Chapter 17

“J-Justin?” Penelope looked up at him.

As soon as their eyes met, Justin felt something hard hit his chest. And it just got worse when he saw that her eyes are pooling in tears. He gently stirred her to face him and cupped her face. Justin took off his shades and looked straight into her eyes, hoping that she would get the message he wanted to relay.

“I’m here now, Penelope…” he whispered and squeezed her shoulders. “I’m here now…”

Penelope took a deep breath and bit her lip to fight back her tears. Based on the woman’s expression, it seems that she really isn’t expecting him to see her here.

“Is that really you?” Penelope asked as if she’s just an apparition standing in front of him. “I thought you changed your mind.”

Justin chuckled. “Why would I do that, honey?” He simply wiped her tears off her face. “Come on, Penelope. Are you still mad at me?” he asked and squeezed her shoulders. “I’ve been calling you for hours, but you’re not picking up.”

Penelope’s mouth parted as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t figure out what to say. “Ah…” She caught her head. “H-How did you know that I’m here?”

Justin smiled sweetly. “I asked Grace where you usually go when you’re mad at me—”

The man in front of them cleared his throat to get Penelope’s attention from him. “Penelope, who is this guy?” he asked, brows furrowed. “I don’t remember that you mentioned to me about him.”

Justin wore back his shades before he looked at the man. “You must be Nicholas?” He offered his hand at him. “I’m Justin, Penelope’s boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend?” Nicholas asked. He didn’t even take his hand. “Since when?”

Justin’s brows furrowed. He didn’t like the tone of this guy. “Since—”

“We’ve been together for three months,” Penelope said and clung to his arm. “That is what I wanted to tell you, Nicholas…” She held to him tightly. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”

Justin felt the tension in her hands, so he took her hand and held it in him. He met her gaze when she looked at her, and even if he’s wearing tinted shades, he knew that she’s looking beyond the glasses.

“Three months?” The man repeated in disbelief. “Penelope, are you serious?”

“Of course, she’s serious,” Justin said and pulled her away from him. “If you don’t mind, Nicholas. I will take my girlfriend now.”

“Wait, I will talk to her,” Nicholas said and tried to hold Penelope’s hand, but he pulled her away.

“You can talk to my girlfriend without touching her,” Justin said in a stern voice. Whoever is this man in Penelope’s life, he doesn’t like how he treated her as if he owns a part of her.

“You’re just her boyfriend,” he said and grabbed Penelope’s hand. “I don’t even know who you are and how the two of you met—”

“Why would she tell you? Are you his dad?” Justin asked sarcastically. “Let go of her hand.”

“I’m his brother,” Nicholas told him. “I’m her older brother, and I have the right to know everything about her plans and who she’s going to be with.”

“What? Older brother?” Justin looked at Penelope, but what she saw in her expression tells otherwise.

Penelope snatched her hand free from the man. “We have to go now,” she said and pulled him away.

When they reached his car parked beside the church under a mango tree, Justin let go of her hand and faced her. “What was that? He’s your brother? And you wanted to make him jealous? Why? I don’t understand, Penelope.”

Penelope heaved a sigh. “He’s not my brother…” Her voice cracked. “He’s the man that I love.”

Justin’s brows drew together. “Really, huh? Why do I smell incest here?”

Penelope glared at him. “We’re not related by blood,” she said irritably. “It’s a long story…”

“And, I don’t want to hear it,” he said and was about to open his car door when she started crying. “Hey, don’t cry here.”

Penelope covered her face. “It just hurts…” she said in between tears. “Why does he have to tell it to me over and over again that what happened between us was just nothing? I’m hurting…” she caught her chest. “But, you know what hurts most? Even he shunned me a hundred times, I still love him…”

Justin stared at her as she shed tears for a stupid man. He wanted to pull her in her arms and wipe her tears, but he knew that he’s not in the position to do it. He sighed and tapped her shoulders, hoping that it would comfort her.

“It will pass,” he said as he tapped her shoulders.

He has done drama scenes like this. But in reality, this is the first time that a girl cried in front of him. Justin thought he knew how to handle an actual situation, but he’s wrong. Seeing Penelope cried like this is making his chest tightened.

“I love him…” she said, tears streaming down her face.

“But he doesn’t love you,” he said without hesitation. Yes, it hurts, but it’s the truth that she has to face and accept. “That man didn’t care for your feelings. He doesn’t like you even a bit—”

“Enough…” Penelope said and hit her chest with her fist. “It hurts so much that I wanted to run back to him and scream inside the church how much I love him.”

Justin shook his head. “That would be the dumbest thing to do.”

The woman then suddenly looked up at him. “Do you think if I do that, I might disgrace his image? And, if it happened, the church would kick him out?”

His brows furrowed. He doesn’t understand what this woman is talking about. The church will kick him out? He smirked. What is he? A priest—? He paused as the thought dawned on him.

Justin narrowed his eyes to the woman. “Wait for a second—”

“But even if I do that, I know that he still won’t choose me…” Tears fell again from her cheeks. She clutched on his sleeve. “You have to help me, Justin.”

Justin removed her hands to him. “Hey, that Nicholas is—” His eyes caught the man walking towards them. “Penelope—”

“Please, help me do everything that could make him realized that—”

When Nicholas was just a meter away from them, Justin doesn’t have any choice but to pull Penelope to him and captured her lips.

***