"Luis, give me back my passport."
She followed me with her eyes as I walked towards the living room of her place. The knife she was holding earlier was now down because she was afraid she might actually stab me. I smirked as I walked around the living room, and I could feel the annoyance in her gaze.
"Agree to what I want first." I even winked at her, which further fueled her anger.
"Psh! Do I look stupid? Agreeing to what you want without thinking it through carefully? Hey! Take everything from me, just not my passport, so give it back now."
She approached me and patted me all over my body. I even raised my two hands slightly so she could freely do what she wanted. She was so desperate. I couldn't help but laugh at her.
"Oh, calm down, you might feel a different passport there," I joked mischievously, and she pinched my arm without hesitation. "Ouch!"
The area she pinched turned red, so I rubbed it to lessen the pain. I watched her as she rummaged through her entire living room. She cursed loudly when she remembered that she didn't have her passport with her; it was with her friend Kayejell.
"Get mad at your friend, not me. I just asked if she knew where your passport was, and she gave it to me right away. She's so nice," I teased.
"What?" She asked in disbelief.
"The one with the baby pink-colored clothes, man, that's her best friend. I saw them at the embassy yesterday; Mahana seemed to have trouble leaving because of a personal problem, so she asked Kayejell to hold on to her passport first."
We were in front of Mahana's rented house, and Kayejell, her friend, was at the gate, according to the information Kenneth gathered. She was sweeping their yard.
"Are you sure about this, Kenneth? We might get nothing out of this," I asked worriedly.
"Tsk! You doubt me? Go ahead, approach her. Use all your flirting skills on her friend to get Mahana's passport."
I hesitantly got out of Kenneth's car and acted normal as I walked towards the woman sweeping. Without hesitation, I immediately got her attention. She was surprised to see me. It seemed like she had an idea about our accidental marriage.
"Lu-Luis?"
"Hi! You're Mahana's friend, right?"
"Yes, are you looking for her? She's not here right now; she's still at work. If you want, you can just wait for her so---"
"No, I know she's at work." I sighed and practiced the excuse I thought of to deceive her. "Actually, she asked me to get her passport. She asked me to help her, so I'm here to get it."
"Is that so? Oh! Thank goodness someone will help my friend. She's been dreaming of going to Dubai. Just a moment, and I'll get it."
"Okay."
"Give it back to me, Luis." Her eyes were glaring at me. From her aura, it was obvious that she was very annoyed with me.
"Calm down; I'll give it back once you agree to what I want."
"That's mine!"
"I just want to hear one answer from you, Mahana, just yes or no. Hmm?"
She rolled her eyes at me and sighed deeply, then looked at me meaningfully.
"What is it? Why are you so persistent? Whatever you say, I don't want to! I don't want to be involved in any trouble, okay? I've already told you all my reasons why I don't want to agree; what don't you get? So give me back my passport right now!" She replied aggressively, grabbing my collar after she approached me, fuming with anger.
I smirked at her, which made her even angrier. "Goodbye Philippines or goodbye Dubai? Choose wisely, Mahana."
She let go of my collar, which she was holding tightly earlier because of her anger towards me. She still hasn't changed; she's still aggressive and tough like in high school. You'd think she's a man the way she acts, ready to start a fight. Psh!
"You know how to write, so why have you been fighting a staring contest with that paper since earlier?"
I received a snarl from Mahana when she glanced at me. We were here in my condo because this was where the contract signing would take place. Her annoyance from earlier was still with her even here in my condo. I just laughed at her expression.
"Psh! Do I look like someone who doesn't keep their promises, and you even wasted a piece of paper for a contract?"
I laughed at what she said. I first sipped the liquor I was holding before I answered her. She was just in front of me here in the living room of my condo.
"I already know your moves since we were in high school. It's not impossible for you to do that to me now. It's better to be sure that you won't be able to run away from me now."
I leaned back on the single sofa and smiled at her, but I only received an eye roll from her. After she cursed loudly, she had no choice but to sign the paper on the center table.
"You're going to sign anyway. You're just making a fuss. Tsk!" I stood up and took the paper and put it in a folder so it wouldn't get dirty.
After I put it in the nearby drawer, when I turned around, Mahana's hand was already in front of me, as if asking for something from me.
"Oh, what's that?"
"My passport."
I laughed at what she said, which made her frown.
"My passport."
I pushed away the hand she was offering to me and picked up the cans of beer scattered on the center table to throw them away in the kitchen. Mahana followed me like a dog.
"What? Hey! You clearly said earlier that once I agree, you'll return my passport. What's this 'my passport' you're saying now?" She raised an eyebrow in defense, and there she was again with that look like she was going to eat someone alive.
I faced her and met her gaze. I even saw her fist for a moment, ready to punch because it was clenched due to her anger. I ignored it, especially since I had no intention of fighting her because she was a woman.
"Maybe you've forgotten that it's stated in the contract that I will only give it to you once you've done your job properly, once Lola gives me her reward. Don't you know that before you signed? Hmm?"
"What? Wait, don't tell me--"
"See? You just sign without reading the contract. So how, do your best so that you can see your passport as soon as possible."
I turned my back on her and continued walking towards the kitchen. I heard her curse and shout softly. I laughed at how easily she got pissed off. She's tough, but she can be fooled.
"You're taking so long! Do you know that my time is precious, huh?"
Today is the day we will visit the attorney Kenneth found who can help us process our annulment. I volunteered to pick her up at her rented house to make sure she wouldn't run away from me. I know this woman, she's good at running away.
"You're the one who's asking for a favor, and you're the one who has the nerve to get angry. Psh! Sorry if I can't afford to pay for your precious time." She rolled her eyes at me and bumped into me without hesitation as she exited the door.
She's really mean!
"You should apologize! Tsk!"
I followed her as she got into the car I brought. She seemed to be teasing me, so she sat in the backseat. Of course, we argued again because I looked like her driver. I made her move to the passenger seat, and at first, she didn't want to, but I used her passport as leverage, and she agreed.
"Are you sure you both didn't want that wedding?"
Attorney Galang looked back and forth between Mahana and me when we arrived at his office.
"We were both drunk that night, Attorney." Mahana agreed with what I said, which made the lawyer in front of us nod.
"This marriage certificate is legal, though."
After we gave him our marriage certificate, he examined it and realized it was legal. Just as much as we were troubled, so was the expression I saw on the lawyer's face.
"Mr. and Mrs. Arevalo, I think---"
"Just Mahana," Mahana interrupted what Attorney was about to say. It was obvious that Mahana felt awkward when my surname was used on her. Well, so did I. Yuck!
"Just call us by our names, Attorney, Mahana and Luis."
The lawyer nodded, understanding what I meant. He probably noticed Mahana's disgust at using my surname.
"So, back to the topic, I'll tell you this early on, Luis and Mahana, annulment is a long and tedious process. It takes a lot of time; maybe while we're in the process, you might even develop feelings for each other."
Mahana and I exchanged glances, both clearly not liking the lawyer's suggestion.
"What's important to us, Attorney, is to have our marriage annulled because it was just an accident. And what you're saying is impossible. You can feel and see how we treat each other now, right in front of you, right?"
The lawyer sighed and then nodded. "But, you need to prepare a large sum of money because this annulment you want is expensive."
"No worries, Attorney, I can handle those fees," I replied, noticing Mahana raising an eyebrow at me, but I just ignored it. "So, what do we need to prepare to argue in court that our marriage was an accident, Attorney?"
"Well, it's not enough evidence to just tell the court that you were both drunk when you got married. You should have one or two witnesses who can testify that it was due to a game. Pictures of you at the bar that night would help, and even better if you have a video to really prove that it wasn't intentional."
Mahana and I looked at each other at what Attorney said. I'm sure we were both thinking the same thing at that moment. We didn't understand anything else Attorney said about what we needed to do because we were thinking about the possible people who could help us.
"Where are Jade and Mahana?"
We were leaving Attorney Galang's office, but I was still spaced out. I didn't even notice that our meeting with him was over.
"If I knew where he was, I would have told you a long time ago."
"Damn it! What are we going to do? Only they, father and son, can testify that we didn't want that marriage," I replied worriedly, rubbing my temples in frustration.
"Why are you asking me? Between the two of us, you should be the one who knows because your business is connected to them. Aren't you close?"
"We're not! And would I be this worried if I knew?" I retorted, silencing her.
In my frustration, I kicked the tire of my car when we reached the parking lot. "Damn it! Where am I going to find that father and son?"