Chapter 22

Friday came, and Felix drove me back to my hotel. He told me I didn't have to go to the site for the next two days. Or, to put it another way, I don't have to act nice around Pretzel for two freaking days. Felix announced his intention to return home by the weekend, and because of that, Felicity couldn't leave yet because nobody would look after that annoying pregnant woman while he was away. Work was exhausting, but it was worth it to spend time with my best friend. He made me laugh with his simple words and facial expressions, but I instantly became irritated whenever I saw Pretzel looking at us—whenever she laughed with us. She made my inner brat raise an eyebrow. She was nice to me, though, but her presence irritated me so much, and I hated how the twins looked after her whenever she was craving something. I wanted to grab her hair and push her, but I couldn't. Uff! We arrived at the hotel around 8 p.m. I was about to go down when I heard the loud music nearby. I remembered that there was a party at the pool area because it was Friday, and I smiled when a thought suddenly popped into my mind. "Hey, Felix! Since there's no work tomorrow, why don't we grab some drinks? Just a few shots?" I suggested. He quickly turned his head to face me, and honestly, I didn't like how he stared at me. The smile on my lips vanished right there, instantly. "It's okay if you don't like that idea; I guess you still don't trust me and don't see me as a friend. Thank you for driving me back here," I said glumly. It was no longer acting. I felt bad because it appeared that my image in his mind was very negative. I got out of the Jeep and didn't look back at him. He made me mad again, and Pretzel was to blame. His eyes and mind were always into hers, but he couldn't even tell if he loved her. "Hey!" someone called, but I was not in the mood to entertain anyone at that moment. I walked straight with my head slightly bowed because I didn't want anyone to see that sadness on my face, and when I was just a few steps from the hotel entrance, someone blocked my way. The clothes were familiar, and when I raised my head to see who it was, I was surprised to see Felix standing before me. "Come on, let's get some drinks," he said. "No hard drinks, just beer," he said as he walked past me. "I thought—" I paused. What I was about to say at that time was not important anymore. He already agreed, and with that, my face lit up. I took him to the bar at the pool area, and just like last Friday, there were a bunch of people. A mixture of locals and foreigners. "Two bottles of cold beer, please," I asked the bartender when we got close to the island counter. The bartender who approached us looked surprised when he heard what I ordered. It was not what I used to order whenever I went there to drink. Almost every night when I couldn't sleep, I asked the same bartender that I often ran into to make me something to drink. Mostly just cocktails and wine, but when I wanted something hard to sleep on, I would order rum. I was never a drinker, but when I married Lucas, who enjoys a variety of alcoholic beverages, he let me sample every bottle of wine and liquor he poured into his glass. Sometimes it was just the two of us drinking until we passed out and falling asleep cuddling each other. Aren't those some good old memories? I had no idea that the occasional taste of liquor had increased my alcohol tolerance. Lucas — Lucas, who I later realized taught me a lot of negative things. Maybe that was how it was; the realization was always late and would only process things little by little once you started opening your eyes to the truth that for a long time, lies were covering. Funny, but true. I went back to my senses when we were given a mug each. The bartender started pouring the icy cold beer right in front of us. I saw the bottle; there was a horse. "That won't kick us, right?" I jokingly asked him while watching him serve us. "No, ma'am, I assure you that," the bartender answered. "Just asking, so you know when to pick us up," I replied, and that made him laugh. I watched Felix drink from the mug to see what his reaction would be. Nothing changed in his facial expression. It was like he was just drinking water. That's why I took a sip to find out how it tasted because I never tried that brand of beer yet. After one sip, I was quite impressed. It was not as bitter as I thought. It was sweet, and I never thought a local beer was something I would enjoy. The effect was weak; it didn't kick me at all. Little by little, Felix responded to the random topics I opened, mostly about how silly I was and his twin brother when we were kids. I was the brat type before. We loved pranking people back then. I tried to enjoy that moment because Felix was nice to me. I found out that Felix covered for Felicity many times so that their dad wouldn't get mad at him. That was so sweet of him. "I can't believe you did those things just for your twin," I uttered when he mentioned the first one was when Felicity accidentally left lipstick on the car seat one time their dad dropped them off at school. "I couldn't believe myself; I did that not just once! I don't know why he was that careless. He was trying to hide things, but the more he tried, the more he kept leaving traces," he said while laughing. I was gradually winning her heart. I didn't want you to rush it and possibly become enraged with me again. I was always amused when Felix smiled, and every time I heard him laugh, it was like a new experience for my eyes and ears, and I couldn't get enough of it. I was so eager to ask him the same questions I'd asked before. Curiously, it was killing me inside to know what he thinks of Pretzel. As a few minutes passed, I found the perfect time. I took the chance. "I'm impressed with Pretzel's achievements at her young age." I complimented her first because she was our subject. "Yes, she's awesome in her way. She was ready to be an old lady when I met her, but I changed it," he said, and I noticed a strange smile on his lips, and that was it— "Do you like her?" It was barely audible, but I knew it was enough for him to hear despite the noise around us. "Yes, I like her as a person for being nice to everyone around her; who wouldn't?" I was surprised by his quick response. "How about something beyond?" I continued. "How far beyond?" "Beyond like, greater than it—if you love her or if you only care about the baby?" l cleared. He sighed and turned to face me after a brief moment of silence. "Didn't you ask me that before?" "Y-Yes, but you didn't answer," I answered, stammering. I was so afraid he would get mad again that I looked away and just fixed my eyes on one of the bartenders, who was currently showing off by throwing bottles in the air in front of a beautiful young lady. "I know I didn't, but I do have an answer now," he said, and I quickly returned my gaze to him. He bowed slightly to look at the mug in front of him. He took and drank until the last drop, and while he was putting down the empty mug, I received the answer to my question. I was right—he loves her dearly. He said goodbye, leaving a paper bill under the mug to pay for our drink. I only nodded and didn't take him outside because I was no longer in the mood to walk him outside. He didn't even ask me if I was okay or what I had to say. I drank the remaining half of the beer in the mug. It was difficult to breathe as if something was blocking my throat and choking me. I requested another drink, but this time a strong one. One order was followed by another, and so on. I didn't count how many anymore; it was up to the bartender to keep track of how many and charge in my name. I awoke in my room the next morning. I had no idea how I got up there to my room. My head was heavy, and everything around me was spinning from dizziness. I tried to stand, but I fell back onto the bed. I couldn't move. I closed my eyes and went back to sleep, hoping the dizziness would subside. When I opened my eyes, it was already noon, and those last words I heard from Felix before he left were replaying in my head. That night, I was hurt, but the next morning, it was replaced by anger. "Such a b*tch!" I yelled, holding my head with both hands to give it some balance. I tried to sit. I took the pillows next to me and threw them on the floor. I didn't know where to put all the anger I had inside my chest, and the headache made everything worse. "I won't be nice to you anymore!" I shouted so loudly while thinking about Pretzel.