The Sacred Rule of Love - (PUBLISHED 2019)

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

            I was shocked for a moment. Dahil na rin sa pagka-shock ko na iyon, hindi rin ako nakapagsalita kaagad. Umurong na yata yung dila ko. Akala ko ba hindi ako naniniwala sa mga hula? There was just something about that old lady that tells me na baka tama siya.

            Si Jax nga ba ang soulmate ko?

            Alex was full on staring at me. Seryosong-seryoso siya pero hindi ko naman masabi sa kanya kung anong nangyari. I think I’ll hold off into telling him hanggang sa makauwi na kami. The last thing I want Jax to know is… that.

            “Anong nangyari sa iyo?” tanong ni Jax sa akin, “Para kang nakakita ng multo.”

            Pagkatapos niyang sinabi yun, natawa naman siyang bigla realizing that his statement applies to me already. Yun nga lang, wala naman talaga akong nakita.

            “Jax, stop being sarcastic…”

            “Hey, you gotta’ admit... that was funny!” tinuro niya ako and he was still laughing, “Honestly I’ve seen a few already, so I just turned it off. Except for this guy here…” he nodded sa side ni Alex.

            We all walked doon sa mga area kung saan pwedeng maglaro. Yung mga typical na laro yung nakikita mo—basketball, shooting, ring toss… at kung anu-ano pa. I stopped by at this area na ang nakalagay eh “Colour Game”at may mga nakapalibot na tao doon. Nung nakita ko kung paano nilalaro, may tatlong parang dice doon na may iba’t ibang kulay kada sides and then you bet on money sa color na lalabas. If you get one of the colors, you just get to double your money. Kapag dalawang dice, it’s 4x what you put… and 6x if you get all three.

            I heard Alex breathed hard right next to me, “Miss Zoe, I advise you not to participate in this game. It’s a form of gambling.”

            Lumapit  naman itong si Jax at nakinguso doon sa game na tinitignan ko. He pushed his way in at hinawakan niya ako sa wrist ko, “Loosen up! It’s just a game!” sinabi niya kaagad kay Alex, “I’ll put the money in. Your precious little Zoe can just feed me the color. Hindi naman na siguro gambling yun sa iyo?”

            Ayaw ko namang ma-disappoint si Alex, so I didn’t bet on any money. Pero ito namang si Jax gusto daw niyang sumali and he was asking me for colors, so I did feed him the colors. I was not technically gambling, right?

            After six tries doon sa game, we’ve won once and lost the rest. Mukhang napipikon na si Jax nun dahil maikli lang  yung pasensiya niya, “God damn it! How do people win in this shit?” narinig ko na sinabi niya, “You’re a fucking crook.”

            “Jax!” hinila ko naman yung kamay niya, “Sumali ka knowing na may chance ka na matalo. Calm down…” sinabi ko sa kanya, “You’re rich. Let it go.”

            “It’s not about the money…” magkasalubong pa yung kilay niya, “I hate losing.”

            Natawa naman si Alex doon sa gilid. He folded his arms right in front of him at nakita ko na naman na naka-flex ung arm muscles niya. I don’t think anyone can look more perfect than that.

            Jax noticed na natawa si Alex so tumingin naman siya, “You think you can win this thing?”

            “Alex, that would be a cheat.” Sinabi ko naman sa kanya, “And you don’t cheat.”

            Tumingin yung isang lalaki na hindi ko kilala dahil may kinakausap ako out of thin air at nagtaka siya siguro kung anong drama ko. I just smiled awkwardly at him at sinabi ko nga na mahilig akong kausapin ang wala and that it calms down my nerves. I think he thought I was weird, pero ano pa nga bang magagawa ko?