A Massage
2096 Words
Three days have passed since then and tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I wake up in the morning, lying beside her on the bed. Dad hastily installed the extra AC we have in store. It's cold here now so we're used a blanket. She's awake, lying sideways, and just scrolling down her phone. The room is dark so her face is lit up by her screen.
“Good morning,” I whisper.
“Geez, don't talk,” she complains in disgust. “your breath smells awful.” She rolls to face the other direction.
“Okay, I'll go and brush my teeth.” When I got off of the bed, I ask, “So, what are we gonna do today?”
“Jump off of a cliff,” she says.
“Seriously, what? I want to spend it wisely. What do you want to do?”
“Go to a bar, I guess.”
“Anything but that!”
She scoffs before saying, “Well then, nothing.”
“Is that all you can think of spending the holiday?” I ask and she didn't answer. “Fine! But I'm gonna be watching you.”
“Yes!” she celebrates, sitting up.
*Sigh* Well, I can't change her in a snap. Someday, she'll straighten up and want to settle down. I'm not sure but it's possible.
All we did the whole day is waiting for the night to come. We spent time chilling around the house and helping with the chores. Nothing much happened, really. Then when the night came, we set out, telling my parents that we're gonna have a date. They believed it and... this is somehow true.
It feels like a date as we hold hands walking on the sidewalk to a local bar I know. We had to leave the subdivision to go there. The bar is found near the government center. It's the busiest part of this suburban area. It's not as busy as in the metropolitan area though. That's why I like it here. The air is not that smoky because of lesser traffic.
“So, what are you planning to do in the bar?” I ask.
“Chill,” she answers.
“Chill and?”
“Just chilling and drinking.”
“What about flirting with hot girls?”
“I don't feel like I want to, right now.”
“Why is that?” I smile.
“Do you really want me to flirt?”
“No, it's not that. I'm just curious.”
“I wanna drink high-quality liquor—what I've been missing since I came into your home.”
“Oh...”
“And take me to a kind of bar that doesn't play loud music.”
“Okay, but I'm not sure if we can find one. I'm not familiar enough around these parts.”
We went on searching and we found one. It's located pretty far from the center of the busy area. When we enter, the whole place is relaxing. The temperature is fine, the smell of liquor is not that strong, and the music playing is a slow piano. D*mn, I love it. The people here are just chillin' and talking with their friends without much laughter. This is a good place to talk.
At the bar, we ordered shots and I paid for myself. Dad gave me money before we left. The bartender is good at mixing. He gets my taste. My taste is a liquor that warms my chest but chills my mouth. Yo... I never thought that this is what I needed. My head is starting to get dizzy though. I stop right there so I could take both of us home. Meanwhile, she's still calling for another shot.
“So,” I speak, looking at the ball of ice in my glass. It's swimming in a golden liquor. “something's bothering you isn't there?”
“Yeah,” she answers drunkenly.
“About your parents?”
“Yeah,” she nods. “I'm nervous about meeting them.”
“Why?”
“I don't know.”
“You don't have the reason to be nervous. You already got me—your real boyfriend to show them.”
“I know but still, I feel... I can't explain.”
“It's okay. let's just chill.”
“Also, Jane nee-san left the cafe!” she cries, hitting the bar with her fist. Her tears are flowing from her eyes.
“It's not that bad. You can hire another cook.”
“You don't understand!” she yells at me. “I haven't touched her boobs yet!”
“What?!!”
“She's tanned and has big pair of melons! I want to see and feel them!” She's making claws out of her fingers, gesturing squeezing bewbs.
The bartender and the other customers heard what she said and I can tell they're just pretending they didn't hear. “Calm down,” I tell her.
She's crying harder by the second. Patting her back, I try to comfort her although her reason is quite ridiculous. She's drunk so I understand.
“She said she doesn't wanna work anymore because she's pregnant and that her husband is very rich. F*ck him! He ruined my life!” She cries even more.
“Calm down. As her good boss, you have to let her go. She deserves to be happy by doing what she pleases.” (And that her bewbs are not for you to squeeze).
“I know but I can't still stand it!”
“It's gonna be fine.”
We came home at 11 in the evening. Mom was waiting for us and I got scolded. She's mad because Eli is wasted and looks like an indecent girl. I got a feeling that she doesn't like Eli as my girlfriend anymore. But I don't care.
I take her to my room and put her on the bed. She's smiling when I remove her shoes and socks. “That's tickling me,” she smiles.
“Rest now,” I tell her as I cover her with a blanket.
“Don't leave me,” she says, pulling my arm as I was about to leave to explain to Mom. Her eyes look like they're ready to shed tears again.
“Okay. I guess I'll explain this to Mom in the morning.”
I turn on the AC so we could sleep well. Right when I lie down beside her, she cuddles me. She's closing her eyes while smiling. It makes me happy that she likes my affection. So, I couldn't help but kiss her. She's already asleep. That's why she didn't kiss back.
In the morning, I'm the first to wake up. She's still sleeping maybe because she drank too much. She's facing away from me. Damn... I need to pee so badly! I need to go to the toilet. So, I went there and let out a liter—I think. Also, I feel a little hungover. When I'm on my way back, Mom is in the living room, looking at me.
“I'm sorry about last night, Mom,” I apologize scratching the back of my head and looking to the side. I feel ashamed.
She sounds like she's hiding her anger when she questions, “I thought your date was just gonna be strolling around and eating dinner. Why did Eli go back home, drunk?”
“I'm sorry, Mom. We had a few shots and I-”
“You have to be responsible as her boyfriend!”
“I will, Mom” I nod.
“Alcohol is addicting—you know that. It will ruin your lives. Both of you cut it out before it's too late. I'm forgiving you this time but next time, I won't. Got it?” She points at my face.
“Got it, Mom,” I nod.
“Good,” she says, walking past by me.
*Sigh* I thought I was dead. Anyway, I'll check if Eli is awake. When I open the door, I see her sitting on the bed, fiddling with her fingers, looking worried.
“Good morning, babe,” I greet her. “How do you feel?”
“Oh... uh...,” she hesitates, not looking at me. “I'm fine.”
She looks a little down and I can tell that she heard Mom scolding me. “You heard that?”
She nods slowly, still looking down. “I'm sorry.”
“It's okay, she has forgiven me. Don't worry. But as she said, we need to drink less from now on, is that fine for you?”
“Yeah.”
“We can instead find alternatives for spending our time. The world is not just liquor after all.”
“Okay. From now on, I'll drink only when there's a special occasion.”
I sit beside her and hold her hand because she's still worried. “You're worried that she might not like anymore?”
“Ye- uh... no,” she denies looking away from me. “I'm not worried or anything.” She's lying.
“Mom likes you very much. She was impressed when I told her that you run a business while studying.”
“Yeah, I know. That's why I'm not worried.” She's obviously acting but I'll leave her alone.
“Okay, you want to help us cook? We have visitors this evening.”
Her eyes are glowing when she looks at me but clears her throat and looks away again. “Okay... I'll help.”
“You know, my cousins teased me before because I couldn't get a girlfriend. I want to brag about you, so do your best in cooking so I could shove it to their faces.”
“Tch,” she scoffs. “I'm not gonna stress myself just so you can boast. Go, f*ck yourself.”
“Oh, come on!” I chuckle, leaning against her. “Please...”
“Okay, okay, okay! But after all of this, you're gonna give me a proper massage.”
That's even better. I get to touch her body. It's a win-win “Deal,” I tell her.
We prepared ourselves for the day and we went straight to the kitchen. Mom and Dad are busy preparing the ingredients.
“Mom,” I say. “Eli wants to help cooking. And by the way, she's very good at cooking.”
“Really?” she asks, turning around and smiling. “Well then, okay. It'll be a huge help. Meanwhile, you siblings clean the house.”
“We will,” I nod then whisper to Eli, “Do your best, babe.”
“You too,” she says and we smile at each other before proceeding to our stations.
I didn't wait for Sophia to come out of her room so she could help us clean. Kyle and I did everything. From dusting the countertops to mopping the floor. We even cleaned the bathroom so that when the visitors use it, they'll be comfortable with its cleanliness.
We're done in no time and what is left is cooking. We have a lot to prepare. It's a standard for a Filipino celebration of Christmas to have foods like spaghetti, macaroni salad, fruits, suman, valenciana, and many more. Eli doesn't know these recipes but is open to knowing them. She did fine in helping them. I also help by buying the missing ingredients. It happens all the time. It's either Mom and Dad forgot about them or their calculation is wrong.
And at last, we're done before dawn. Our visitors will arrive at six. The food is ready at the table in the living room. We also used the extra foldable table we have in store so we could all eat at the same place.
“Good job, babe,” I tell her as we wait in the room.
She's lying down on her belly on the bed. I massage her back after she took a bath. It feels so great touching her flawless skin. Right now, she's only wearing a bra and jeans. I'm sitting on her butt and could help but feel hard.
“It seems like you're enjoying this more than I do,” she says.
“How could I not? If it's to make you feel good, it makes me glad.”
“So, about ‘feeling good’...”
“What?” I ask while trying to stop myself from smiling.
“What do you think about us having s*x?”
- Writer
