Romance Anthologies

Track #12: Cornelia Street

A/N: HELLO IT HAS BEEN A LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG TIME I KNOW 😭 To summarize, I've been on a writer's slump (still in it atm and this prolly gonna go on for like forever) + I'm currently into k-dramas + graduating lyf has me on chokehold xd. I can't even tell nor promise you that I'm really really back. It's just that I felt like going for a breather (and for me that's writing) so here's this. For me, this is quite just a refresher and I won't blame you if you didn't like the story or smth (mej short compared to others btw) because I swear I TRIED SO HARD and got so far in the end it doesn't even matter ... chz. Nevertheless, enjoy, and I miss y'all too!

-

"Jusko naman Bongbong."

"Ano?"

Imee raised a brow as she received a nonchalant expression from him as if he didn't care what she just said.

"Lapitan mo na kasi."

Surprisingly, that caught him successfully off guard.

It was time for his forehead to crease, "Stop bluffing."

"Grabeng dedication na talaga yan Bongets ah. Mag-dadalawang taon ka nang nagsisinungaling," she cackled. "Just sleep with her and get this over with."

"I...don't know what you're talking about," he laughed nervously and shrugged his way out of the counter with a full shot of complex whiskey in his hands.

"Louise!" he heard her sister's giggles from afar which successfully alarmed Bongbong from where he stood. 

Why do I have to have a troublesome older sister? He cussed at the back of his mind. Of course, Louise Araneta turned her head around to see where the sound was coming from and saw Imee waving at her. As she excused herself from the crowd, a loud sound of glass dropping on the floor made their attention turn pinpointing where the phenomenon took place. The whole crowd silenced and only murmurs about the disturbing event filled the place.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry," with her flashy and stretchy evening dress, Louise bent and picked up the glass pieces herself.

"Miss Araneta, it's okay..." a subtle voice kicked in as she bent over too. "The waiters are coming here in any minute. Hayaan na natin silang maglinis niyan at baka magkasugat-sugat pa tayo."

She didn't lie though because the wait boys immediately came to the rescue and isolated the small area for a few minutes and cleaned it up neatly, leaving no speck of broken glass on the floor. Still, Imee's hands are in her mouth covering her awe, Bongbong just sternly stood there, and Louise still felt guilty knocking over a guest's glass unintentionally in the middle of a conversation.

Louise bit her lip and offered, "I'm really sorry...come, let me get you a glass-"

"No, ayos lang talaga. Pauwi na rin ako," she shyly yet reassuringly told her.

Nang hinawi ng babae ang nakalugay nitong buhok, tila ba nabato si Bongbong sa kinatatayuan nito. He wasn't able to fully see the woman's face earlier because it was covered with several heads and her hair too was one contributing factor, but the moment her identity was revealed, his mouth left hung open.

Was it because he was surprised about who she was...or because she found her beautiful?

Clearly, he was not in the right mind to assess whatnots.

Nabalik lang si Bongets sa realidad nang sikuhin siya ng nakatatandang kapatid, "Ano? Tutunganga ka lang dyan?"

Annoyed, he rolled his eyes and stormed out of the venue for some fresh air and maybe light a cigarette too if it allows him to do so. He took out one stick of tobacco fresh from a nearby convenience store which he grabbed before he got to the event, took out a lighter as well and lit the bottom up. He started inhaling the good shit that was coming from the cigarette and heavily exhaled, hoping that his clouded thoughts would clear up for just a minute.