Love For Sale Book 1 (Self-published)

Ch 16: Sugar, We're Goin' Down

Literal na tumunganga ako sa harap ni Ibrahim n'ung sinabi n'yang Kuya s'ya ni Barry. He looked like a decent young man and not someone who'd fuck his own brother's girlfriend.

Ay, grabe, looks are deceiving talaga...

He's tall like Barry and I realized that their resemblance ended there. Ibrahim, unlike his younger brother, has wavy hair and the eyes behind those spectacles weren't light brown like Barry's. His face looked gentle, lacking the hard planes present in Barry's chiseled features.

Ay, wow, kilalang-kilala mo OM mo, Claire? Tinititigan mo s'ya parati, gan'un? I admonished myself lightly.

"Ahh...excuse me..." Ibrahim's voice was soft and it lacked the confidence and the persuasiveness that rang with Barry's words. "Um..."

"Ay, sorry..." I took a step back. I realized that I had been peering into Ibrahim's face like a total dud.

"Is something wrong?" Barry's older brother asked.

"Ha?"

Ipinagpalit ni Leah 'yung boyfriend n'ya rito? Bakit? Hala, judgmental ka, Claire. Kanya-kanyang taste lang kaya 'yan...

"Is there a problem?"

I shook my head. "There's something on your face..." I lied.

Ibrahim immediately lowered his head lifting his shoulder to rub his jaw against it.

"'Yun natanggal na," I said.

"Thank you..."

"You're welcome. Teka, tatawagin ko na muna si Barry—!"

Someone suddenly opened the door and it hit me squarely on the face. "Aray naman..."

"Oops, I'm sor—Claire, are you okay?" Barry asked cupping my face with his hands. "Saan ka tinamaan? Sorry, hindi ko alam na may tao rito sa may pintuan."

Bakit ba gustung-gusto nitong hawakan ang mukha ko? Parang nakikipag-usap lang s'ya sa bata. Ganito ko kinakausap 'yung pamangkin kong si Hubert, ah...

"Saan masakit?" he anxiously asked.

"Okay lang, malayo sa atay," I replied with a smile.

"I was worried. Bakit ang tagal mong bumalik? What happened?"

"Nothing happened..."

I saw a movement behind Barry and I was reminded that his older brother was there.

"Ay, s'ya nga pala, may naghahanap sa'yo..."

"Ha? Sino?" Barry said. He turned his head to look behind him and his profile immediately hardened.

He let my face go turning to face his brother.

"Anong kailangan mo?" he asked coldly. "Bakit ka ba nandito?"

"Ipinahatid ni Mom..." Ibrahim replied; his voice was no louder than a whisper. "May nakapagsabi yata sa kanya na may pa-party ka, kaya 'ayun... she made Carbonara and Buffalo Wings for you and your office mates—"

"She could have just asked one of the drivers to do the job. Hindi pa siguro nasira araw ko."

Barry snatched the containers from his brother's hands. "Tell Mom I said thanks."

Harsh naman nito. Akala ko ba wala na itong pagnanasa kay Leah, bakit parang hanggang ngayon biter-bitter-an pa rin itong si Koya Barry?

"Wait, Ib—"

"Halika na, Claire. Owen and Mirasol are looking for you," Barry said before he marched inside the room.

Alam kong hindi dapat ako maawa pero sumakit ang dibdib ko sa inasta ni Barry. My brother wasn't the paragon of virtue, too, but I wouldn't embarrass him in front of a stranger. Kahit ba may samaan kayo ng loob, ang pamilya ay pamilya.