*reprint from Mod Magazine, 2011
published on Mod Magazine,Jan-Feb 2010 issue
“What, are you just going to look at me like that? Are you going to ask me out or not?” Noelle cannot believe how straightforward she is tonight. Maybe she should stop ordering Margarita.
“I thought you have a boyfriend back home?” Jason asks as he puts down his beer bottle. It was just the two of them tonight. The other two couples did not show up on their weekly night out.
“Not anymore.” Noelle’s conscience was shouting liar, liar!
“What happened?”Jason sounded concerned.
“We broke up, ok? End of story.” She pretended to look hurt that she did not want to tell him anything about it and at the same time, exasperated at his being nosy.
“I am sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.” Unless you do something about it, she adds in her mind. She just looks at him and stares at his eyes then his lips and back. She read in a mag, that that is how to signal the guy that you’re interested in him. Is it working on Jason?
Jason looks at her, stares at her eyes and sees a lonely, confused girl. He takes the cigarette she was lighting and puts it out in the ashtray.
”It doesn’t look good on you,” he says. She did not bother arguing and just let him. Then Jason takes her hand gently and brings it to his nose to smell it. As if making sure her hand was not tainted by the awful smell of the cigarette she held earlier. He smiles as if to say, it’s clean.
***
“What are you and Martin?” Noelle was hoping to sound innocent but it sounded more like she was snooping. “What is going on between the two of you?”
“Are you my mother?” Kara snaps but was still in a good mood. She just came in the room from class and she was not ready for this. What has gotten into her? Is my angel roommate turning into a devlin, she asks herself.
“No, seriously. I am just concerned because from what I gather, he is engaged.” Noelle was really pushing the topic.
“What you gathered is correct.” Kara hoped she would just shut up. Where did she get that? Oh Frances, who else. Or Jason. Martin and Jason are colleagues.
“Then why are you going out with him? I don’t understand.”
Ah, the nerve of this girl! And so she retaliates, “why are you flirting with Jason? Have you forgotten you have David waiting for you in Manila?”
“I’m not!” Noelle could not believe Kara said that. Never in her life has she been accused of being a flirt. That remark did not quite sit well with her.
“Yes, you are!”Revenge is sweet, Kara was thinking. She can see Noelle was fuming mad but was trying to mask it.
As Frances enters the room, she caught a drift of their exchange and sensed the tension in the air. ”Girls, girls. No need to fight. For all you know, David is just unfaithful and maybe even dating in Manila.”
Noelle just stares at Frances. She could not believe she could say such a mean thing. Kara saw how pitiful she looked and she sides with her roommate.
“Don’t listen to her. She’s just messing with you.”
“Relax, Mother Teresa. I’m just teasing her.” Frances snickers.
“If you have nothing good to say…” Noelle was close to tears. What if it was true, that David is dating his intern.
She cuts her short, “look at the two of you. Earlier you looked like you were going to pounce on each other. Now, you’re bonded like glue against me.”
She moves inside her friends’ room as if she belongs there. She sees Noelle’s laptop and sees the funny pictures of Noelle and David on slideshow, points at it and starts to chuckle. Her laughter is so contagious, soon the three of them are laughing.
When they have settled, Frances says, “I think he’s a player.”
“Who?” Noelle asks. Is she referring to David? Can she sense it? Can she read faces?
Frances adds, “he courts every girl around him and whoever responds favorably, he dates.”
“You think?” Kara asks.
Noelle could not take it,“hey, who are we talking about?”
“Jason,” the two spoke in unison with a tone showing bit of irritation because she is too dense to follow their conversation.
But the Jason that she knows is such a gentleman. They are probably just… jealous? Listen to yourself, Noelle. Are you falling for him? We are just friends, she tells herself.
published on Mod Magazine,Jan-Feb 2010 issue
“What, are you just going to look at me like that? Are you going to ask me out or not?” Noelle cannot believe how straightforward she is tonight. Maybe she should stop ordering Margarita.
“I thought you have a boyfriend back home?” Jason asks as he puts down his beer bottle. It was just the two of them tonight. The other two couples did not show up on their weekly night out.
“Not anymore.” Noelle’s conscience was shouting liar, liar!
“What happened?”Jason sounded concerned.
“We broke up, ok? End of story.” She pretended to look hurt that she did not want to tell him anything about it and at the same time, exasperated at his being nosy.
“I am sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.” Unless you do something about it, she adds in her mind. She just looks at him and stares at his eyes then his lips and back. She read in a mag, that that is how to signal the guy that you’re interested in him. Is it working on Jason?
Jason looks at her, stares at her eyes and sees a lonely, confused girl. He takes the cigarette she was lighting and puts it out in the ashtray.
”It doesn’t look good on you,” he says. She did not bother arguing and just let him. Then Jason takes her hand gently and brings it to his nose to smell it. As if making sure her hand was not tainted by the awful smell of the cigarette she held earlier. He smiles as if to say, it’s clean.
***
“What are you and Martin?” Noelle was hoping to sound innocent but it sounded more like she was snooping. “What is going on between the two of you?”
“Are you my mother?” Kara snaps but was still in a good mood. She just came in the room from class and she was not ready for this. What has gotten into her? Is my angel roommate turning into a devlin, she asks herself.
“No, seriously. I am just concerned because from what I gather, he is engaged.” Noelle was really pushing the topic.
“What you gathered is correct.” Kara hoped she would just shut up. Where did she get that? Oh Frances, who else. Or Jason. Martin and Jason are colleagues.
“Then why are you going out with him? I don’t understand.”
Ah, the nerve of this girl! And so she retaliates, “why are you flirting with Jason? Have you forgotten you have David waiting for you in Manila?”
“I’m not!” Noelle could not believe Kara said that. Never in her life has she been accused of being a flirt. That remark did not quite sit well with her.
“Yes, you are!”Revenge is sweet, Kara was thinking. She can see Noelle was fuming mad but was trying to mask it.
As Frances enters the room, she caught a drift of their exchange and sensed the tension in the air. ”Girls, girls. No need to fight. For all you know, David is just unfaithful and maybe even dating in Manila.”
Noelle just stares at Frances. She could not believe she could say such a mean thing. Kara saw how pitiful she looked and she sides with her roommate.
“Don’t listen to her. She’s just messing with you.”
“Relax, Mother Teresa. I’m just teasing her.” Frances snickers.
“If you have nothing good to say…” Noelle was close to tears. What if it was true, that David is dating his intern.
She cuts her short, “look at the two of you. Earlier you looked like you were going to pounce on each other. Now, you’re bonded like glue against me.”
She moves inside her friends’ room as if she belongs there. She sees Noelle’s laptop and sees the funny pictures of Noelle and David on slideshow, points at it and starts to chuckle. Her laughter is so contagious, soon the three of them are laughing.
When they have settled, Frances says, “I think he’s a player.”
“Who?” Noelle asks. Is she referring to David? Can she sense it? Can she read faces?
Frances adds, “he courts every girl around him and whoever responds favorably, he dates.”
“You think?” Kara asks.
Noelle could not take it,“hey, who are we talking about?”
“Jason,” the two spoke in unison with a tone showing bit of irritation because she is too dense to follow their conversation.
But the Jason that she knows is such a gentleman. They are probably just… jealous? Listen to yourself, Noelle. Are you falling for him? We are just friends, she tells herself.
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