Lost in the Maze: Elias de Marcel

Kabanata 6

KABANATA 6

Atasha's POV

Slowly, surprise appeared on Jocelle's face, clearly not expecting what I said. But it didn't take long for her expression to change again. A grin appeared on her lips, as if my words did not affect her.

She approached boldly. "Oh, so you are the girlfriend? It was nice meeting you then," she said confidently before examining me from head to toe. "Nice. I would never have expected that you have something to offer, I was expecting that you are just a nobody," she added.

"Can you please be quiet?!" Elias suddenly interjected and stood in between us. "And, what are you doing here?!" Elias asked. "I thought we already discussed this?"

I quickly looked at Elias after hearing his words. "So that's why you weren't answering my messages because you have another texting partner. Unbelievable!" I said in disbelief.

"Shang, no! You're mistaken!" Elias quickly insisted, as if wanting to explain further.

"Don't try to fool me! I don't want to hear your explanation anymore!" I angrily shouted at Elias, before turning to Jocelle, who still had a grin on her face. "You! If I see your face outside our unit again, I'll turn you into Lobster Fra Diavolo," I threatened, furrowing my brow.

"Lobster Fra Diavolo? What's that?"

I gasped at her question. "You're so good at flirting, but you don't know about Italian food. I thought you were born in France, as you said in your interview. Is it true that you were born there? Or are you just fake, like your buttocks?"

"What?! H-How do you..." her eyes widened as she looked at me. "Are you stalking me?"

"Stalking? You're not interesting enough to stalk. Why would I stalk you?" I replied.

"You're a freak!"

"And you are a fake!"

"My butt is not fake! Maybe yours is!"

I laughed. "Ask Elias if my butt is fake! He loves squeezing my butt, so ask him to get the answer," I said before removing Elias's hands from my shoulder and walking away.

"Shang!" Elias called out, looking like he wanted to chase after me.

"Elias, hold on!" But I knew Jocelle had stopped him, so I just shrugged.

I entered the elevator as it opened, and before it could fully close, Elias caught the door with his hand. He quickly entered and stood beside me. Jocelle tried to follow, but before she could enter, Elias quickly pressed the button to close the door. I saw Jocelle stomping her foot in frustration at what Elias did.

"Shang, I want to explain what happened earlier. I didn't know she would be waiting outside," I heard Elias explaining. "Please, believe me," he added.

Napabuntong-hininga ako. "Sinabi ko na na ayaw kong marinig ang paliwanag mo. Huwag mo akong pilitin na maniwala sa mga sinasabi mo, dahil sa ngayon hindi ko alam kung dapat pa ba akong makinig sa iyo," matigas kong sabi habang nakaharap pa rin sa pinto ng elevator.

"Shang..." mahina niyang sabi. "Ano ang gusto mong gawin ko?"

Tumitig ako sa kanyang mga mata nang seryoso.
"Clean up the mess you made. As long as I see that woman around you, don't expect that we will go back to how it used to be. This is your fault, right? This is your mess, so clean it up. Don't expect that everything comes from me, that I will find a way to keep her away from you. You know me, Elias. I am not a woman who likes drama," I calmly explained, stopping him in his tracks.

"Okay, I will do it. Don't worry," he replied.

When the elevator door opened, I quickly stepped out. Elias followed and walked beside me. After a few moments, a janitor stopped mopping the floor and greeted me.