Just This Once (COMPLETED)

Kabanata 46

#JustThisOnce

Kabanata 46

"Can you... meet me?"

"Yes, of course. Nasan ka?"

I told Nari where I was. Hours passed since my meeting with Cindy, but I still couldn't go home. I just... couldn't make sense of what was happening. About why I was letting things just happen.

Why we're both so helpless.

We both didn't want this, but there seemed to be no way out.

I felt like the de Marco's own marionette.

"Ano ba? Palagi ka na lang bang umiinom tuwing nakikita kita?" Nari said as she chased the beer from my hand.

I tried grabbing it back, but she wouldn't let me. "Just give it back," I seriously said.

"No," she replied. "You're so close to being a drunk, Gen. As your only friend, it's my job to make sure that you at least stay on the proper lane."

"I have friends."

"Sino? Si Mary? Sila Psalm? They're your relatives," she said. "Bakit ba kasi umiinom ka na naman?"

I looked at her and smiled. I wished smiling could at least lessen the pain I was feeling. Kahit konti lang. I always felt like exploding. Na konting tulak na lang, sasabog na talaga ako. I didn't know how I managed to live like this... if this was still called living.

"I'm... their wedding coordinator."

Nari blinked. "W-what?"

I smiled, pitying myself. "I'm my ex- fiancé's wedding coordinator," I said and then snatched the beer from her grasp. "So don't stop me from drinking tonight. I need this."

I ignored her stares and downed my beer. My chest was still constricting. Every word Cindy said kept on reverberating inside my head. Paulit-ulit. Nakakabaliw.

"Why? Ha? Pano?"

"My mother-in-law spites me," I simply replied.

"She freaking volunteered you?!" I nodded. "At bakit ka pumayag?!"

"It's... different, Nari. It's just really hard to say no to them. You won't understand."

Hindi ko mapaliwanag. Hindi ko kayang ipaliwanag. They just had this certain aura that would scare the living daylights out of you... that would make you consider twice before going against their wishes.

"But this is too much naman, Gen! Wedding coordinator talaga?!"

I nodded and tried to fucking smile. "Funny how life works, huh?"

Bigla niyang tinawag iyong waiter at saka umorder ng wine. "So, nakita na kayo ni Parker?"

I shook my head. "I don't think he'd like that."

"But you're the wedding coordinator. It's inevitable."

Tinignan ko siya. "You'd seen him... right?" She nodded. "How's he?" I asked. For years, I stopped myself from asking about him. I didn't want to know how badly I'd destroyed him. I didn't want to know the extent of the destruction.

Kasi hanggang ngayon, tuwing pinipikit ko ang mga mata ko, naaalala ko pa rin.

"He's fine," she said. "He's better."

"Does he ask about me?"

And there's the pity in her eyes again. "No," she replied. "I'm sorry, Gen. After... what you did, he just never talked about you again."