THE GOOD SISTER

Chapter 41 - Hard Copy

Good evening! Hope you're all feeling great because I am too. Wow we're #1 now! Surprise surprise, considering I don't update as often as I used to. Thank you to all those still reading up to know. This fic will be ending soon, and it's been a good journey despite getting rocky midway.

When things get rocky, the best thing is to just leave and let the dust settle first. There are some things you can't force to fix immediately and the best way is just to leave muna. That is Dei's situation in the story. Belatedly she realizes that their situation is not that simple and it is now taking a toll on their private lives. When the situation backfires and reaches a feverish pitch, she now feels she has to take a step back to assess the situation better. 

Please understand that she is not running away from the situation, merely stepping out of the picture to better understand it. Do you agree with her action? Would you do the same thing? Would love to hear from you. Enjoy reading :)

It was the day of the press conference for Disruption. The event was two-pronged, a blogger's conference was held in the morning, and the gathering for press people was in the afternoon. A preview of the movie was unveiled for the first time, which got enthusiastic applause.

Ciara, Dei, Richard, Kat, Aaron, and Inigo were seated on a table set up onstage, together with Sir Eddie. This was the last leg of their promotion for the movie and all four were hoping that the interest in #KatRich would soon dissipate. The questions started pouring in.

"Aaron, this is your second indie movie. Do you think being partnered with Kat will help you get into mainstream movies?"

"Sana po it will, it's been great working with Kat and Direk Inigo."

"Kat, ang ganda-ganda mo ngayon. Dahil ba in love ka?"

"Kayo naman, maganda lang in love na. Hindi ba pwedeng maganda lang ako talaga, hahaha. Joke lang po."

"Balita namin daring ka in this movie. How far did you go for this movie?"

"First time ko to take on a mature role. You will see a different Kat in this movie."

"How did you find Inigo as a director?"

"Dream come true! I learned so much from him. I would gladly work with him again."

Kat responded to each question with ease and confidence. She was, after all, a darling of the press awardee. Dei was amazed at how easily she responded to the questions. Everything was ok until someone from the press thought of focusing on Dei.

"I'd like to ask Dei this question. Dei, diba college friend mo si Richard? Would you know who the mystery girl is, the reason why he wrote Disruption? Curious kaming lahat kasi eh."

Dei felt her face heat up and wished she had the capability to suddenly teleport elsewhere. She had not counted on being asked anything personal.

"I'm........I'm sorry, but I don't think I should be the one to say who she is."

"So hindi si Kat yung girl na tinutukoy ni Richard?"

"Ay hindi po. Hindi si Kat yun."

"Any chance na ikaw yun? Kasi you've been close through the years, and Kat wouldn't really meet Richard kundi dahil sayo diba?"

"Uhm.......Can we just focus po on the movie na lang?"

"Hija simple lang naman ang tanong ko, may possibility ba na ikaw yun girl na yun? Yes or no lang naman."

Dei was panicking, she didn't know how to respond. Under the table, she felt Richard's hand take hers. He suddenly spoke.

"Guys, can we just keep her identity a secret? I know the question is valid, related naman siya sa movie pero let's not put Dei on a spot here."

"O sige ganito na lang. We've seen photos of your restaurant inauguration. Kat was not there but Dei attended. Sa pictures niyo, parang may something sa body language niyong dalawa eh. People are surely wondering, sino ba sa magkapatid ang karelasyon mo, Richard?"

"No comment po."

Ciara butted in to dispel the tension already felt in the hall.

"At this point po, why don't we take a break muna? The buffet is now open please help yourselves. Later po we invited Dr. Harold Tan to discuss OCD and Cherophobia, the fear of happiness. Interesting po yan so that's what's happening after lunch."

-----

The bloggers covering Disruption gave excellent reviews about the movie's plot and cast. They hyped the interest on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Cherophobia, and how both affect individuals. They liked the complexity of the lead character and how the story progressed. They were excited to see how the movie translated the emotions of the book into visuals, especially with Inigo at the helm.

On the other hand, the press coverage was unkind and harped more on the refusal of Dei, Richard and Kat to admit to any relationships between them. Dei was at the receiving end of some angry fans who considered her an unwelcome presence between Kat and Richard. It reached crazy proportions such that Dei felt suffocated and needed to take a breather from everything.

For the first time in her life, she was going to do something really drastic. It took a whole day to arrange everything but she finally was able to pull ito off. She left her unit all packed and ready when she called Richard. He responded on the first ring.

"Baby, I saw the reports online. Please stay calm, we can fix this."

"Jay, I can't take this anymore. I've been taking hits from fans and now even from the press. I know this is all my fault, I forced you into this but look, it's now backfiring and I'm taking the hit for it all."

"Please don't say that. Asan ka ba, let's take a break muna. We can leave."

"Yes. We'll take a break. But not together. I'm leaving muna, Jay. I'm at the airport, I just need to get away alone. If we go together, damay ka na naman, more negative reports. Maybe I should stay away until after the premiere. Sayang, I want to be with you there, but how can I? Baka fans will get angry if they see me there."

"Baby wait! San ka pupunta? Akala ko ba we're going to talk things over before we do anything? Iiwan mo na naman ako? Dei......" His voice broke and Dei felt like crying.

"I'm not leaving you, Jay. I'm just staying away muna till the negativity dies down." She swallowed and tried to steady her voice. "Ako na lang magbibigay. Tutal this is my fault."

"San ka pupunta?"

"Basta. Don't follow me. Kilala kita, you will eventually find out where I am pero please, don't follow muna, ok?"

"Baby.........please. Don't leave."

"I love you. I'm doing this for you and my sister."

"We need you here, dammit."

"Sssshhh......tama na. While I still can, baby. Let me go. Nothing has changed. Sandali lang ito, I promise."

The line went dead and though he tried to contact her again as many times as he could, Dei already had her phone on airplane mode.