Cubicle

Time pass by so fast, before they knew, it's already quarter to 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Georgina and Jaceriel spend the time without talking about the main reason she's crying all this time. He tried a lot of tricks to enlighten her mood, but it didn't help. Georgina's mind is somewhere so, he didn't ask and wait for her to open up.

Now, they are inside the cinema theater and watching a romcom movie, but throughout the play while others are laughing their lungs out, she's silently shedding tears in the corner. But luckily, the place is dim and no one will see her but he couldn't focus on the movie rather got distracted by her cry.

"Hon, do you want to go home?" He asked, but she shrug while wiping the tears away. "You told me to bring you somewhere where you can forget anything. We already went to arcade, aquarium and even here but your mind is on somewhere,"

Georgina didn't say a single word, but looks down while tears keep falling again.

"Mr. Stealer, I want to cry..."

"You already crying, then stop and cry again since we met," he chuckled before spreading his left arm—giving her a sign to lean on. "I know you don't want others to see you crying like this. Lean on me and hide yourself. Like what I told you before, I can be your shoulder to lean on."

She didn't say a word and buried her face in his chest. Jaceriel wrap his left arm around and patted her back without saying something. Even though she's sobbing like a baby, no one can hear her inside because of the laughter of those people around them. They stay like that until the movie end.

People walk outside while talking about the movie, but they stay there until most of them leave.

"Are you fine now? Let's go outside," Jaceriel said.

"A-ah... T-thank you."

"Let's eat. I don't want to waste our date." He gives a playful smirk and stands up first—offers his hand.

Georgina looks at him with confused, stares towards his hand. "What's that? Do you want me to pay you for lending your shoulder to me?"

"Money can't buy sincerity, let's go. Since this is our date, I'll make you happy before the day ends."

He holds her hands before dragging outside the cinema.

Even if she wants to protest, all her energy is gone from crying and thinking a lot. She just let Jaceriel drag her somewhere.

It took a few minutes of walk before they reach the front of a known fast-food chain. There are many people inside and a long line for those who want to order. They're about to enter inside but Jaceriel abruptly stops, and it makes Georgina frown, looks at him with confusion.

"Why are you stopping all of a sudde—" she couldn't finish the word when a familiar figure stands in front of them. It's Kiela and Giovanni who looks surprise to see them too.

"Oh, Georgina. I didn't expect to run with you here." Kiela said, breaking the awkwardness. "You're Jaceriel Yuson, right? Georgina's boyfriend." She looks direct to Jaceriel.

"Yeah, I am and you're her ex, girlfriend? Am I right?"

"You're right. Are you on a date too?"

Georgina didn't answer. Rather, look away.

"We're in the middle of our date." Jaceriel said. "If you are going to eat inside then, why don't you join us. It's a good idea to have a double date."

"Sure, it's not like we have an unsettled issue here." Kiela emphasizes the last word while looking towards Georgina that annoys her. "Let's come with them, Van, okay?" She saw him cling to Van's arms.

"Do whatever you want."

After Giovanni say those words, they went inside the fast-food chain. Giovanni and Jaceriel order food for them while Georgina and Kiela find an available table to sit. They found a table which fits their group near the glass wall, both sit on opposite direction without talking. But after a few seconds of silence, Kiela broke it.

"I didn't know you're good at seducing an innocent man. It seems like your boyfriend is still under the spell," she mumbles, but Georgina rolls her eyes. "Tell me what's your secret?"

They stare at each other for a few seconds but a smirk form into her lips. "Why? Are you going to use it towards Van? I didn't know you're that desperate to seek for attention,"

"What? Van and I love each other so much. We do not need such a crazy trick between us."

Georgina laugh because of what she said. It made her frown. "You and Van love each other? Don't make me laugh, Kiela,"

"What?" Kiela's voice raises that catch other people's attention near their table.

"I know Van well than you. Those stares he gives are not love but something else, like it's only a pure business."

Kiela gritted her teeth, giving an intense glare. "How dare you say those words? You're just an ex, nothing more or less. For Van, ex is only a past that needs to forget."

Georgina flinch, clenching both fists under the table.

"What's with the reaction? Are you mad, Ms. Ex?" Kiela said. She chuckle but Georgina try to calm herself and look away instead.

After a few minutes, Jaceriel and Giovanni came back with a tray on their hands. Jaceriel sits beside Georgina while Van on the opposite direction. No words came out of them. They just ate in silence. In the middle of eating, Georgina accidentally glance towards Giovanni, but he's staring at her with those mad eyes. She gulp, looks away out of fear. Those eyes feel like giving a warning look towards her.

"Van, do you want to try this macaroni soup? It tastes good," Kiela get a spoonful of macaroni soup and try to feed it to him, but he just stare.

Georgina chuckle, slice the burger steak she has before getting it with a fork and give to Van that made the three look at her.

"Eat this. I know you like burger steak than macaroni, it's the food you hated the most." She gives a sign to him to eat it, but they just gaze at each other.

"What are you doing, Gina? You have guts to flirt with my fiancee in front of me and your boyfriend?" Kiela protested.

"I'm just correcting your mistake and reminded you of the fact, am I right, Mr. Javier?"

A smirk form to Giovanni's mouth before he eat the small slice of burger steak she give.

"V-Van..." Kiela looks at him in disbelief.

"Let's continue to eat. It's just a friendly gesture. Besides, I trust my Hon to not cheat on me," Jaceriel said, pat her head with a smile.

They continue to eat again in an awkward atmosphere. After almost twenty minutes, they continue the double date. Both the couple walk around the mall, shopping here and there to digest the food they eat. On the other side, although they are not talking or walking near each other, Georgina still feels the gaze of someone behind her. Every time Jaceriel will come near or whisper something on their way, a fierce gaze shot on her. Not until they reach a jewelry store, before they can even enter inside Georgina, remember the first time she met Jaceriel. It made her remember the necklace he stole. Since the day they met each other in St. Luke High, she didn't see him wearing the necklace. In the middle of her own thoughts, she startled when he suddenly intertwined their hands together. She looks at her with doubt. Look instead to give an explanation. He drags her inside.

"Do you remember this place Hon?" He asked while walking.

"Of course, you steal the necklace from me in this place."

"I didn't steal something from you, maybe just lucky."

"L-Lucky?" She's about to remove her hands from his grip, but he tightened it instead. "What are you doing?"

"Your ex walks behind us. Do you want to look more stupid?"

She didn't oppose his plan and let herself get dragged by him somewhere. Until they reach the ring section. Jaceriel walks towards it, look into each of the item but she didn't butt an eye and look beside where Giovanni and Kiela looking for something too. It seems like they didn't like any of it and went to somewhere.

"Hon, look at this ring, isn't it beautiful?" She glance back to Jaceriel and looks to the ring he pointed out. It's a simple rose gold ring.

"Are you going to buy it?"

"If you like it, I'll buy for you."

She chuckled. "I don't need a ring. Give back my necklace instead."

"It won't happen,"

They continue to walk, looks around on other jewelry section but can't find something to buy so, after a few minutes of walk, they head back to the store entrance. Unexpectedly, both the couple reach the entrance at the same time from different direction. Both of them look at each other in surprise, but Georgina's eyes lock on Kiela's ear, whom she's trying to brag by emphasizing it. She looks away out of annoyance.

"Did you buy something?" Kiela asked them.

"Nope. There's nothing that catches our attention," Jaceriel answer for them.

"Well, Van bought me a pair of earrings. It looks good on me, right?" She turn left and right for them to see the earrings. "Van, choose it by himself and told me this pair suits me the most."

"It looks good. I didn't know you have an eye for this matter, Van," He blurted, while giving a short laugh.

"Where should we go next?" Kiela asked again.

"I need to go into the comfort room first. You can go ahead. I'll follow later," Georgina said.

After she saw Jaceriel nod his head, she walk towards the comfort room. It's far from the store so, she walks as fast as she can. She hated the fact that someone was waiting for her for too long.

Inside the comfort room, she bumps into some group of woman who's about to go outside. She let them go first before walking inside. It's too silent inside. All the cubicles are open. It only means she's alone. A sigh escapes her mouth and looks in front of the mirror. Her eyes are a bit swollen from non-stop crying before she even looks haggard. She couldn't believe for this entire time, she's walking around with this ugly-looking face. She took out a lip balm inside the pouch and was about to apply on her lips when the door slam open; it made her startled. Through the mirror, she look towards the door but both eyes widened. The lip balm she holds slips into her hand.

"V-Van..." she mumbles in surprise. "T-This is the woman's comfort room. You came in a wrong one so, better leave before others will notice you."

She steps back when he didn't say a word, rather walk straight in her direction with those mad eyes. There's no way she can read what's on his mind. His mood swing change abruptly based on the situation. All this time, he's been staring at her with those same eyes but to see it in actual makes her tremble.

"V-Van... W-what are you doing?" She asked, but he didn't break the gaze into her.

She continues to step back again, almost reaching the wall on the far end.

"The movie is wonderful. It's funny all the way it made my stomach hurt."

"You're right."

"Let's retouch and go back to others,"

Georgina flinches when the doorknob moves. A cold sweat is falling down her temple, but this man in front of seems not bothered by those other women outside. If they caught them, he'll branded as pervert.

The time seems to stop at her sight when the door open; she looks around to find somewhere to hide but out of nervousness she can't think anymore. As the woman walks inside, she got startled when Giovanni drags her inside the cubicle and locks it. He pinned her on the door while still giving an intense gaze. Her heart doesn't stop from beating fast, not only because they are close to each other in this narrowed place but out of fear too. She looks away, clenches both fists while the two women outside keep talking about their own stuff. For a while, they didn't talk to each other, only the sound of their breathing exist inside the cubicle. Not until they heard the footsteps of those woman walks outside the room. Once they heard the door close, Georgina get that chance to open the door but he stop her hand, grab it and pinned on the wall.

"W-What are you doing? Let me go outside."

"Do you know how mad I am, Gia? I'm f*cking mad at you and to that crazy bastard," he said with anger in his voice. It gives chills down her body.

"You don't need to get mad. We're not in a kind of relationship where you have rights to get jealous," she gains all the courage and talks back, but it only made him mad. His menace aura is getting bigger than before.

"We don't need to be in a relationship for me to have the rights to get jealous," he said. "Don't act like you didn't know. I'm f*cking jealous since yesterday and that crazy bastard is getting on my nerves," this time his voice raises which made her jolted out.

"What the hell are you talking about? Don't meddle with my privacy. I agree to be part of your plan and help you out to sue the evil witch. I even told you I'll do whatever you want so, you'll forgive me someday but..." She couldn't finish her word and look away.

"I didn't forget any of it. The deal is a deal. But Gia, the pain you left on me, the pain your family left on us, is too hard to accept. The thought of seeing you happy with someone made me feel in a rage. I shouldn't be the one feeling miserable here when you're causing every struggle in my life." He said. "Remember this well, as long as I'm not contented on what's happening in your life. I will never let you be happy."

A tear falls down into her eyes while hearing those painful words from him. Even though she wants to protest about the unfairness of what he wants, she couldn't do anything but feel hurt. More than her, Giovanni is the one hurting a lot, and it's because of her. She glance towards him but saw a tear falls into his eyes too.

"D-do whatever you want. Since from the start I didn't know who I am anymore, there's a part of me that felt missing but... I don't want you to feel the same thing. If you don't want me to be happy, just give me an order. I'll treat it as a punishment for ruining your life," she look straight into his eyes.

"You want a punishment? Then I'll give you what you want..." He touch her face, brushing his thumb into her lips. "You're not allowed to love or be-loved by someone, think of me and suffer a lot alone. It's your punishment."

She nods her head while tears keep falling down.

"Good." He wipes her tears away. "This tear is my joy Gia," he added, whispers to her ear.

He lower down his head, lifts her chin. She looks at him with confusion, but the next thing she knew, their lips touch each other.