Oh my god, Olivia Mari Rios! What the hell were you thinking, bitch?!", pasigaw na salubong sa akin ni Brianna. Magkasalubong ang dalawang kilay nito habang nakasandal sa pillar sa veranda. Mukhang hinihintay talaga niya ako. Kakarating ko lang mula sa opisina. Nilagpasan ko sya at tuluyang pumasok sa mansion. Pasalampak akong umupo sa couch at itinapon sa lamesa ang susi ng kotse. Napansin kong tahimik ang buong bahay maliban sa mga maids na nasa kusina't abalang nagluluto habang nag uusap ng kung anu-ano tungkol sa kpop. And also, except for my older sister that is blabbering nonsense. Pumasok na rin ito sa loob. Nakakairita.
"Glad you read my text message. And by the way Bri, will you shut the fuck up? Pagod ako. Gusto kong magpahinga.", iritang sabi ko sa kanya.
Of course, that is a lie. Half truth actually, dahil totoong pagod ako after a day's work. But the main reason is gusto ko ring iwasan ang kung ano mang komprontasyon na naghihintay para sa akin for now. Especially ones that came from my parents. But I know I couldn't always just avoid it. Time will come at mangyayari ang pinakakainisan kong bagay.
"I'll be ready for that. Hmm. Maybe?", bulong ko sa sarili ko.
"Liv! I am telling you. Call Bran right now and tell him you are sorry for what you did! Or else, I'll-!"
"You'll what, Brianna? Kahit magsumbong ka kay Mama right now, I'm confident na alam nila. Why won't they?"
"What are you talking about?", kunot-noong tanong nito.
"C'mon Bri. It's not like you don't know our parents, especially si Mama. They're the owners of Splint Corporation, and I'm sure they have ears and eyes sa opisina to monitor us. Of course, by the time the employees saw what I did to Brandon Miguel Acuesta earlier, naireport na yun kina Mama't Papa."
Bigla itong natahimik.
"Well.. I coudn't agree more. But Liv! They're gonna force me to marry Ezekiel if you aren't going to marry Bran! You know I hate that bastard. I can't even stand the sight of him!", maarteng sabi nito.
I rolled my eyes. Thirty year-old Brianna Cassandra Rios is the most annoying person in the whole wide world. At sa kamalas malasan, she is my older sister. She never failed to annoy me sa kanyang mga kaartehan simula pa pagkabata. But what can I do? She's my sister. And the only sibling I have. Yes. Dalawa lang kaming magkapatid. And although I hate to admit it, I still love her besides the fact that she acts like a spoiled brat sometimes. Actually, most of the time. We have that love-and-hate relationship.
"Brianna Cassandra Rios, I always thought you liked Zeke since we were kids. What happened? Bakit biglang nagbago ang ihip ng hangin?", tanong ko sa kanya.
Hindi ito makasagot. I looked at her pero hindi ito makadiretso ng tingin. I guess something happened between that playboy Zeke and her pero hindi nito masabi sa kanya. I and Bri might not go along that well sometimes but we share secrets even when we were little especially when it comes sa kalokohan.
"Doesn't matter Liv. Basta! I don't ever wanna be tied to that jerk! So, please, call Bra--"
Magsasalita pa sana si Brianna ng marinig namin ang tunog ng humintong kotse. Ngumiti ito at lumabas ng mansion. I am familiar with the car's sound.
"I better get ready for this.", sabi ko sa sarili ko.
After a few minutes, bumalik si Brianna sa loob but kasama sina Margaret at Juan Antonio Rios. I stood up to kiss both of my parents ng biglang nagsalita si Mama.
"Mari, iha. We invited Bran to come over for dinner. He'll be here by 6:00 PM. It's already 5:45, mag ayos ka.", sabi nito habang nakatingin sa kanya na parang may pagbabanta.
"But Ma! I don't--"
"Olivia! No don'ts! Go and change. Make sure you'll look and behave your best tonight.", sabi nito. She looked at her dad pero nagkibit balikat lang ito, indicating that her mom is serious and firm about this matter. Umakyat na ang mga ito patungo sa kanilang kwarto.
When she heard her parents' door closed, she let out a grunt.
"Ughhh!"
What the hell does Brandon want at pumayag 'to sa request ng ina nya? She knows that Brandon is not someone who'd want to be tied into a relationship. Much more a marriage. And she doesn't want a forced relationship. If she'd be married, gusto nyang makasal into someone whose ready to accept her, someone who really loves her. At wala pa sa plano niya ang magpakasal. She's still young. And she wants to enjoy life. That's why she turned down all the date invites. If someone tries to flirt with her, she immediately shows them her taray. And yes, it's very effective. She's known in her family's company where she works at, as a cold, ruthless boss.
But she couldn't care less what other people think of her. As long as her few friends knew the real Olivia Mari Rios and they stick with her through good and bad times, she can live with that.
Her thoughts trailed off when she heard that a car halted in front of their mansion. She immediately ran upstairs para magtago. But honestly, it's more of "to check who came" than magtago. Kahit alam na nya sinong walangya ang dumating. She locked the door in her room at bahagyang itinabi ang drapes sa bintana. She could see him stepping out of the car. He's newly shaved since she can see na merong trace of bluish color sa perfectly squared jawline nito. He's wearing pants and a plain white shirt na medyo hapit sa katawan so it emphasizes his muscles. So simple. Yet ang gwapo nitong tignan. And I think, the reason why he catches every girl's attention is that Brandom has deep set eyes. Makapal na pilik mata. An aristocrat nose. And those soft-looking lips. Plus the towering height. He could pass as a basketball player. There is no arguing that he's a very handsome guy. And no wonder most girls fell for him. Nagpapakatanga at nagpapakagaga. So pathetic.
Lumayo siya sa bintana at humiga sa kama. She still haven't changed clothes from the office. Tinanggal nya ang butones ng kanyang damit at tinanggal rin ang kanyang sapatos at hinayaan itong mapunta sa kung saan mang sulok ng kwarto nya. She closed her eyes upang magpahinga sandali. She already drifted off when she heard a knock at the door.
She stood up at inis na binuksan ang pinto. Unexpectedly, she saw Brandon standing right in front of her. And he was staring at her. No. He was staring at something else.. Her chest and her bod. And it was too late for her to cover it. Brandon looked at her in the eyes and a smile formed in his lips. Nag init ang mukha nya sa hiya and she slammed the door.
"Fucking mania--!"
"Awww!"
Naputol ang sasabihin nya ng marinig ang pagsigaw ni Bran sa labas ng kanyang kwarto. Dali dali nyang binuksan ang pinto and saw Bran na namimilipit sa sakit while holding his left index finger. Mukhang naipit ito ng binalandra nya ng pagsara ang pinto.
"Hoy, maniac! Let me see that nga!", pasigaw kong sabi dito.
"Now, now, Liv.", sabi nitong nakangiti na animo'y nakalimutan ang sakit sa kamay nito. He blocked his body at the door and moved so close to me. So close that I could smell his body spray. He held some of my loose hair strands and tucked it behind my ears and whispered:
"Take it easy, babe. I'm fine. Ayusin mo muna ang damit mo. Baka isipin nina tita Margaret at tito Antonio na hindi na tayo makapaghintay sa honeymoon.", and he chuckled.
I felt his warm breath against my ears. Warm enough to start a fire inside of me. Biglang nag init ang katawan nya.
