"Boyfriend?" nakataas ang kilay na tanong ni Blake as he chuckles before drinking vodka again.
"If hindi ko sasabihin yun, he won't stop pestering me." Stacey said laughing lightly.
Lumingon ulit sa kanya si Blake ."Was that your boss?"
She sighed before nodding. "Let's not talk about him. Pag hindi mo ako pinainom, aayain ko si Eve lumabas para dun kami maglasing!" nilakipan niya ng inis ang tono niya.
"I heard that!" sabi ni Eve as she tried to separate them .Umupo ito sa gitna ng dalawa.
Stacey groaned while Blake just shook his head.
"This couch is for more than three people so kasya tayo! If may nasisikipan, feel free to transfer to the other seat." supladang sabi nito habang nagsasalin ng alak sa baso.
Nag-umpisa na namang mag-ring ang telepono ni Stacey.
"Girlfriend ano ba yan? Talk to whoever that is tapos i-off mo na yang phone mo!" suhestiyon ni Eve.
Frowning, Stacey looked at the caller. As expected, ang bwisit na babaero at manloloko niyang boss.
She was about to reject the call but biglang nagbago ang isip niya.
"Okay, I will take it in your room. Excuse me!" bago tumayo, she grabbed Eve's glass again then sinaid ang laman nito.
"STACEY!" Blake and Eve exclaimed.
"Pampadagdag ng lakas ng loob!" She told them then giggled.
She blew Blake a kiss while she winked at Eve. She then stood up to go to the latter's room.
Sumandal siya sa nakarasadong pintuan to steady herself. She feels a little dizzy from alcohol. She cleared her throat before accepting the call.
"Hello." she huskily answered.
For five seconds or more, she didn't hear Nick say anything. She knows that he's at the other end cause she can hear his shallow breathing. Na-iimagine niya ang toro sa bullfight na galit na galit. She grinned.
Knowing that he is really angry gave her a certain kind of high.
Ang yabang-yabang pero pikon naman! Naisip niya.
"I don't know what game you are playing Stacey but I don't like it! " he said chillingly.
She has to give it to him na kahit alam niyang galit na galit ito and malamang selos na selos, mukhang mas kalmado ito kesa kanina. At least hindi na ito sumisigaw.
"Have you been to your shrink lately?" she asked while pinipigilan niyang tumawa.
At this point, she has to thank the vodka she had. It is really helping her to be gutsy as she talks to her condescending and bipolar boss.
"What does that supposed to mean?" tanong nito sa kalmado pa rin pero nakakatakot na boses.
She straightened when she heard his tone.
He doesn't scare me! Her more than tipsy mind thought.
Naisip niya na pipikunin niya ito dahil wala naman itong pwedeng gawin sa kanya ngayon. Kung sa personal siguro sila nag-uusap dun siya dapat matakot. "I think you have forgotten to take your medication for your bipolar disorder. Your mood swings are really confusing me." she said calmly ."But don't get me wrong, I prefer the way you talk to me now .You were yelling at me a while ago." she slurred again. She heard him exhaled heavily.
Nick is more than sure that she has been drinking base on the way she talks. She has been slurring her words.
"Where are you Stacey ?Give me your exact location now!" utos nito sa mababa pero madiin na boses.
He's trying to hold his temper at this moment. Gusto nitong sa bibig nito mismo manggaling kung nasaan ito.
Naningkit ang mata ni Stacey.
"You are the bossiest man I have ever met! I am surprised na hindi ka nagsusuot ng kapa at korona dahil daig mo pa ang hari kung mag-utos! I am not at your office so don't give me orders!" she angrily said.
"Don't make me come for you honey." he said in a dangerous voice.
"Stop calling me that!" she yelled.
How dared he use Derick's endearment for her? Hindi bagay lumabas sa bibig ng sex starved na Casanova na ito ang salitang yun! She thought.
"Only my boyfriend calls me that!" gigil na sabi niya.
She didn't hear any reaction from him for a few seconds. But when he spoke, ramdam ni Stacey that she has gone too far in pissing him.
"Sinong boyfriend? The one you are with right now?" his tone sounds really frightening.
Parang nawala yata ang sepirito ng alak sa sistema niya dahil naumid ang dila niya. His voice is really frightening. She started to pace Eve's room as she talks to calm her nerves a little.
"Hindi ba sinabi ko sayo bukas na ako papasok? I need to go now.Please huwag ka ng tatawag!" sabi niya sabay baba ng telepono. Hindi niya talaga sinagot ang tanong nito. Hindi na niya keri ang pamimikon dito. Somehow naramdaman niya na matindi na ang galit nito which she can’t fully understand why.
"O anong sabi ng mayabang mong boss?" asked Blake paglabas niya.
Stacey just made a face at him bago kinuha ang isang bag ng potato chips. Lumakad siya sa kusina and opened Eve's fridge. She knows na malamang hindi na siya painumin ng vodka ng mag-pinsan, so she checked kung may chilled beer ang kaibigan.
"Mukhang tipo ka ng bagong boss mo girlfriend!" Eve joked.
She smiled when she saw cans of beer. Ito yung iniinom ng fiance ni Eve.
"Please say thanks to Lance! I'll get some of his beer." she said to her friend bago kumuha ng dalawang lata.
Before siya bumalik sa sala, she opened one can to take a sip. She saw Blake's disapproving gaze.
"Blake why are you so grumpy?" kunot noong tanong niya.
Eve sighed. "As if you need to ask." tila sabi nito sa hangin tapos tumingin sa pinsan then sa kanya.
"Para kang boss ko niyan eh." she joked to make the situation lighter.
Pagalit na tumayo ito.
"Never compare me with your wacko employer!" he said angrily before leaving Eve's apartment .
Napangaga si Stacey while Eve just shook her head.
"Napano yun?" tanong niya sa kaibigan.
Her friend just raised her left brow at her. "You are really clueless aren't you girlfriend?" pumapalatak pa na tanong nito.
"Ha?" Stacey asked.
"Hay naku halika na nga! Inuman na tayo! My cousin will get over it!" sabi nito.
Imbes na magbuhos ng laman ng damdamin at sikreto si Stacey sa kaibigan, they just talked about the old days. Nagbago ang isip niya. Ayaw muna niyang pag-usapan si Derick or Nick.
Ang ending, si Eve pa ang naging mas sentimental. Naalala na naman nito ang ex nito bago ang fiance nito ngayon. Yun kasi ang first love ng kaibigan pero naghiwalay sila dahil mas pinili ng lalake ang pamilya. Ayaw kasi ng magulang nito kay Eve. Kaya heto, halos buhatin na ni Stacey ang kaibigan para ihiga sa kama nito.
Naiiling na kinumutan niya ito. She decided to take a nap on the sofa. She's still a little tipsy so papababa muna siya ng tama bago umuwi. She can't drive in this state.
Bago siya humiga, naalala niyang silipin ang phone niya.
May message sa kanya si Nick. She checked the time. He sent it an hour ago.
I KNOW WHERE YOU ARE HONEY.
(Nick)
He gritted his teeth when she hang up on him. He got fed up of getting worried and annoyed when she is not with him. He always wants to know where she is and where she is going. Magha-hire sana siya ng tao to have her followed but he doesn't like the idea of knowing that someone is watching her. Kung meron mang dapat gumawa nun,siya lang. So the next best thing is a tracking device under her car. Ipinakabit niya ito kaninang umaga pagdating ng dalaga .
But he reprimanded the maker and the installer. It I s defective dahil ang tagal bago nito na-trace where her car is. Then when it finally worked, ang problema naman is hindi niya alam kung saan ang exact na lugar na pinuntahan ng dalaga. She is parked in a paid parking lot. He had to call someone to get info about her closest friends' addresses.
Saktong lumabas ang pangalan ni Eve Razon na according to the info gathered, bestfriend ni Stacey who owns a bar. Dun niya nalaman ang address ng condo nito na nasa viccinity where nakaparada ang kotse ni Stacey.
To: Nick Alcantara
I believe you are bluffing.
Naiiling at natatawang sinend ni Stacey ang message. She carelessly tossed her cellphone on the table. Kakahiga pa lang niya sa sofa when the doorbell rang. Inis na tumayo siya.She knows it's Blake.
Pilya siyang ngumiti. Napikon kasi ito kanina bago ito umalis.
Ayaw naman niyang magalit ito sa kanya. Upon opening the door, she readied a nice smile for him.
She slowly ran her eyes from his long legs clad in a pair of black skinny jeans up to his broad chest.
"Blake..." mahinang tawag niya while nakangiti pa din.
When her eyes came up to his stubble then his face, she gasped.
Madilim na madilim ang gwapong mukha ni Nick Alcantara as his eyes travel maliciously from her exposed bare smooth legs and thighs, to her flat tummy, up her breasts and finally on her shocked but still very lovely face.