"Oh, why do your faces look so bad? It's early in the morning. What's up?"
Cheche's eyes were on her sister, Marigold and their parents stared at her blankly when she showed up to them. She just woke up too and she's not used to not being greeted in the morning.
"Mom, Dad, CheChe what's the matter?"
CheChe nodded. "I don't think that you're aware of it."
"What are you saying?"
"Look who is the man in our room then come back here and let's talk seriously," his father ordered. It was alarming to listen to because he seemed to have a threatening melody in his voice.
She just nodded softly. She slowly entered her parents' room and looked to see if anyone else was there.
She was still nervous as he approached the bed. It was as if she knew who the sleeping man was now.
Her heart pounded when she confirmed who it was.
"Mr. Javiera?"
She was caught in her own chest when she saw his gentle face while still asleep. Even though she was overwhelmed with wonder why he had entered her house, she still couldn't dismiss the fact that he had already kissed her.
And even if other people will call her crazy, she can't deny that she felt something strange in that kiss. This is how she felt when she and Jack first kissed—thrilling and unforgettable.
'No! You're crazy! '
She was shaken and frowned as she started to wake up Raymart who she thought was drunk last night.
"Hey! Wake up! It's not your house!" he yelled at him.
It took a few minutes, but Raymart still didn't wake up. She realized again that he received a call from him last night and to her surprise, he even said "I love you".
"Mr. Javiera! Get up there!"
She even intensified the shaking on his shoulder which caused him to wake up.
"Marigold, it's you," Raymart whispered as he opened his eyes while holding Gold's face. Totally, he did the embarrassing thing last night, he will do it to annoy Marigold even more.
"Good morning," he added with a smiling face.
He's acting so numb, he's also carrying a hangover and he deliberately teases Marigold harder, and he was satisfied with how she responds.
"What? Get up now!"
Marigold tried to get him out of the bed but she couldn't do it because he didn't move. He remained lying down and pulled Marigold closer to him so she was on top of him.
Awkward.
"What is it, Mr Javiera? What do you want?" Gold asked while measuring Raymart's gaze.
"I want you to be my girlfriend ."
"What you want will never happen!" She pulled herself away but Raymart grabbed her immediately so she sank into him again. Just a few inches, they almost kissed.
"What does this mean?"
It was as if his soul came out of their bodies when they heard the father's terrifying voice.
She rolled over and fell on the bed. Marigold was in pain.
***
"Man, what's your name?"
Raymart remained bent over and did not immediately answer Gold's father's question. Even he was scared too. Most likely, Marigold's father assumed something else because of their scene in the room.
"Answer me!"
Raymart suddenly looked up. He saw how angry Marigold's father was. It's not just a matter of flirting with this woman.
"Raymart, Raymart Javiera," he said while his knees were trembling.
"If you think it's easy to get my daughter, you're wrong! I want to let you know that our family is conservative. I allowed Marigold to have a relationship but I will never allow a man she's not married to take her honor. Do you understand? And you, Marigold, I won't just let this pass. Is this your new boyfriend?"
Marigold and Raymart both looked at each other. He even glared at it.
'What shall I answer?'
"Actually, I'm her new boyfriend."
Raymart turned his gaze to Marigold who was pale and didn't know what to do.
Sure enough, her parents were really strict.
"And I want to marry her, nothing happened to us and I respect her. I'm serious, I really love your daughter. So I drank last night to get the courage to face you."
Everyone was surprised by what Raymart said. But Marigold was even more surprised. In her mind, she was killing the man who seemed to be going crazy.
"No! That wasn't true. We're not dating," Marigold immediately denied, which made everyone confused.
"Who among you is telling the truth? This is a serious matter? Why can't you admit that he is your boyfriend? Are you the one to blame for your break up with Jack? And he's not the one who first cheated?" Marigold's mom finally intervened in the conversation.
"Of course not! I'm a faithful girlfriend and it never crossed my mind that I will cheat on him. I even waste my money and time on our relationship. Why would I do such a thing?" Marigold asked in a deep feeling of resentment.
"Why can't you just admit the truth to us?" Cheche said. Suddenly, she opened a video clip on her phone. Marigold was at the bar, together with Raymart.
"Look at this video which Ate Ethel sent earlier. That guy proposed with my sister at the bar!" Cheche divulged. She was enraged that time.
"That's just a dare, we don't really know each other!" Marigold insisted.
"We knew each other, that's the truth," Raymart said.
***
"You're really shameless, Mr. Javiera!"
Raymart received two slaps from Marigold after he had an intensive conversation with her parents. He was even pulled out like a trespasser who should not enter the private area.
"Wait a minute, Marigold! You're so harsh to me!" Raymart complained.
"That's not enough for you to bother me! My father might kill me for what you did! Who else is going to another house at midnight? And I also want to let you know that I don't like you! You're just playing differently!"
Marigold slapped him but Raymart prevented her slap by grabbing her hand with force.
"One more slap, I'll kiss you again!"
Raymart said furiously. Marigold d has neighbors who can gossip when they hear their discussion.
"They might gossip about that." He smirked.
Marigold retreated. Raymart was right, she had been shouting before. It was getting scandalous there.
"You should leave now!" she yelled.
"Okay. But this isn't the last time we'll meet again, we're not done yet."
He winked at her. He was even more annoyed with Marigold for doing that.
While Marigold left in tears. She went back inside their house only to see how disappointed her parents were with those lies.
"Ma, pa. It's not what you think. I promise that I'm a good daughter. I will never disappoint you like that. You know how much I treasure the values of our family." She kneeled and asked for forgiveness.
"Marigold, you know that we just love you. But on the other hand, we realized that we might become selfish and over protective. We knew that you're old enough and you don't deserve what Jack has done to you. But it's also not right to take revenge for his wrongdoings. I mean, even if he cheated, you should not cheat too. Because you're just hurting yourself and even that man who just talked to us earlier. What if he's expecting that you really love him?" Her father's sincere explanation made her cry a lot.
"Papa, how many times do I have to tell you that we're not dating. It's just a dare. Please, believe me. He's not my boyfriend and I have no plans in taking revenge on Jack." Marigold was still in tears. She saw how much her sister looked worried for her.
"Let's just end this conversation. I think it could just spread rumors about our family. Let's just eat breakfast," her mother suggested.
"Are you really convinced that he's my boyfriend?" she asked.
The three of them nodded in unison. "He said something to us. Since he already kissed you, then he's going to take responsibility for what he did," her mother told her.
"Ma? We never—"
"Relax. He kissed you but you never had an intimate moment, you know what I mean. He said that he was deeply sorry for it because he was wrong and impulsive. But he also said that he likes you. He was willing to hit on you. He even asked for permission."
"Pa, he only said that because he's drunk."
"But drunk people are telling the truth more than those who aren't under the influence of alcohol. So we conclude, he's not lying. It's you who was really lying to us."
"Do you really believe that guy over your own daughter?" She questioned. Suddenly, she just walked out and went straight back to her room.