"Do you want to go home?" he asked me.
I bit my lips slightly. I don't know what to answer. I held on tightly to the can of beer they gave me. I even beat the lottery winner because of the jackpot that is happening to me right now.
This is way too much for me. I don’t even care now if my brother Jax will know this. I just want to embrace this moment and focus on him.
"I’ll take you home in a while." he said, and adjusted his arms around my waist, hugging me more.
I got a little sad by his decision. I still want to be with him though, especially since this is our position. This position of ours seems to be a slap in the face to the women who are flirting with him.
See? What are you now?
I tried to hide my smile by drinking a can of beer.
"That's your last alright? Let's go home after."
I nodded and tuck my hair behind my ears. I heard him chuckling lightly. What I like about his friends is that they are not nosy and immature. I didn't even hear any teasing from them other than Cali's teasing looks.
Well, I know from the beginning that he knows something. Also based on what happened then at our villa in the Visayas.
Later, Erato guided me to get up and say goodbye. I even stared at him when he stood up to see if he was dizzy or what but there was no hint of any difficulty in his posture.
He held my hand and started to bid his goodbye with their group of friends. He fist bomb some of them and chatted a little while I'm just behind him while holding each other's hands.
"Oh, bro? Going home?"
"Yeah brah, gonna take her home."
I heard them talking as I also said goodbye to a few who became my friends in a short time.
"Happy birthday again, Cali. I enjoyed the night."
I smiled at him.
He smirked and reached for my embrace. Erato pulled me immediately so his laughter exploded even more.
"Fuck you couz!" he laughed.
I glanced at Erato and he just raised his brow at me. I hid the ghost of a smile on my lips. After saying goodbye we left there at the same time.
"I guess you're drunk? You might not be able to drive." I said softly.
He hissed arrogantly as an answer. He pulled me closer to his body. I was almost upset when he guided me so much. He's so strong. I feel like he can throw me without sweating.
"When did I even got drunk? Maybe you are."
I chuckled and shook my head. We parked his car not far away. I could see that in the distance as we walked through the dark surroundings. My heart thumped in joy by just simply walking in the dark with him. Without any words, just mere silence. I want to stay like this for a long time, but that's too much to ask.
The truth is I also don’t know which page the two of us are on. I don’t want to ask. I'm scared to know that we’re not reading the same book. I don't want to assume but I don't want to lose hope either. Just like what he said, we're just up here. So what he can give I will accept because it is all more than I expected.
"Are you sure you're not drunk?" I asked him again to drive. He laughed as he pulled the car back.
"Even if I'm drunk we won't get into an accident."
"What if you get caught?" I laid the options.
"Tss. I’ll not surrender. "
I pouted. It's up to him. For someone who's taking up the Law, he's one hell of a hypocrite, huh? I glanced at the side mirrors and saw my car tailing us again. I sighed harshly. I saw that he was distracted probably because of my sudden violent breathing.
"You don't want your car tailing us? You want us to go first?" he asked.
I turned to him quickly. I shook my head right away. "No. It's okay." I simply said.
He did not speak because his eyes were only focused on the road.
"Then why are you suddenly out of the mood?" I glanced at him again and back to the road. I didn't even notice that I was affected then.
"I'm just ..." I also didn't know what to say. "I'm just wondering how it feels to be alone."
He looked at me quickly.
"How does it feel to be so free? You have no eyes watching and looking at you?" He looks serious down the road and just listens to me.
"What if I'm born with a different family? It's just normal, free. A family who doesn't need any security. No eye is paid to watch over you."
"Are you saying you regret being your father's child?"
"No." I opposed it quickly.
"Of course I love my father and my family. It's just that, whenever I feel like doing the things that are prohibited, that always reflects into the image of my father or my family. Same goes around with him, with them." I whispered softly, he just listened quietly.
"I wonder how it feels to be free, without having to experience the feeling of being collateral damage. You can do everything without affecting others. No one will get angry, no one will be hurt."
I watched the dark road from my window. The lights are far away because Tagaytay is on the high side. I feel like it's dawn so I'm getting drowsy and what's just coming out of my mouth. I chuckled realizing what I just said.
"I think I’m just drunk."
I giggled and brushed my hair, then I looked at him again. He's still seriously driving. He's gripping the steering wheel so hard that his veins popped out.