If I Have To (Book 3 of If I Trilogy, Villaraza Series #2)

05 | Wicked

05 | Wicked

━━━━━━━

She was definitely trying to get my attention.

I scoffed and languidly massaged my chin as my mind drifted to what had happened days ago.

Hindi naman bago sa akin ito. Some girls would go to great lengths to have my attention. Not empowering, but yeah, some had the guts to do that. It was still funny to me.

So ignoring is your ploy, huh. Tingnan nga natin.

“No,” Anaddy repeated like a rehearsed enchantment.

I protruded my lips a bit to appear cute. “Please, princess. Pretty, pretty please.”

Inangat niya ang tingin at seryoso akong tinitigan. Fear dashed throughout my system. Minsan talaga nakakatakot din ang isang ito.

“Akala ko ba ‘di mo na ‘ko idadamay sa mga katarantaduhan mo?”

“Oh, come on.” I sweetly smiled and held her hand. “This is the last—”

“You keep on saying that but you still do it.”

I pressed my lips against each other, trying to melt her iceberg of an anger. She hissed and glared at me. I couldn’t say I won, though.

“Girls are not toys, Iñaki,” she repeated from eons ago. “Hindi ko talaga makuha-kuha magpahanggang ngayon kung anong ipinaglalaban mo sa pagiging babaero mo.”

“Addy . . .”

“Kailan ka ba titino?”

Oh, fuck. Gusto kong mag-facepalm pero ayokong mas mainis siya sa akin.

“They don’t deserve to be played like how you do,” she continued.

Gusto kong ulitin sa kanya na alam ng mga nagiging fling ko ang pinapasok nila kasama ako. We were consenting adults. We knew what to expect in the relationship. But of course, she would always never understand.

Akala ko ay hindi na nga siya magpapapilit pa. Pero nang umakyat siya sa kuwarto niya at nagpalit, abot-abot ang pasasalamat ko.

“That’s the girl?” she whispered to me as she stealthily pointed Chanda, a fling of mine, seated near the wall stirring her drink nervously.

I nodded. “Yeah, it’s her.”

Inayos niya ang pagkakasabit ng kanyang shoulder bag at taas-noong nagpatiuna sa paglalakad. Napailing-iling na lamang ako habang nakamasid sa kanya.

And I thought you hated coming here with me, princess.

When she reached the table, Chanda immediately looked up. Anaddy uttered something that I didn’t hear but fueled my engines to reach them quickly. Pagkarating ko nga ay agad kong naagaw ang atensyon nila.

“He’s unfaithful and rude. Ako lang ang nakakapagtiyaga sa kanya. You’re a beauty and I can say you look smart. If you want to have a better future, you should leave this guy. Let me suffer loving him,” sunod-sunod na sabi ni Anaddy.