“I think you should at least apologize to your sister,” said Ismael, who caused my family to stop walking. We were already outside the police station, and even Roxsielle was there with them, feeling like a member of the family. Well, after all, her attitude is like theirs, so she must be a bigger part of the family than me.
“What did you say?” Joth asked.
“All of you should apologize to Jothea,” Ismael added. I grabbed his arm to try to stop him. I don’t want him to be involved here. It hurts me when he receives the mean looks from my family.
“Excuse me, Mr. Mondalla,” Mom interjected and walked back towards us. “You seem like a good guy, but your attitude is kind of off for your profession. You’re too arrogant.”
“Ismael is not arrogant, mom,” I defended that makes her gape.
“Ismael? Did I hear it, right? You called him by his first name? Are you trying to hit on your professor?” She patted my shoulder. “Nice catch, my dear.” Before she tormented me and turned her gaze to Ismael again.
“If you’re planning to be involved with her, try to assess. You don’t know my daughter yet, how evil she can be. Good luck on your marriage, if you have marriage in mind.” She held Ismael’s face and kissed him on the cheek. My teeth gritted. I feel so disgusted.
Mom turned her gaze to me-“Curse you.”-before completely turning away from me. I almost lost my life because of what she did. I just stood in front of the police station while watching them disperse because they had different houses to go home to. Dad left first, followed by mom. Joth and Roxsielle were arguing. I gasped when Joth slapped Roxsielle and pointed his finger at her face.
What a fucking family I have.
If I had to choose if I still wanted them to be family in my next life, I just didn’t want to live again.
But I immediately took it back when I felt the warm palm catching my hand. I glanced at Ismael. He smiled sparingly.
“Why are you smiling?” I asked as my heart sank. This morning I spoke to him harshly, and then today he experienced it again with my family. If I hadn’t come, my parents might have targeted him even more. I am really ashamed of them.
“I am just impressed,” he said before looking at me. “I didn’t hear you swear earlier.”
“What’s so impressive about that?” I asked.
“You suppressed yourself either.” He ruffled my hair like I was a kid who did something nice. Tsk. I didn’t just fight. What’s amazing about that?
I remember the times when the slightest twitch would make me curse, slap, or punch. Was it true that I stopped all of that earlier? Or is it just because my family, so I can’t fight?
“And you defended me too.” His smile grew wider. Sounds crazy. Is this person really a rock and not hurt by the words thrown at him by my family? Porque I said he is not arrogant?
I couldn’t stop smiling. It’s annoying. Why does this person take away my anger at the world?
“Come on. Let me buy a cold compress for your cheeks,” he invited me before caressing my cheek that was slapped earlier. I forgot about that.
But before we could completely leave, Ismael was called by the police we were talking to earlier.
“Sir Mondalla, hold on.”
We both turned around. “I would like to thank you for your cooperation regarding this case. If you didn’t tell about the camera, we wouldn’t have found enough evidence.”
I glanced at Ismael. “Don’t mention it.”
The police left, and I was left looking at Ismael while wondering what the police meant earlier. “What does he mean, Ismael?”
“Nothing.”
“He said you helped him. What kind of help did you do?” I asked him insistently, because I wanted to know what he did for this case for me.
“Nah, it’s just… I told them to look at the camera installed on your cat. It just proves that the camera was installed before your brother’s arrival; it happened that he was seen on the camera, so we found evidence against him.”
“Then the camera implanted in my cat helped to solve this case? So that I would know it was Joth who took my money?”
“You got it right.” He ruffled my hair before hugging me and kissing my head. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
“Thank you, Ismael,” I finally hissed.
Just like Ismael said, we went to the drugstore to buy a cold compress. He even applied it to my cheek. I’m just glad to see him up close. It relieves fatigue.
When we got back to the car, I repeatedly wiped his cheek also to erase mom’s kiss earlier. I gave him a kiss again and again. He just laughs at me while driving.
“Your parents don’t like me; I can sense,” he said while holding my hands. I squeezed it.
“They don’t like you, not because of you, but because of me. They hated me that much,” I answered. “Aren’t you scared about what my mother told you? That I can become worse or evil?”
He laughed. “I’m more worried when you’re nice, Jothea,” he teased, causing me to snort.
“Is my attitude that bad?” I asked sullenly. Did he just get used to me?
He glanced at me for a moment before turning his attention back to the road. “You have the rudest mouth, I know, Jothea, but you are also the sweetest person I have ever known.” He messed up my hair again. Sweetest? Am I? I am not that clingy! I mean, sometimes I hug him. But sweetest? In what aspect? Even in speech, I am not sweet. “I accept who you are and what you are, my love.”
I gasped when I heard that from him. Especially the one he called me again. I knew it, and because of his good words, I am becoming a new person. He tames me. He is the reason why I can become the sweetest person, because I feel safe showing him that side of mine.
Again, I approached him to kiss his cheek. He smiled because of that.
After we ate, I invited him to go to the house for a while to get some clothes. I don’t plan to go home yet because the man who set up the camera on my cat might come back to me. I’m pretty sure that Joth won’t be that man because I know he won’t do that again. He seems to have changed his opinion of me earlier, when he found out that Roxsielle lied to him. Both of us were lied to. Even though it’s normal for me to be upset, and to fight for what’s due to me, I don’t know why I feel it’s fine that they won’t give me back the money. I seem to have gotten used to not relying on them to pay back what they borrowed from me.
I exhaled. Maybe I can save it again, right?
“Why?” Ismael asked me softly, so I turned to him.
“H-ha? Nothing. I was just thinking about who planted a camera on Mael and what his motive was for doing that,” I answered him.
“Well, the police traced back where the camera was created, and it leads to a guy who is close to you.”
I frowned as the hair on my body stood up.
“Someone close to me planted that camera? Who?”
The car stopped, so I looked ahead on the road. A man was there. It was too late when I noticed that we were at my house already.
And the man at the front was none other than Professor Sybill.
What is he doing in my house?
My teeth immediately gritted. I remembered what he did to me. He left me without an explanation that night. He treated me like trash, and now he’s going to show himself. Of all the days he will choose to show himself, right now? Will the bad events in my life not end today?
I heaved a sigh before going outside of the car. I went straight to my house ignoring Professor Sybill, but she called me. When I didn’t turn around, he grabbed my arm.
“Let go off me,” I said firmly as I removed his hand from my arm. I touched the doorknob of the door of my house and found it closed, so I looked for my key.
“Jothea, let’s talk,” he said while holding me again so that the key fell to the floor. I was even more annoyed with him. I was about to answer him with a warning when Ismael interrupted.
“Do you want to talk to my hand first?” Ismael seemed so annoyed too by my ex-boyfriend’s sudden appearance. He violently removed Professor Sybill’s grip on my arm.
Professor Sybill’s eyebrow arched, looking confused. “And who are you?”
“He’s my boyfriend, so if you don’t mind, I don’t want to see you here. Get off,” I said as I opened the door. I was about to enter again when Professor Sybill pulled me violently.
“I told you! We need to talk! Why are you so stubborn?”
Professor Sybill received a strong pat from Ismael, and because of that, Professor Sybill let go of me. “Don’t shout. If she doesn’t want to talk to you, get lost.”
Professor Sybill pushed Ismael. “Why are you keep on interrupting us? Maybe you don’t know who are you talking to,” said Professor Sybill arrogantly which annoyed me even more.
“I know you very well,” Ismael grinned. “Especially in how you use a lot of young students to satisfy your lustful desire despite the fact that you have your own family.”
“Damn it!” Professor Sybill punched Ismael hard, which surprised me. “How did you know that? Are you a stalker? Are you going to use that against me?”
I gulped when I saw Professor Sybill’s horrified look. Very different from the face of the person I loved before. I can’t believe it. He looks like my family. They also have the same expression when they are angry. It’s scary. Like a demon.
“I am the owner of the Island Motel Bar and the Island Hotel, just so you know,” Ismael stated, seems like with those words, Professor Sybill hinted that his secrets are exposed. Ismael brushed off the blood on his lips, and when I saw that I felt so angry. My hands immediately trembled. I feel like I’m going crazy with worry.
I could see the surprise on Professor Sybill’s face especially when he looked at me. “What is this? Are you trying to get revenge on me?” he asked me sternly with extreme anger mixed in the tone of his voice. “We just broke up, and then, you immediately found someone else? Did you really love me? It’s a good thing I didn’t leave my family for you!”
I gasped as if I were trying to gasp for energy to do what I wanted to do to him. I slapped him hard, and that left him surprised. I couldn’t stop myself anymore.
“Wow, are you trying to put the blame on me?!” I asked in disbelief while shaking my head. “It’s a good thing you left me because I don’t deserve to be attached to a filthy man like you! I don’t deserve to wait for someone who makes me look like a fool and then breaks me without an explanation,” I said firmly while gritting my teeth.
I felt the anger in my heart, and I wanted to hurt him more, but I suppressed myself. My hand will only hurt. My heart has been hurt enough by him once. That’s enough.
“Where do you get the courage to show yourself? You think you can turn my head spin around again? You think I would be that stupid to believe on your narcicisstic lies?”
He could not speak. He probably didn’t expect me to show him this attitude. He’s used to me always following what he wants. I never fought back because I respect and honor him. Even though I feel it’s not right, I still do it because I’m afraid he’ll leave me.
“Not anymore, so leave! There’s no reason for you to come here anymore.”
I grabbed Ismael’s hand before I pulled him into my house. I closed the door and at that moment, all the tears I had been holding back from earlier at the police station came out.
My knees caught me. I just felt Ismael sitting in front of me to hug me. He was there with me the whole time I was crying. He was just caressing my back. Just like how he listens to me every time I have something to say, he also listens to my cries. As if those were words of sorrow, and he understands every tear of it. No question he had asked. No words he told me. It was just his presence and his warm embrace that comforted me.
*****
“Love, come here. I’ll treat your wound,” I said softly when I sat on the couch after I took the first-aid kit. Because his lips are now dripping of blood and seemed to swollen from the blow that Professor Sybill had given him earlier.
He followed me. He was facing me and looking at me, especially my puffy eyes. I was also crying for about half an hour before I calmed down completely. I feel like I’ve let out all the resentment I’ve been harboring.
I started treating his lips. I remembered when we were camping. When he got burned. I used to treat him too.
It only took a few moments for me to finish treating Ismael’s lips, so I stood up to put the first-aid kit back in the cabinet, when he suddenly pulled my hand. I sat on his legs.
“What is it, love? I’m done.”
“Not yet, my love.” He looked at my eyes, then my lips. I smiled when I understood what he meant.
“Do you want a kiss?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
I caressed his face before giving him a warm kiss. I felt even better because of that kiss. It seems very eager.
I felt his hand on my chest, so I moaned at what he did. I was surprised when he took off my clothes. Is this for real? Is he in the mood?
“H-hey, I thought you want just a kiss?” I uttered.
“Yup, just a kiss,” he whispered before kissing my neck down to the collarbone. I bit my lip. Shit. He’s starting again. It seems that he will really make love with me every day when we become a couple. Even now, that we’re not married yet, we almost do it every chance we get. If I’m not the one to lead on, he is.
I didn’t immediately notice that he had removed my brassiere, if I hadn’t felt his lips on my chest. I was embarrassed by what he did. “Ahhh, Ismael, w-what are you doing?” I pronunced weakly.
He didn’t answer, instead he continued to devour my chest. Then he played with it with his tongue, with pride. I was just in awe of the taste that I was arching my back. He even pulls the part for the child, using his teeth.
“Ahhh… Ishmael… w-why-Ahh!”
I can see how he plays it. Fascinating. Breath taking. I just closed my eyes with the taste and became even more exhausted. Fortunately, his hands supported my back.
“Baby,” he called to me, making my head down to meet his eyes.
“Yes?”
“I want to kiss you all night.”