Absinthe

"Did you see the way Jiwoo blocked that shot with his chest? It went BHAM!" Derrick said from the driver's seat.

I was too busy unwrapping some cookies for Elle and Eiji, who were sitting on either side of me, to look at his expression, but from his tone alone, I knew he was insinuating something.

"Yeah, so manly," said Faye. "I wonder what a shirtless Jiwoo on top of me would feel like." I looked up just in time to catch her all-knowing stare in the rearview mirror.

"Elle, Eiji, your mom's being mean to me again." The twins laughed at my remark but continued to gnaw at their cookies.

"So did you do it?" Derrick asked.

I coughed dramatically and hastily pointed at the twins with my lips. Eiji offered up his water tumbler for me to drink. Such a sweet boy.

I saw Derrick rolling his eyes in the rearview mirror. "Fine. So BJ, did you and Uncle Jiwoo express your love for each other last night?"

Faye burst out laughing and practically snorted into her coffee on the dashboard.

"Mommy said you can express your love even in the morning," Elle remarked, eyes still on her cookie.

"Yeah, or even after lunch time," chimed in Eiji. "There's really no proper time to express your love. My classmates find it embarrassing to do that in school and I don't really get it."

It was Derrick's and my turn to laugh. But before Derrick could say something else, I figured I'd just answer him and move on to a more kid-friendly topic. "Yes, we did. It's nothing serious, though, and it's never going to happen again."

"Why?" asked the twins in unison while Derrick and Faye sniggered. I was starting to get annoyed. It was obvious that I had chosen the wrong car to ride home. I should have joined Robert's, consequences be damned!

"For the record, it did happen again," Faye said, "but please do humor us BJ: why shouldn't it happen a third time?"

I had no words for the bitch. We were supposed to be best friends and there she was, using her children to coax my secrets out.

"Because..." Fuck. That was the first time since morning that I was asking myself the same question.

"You can't answer because there's really no reason, right? You're just being your stubborn self again like how you were back in high school. You got hurt, and now you're scared that everything else you do will hurt, too."

Faye was really getting on my nerves now.

"Look, what JM did was bad. How your father and the rest of your family treated you was horrible. There's no one else in this world who knows exactly how that feels except for yours truly. And Derrick, of course," Faye continued with her soliloquy.

"She's right BJ," Derrick added. "We've been with you since day one. You should give us more credit."

"Fine," I said. "I don't know what to do. I don't know if I can trust him or anyone ever again. Happy now?"

I felt Elle and Eiji grabbing my left and right hand each, with Eiji whispering that he wanted to give me a kiss. I'd leaned sideward to let him kiss me on the cheek when he whispered, "Don't worry, fairy godmother. Elle and I will be here for you." That was enough to calm me down. Children are way smarter than we give them credit for.

you, BJ," Faye said, "no matter what decision you come up with. If you're not sure about

mirror to find both Derrick and Faye smiling at me. Despite their smiles, they looked sad. I could feel that much. I guess people learn how to read others once they've spent many

***

with me

happen to me

I give in to this, what's my guarantee that Jiwoo's not going to be another

And what about Robert?

that I think about it, Robert seems

on getting us back safely, I could not really finish thinking about

already dark when Derrick and I got off at

was waiting for something, though I wasn't quite sure

into my Uber ride, my phone vibrates. It was

hungry? Wanna grab dinner

also hungry. One part of me wanted to ignore the message because I really just wanted to rest after all the driving and the activities we had in the morning.

I guess one bite won't

I texted

coming from Faye's... how

internal monologues: they had no filter whatsoever. It didn't make sense to me because why waste time typing when you can just

sounds good. I'm in an Uber now. Will probably arrive

I just booked an Angkas. I think I can get there around the

our way to Eastwood. Majority of

last time I saw it. Similar to BGC, Eastwood felt like a city in a different country. I stood in front of McDonald's and was about to call Jiwoo when I heard him calling me from my

where he was and met him halfway with the idiot smiling like a child. My mind kept pulling me back to the bathroom in Benguet, where Jiwoo's face was not adorned by a stupid smile but a flash of greed and lust in his eyes that made me want to

couldn't

you

Jiwoo was now only a foot away. "Sorry. I must have

to me getting you naked in bed?"

into me. The sex part was most likely because Jiwoo is, after all, a

do you

my stomach growling a bit, I was no longer in the mood to eat. I didn't know why, but somehow my appetite had dissipated. All I could think of was

"It's my treat."

"I'm not really hun—"

started dragging me to McDonald's. "It's annoying having too many options, isn't it? I also get stressed when deciding which restaurant to go to. So let's

me traveling all the way to Eastwood City

I'm sure you'll change your mind once you take a bite

damned happy? And why was I getting

the two of us, I saw the ladies at the counter—not just the one taking Jiwoo's order but all of them—staring at Jiwoo, and

upset about it. I was hoping that our relationship would progress, but at that moment, everything became clear: