Chapter 18

BEFORE she knew it, Justin’s lips suddenly shut her mouth with a kiss. Penelope felt her breathing stopped, and her whole body stiffened in mixed surprise and confusion. She tried to push his chest back, but he only pressed his lips on her.

When he released her lips, Penelope was out of breath. She glared and was about to scold him when he pulled her again. But not to kiss her but to hug her.

“Your ex is watching us from your back,” Justin whispered in her ear and snuggled closer. “If I didn’t do that, he has heard everything that you say, and your plan is ruined.”

Penelope drew her brows together. “Should I be thankful then?” she asked sarcastically.

Justin smirked. His warm breath on her neck tickled her. “I saved you from embarrassment, honey,” he said and pulled away from her. “You owe me.”

“Penelope, can I talk to you?” Nicholas asked hesitantly. “Just for a second.”

Penelope can sense in his voice that Nicholas was confused about what is happening right now. Well, she was too. She was confused about why her heart suddenly flatters because of this man’s compulsive action. Penelope took a deep breath before facing Nicholas, and she was right. The man’s handsome face showed nothing but confusion.

“S-sure,” she said and forced a smile on her face. “I-I’m sorry I didn’t know that you were there—”

“You don’t have to apologize, honey,” Justin whispered near her ear that made Penelope flinched.

She looked at her in furrowed brows. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she said and motioned at Nicholas to follow her. Penelope can’t believe that she let that bastard kissed her. She shook her head as her mind started to cloud with the memories of his lips coming towards her. “Gosh,” Penelope mumbled and rubbed her chest.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you are already dating somebody?” Nicholas asked as soon as they reached the bench beside the church. He didn’t even let her take a seat. “And you’ve been dating him for three months? How come that I didn’t know?”

Penelope curled her lips. She didn’t expect that Nicholas will ask questions. All she ever thought was that he’d felt relieved that she finally found someone, and she’ll stop bothering him. She thought he will say thanks to her for doing him a favor.

“Well…” She brushed her hair with her hand. “Justin is one of my clients. You heard him; he knew Grace…” she laughed. “And we aren’t dating anymore.”

“I don’t believe you, Penelope,” Nicholas said in a serious tone. “I know you since we’re kids, and you’re not the type of girl that would easily fall for a guy that you just met.”

Penelope almost laughed with what he thought she was. She looked straight into her best friend’s eyes, who also happened to be the only man she loves. “You knew me so well?” she smirked. “Really? Is that your final answer?”

“After your eighteenth birthday, you started to be cautious with men. And I am relieved that you acquire that personality because I don’t want to see you crying because of men.”

Penelope laughed. “How ironic,” she said. “If you really knew me well, then why you got surprised when I told you that I love you, and I want to marry you?” she asked. “It was the night before my eighteenth birthday, right? I wasn’t aware at that time of the news that you are planning to reveal on my birthday.”

She felt a lump in her throat after saying it. Her eighteenth birthday was the worst birthday that she had in her life. And since then, she hated her birthday because it reminds her of Nicholas’s betrayal and disaster in her life.

“Penelope, I don’t understand why you’re doing this—”

“Wait, wait,” she cut off with a wave of her hand. “I think that’s kinda contradicting. You said that you knew me so well, then you’re telling me now that you don’t understand why I’m doing this?”

Nicholas heaved a sigh. “Penelope, who is that guy?”

“He’s my boyfriend,” she said without hesitation. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“Yes, I have because I don’t know him!” Nicholas’s voice raised, and this is the first time he did it to her. “The problem is, I don’t know where he came from, what’s his job or what kind of man he is. You didn’t tell me before that you were dating somebody, that you’re already committed to someone when we—” He paused, bit his lip, and looked away from her.

Penelope watched in furrowed brows as Nicholas grew frustrated in figuring things out between them. “When we what?” she provoked. “When we almost made lo—”

Nicholas put his hand on her mouth. “Watch your words, Penelope. We’re not in the right place to talk about that.”

And it hit her again straight in the chest. She swept his hand away from her face. “I’m not the one who opened that topic.”

Nicholas heaved a frustrated sigh and looked at her straight in the eyes. He reached her shoulders, but his hand stopped just an inch away from her skin and decided to pull back. “I’m just worried about you, Penelope.”

“About me? Or, about your image?” she asked in a trembling voice. “You stopped worrying about me when you chose to enter seminary school instead of joining the college with me. Our bond as best of friends stopped right there, Nicholas. And if you really cared about my feelings, you would choose me, but you didn’t. Despite all the chances that we had before, you still chose to hurt me over and over again.” She bit her lip to fight back her tears. “But I understand, it’s your calling, and you’re there already. Fighting for love is useless if it’s one-sided, right?”

Nicholas didn’t answer. He just looked at her, eyes full in tears again. Penelope held his gaze despite the tears that are threatening to fall from her eyes. But, just after a second, Nicholas looked away from her. It hurts Penelope so much that her heart felt like it would explode in so much pain.

“This is wrong, Penelope…” Nicholas let go of the painful words again. “This is a sin that we should not commit.”

Penelope clenched her fist. “I know,” she said. “I am so sinful that you can’t take to look at me.”

Nicholas heaved a sigh again. He looked around, and when a church staff passed by them, he took a step away from her. Nicholas put an imaginary wall between them, and what it meant for Penelope is ‘ceasefire’.

She blew her breath and glanced back at Justin. The man was leaning on her car with arms crossed on his chest while looking at them. “Then, I think I should go now before all of my dignity left me.”

Nicholas looked at her for a second. “But, Penelope, if that man hurts you, don’t hesitate to call me—”

“He won’t hurt me like you did, Nicholas,” she said and smiled bitterly. “I’m sure of it.”

***