Chapter Ten

When our eyes locked, I could tell she was also shocked to see me. But, that didn't last. Soon, her shocked expression is replaced with a smirk. She looks and dresses like a predator with those formal black pants and a green mini-dress top.

When she arrives at the table, she looks at Ryan and greets him.

"Hello, Ryan! It's good to see you again." She says as she shakes Ryan's hand who stands up to meet her.

"Hi, Ate Claire! I'm happy to see you too. By the way, this is my older brother, Justin Cyrus." Ryan greets back as he gestures in my direction.

I sit there still shocked. I can feel everyone's stares. Ryan steps on my foot to get a reaction from me. I don't know what I should do. Should I pretend I just met her for the first time? Or should I expose her for what she had done to me? To tell you the truth, I want to do the latter. I want to tell everyone who can hear me how this woman stole my girlfriend.

But, I know very well that I shouldn't. Ryan's confused look and the fact that this is her territory are enough to keep my mouth shut. Another thing is the way she is looking at me. Her eyes and smile are taunting me. As if they are telling me to do it. Reveal her. Humiliate her and she will do the same. I had made a choice. I have to do what I'm supposed to do.

"Nice to finally meet you... Claire." I say in a monotone voice as I lend my hand to her.

"Likewise!" She replies with a deceiving enthusiasm as she holds my hand to shake.

I can't help but notice her hand. It's probably one of the softest hands I touched. But, beneath this soft hand is a person who is capable of ruining other people's happiness. Soon enough, we drop our hands but still keep our eye contact. Yet, we both revert away when Diane speaks.

"So... had you seen each other before? You know... around ca-" Diane asks with a weary tone sensing the tension between us. She got cut off when we both answered.

"Yes." was our answer as we glared at each other again.

"Oh? Then, that's great. How about we take a seat?" Diane says as she scoots over to her right.

Claire took this as a chance to avoid my gaze and sat on the left side of Diane. This seating arrangement made me and Diane face each other, much to my relief. Without another moment passing, two waiters come forward while pushing a trolley. They greet us as they serve the meals one by one while saying the names of the dishes.

The food served to us all smells heavenly and looks scrumptious. We have Sinigang Shrimp, Crispy Pata in Kare-Kare, and Broiled Chicken. There are also Beef Broccoli and Steamed Tilapia apart from the usual Steamed Rice. After the waiters have left, Diane tells us to dig in. And we gladly did.

I try every dish on the table. And let me tell you, that five-star rating is well deserved! Best food I had ever tasted. But, in full honesty, that's not the only thing on my mind. The sudden silence at the table gave me the time to process what happened.

Claire Solistre is without a doubt Aria's lover. The one who I met at the bench at the corner of the street near her place. The same Claire Solistre who Patrick's had been hitting on. A business student at our university had guys checking her out. No wonder Sancho said that she was known to be elusive and turned down every guy who asked her out. She's not even into them in the first place!

Then what's Patrick to her? A plaything? Or did Patrick just misinterpret her? Maybe he thought he stood a chance because she talked to him. I honestly do not know what's going on between them.

If there is something going on between her and Patrick, then what about Aria? Are they still together? Furthermore, do I tell Patrick about this? Should I tell him that the girl he wants to be his girlfriend is a lesbian? Wait? Maybe she's bi. Who knows? I don't. But, does Diane even know? Is this some secret of Claire that she hides from her family?

My thoughts were interrupted when Ryan knees my leg. I look at him and he gestures his head towards Claire. He even mouths "Talk to her.".

The hell I'm doing that!!!

I move my head side to side in an aggressive manner indicating a "No Way". Ryan looks at me in disbelief. I can't blame him. Minutes ago I told him I would make a good first impression on Claire and now, I'm backing out. If only he knew why...

Ryan shakes his head and looks toward Claire.

"So... Ate Claire, you have such a nice name. It sounds so elegant." Ryan compliments.

"Thank you!. But actually, it's my second name. My full name is Justine Claire Murphy Solistre."

I'm glad I wasn't eating or drinking anything at that moment. If I was, I would have choked.

"Really? You and Kuya Justin have the same first name!"

"Yes, it seems so." She mutters as she casts a glance towards me.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I was shocked when Diane told me she has a cousin," Ryan says.

"Well, Diane doesn't like talking about herself and her family much. She's the type of person who would rather listen to others than tell something about herself." Claire says as she takes another spoon of the Steamed Tilapia and rice.

"Yes, she's a great listener and very easy to confide with." Ryan beams with joy while Diane blushes at the comment.

"Yes, that is true." Claire agrees and gives a smile to both Diane and Ryan.

"So Ate Claire, what course are you studying?" Ryan opens another topic.

"I'm taking Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. I'm majoring in Marketing and minoring in Financial Management. I'll be graduating this coming school year." She answers.

"Oh great! Kuya Justin is also graduating this year. Isn't that right, Kuya?" He says as he elbows me.

"Right," I say without emotion. Ryan looks at me unsatisfied with my reaction. Lucky for me, he shrugs it off and continues to get to know Claire.

"I heard from Diane that you have lived here in Manila for six years. I bet you're not from here."

"That's right. I am from Cavite and I lived there for the majority of my years. Yet, I was also born in Calamba City like the rest of you. I can't remember though what it was like living there. I was very young when I was there."

"Wow! We're all from the same town. Maybe in the future, we'll all come back there together."

"It's a good thought."

"So, are you dating anyone?"

I almost choked on my food with Ryan's question. Damn! And I thought if I remained silent this would get less awkward. Who would have thought this would get on another level of awkwardness?

I notice Claire taking a glance at me. And then she answers the question.

"No, I'm not."

What the hell!?!

"Seriously? With that face and personality, you're telling me you're single!" Ryan says.

"Well, yes. I am single."

"What do you mean by your single!?!"

Everyone at the table looks at me.

"And now you're talking." She laughs with haughtiness.

"I'm not playing games. What did you do to her?" I ask with a menace dripping in my tone.

"Kuya Justin, what are you-"

"Stay out of this Ryan! She has a lot of explaining to do." I cut him off.

Ryan and Diane both look shocked. They had a lot of questions going on in their heads. But, they decided to remain silent and watch the scene unfold.

"Oh, I do?" She says still looking unshaken while here I am already losing my patience.

"Yes, you do. What have you done to Aria?"

I heard Ryan gasp when I mentioned my ex's name.

"Oh, Aria. I think it's already obvious what happened since I just told you that I'm single now."At this point, I am already on my feet on the verge of losing my self-control.

"I'm asking you. What. Did. You. Do. To. Her?"

She let out a bored sigh before speaking.

"Fine. If you are so keen to know the details, then I'll give it to you."

She pauses and looks at me at my eyes. She smirks as she answers my questions.

"We broke up a week after you two broke up."

They what!?!!

"Why did you do that? I-I thought y-you-"

"You thought we were really in love with each other. Sorry to disappoint you. But, I think I remember telling you that I was waiting for my "not-serious not-boyfriend".

Unbelievable...

"You mean you just... played with us."

"Yes, it was just a game. Exploiting her girly weaknesses was the most amusing I had so far. It took a while but she gradually gave in. Then, when we were together, she didn't want to let you go. That made everything even more challenging and fun." She narrates as if it was a nice story to tell.

"But sadly, all good things have to come to an end. You found out and broke it off with her. It got boring. I ended it." She deadpans.

At that moment, my self-control flies out of the window. I slammed my fists on the table causing the plates and other utensils to rattle. I heard Diane yelp with shock. But that's no longer my concern because of this evil being beside her.

"You evil heartless snake!!! You destroyed our three-year relationship. And your reason is that you didn't have anything fun to do with your life! We were so happy and in love. Then you came along and ruined everything!" I scream.

"Well excuse me. I don't know you. I'd give you that. But one thing I'm sure of is that only you feel that way." She says still sitting on her seat looking straight at me.

"Are you kidding me!?! Anyone in the right mind would get angry if you ruin the relationship that they built up for years."

"Well, not Aria.", she smiles, "Think about it? If she was serious about your relationship, would she even look my way? I'm surprised that she never told you about me. I guess she doesn't mind "being flirted by her lesbian classmate". If a girl is really serious with her boyfriend, she'll tell him about it."

"I-I don't b-belie-"

"Believe me? Hahaha. The truth is indeed a very bitter pill to swallow. But you need to accept the fact that it takes two to Tango. I'm not the only one at fault here."

All of a sudden, I feel my fists losing their grip. She's not wrong. I look down at the table. I felt something hot travel down my face. The next thing I knew another one came running down.

"Move," I tell Ryan. He didn't need to be told twice as he stood up to leave some space for me to exit.

I walk away with my head down. I noticed from my peripheral view that a lot of people are looking at my direction. I can't blame them. I did cause quite a scandal. I reach the elevator and go in it. I press a button to close the door without even looking up. I was afraid of what I'd see. I'm afraid to look at their stares, their expressions, and their reactions. I don't want them to see mine as well.

As I was alone in the elevator, I pulled out my handkerchief and began wiping my tears. Soon enough, the door opens. I went out with my head low as I navigated my way through the dining hall. The waiters and waitresses thanked me for coming and hoped I had a wonderful evening. I gave them all a nod and a small smile so they wouldn't pay any more attention to me.

Finally, I am out of the restaurant. I briskly walk down the stairs and towards my car. I got in my car as fast as I could and let out an exhausted sigh once I got settled in. What just happened was truly unexpected. I knew from the very beginning that this dinner date wouldn't be simple. There is a chance that this can backfire horribly. But who would have thought that this would lead to the worst-case scenario possible?

I messed up. No, she messed up as well. But, I wasn't able to contain myself earlier.

Haist... guess we both messed it up. We messed up the dinner. We messed up the situation. We messed up Ryan and Diane's evening and also the evening of the other people.

Tap, tap, tap.

I look to my right to see where the tapping came from. I see Ryan at the window with a glum face. I unlocked the passenger's door to let him in. He gets in and closes the door. Then, there was a very awkward silence.

Crap. This is bad.

"So... that didn't go as planned," Ryan says with a light tone.

"Yes, it didn't," I confirm. Ryan let out a sigh before speaking.

"So... just to be clear. Ate Claire was the one your ex had been fooling around while you two were still together?" Ryan asks for confirmation.

"Yes. It turned out Aria was bi."

"Well... that's an interesting turn of events. It is indeed a small world after all."

"I'm sorry for how I behaved earlier." I try to apologize.

"No. You shouldn't say that. You have every right to be mad earlier. I just didn't know what went down between you two. If I did, I would never have asked those questions."

"I'm sorry for not telling you what happened that day."

"Don't apologize. I'm already used to you keeping to yourself. I didn't bother asking you, anyway." Ryan counters.

"Haist... I guess I made another family member of Diane hostile towards us."

Ryan didn't answer and stared blankly at nothing.

"Do you think what happened earlier will affect our relationship?" Ryan wonders.

"I don't think a cousin of hers can affect your relationship. Though her parents didn't like you, you're still together. I think Diane will still fight for you no matter what." I conclude.

"Thanks, Kuya." Ryan thanked me with appreciation. Afterward, Ryan starts yawning.

"I think I had enough for tonight. Let's go home. I wanna hit the hay." He says as he puts on his seat belt.

"Okay. I'll take you home now." I say as I start the engine. Ryan looks at me confused.

"Why? Are you not coming home?" He asks.

"I need to go somewhere first. I'll just drop you off at the apartment."