UNEDITED
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"Anong mukha yan?"
"An ugly one."
"Seriously, Alayna. She's been like that ever since she came back."
"I'll talk to her so stop pacing around."
Natigil ako sa pagmumuni-muni nang marinig ang pagkulo ng tubig. Pilit kong hindi pinansin ang mga bulungan nila Fabian sa sala pero napairap nalang ako sa lakas ng mga boses nila. They're not even trying to be discreet.
It's been 4 days since I came back from Dellmount. Sinundo ako agad ni Fabian nang tawagan ko siya after ng incident sa stairs. Hindi ko na kinailangang ipaliwanag sa kaniya ang biglaan kong pagpapasundo dahil mukhang inantay niya lang talaga na maibalik ako sa kanila. I also didn't bother telling my father since my appearance during that meeting was enough for him. Scarlett, on the other hand, received a note from me since hinila nanaman siya sa meeting ng tatay niya.
"Magkape na kayo," malumanay kong sambit at nilagay ang mga baso nilang may mainit na tubig sa counter.
"I baked some muffins. Gusto mo?" tanong ni Alayna habang nakatayo sa ref at handa na itong buksan.
"Sure," I smiled and watched as she carefully took the muffins.
Naramdaman ko namang pasimpleng lumapit sa akin si Fabian habang nagtitimpla ng kape niya. Nang umalis si Alayna para kunin ang kararating na delivery ng supplies, humarap sa akin si Fabian at binigyan ako ng nag-aalalang tingin.
"Anong sinabi ng tatay mo? Did he do something? Is it your stepsister? Stepmother? What did they do to you?" sunod-sunod na tanong niya. "Sabi ko na nga ba hindi nalang sana kita pinapunta."
I stared at Fabian's frown lines and tried to mask my expression. How can I even tell him that someone else is bothering me? After that confrontation with Seraphine, hindi ako nakatulog nang maayos. I kept thinking of the what ifs and how I can tell this to Alayna. What will she do? If Seraphine is indeed the reason for her disappearance, will she leave and find another town again? Or leave the country if she's really trying to avoid her?
Every waking day, thousands of questions and scenarios plagued my mind until it finally consumed me. I started feeling anxious, rather than just being simply curious. Every moment with Alayna started to feel like it was not enough, like I was running out of time. Every time I looked at her, the picture of her ex's face always appeared. Seraphine's sudden appearance became like a ticking bomb, waiting to go off any time and ruin everything.
