I’m in love with a person that I am desperately trying to forget but you accidentally brought him up. I just hate the words you’ve said,”
“Which ones? I could take them all back,”
“Words can be taken aback, but the pain won’t.” I pulled my arm back and got out of the car. I turned to him one last time and said, “It’s fine for me that we’re not okay, and I won’t do what you want.”
I ran away as far as I could and when I didn’t know where to go, I stopped and looked around. Bullshit, where am I?
I’m in the middle of nowhere, lost, and have nothing but a pride I can’t eat. Maj, why are you so stupid and so bitchy? Guji doesn’t even know anything about Ero or your dramas or your effing past so stop being so melodramatic because they’re not his issues.
Yeah, my fault. Again.
Then it started to rain and I was like, “How much more unfortunate could I be? Fuck this Wednesday Syndrome!”
Dear God, you’re being unbelievable.
Then someone from afar shouted somet
hing like “Hey SB!” or “Hey ugly!” I couldn’t tell because the rain was deafening. So I stood up and turned around to look for that person so I could ask, “WHAT DID YOU SAY?”
“I said, you’re so dead to me when you get sick,” Guji walked up to me and covered me with his jacket, which was by the way, wet too. What’s the difference? “And you’re also dead to me when I get sick because of you,”
I punched his stomach for that and he bit his bottom lip in pain.
“What if I told you that I enjoy the rain and I want to get sick?”
“If that’s the case,” He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me close to him. My heartbeats are going crazy and all of my muscles are trembling, layer by layer. He has wrapped both of his arms around me and I don’t know how to breathe.
I am cold but he is hot. I am trembling but he is steady.
“Let’s get sick together,” he told my ear.
I died.