Chapter 9
- Third Person's POV -
2 weeks later...
"Rhea, are you having lunch with someone?" Ceejay asked as he followed Rhea.
"I was hoping it's Almira but it seems she's still doing something at CLab3." Rhea reasoned while walking out of the campus, without her looking at him.
"Let's eat together. My treat." The young man answered while continuing to match the girl's walking speed.
Rhea just nodded while focusing on the road. Ceejay and Rhea quietly went to the nearest cafeteria to have lunch together.
After they got there, there was only a limited number of people who could enter due to the large number of people inside. Ceejay entered first and crowded inside. And while Rhea was thinking of a way to squeeze in, she heard a voice that sounded like it was softly crying. Her eyebrows met as she turned her back, and she also wandered her eyes on the road. All the passers-by were focused on where they were going and some were annoyed that they were crammed into the crowded cafeteria where she was. She didn't see anything strange around her but she still kept hearing soft cries.
She watched the face of every person near her but she could not see any reaction on their faces that they heard something.
Before Rhea even thought to follow the faint cry she heard, she tried to peek at Ceejay inside and he seemed to be busy shopping for food. She didn't bother to call him anymore so the girl went out first to look for where she was hearing from.
She was shocked when she saw two people she knew talking behind the cafeteria she entered. She covered her mouth with her hand and leaned her back against the pillar near the entrance of the cafeteria.
She didn't want to listen and just go inside but her curiosity killed her so she did eavesdrop.
"Forgive me, Jc. I'm begging you." The girl was crying and begging for the young man she was talking to. The traces of tears that fell from her eyes were still fresh.
The young man's eyes were red as he held back his tears that could fall at any time. He swallowed to hide his hurt feelings and make his voice sound. "How many times have I forgiven you? You just wasted all the chances I gave you."
Tears continued to fall from her eyes as she reached for the young man's hand and held it tightly, "Tell me you still love me."
The young man briefly looked into the girl's eyes and bent down to let the tears he had been holding back fall.
"I know you love me. I can feel it." The girl continued while the young man was still stooping, "Forgive me. I will really change. Promise."
The young man raised his face and looked straight into the girl's eyes.
The girl's lips trembled as she smiled at the young man but the young man was forced to smile at her.
When the two stared at each other for a few minutes and Rhea could no longer hear a voice, she cautiously peeked out from the pillar where she was leaning and observed the movements of the two.
"Yes. Until now, I still love you, Jaycille. I am hurt by what you are doing." Jc opened his mouth wide but the word came out of his mouth as if it was a whisper.
Jaycille stepped closer to the young man and gently touched both of his cheeks. "Let's start over. Just you and me." She said weakly.
Jc just stared into the girl's eyes while the girl hoped that the young man would forgive her again.
First, the young woman mustered the rest of her courage, then wrapped her hand around the young man's neck, and kissed him passionately on the lips. Hoping that the young man would kiss her back too.
Rhea, who was quietly watching them, widened her eyes and stared. She immediately took her eyes off the two.
"Is what I saw true?" Rhea asked herself in disbelief. She shook her head a few times then sighed, "Rhea Castino, don't gossip. That's their problem." She whispered to herself again.
She immediately removed from her mind whatever she saw and just entered the cafeteria.
Jc grabbed both of Jaycille's shoulders then pushed her away from him, "Don't torture me, Jaycille. Don't torture yourself either. Accept that we're done."
Jaycille took a step back and continued to sob while covering her face with her hands.
The young man didn't want to hurt Jaycille's feelings, but she had to accept the young man's decision.
Jc was about to come to hug the girl in pain when he heard someone calling him.
"JC!"
The young man turned to where the voice came from and saw his cousin waving at him.
The young man looked at Jaycille one last time and without a word left her and walked towards his cousin.
"Did I come at the wrong time?" Almira was looking at Jc's eyes that were still wet from his tears and was worried by the tone of her question.
"Let's eat." The young man answered weakly in almost a whisper while looking in another direction. Avoiding her cousin's gaze.
The girl just shrugged her shoulders and the young man entered the cafeteria first, followed by Almira.
People were crowded inside because it was so full, but they still went in to order food. Jc was silent while Almira put a dish and rice on a tray.
"You? What about you?" Almira asked him who had been motionless.
"It's up to you. I'll wait at the table." The young man answered and separated from Almira before she could answer.
It took Jc a few minutes to find an empty table with so many people eating. He found an empty table at the end and it seemed to be the only vacant one.
He went to the table and sat next to a woman.
He stared at the woman for a moment. It seems familiar to him. But when he realized that the woman didn't notice him sitting down, he immediately took his eyes off the woman and turned his attention to something else.
"Four."
He heard someone call him from where he was sitting so he turned around to recognized whoever called him.
He looked at a young man in front of him who was eating and his mind immediately processed to remember who it was.
"Who are you with?" He asked him again.
It took a few minutes before Jc recognized him and remembered his name, "Princebeybe.." He turned again to the woman next to him who was looking at him. Then he recognized the girl he was sitting next to earlier, "I must have sat at the wrong table."
The girl turned her gaze back to Jc when their eyes met and continued eating.
"It's okay. That sit is vacant." Ceejay replied. He glanced at Rhea who was eating quietly, as if she was avoiding the gaze of the two young men, while Jc was still looking at her. "Who is with you?" He repeated his question.
Jc took his eyes off the girl and focused on Ceejay, "I'm wi–"
"Me."
Before Jc could finish what he had to say, they all turned behind Rhea where the voice came from. Rhea also turned around.
They saw Almira standing behind Rhea smiling and carrying a tray of food.
Rhea took a deep breath then looked back at her food and continued eating.
"You think its Lucy Heartfillia?" Jc said as he focused on Rhea and Rhea turned to him, "We're over."
Rhea smiled slightly and continued eating without a word.
Almira sat next to Ceejay and Jc helped her take the food from the tray and place it on the table.
"Come on! What am I seeing?" Almira's eyes widened and her mouth was slightly open as she glanced at Rhea and Ceejay, "Ceejay, are you dating Rhea?"
"Yes." Ceejay was smiling too big.
When Rhea heard what Ceejay said, she suddenly coughed and the three looked at her. She immediately covered her mouth with her hand and immediately reached for the bowl of soup to drink.
"Do you need water? I'll get you." Jc laughed jokingly.
"No need. The soup is fine." Rhea answered after she drank the soup and calmed down.
Almira's eyes were still wide as she looked at Rhea, "Does your sister know, crushmate?"
Rhea nodded while still focusing on her food, "And unfortunately, she agreed."
Almira's face changed into a delighted smile as she looked at Ceejay, who was listening with a smile, "Uyy.. Cyrel is in favor of Ceejay."
After she swallowed the food in her mouth, Rhea replied, "I don't know what kind of poison he made her drank to make her agree."
"And you let him date you?" Jc was looking at Rhea's face and was waiting for her reaction when the girl stopped eating and suddenly turned to him.
The two looked at each other. Jc tries to read the girl's thoughts while Rhea is confused and doesn't know what to answer.
After a while, the girl took her eyes back from the young man and focused her attention on her food again. While Jc was still looking at her.
"Princebeybe, maybe I can take Rhea to the party house tonight?" Jc continued, making Rhea stop eating again and only moved her eyes to see Ceejay's reaction.
Jc turned to Ceejay to see his reaction.
He smiled at Jc then looked at Rhea, "Of course. On one condition. You can't drink any drink, not even lady's drink."
Rhea immediately raised her head and raised an eyebrow at Ceejay, "Are you forbidding me?"
"Yes. Since I'm going to be your boyfriend, I don't want you to drink." Ceejay is strict.
"It'll just be." Rhea answered annoyed that she almost raised her voice, "And even if it will be us, you can't stop me."
"I thought you didn't like him." Jc said softly as he turned back to Rhea.
Rhea turned to Jc in shock and suddenly covered her mouth with her hand as she remembered what she said to Jc in the hospital.
"Of course, they developed. A picture does develops, how much more for humans." Almira added.
"You're really good at playing, crushmate. Too much." Rhea replied in annoyance.
"Your boyfriend has agreed. Go to the party house tonight." Jc replied smiling at Rhea.
With a half smile, Rhea removed her gaze from Jc and continued eating.
- Jc's POV -
The show ended at exactly 10 pm. Because I asked Boss Warren that I will finish early because I will get drunk. Boss also left the keys with me because when I get drunk, in the guest room, I will sleep. It's hard to go home drunk because you might ended up in trouble on the road.
Little by little the people inside are getting smaller because they have gone home and the others are disappointed.
I was approaching the mini bar where Rhea was sitting when suddenly a group of women blocked in front of me.
"Idol, can I take a picture?" One asked excitedly.
"Sure."
I was in the middle of the girls while one of them held a cell phone and took a picture.
This is not new to me. This kind of scene is becoming more frequent after my show. I didn't think that many people would be struck by my handsomeness.
After they took pictures, they excitedly said goodbye and talked continuously while leaving.
My mouth is closed smiling as I approach Rhea. He was also smiling looking at me. If I wasn't really broken hearted, I would probably be struck by her very beautiful and attractive smile. Like the smile of a loving fairy.
Fairy??
Crista is the fairy and Rhea is an angel who came down from heaven to be my support.
It's my imagination.
I haven't even had a drink yet and I'm already drunk. It's just an effect of my broken heart. Almost all beautiful woman I am attracted to.
"You're really handsome..." She said smiling as I stood in front of her.
Is that a compliment?? Well, I'll take it as a compliment.
"Is it my fault that I was born as handsome as Daniel Padilla." I laughed out loud.
He was about to answer when he suddenly became deaf to the screams of the women passing by and she covered her ears with her hand while looking at the screamers. I even turned to them.
"Goodbye, handsome." The other one is still cute while waving at me flirtatiously.
I smiled, nodded at them and waved, then they completely left while screaming.
"Get an ambulance on standby here. Maybe the others will have a heart attack." Rhea was still looking at the woman who passed earlier as she was walking away from us.
"Not my fault. I was born handsome." I replied with a smile and went inside the counter.
"What shall we drink?" She asked then looked back at me who was walking towards the Whisky Shelves.
"Irish Whisky." And I took the whisky I was referring to from the shelf and also took two shot glasses then returned to where she was sitting.
"Can it be Riesling?" She said while focusing on the Whisky that I placed in front of her, "I don't like Whiskey."
I briefly stared at Whiskey while thinking.
"Riesling?" I hesitated, "It's possible but I'm not in the mood for light drinks. I want hard."
She raised her gaze and looked at me, "Hard. But he took Whisky."
I smirked unexpectedly and looked Rhea in the eye, "Alright. What hard do you want to drink?"
A crooked smile played on his face as she answered, sounding uncertain, "Brandy?"
I raised my eyebrows, "Bourbon."
She suddenly frowned with a pout, "Gin."
Suddenly my smile widened, "Vodka."
"Sherry. Manzanilla style." With cute puppy eyes.
"Wine?" I laughed for a moment, "Scotch. That's final." Then I took the Whiskey that was in front of her and returned it to the shelf where I took it.
"Eh, it's just like Bourbon." She complained as I headed to the Scotch shelf and grabbed one.
"Don't worry, you can pass when you can't. My dosage is long." I reasoned while walking towards her and placed the Scotch in front of him.
"You said that." She said with a smile.
I just smiled at her and sat next to her and opened the Scotch. First I poured my shot glass then I poured hers.
"Do you have anything else to ask?" I asked her when I noticed that she was staring at me.
I also looked her in the eye after I exchanged our shot glass. I can see in her eyes that she wants to say something even though her face is calm, but she seems to be having second thoughts. I also feel that she doesn't seem comfortable having a drink with me.
Rhea is known as talkative and naughty in the clan. So she has a lot of close friends but now, she seemed different. Maybe because it was the first time she got drunk with me so she was uncomfortable.
I sincerely smiled at her to make her feel comfortable.
She also smiled at me with her white teeth showing and took her eyes off me. She stared at her shot glass for a moment and then took a deep breath and drank what was in her glass.
I frowned when I saw that there was not a single drop left in her glass. And there was no reaction on her face.
It appears that she is used of drinking hard drinks. Well, that's great. This will challenging.
She looked directly into my eyes again, "Why me?"
"Huh?" I raised my eyebrows in surprise.
"It could be Boss Uno, Doss, Juviler, Jhunz, Abet or other members of the clan. Why did you choose me?" She clarify.
Indeed. Why Rhea? With so many friends in clan, why her? I've been in the clan longer than her. Boss Uno, Doss, Tres, Fifth, Sais, Seven, Otso, Almira and I are the oldest and 1st batch in the clan. Boss Uno is the Founder and his ex Otso is the co-founder. Then 1 year later, Almira let Rhea join.
Maybe... I just wanted someone to flirt with after I am drunk. Of course, it's just a joke.
Rhea and I stared at each other as she waited for my answer.
I really can't think of a sensible answer. It's just nonsense running through my mind.
"That's a good question but I don't know the answer." I then took my glass and drank, "Why? You don't want to be here? I'll give you a ride to your home."
"Not like that." She answered in a serious tone then turned her gaze to her glass, "I was just wondering."
"Me too." I answered and then looked at her seriously even though she was still looking at her glass, "I also wonder why I invited you. I have a lot of friends in the clan." She automatically looked at me as I paused and I avoided her gaze and looked at my glass "Maybe... Its that... You're the first thing that came to my mind."
Your joke is funny, Jc.
She just gave a half-smile and I poured our shot glass again. I immediately thought of another topic before the situation became awkward.
"I just noticed, Rhea. You know a lot about drinks." My curiosity.
"Because I used to have a DJ friend who loved drinks. He even went on a university to become a bartender. But he stopped to focus on being a DJ." She explained.
My eyebrows meet as I look at her with surprise.
Is she referring to me? I love drinks so I went to study in a university. But I stopped because I focused more on being a DJ.
Impossible....
Apart from Almira, Crista is the only one who knows that I wanted to be a bartender. I never once mentioned that to Rhea. Maybe Almira is babbling again.. Or is she just referring to someone else?
"How did you know that I studied bartender?" When he bit my question.... Already know.
Her eyes widened slightly and her face became tense. Her eyes wandered left and right as she tried to stay calm.
Her reaction was weird.
"Be-Because...." She almost stuttered in answering.
She swallowed first and then answered, "Because K-Ken Suarez became my ex." And she was forced to smile.
I said it, someone else. But it doesn't seem convincing?
"Ah. It's Ken." I answered, "Did he become your boyfriend?"
"Yes. We broke up just six months ago." Then he took his glass again and drank.
"He stopped being a DJ now. I heard he got involved in a mafia war." My statement.
She just nodded and looked in another direction as she calmed herself down. I observed the reaction on her face as I took my glass and drank.
Are you lying, Rhea? Because your explanation is not convincing according to the reaction on your face. There's a part of my mind that says you have something to hide.
I just blew whatever was on my mind and poured our glasses again. Whatever it is, my imagination is just playing with me.
"Jc, your partner is beautiful! Your new girlfriend?"
I heard a joking voice from behind me so I turned slightly.
"Hey, Dex. You haven't gone home yet?" I said when I recognized him and handed my glass to him, "Shots?"
Shit! Disturbance. I thought this alien had long gone.
He took the shot glass I handed him and drank straight away, "Are you drinking Scotch? It's kind of embarrassing to the hot lady over there."
"She's used to hard drinks." I jokingly replied.
"Anyway. Just give her lady drinks." He replied then placed the glass in front of me, "Maybe you have a plan to creep her out when she passed out." He added it with a teasing smile.
"Moron!" I even looked at him with a bad look.
"Girls like that are definitely curvy. They shouldn't be released." Whispered by this idiot while massaging both of my shoulders while looking at Rhea, who was frowning and looking in another direction.
"Are you really stupid, Dex? Just go home if you don't have anything sensible to say." I answered annoyed while removing his hand from my shoulder.
He laughed out loud as he hit the back of my head. "You take care of it, Jc. Just let me know when you score." He said with a grin and walked towards the entrance.
I'm really disgusted by the stupidity of that man. It's pure nonsense.
"Rhea, sorry about Dexter." While I was pouring another shot in my glass and she turned to me, obviously annoyed, "That man's head is really messed up."
"It's okay." She replied with a smile, "I thought of something to do because we drink Scotch."
"What?"
"First get some paper, a ballpoint pen and a glass."
"What are we going to do?"
"Just do it."