Seduction 101

22-Hi, Maynard.

He saw red.

No, black.

No red.

If ever Ysabelle's not around, he could possibly wring Maynard's neck. The heck? Baby love? Ano ang mga ito? Teenagers? High school lovers?

Pasalampak siyang naupo sa kanyang swivel chair at hinilot ang kanyang sentido.

Nitong nakaraang mga araw ay nagiging problemado siya't stress sa di niya matukoy na dahilan. Ginawa na niyang lahat to ease the hollowness inside him but he miserably failed. Napapaisip at napapaisip pa din siya.

Naramdaman niyang bumukas ang pintuan ng kanyang opisina at nakita ang malokong ngiti ng kanyang pinsan.

Maynard's his first cousin, magkapatid ang mga ama nila.

His forehead knotted when he noticed how he wore his grin.

"What?" He asked.

"Wala naman. I wonder san lumipat si Baby loves, dito lang pala. Kung alam ko lang, nabisita ko na siya ng maaga." Turan nito at pasalampak na naupo katapat niya.

He silently hissed.

"Matagal na kayong magkakilala?" Pailalim niya itong tiningnan.

"Oo, college palang si Ysang. Kilala ko Tatay niya dahil nagtatrabaho din yun sa'tin. Ng mag apply si Ysang para sa scholarship, ako ang nag approve. Nang makapagtapos naman siya, sa akin ko na siya pinagtrabaho. We became friends since then."

Maynard looked like daydreaming while simply recalling how he and Ysabelle met.

May pagtingin din ba ito sa sekretarya niya?

Din? Now where is that coming?

"Friends? Hindi mo siya niligawan?" Tanong niya ulit dito.

He shrugged his shoulders and eyed him.

"Ba't ka ba tanong ng tanong? Gusto mo?" Diretsahang tanong nito sa kanya.

He shrugged.

"Masama na bang magtanong? I barely know her, kaya tama lang na alamin ko ang lahat sa kanya." Turan niya at iniabot dito ang isang yellow folder na naglalaman ng isang mahalagang deal nila abroad.

"Yun lang?" Tanong ulit nito.

"Maynard, we are here to discuss how we are going to settle this thing between the La Voich. And talking about my secretary's out of the box." He explained.

"Okay, okay. I get it. Ikaw kaya naunang nagtanong." He said while scanning the content of the folder.

Bumukas ang pintuan ng kanyang opisina at sabay sila ng pinsan na napalingon doon.

Ysabelle's carrying two lunch boxes from one certain restaurant while wearing a sweet, alluring smile.

From afar, he could smell her. How her musky, sweet perfume assaulted his nostrils.

Slowly, her smell invaded his being.

She smells heavenly. Parang matamis na mabangong strawberry candy na parang honey na parang...ay ewan. Basta he finds her smell head numbing.

"We didn't order anything, Ms. Etulle." Sita niya dito ng ilapag nito ang boxes sa harapan nila.

"It's okay, sir. I bought lunch on purpose. These are Sir Maynard's favorites." He saw her smiled at his cousin and something inside him boiled.

His cousin grinned at him and turned his attention on her.

"Thanks, Ysang. How sweet of you. Naaalala mo pa pala." His he'll-gonna-kill-him-later cousin beamed at her like a fucked up idiot and he'll stranggle her for beaming at him back.

"Ito ata ang di ko malimot-limotan. Ang paborito mong pagkain." She said.

The smell of the food is salivating. Pero nawalan na siya ng ganang kumain.

All he wanna do is to wring their necks and just...

He sigh.

He wants to wipe his cousin's grin, the grin that annoys him so much.

What's happening on him?

He's really acting weird.

"Sir?" Napatalon siya ng marinig niya ang boses ni Ysabelle.

He cleared his throat and eyed her.

"Yes." Monosyllabically.

"Don't you want to eat? It's almost lunch break, sir." She said as she grab the covers of the lunch boxes and Filipino dishes laid in front of him.

The smell of the food watered his mouth but never, like never siyang kakain.

The food's for Maynard, she said.

And he don't share.

"I'm not hungry, thank you. You can now go out." He dismissed her and turned his attention on Maynard, na napapailing na lamang.

Mukhang napahiya ito at tumungo.

His cousin cleared his throat at isa-isang pinulot at binitbit ang boxes.

"Let's go outside, Ysang. Let's clean these boxes and feed our asses out." Maynard said while looking at him.

As if telling him that he did the moronic thing ever.

"Ah-yes. Okay. Sure."

And when they finally step outside his office, the only thing he did was to groan...

At tuktokan ang sarili.

He's such a fucking asshole! Damn!

#GrammarBeLike #Dafaq