Sunlight Deception (Isla Series #1)

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Chase Hernandez and Ariesse Ventosa captured in BGC, unleash rumors of romance.

Napasapo ako sa noo ko habang nagbabasa ng comments sa phone. Nandito ako nagbabantay sa café ko when Cali suddenly FaceTimed me to informed me about this issue na kumakalat sa social media.

"Akala ko si Raya iyong sikat," natatawang sabi ni Cali sa kabilang linya.

I stared at my phone, a little bit stressed. The article was released 3 hours ago. Hindi pa naman ako masyadong huli sa balita. Below the headline was a photo attached. Ako iyon at si Chase.

We were just wearing casual clothes. Naka shades ako habang si Chase naman naka cap at nakababa ang face mask. We were just walking side by side. I had a lemonade in my hand at siya naman, may hawak na kape habang nakatingin sa 'kin at may sinasabi.

It was nothing intimate kaya bakit 'to na issue?! 'Di ba pwedeng friends lang? Nagsama lang magjowa na agad? Pilipinas nga naman!

"Ba't ba kasi ito na-issue?" naguguluhan kong tanong kay Cali.

"Chase, your ex... Oh, baka boyfriend mo na iyan ulit?" Cali asked suspiciously.

"What? No! Ano ba! Pati ikaw maniniwala sa issue?" hindi makapaniwalang tanong ko sakanya. Grabe, sarili kong kaibigan pinagdududahan ako!

"Why? Tell me I'm wrong," may kaunting pagdududa sa kanyang tono.

"Wow! Thanks, best friend!" sarkastikong kong sagot at sinandal ang likod sa backrest ng upuan. I looked at her annoyingly as she laughed on the screen.

"I'm just kidding!" bawi niya at tumawa. "Anyway, kaya 'yan na-issue kasi si Chase, he's a rising model. He's gaining a lot of fans and the media takes advantage of it," she explained.

"Eh, ba't ngayon lang? Lagi naman na kami magkasama," I said.

She shifted her eyes from her laptop papunta sa phone niya, kung saan kami nagvi-video call. Tinaasan niya ako ng kilay at inayos ang glasses niya.

"So, gusto mo rin ma-issue?"

"What?!" medyo tumaas ang tono ko kaya may mga napalingon na mga tao sa 'kin. I smiled at them apologetically. My staff even gave me a thumbs up, asking me if I was okay. I just returned the gesture.

"Calm down." She rolled her eyes at me.

"No naman kasi! Like, we've been seen in public a lot of times, tas ngayon pa lang nagka-issue? Wala naman akong pakialam. But, naiinis ako sa comments. Dinadamay ang café ko," pagmamaktol ko.

"Why are you even reading the comments?" She shook her head. "Advantage for you, though. Fans are going to get curious about you so they're going to visit your café," natatawang niyang sabi sa 'kin.

"God. Why are you so happy?" I asked in disbelief.

"Nothing. Anyway, I'll finish editing this vlog now," she said and pointed at her laptop. "Huwag kang paapekto diyan sa issue. Wala lang iyan. Unless you're trying to protect someone's feelings."

Inirapan ko siya kaya tinawanan niya ako.

"Kidding. Sige na. I'll see you soon when I get back. Love you, girl!"

"See you. Love you too. Ingat ka," I said and waved at her. She smiled and ended the FaceTime. Napabuga naman ako agad ng hangin habang iniisip pa rin iyong issue. That was my first time being caught in an issue.

May mga pumasok sa café na mga teenager. Nagbubulungan sila habang nakatingin sa 'kin habang naglalakad paunta sa counter. They might have noticed na nakatingin din ako kaya bigla silang nag-uunahan mag iwas ng tingin.