Athena’s P.O.V.
I swallowed a sudden lump on my throat as I felt an abrupt anxiety. I guessed, I could have swallowed everything the moment I heard what he said. Now, I was the one forming tons of sweat. Tension immediately ruled over my body as I found it real hard to move even an inch.
I was caught off-guard. I knew that my reddish face suddenly transformed into being pale after he asked that question.
How could he knew about Athena or the real Helena? Whatsoever, kahit ako man ay nalilito na!
How silly? How on earth that I even got confused with my own identity? I was really Athena who was pretending as Helena, but when he asked about Athena… of course I was sure as hell that he was referring to my dead twin sister, Helena.
There were no pictures here to attest that we were twins. As if killing my identity was not enough, Daddy removed all of my photos including those which include our mother… so how could have Cristoff known about Athena?
Is this about my handkerchief?
“Sorry, Helena. If you don’t want to answer it, I won’t bother you…” pagbasag niya sa matagal na katahimikang naghari sa pagitan naming dalawa.
Lumingon ako sa kanya bago ako humiga nang patagilid sa couch, “It’s okay, Cristoff. Anyway, Athena was my identical twin sister. She died just last year when we were on our way to Las Albas. No more questions please.” I closed my eyes and pretended that I was already asleep.
That was where I was good at—pretending, but tears suddenly went down my cheeks. It was really awful to say that I was already dead.
Naramdaman ko na lang na nasa harap ko na pala siya nang pahirin niya ang aking mga luha, “Hindi bagay sa’yo ang umiiyak.”
I opened my eyes, “How did you know her?” I was still lying sideways on the couch as he kneeled in front of me.
“I saw you browsing her Famebook profile at the library. I’m sorry if I lied to you. I also saw your handkerchief with Athena’s name on it,” he said. I knew it, it was all because of my handkerchief.
“What else did you know?” walang emosyong tanong ko. My mood suddenly shifted that I didn’t know how to control it anymore.
“I searched for your Famebook profile but I found two accounts. I didn’t know to whom I would send my friend request then.”
Damn it! That explains everything!
“Either you send friend request to any of my accounts… I won’t accept it,” I smirked. “Matagal pa ba ‘yang proposal natin? Gusto mo, ako na lang ang tumapos?” I snapped at him. Nawala na talaga ako sa mood.
Bakit ba kasi napaka-pakialamero niya? Darn it, naiirita na naman tuloy ako sa kanya! He always made me reach my boiling point and I always hated him for doing that.
“It’s okay, Helena… it’s already done. All we have to do is print the file and present it to Mrs. Cheng tomorrow, kaya magpagaling ka agad ha? Para makapasok ka na bukas dahil sabay natin itong ipapasa sa kanya,” he smiled.
Hindi ko pinansin ‘yong sinabi niya. Bumangon ako sa couch, nilagpasan siya at tiningnan ‘yong report namin. I raised my left eyebrow while silently criticizing what he did.
In fairness for a guy, huh? Magaling siyang gumawa ng report. It was indeed… superb!
Yes, I liked the way how he did the report but I would never admit it. It still doesn’t change the fact that I was still annoyed at him.
“So any comments, Miss Delgado?”
I frowned as I looked at him. Wait, did he just smirk at me?
“I thought, you don’t want to be called on last name basis. Why did you call me Miss Delgado then?” I raised my eyebrow again.
“Well, you are free to call me Rivera anytime… so I can taste your lips again even for a short period of time,” he said that made my eyes wide open. That was when I proved that he was really smirking at me.
Pervert! Flirt! Maniac!
Hinampas ko siya sa balikat nang malakas, “How could you talk to me like that, pervert? May I remind you na nasa pamamahay ka namin, bwisit ka!”
“Relax, Helena. I was just kidding! Pero teka, mukhang magaling ka na ha… ang lakas nang hampas mo eh. Let me check,” hinawakan niya bigla ‘yong noo at leeg ko, “mukhang wala ka nang lagnat ah? Siguro ganyan talaga ang epekto kapag gwapo ang nagbabantay, ano?” at kinindatan pa niya talaga ako.
Ang kapal talaga ng mokong na ‘to! In the first place, wala siyang karapatang tawagin ang sarili niya na gwapo!
I shoved his hand away, “In your dreams, eew! You know what? You’re just making me throw up what I ate for lunch,” and I acted like I was going to vomit. “Matalino ka lang pero hindi ka gwapo, ‘no? Tsaka tsansing ka ha! Kung makahawak ka sa akin… close ba tayo? Umuwi ka na nga o kaya naman, bumalik ka na lang sa school… may klase ka pa sa hapon!”
Hindi ko alam pero sa kabila nang pagkainis ko sa kanya, there was a strange feeling growing inside me. It was some sort of unexplainable happiness because he was here. ‘Yong pakiramdam na hindi ako bored like the past weekends dahil nandito siya? Oh well, kahit na pakialamero siya, kahit na nakakainis at nakakabwisit siya—I must admit that he was making me… genuinely happy.