The music absorbed the silence in the car as Dimitri is silently driving with his eyes pasted on the road while Simon vibed with the music. The two didn't say a word to each other, it is already 8 in the morning a reason why traffic is everywhere in each straight and turns on the roads of Manila.
"So what's bothering you? Did you have a fight with Annie again?" Simon asked while they are waiting for the traffic light to turn green.
"Yeah, we're always like this lately," Dimitri answered in his monotonic tone and leaned on the driver's seat.
"Is this about settling in matter?"
"Yeah, she keeps on insisting in sleeping in my place. I dont find it comfortable, we're not even married."
"You're too traditional Tri, couples nowadays live together in one roof. Maybe she just want you guys to be like that too."
Dimitri sighed and leaned his head on the steering wheel. He closed his eyes in frustration with his head still hurting ever since earlier this morning.
"At least she should respect my decision not suddenly barging into my place just like she did last night!" Dimitri frowned and bumping his head back and forth on the wheel.
"She's quite a trouble isnt she? Well, she's still young though, how old was she again?___"
"21."
"Do you even plan on getting married though."
The car filled with all the music but the two of them fell silent. Simon didn't take his eyes away from Dimitri waiting for his answer. Dimitri stopped bumping his head once the question reached his ears. He sat straight in his seat and locked his eyes on the road. The traffic light finally turned green, and the engine of the other vehicles along them started and joined with the music as what they heard.
"No." He answered and started driving the car again.
They got into the newly opened museum safely and they are met by numerous people waiting at the entrance to enter the museum. What their eyes saw was a big old mansion with an old gate as the entrance. The walls outside the museum are covered in old thorny vines as they both wait up outside, Simon took his phone and called Theo.
While hardly hearing the inaudible conversation between Simon and Theo on the phone. Dimitri felt a sudden rush of awkwardness as he felt several pairs of eyes looking at both him and Simon. His eyes landed on those girls standing in the waiting line while hearing their vague giggles and whispering. He looked away once he saw one of them take their phone and faced it toward him and Simon.
"Hey, continue talking inside the car."
He told Simon while still roaming his eyes around. He clicked his keys to unlock his car and hurriedly walked around his car up to the driver's seat. "Huh? what?" Simon asked in the middle of the phone call.
" Just get in."
"Okay."
Simon hurriedly got in the car, once he got in, he saw Dimitri fixing his rear mirror and occasionally glancing in the side mirror.
"Tri, what's wrong?"
Simon asked him and getting anxious with Dimitri's sudden action together with his all worked-up expression.
"Those girls are so fucking annoying!" Demetri mumbled with his annoyed expression.
"Let's just wait for Theo here." he added and turned the music on. He laid his head on the headrest of the seat, crossed his arms and closed his eyes.
"Okay." Simon didnt do anything but agree with Dimitri. He returned to his conversation with Theo on the phone. "Yes, we'll just wait for you here inside the car."
Minutes later, while Simon is playing games and Dimitri is napping, they both flinch with a sound of a constant knock on their window. There, they saw a guy eith a curly black hair, a faded beard with his round thin glasses on. He is only wearing a plain white shirt with a simple jeans at the bottom while both Dimitri and Simon are wearing a formal polo shirt. Theo waved at them once he peeled in the window of the car seeing Demetri and Simon already up. Simon opened the passenger window to clearly talk to Theo.
"Yow." Simon started.
"Hey! Com'on let's go inside," Theo asked them enthusiastically and leaned his elbows on the window.
Dimitri took a quick peek in the rear mirror only to see that there were no longer people lining up at the entrance. He silently opened the car door to go outside, seeing this, Simon did the same.
"So what's up with this museum you never told us about it before," Simon asked as the three of them are walking up to the entrance.
"I just bought this mansion as soon as I collected all the artifacts that relate to the history of this house." Theo answered confidently.
"Why the mansion? I mean we know how much you love history and even teach about it but why this? A 3-hour drive from Manila?" Dimitri interrupted while deeply investigating the place.
"Well this mansion is the only one left of all the properties of the Montecarlos.___"
"Monte_whatt?" Simon peeked into what Theo is saying.
"The Montecarlos, they are one of the noble family here in Aurora almost a decade before the Spanish colonial era ended." Theo continued as they reached the main door of the mansion.
People are still outside the mansion but are now allowed to roam around the gardens of the manor. The three of them walked inside where the ribbon is being prepared. The grand opening ceremony of the Museum is loud and quick as Demetri and Simon only stayed inside to watc the program while Theo is the one who cut the ribbon being him as the owner. While drinking champagne Dimitri stayed quietly in the corner only observing the people and the surroundings while Theo is explaining to the guests every artifact he got. Simon is happily walking around the garden as if nothing seems to matter at all.
Dimitri only rolled his eyes at several girls he noticed that wanted to get his attention while kids are getting afraid of the calm but serious demeanor that he is showing during the event.
"Now, dont scare the kids will you?" Theo joked around as he approach Demetri. He clanked his champagne on Dimitri's and drank together.
"How much did all of this cost?" Dimitri started looking at the surrounding of the manor. Every wood in the house is still intact though it looks old and ragged. From the ceiling to every window of the house. The pieces of furniture also looked old which Dimitri is guessing to be one of the artifacts.
"All of it cost almost 250 billion, I guess? I'm not really sure I lost count. "
"That's more than your fortune." Dimitri ridiculed eyeing him with a judging look.
"That's why I took the job in the university." Theo laughed. "Com'on I know you're always against this plan and keep on telling me to settle for a family."
"Says the one dont even want to get married!"Simon interrupted the conversation between Theo and Dimitri.
"What? How about Annie? You guys have been together for like what? 5 years!" Theo blurted out with his widened eyes wondering about Dimitri.
"Nah, dont ever ask I know he won't answer. Each one of us is crazy over something that all of us find it ridiculous." Simon exclaimed and tapping on Dimitri's shoulder.
"Like that one girl you've been talking about without telling us the name?! You've talking about her for a year now and not even spilling the name!!" Theo faced Simon with his annoyed expression having both his hands on his waist; like a father scolding a child.
"Com'on this isn't about me." Simon whispered and looked away. Dimitri silently listening to their argument is calmly sipping on his champagne. He rolled his eyes and gave himself a deep sigh. He put his champagne on the tray of the waiter who passed by and stood up interrupting Simon and Theo's argument.
"Why don't you give us a tour Theo." Dimitri calmly said and gave Theo a wink making their argument stop leaving Simon so annoyed. Theo composed himself; fixing his shirt and fixing his hair and glasses. As if a different person Theo became so formal in talking to Dimitri and Simon while touring them around the museum explaining every artifact he was able to collect.
"This is the gun of Señorito Alfonso that he always use during his weekly hunt together with the other nobles in his days." Theo said while standing beside the old model gun displayed. Simon only nodded as he became invested in what Theo is explaining and some about the family Montecarlos. Dimitri who's not listening is only walking with them so invested in the mansion itself.
*It looks so beautiful, I must say this history got it worth its price.* he thought to himself and followed his friends to the next display. They stopped in a massive painting displayed inside a transparent acrylic safety barrier. The painting is so big that its width and height are by 4 feet that took over a room for itself having Theo treat it as his most valuable collection.
"This is my most important collection and this is also the most expensive. This is the portrait of Señora Teresita Montecarlos, the last woman of this manor; the last wife of a Montecarlos. According to the books she never got old, maybe she died at an early age. No written artifacts are talking about her, she's the only Montecarlos whom no one almost don't knows about. But she exists as the Señorito Alfonso Montecarlos' last love. Isn't she beautiful?" Theo asked after explaining the display with nothing but a smile and stare full of awe in it.
Theo's smile fell when both Dimitri and Simon also fell silent making him face the two. He raised his brow looking at both of them. Simon's gaze pasted in painting with his jaw dropped looking at every inch of the painting. He walked closer to it without removing his eyes from it and gave the acrylic barrier a gentle touch.
"What's wrong with him?"Theo asked himself.
"She..."
"What? Bro are you okay?"
"She looks like Thea, exactly the same as her all of the features." Simon whispered and hurriedly grabbed his phone from his pocket and took a picture with it.
"Hey! Stop! taking photos of this painting isn't allowed!" Theo stopped Simon from snapping photos and took his phone away from him.
"Hey what are you doing?!" Simon shouted and struggled to get his phone back from Theo.
"What's wrong with you."
"I can't let you have this photo! I have been hiding this painting outside since many collectors have an interest in this. This might be stolen or annoying collectors will come!" Theo answered
. "Just give me my fucking phone back!"
"And this painting looks who?!"
"That's none of your business!"
"I'll give your phone back once I get to delete the photos!" Theo struggled in keeping Simon's hand away from his phone.
" Hey Tri help me out!"
"Hey Tri!! Tri?!" Theo blurted out seeing Dimitri at the back so invested in his phone.
"Hey stop using your phone and help me out! What the fuck are you doing anyway?!"
"Oh sorry, I got an important email from my client and needed to have an immediate reply for it. I wasn't listening to your lecture sorry, what was it again?" Dimitri calmly replied and kept his phone in his pocket.
"Whatever! Just take the phone and delete the picture of the painting."
Without hesitation, Dimitri took the phone from Theo and silently deleted all the photos of the painting.
"The painting looks nice and well made." Dimitri smiled at Theo and gave the painting a quick look. He formally returned the phone to Theo which Simon quickly grabbed but Theo's wondering eyes stayed still at Demetri.
"What's wrong?" Theo asked while fixing his shirt.
"There's an important matter about my case I think I need to go."
"Ok, go ahead I can continue the tour some other time."
"Thanks."