You Belong With Me

Eleven

DISCLAIMER: - see previous chapters -

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MAINE STARED AT ALDEN'S TEXT FOR THE LONGEST TIME. She had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming and that she actually read what Alden text her.

"Hilo ba 'to?" she asked out loud. She re-read his message at least three more times before putting her phone down and ignored it. She kept herself busy by cleaning her place up a bit. She left her cell phone on the counter where she can easily spot it if or when it rings. She kept on glaring at it each time she caught herself searching for her phone.

"No," she said firmly, as if she was trying to convince herself. "I will not give him the satisfaction of an answer. Ginugood time lang ako nung mokong na yun."

# # # # #

ALDEN STARED AT HIS CELL PHONE WAITING for Maine's reply. But none came.

"C'mon, Meng, answer me!" he growled at the piece of modern technology, but his growling and hissing at it didn't make any difference.

Maine never replied back.

"I finally had the guts to tell her my intention, tapos dedma lang niya ako?" he muttered and threw his phone on his bed. He would've thrown it across the room, but the last thing he wanted was for it to shatter to pieces and needing a replacement phone, which he wasn't in the mood for buying considering he just got this phone a couple of months ago.

# # # # #

MAINE: Seryoso ka ba talaga?

Alden sat up straight from where he was slouching on his couch while watching something on TV to occupy his time. He grabbed his phone when he heard Maine's personalized ringtone he set to know his incoming call or text was from her.

ALDEN: Bakit parang hindi ka makapaniwala?

MAINE: C'mon, Alden. Wag kang mag-biro.

ALDEN: Hindi ako nagbibiro.

MAINE: So seryoso ka nga?

ALDEN: As a heart attack.

# # # # #

SERYOSO BA SHA TALAGA?" Maine wondered out loud. She finally caved after ignoring her phone and Alden's last text for almost three hours. She ran out of things to clean at her place and short of baking up a storm and not knowing how to get rid of them, she finally snatched her phone from where she left it and replied to him.

MAINE: Did you a lose a bet kaya ginugood time mo ako?

ALDEN: Ano???? Good time? Meng, you know me better than that.

MAINE: Yeah, I know you're such a player that you'll do anything and say anything just to get the girl you're good timing to agree with you or fall under your damn spell.

ALDEN: Maine, kung ginugood time lang kita you'll know. Kilalang-kilala mo ata ako.

"Apparently I don't really know you that well," she muttered to herself after reading his response.

MAINE: You just expect me to believe na gusto mo akong ligawan after your ex-girlfriend, who you claim eh hindi mo gustong makipagbalikan, shows up?

ALDEN: I don't need my ex showing up para lang ligawan ka. Nagkataon lang na bigla siyang nagpakita.

MAINE: Excuses, excuses, excuses. Hay, jan ka magaling!

ALDEN: I'm not making excuses. Sorry po kung natotorpe ako before. Hindi kaya madaling magpropose ng intention no. Tao lang po ako.

Maine cocked an eyebrow at his latest text. Hindi rin niya mapigilang ngumiti dahil sa sinabi niya.

"Totoo ba talaga ito?" She asked her phone's screen. She started typing her reply but didn't hit SEND right away. She read and reread the message she was about to send and debated on whether to change it or not. "Hay, bahala na," she said after a while and sent it.

# # # # #

MAINE: Prove it. Ayokong umasa sa wala, Alden. Nasaktan na akong minsan when my relationship with Ike fell apart because he chose his career over our relationship. Prove me wrong na hindi mo lang ako ginugood time. Make me believe na you really are serious at gusto mo talaga akong ligawan. 'Wag puros satsat lang. Words don't have much meaning unless an action's done to back it up.

Alden read her message slowly and very carefully. She was challenging him. He didn't bother sending her a reply back. She already said what was on her mind; the ball was in his court now, and it was up to him to make the next move.

"Challenge accepted," he said quietly, a slow grin appearing on his face showing off his dimple.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks to all you wonderful readers you for sticking around and waiting patiently for this chapter to be uploaded. It took me a while to finish this up; I wrote a couple of drafts for this chapter and none of them seemed to work until inspiration struck me this evening and presto! And as a HEAD'S UP for you readers, revelations will be happening in the next few chapters; our secret admirers will be unmasked - finally! I just need to figure out how to write the unmasking...