French Kiss in Paris

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Adie was already picked up by Cashel's driver. Good thing she didn't speak about anything that happened earlier in the morning back into their apartment. It would be the death of me. 

Mukhang wala rin naman akong aalalahaning ibang bagay kay Adie. Medyo nakakahiya lang talaga na madatnan niya ako na lumabas ng kwarto ng kapatid niya. Even though she didn't mind it, ibigsabihin no'n ay papalagpasin ko na. Nope. I still got a long way to work this out.

Hinihintay ko naman si Cashel na sunduin din ako. Victor's, I think already heading to fifteenth now. Pwede na akong tawaging two-timer dahil pinagsasabay ko silang dalawa. For sure, wala namang problema kay Victor kung kasama namin si Cashel. He knows what we're up to, chinichismis ko rin naman sa kanya 'yong mga ganap ko sa buhay.

He's the only friend I have in here so I'm getting advice from him and it's meaningful, helpful for a newcomer like me.

Naghihintay naman ako sa labas ng building.Wearing the dress, assumingly he gave made me thought about his intentions nowadays. Minsan napapaisip ako, there's a lot of pretty French girls out there, kahit maglaplapan pa sila riyan, people will love them pero ako itong outsider at bagong salta lang sa Paris, it's weird that we both fell into this situation kahit hindi namin alam kung saan ito papatungo.

I never really had the chance to talk about him but I might once we see each other again.

When I heard someone coming out of the building, saglit akong lumingon para tingnan kung sino 'yon. Some students have already left the building and deep inside of me, I shouldn't see Minetta on my way out. And I feel horrible when she walks to me, smiling like Cinderella's evil stepsister.

"Où vas-tu, Cosette?" she asked, and before I could answer her, she threw another question. "Pourquoi attendez-vous ici? Vous êtes en attente pour quelqu'un?"

I shake my head. "No, I'm waiting for the bus."

"Busses don't go this way," she said, shaking her head as well. "Do you always wait for the bus here?"

It was the wrong choice of a lie to use. I fixed my posture and then showed her a smile. "Well, honestly, I'll be meeting someone today and I always take the metro heading here and back home."

"So you lied?" she questioned, she puckered her lips. It was dry and she uses too much dark a shade of red lipstick. Mukhang siya ang mga night out ngayon at hindi ngayon. But the weekend is coming in the next two days and I can wait to sleep all day in my bed. But I don't think magagawa ko 'yon. Cashel's inviting me somewhere else so I might be having my holidays with him and his little sister.

"I don't mean to lie," pagrarason ko. "It's just that--"

"You're going out with Cashel Jowsey Corprew tonight and you're lying to me again, Cashel," she assumed. Bigla akong naasar sa pangunguna niya sa akin. I hope she knows what she's talking about. Kung hindi lang malakas ang koneksyon nito sa principal baka kanina ko pa nahablot ang buhok nito at kinalakadkad somewhere. 

"No," muli kong pagdedeny. I just need to stop her speculating about it. She doesn't need to fill up all her curiosity with her suspicions. "I'm telling you for how many times, Cashel and I aren't a thing, Minetta. Maybe we're just friends and how about you should think the way it is, huh?"

She shrugged off her shoulder. Obviously, hindi niya tinatanggap ang paliwanag ko. Wala na naman akong magagawa kung ayaw niyang paniwalaan ang sinasabi niya. She has her own opinion to things she don't have any idea about.

A moment later, a black Chiron car stops in front of me. Supposedly, Minetta should be walking away right now but she stayed standing beside me. Mukha nga talagang curious ang babaitang ito.