I heard a woman ordering beside me. She requested drinks for a certain table. 

I sipped on my glass, ignoring the woman as she was about to go but I unintentionally tilted my head towards her. Nagtama ang aming mga mata. Her eyes narrowed, at para bang kinikilala ako. 

"Rieselle?" she called yet there's uncertainty in her tone.

I tilted my head and shifted a bit from where I am sitting, trying to remember if we know each other but I can't. But as I stared at her, I realized she's somewhat familiar. 

"Hey, ikaw nga! You probably can't remember me. I'm Euphoria, Chaos's cousin." Inilahad niya sa akin ang kamay at marahan naman ako. 

My eyes widened a fraction upon remembering who she is! Chaos's cousin. Shit. 

Pakiramdam ko, kahit saan ako magpunta ay may Zaldivar akong nakikita.

That explains why her features are familiar. There's differences but the similarities in her other girl cousins are visible. And how could I even forget?

"Rieselle," I smiled and accepted her hand for a handshake.

She then sat on the high stool beside me. Ngunit bahagya pa rin kaming magkaharap. "I'm sorry I wasn't at your engagement," she apologetically smiled at me. "But still, congratulations. Chaos must be so lucky to have you."

I tightly pressed my lips. "I am the one who's lucky to have him." I really am.

"You both are, I guess?" She smirked and even that looks elegant. 

"Have you met our other cousins?" she asked but she immediately took it back. "Oh, silly of course you did. They're on your engagement. They're with me by the way, wanna greet them?"

I bit the side of my cheeks and nodded. Alangan namang sabihin ko na ayaw ko? Siguradong magtataka siya.

Good thing I'm wearing decent clothes. Short satin dress but not that revealing. It's just that, my makeup is a bit bold and fiercer than what I'm usually wearing when I'm with the Zaldivars. 

I rose and started walking with her towards their table.

"And I forgot to ask, do you have a company here? Kung wala, you can stay with us."

"Can I?" Tila nahihiya akong ngumiti. "My friend's nowhere to be found. I don't know if she left with someone already."

"Of course you can," she stated and pressed her lips. "Uhmm, if you don't mind me asking, alam ba ni Chaos na nandito ka?"

"I..." I bit my lower lip, stunned at her sudden question but still decided to tell the truth. "Haven't talked to him since last day."

She gasped. Her lips formed an oval as she nodded a bit.

Hindi na siya nakasagot dahil natanaw na namin ang mga pinsan niyang babae. They're only three in the table but it seems like the u-shaped couch can occupy at least fifteen people. 

Agad kong nakilala ang mga naroon. I've met the three of them in my engagement party. 

"Rieselle?" Harmony called in a bit of a shocked voice. Like Euphoria, there's uncertainty in her tone. Para bang hindi siya sigurado.

She stood and walked near me to greet. Aislinn smiled at me while Dawn nodded. Si Dawn ang pinaka tahimik sa mga babaeng pinsan ni Chaos at pinakaayaw kong makasalamuha. She's not simply silent. She seems observant, watching everyone around her, looking if someone will make mistake. At ang mga mata niya, para bang alam niya lahat ng itinatago ko gamit lamang ang isang tingin.

I offer them a smile that Harmony and Aislinn gladly returned. We settled down and Harmony sat beside me. Si Euphoria naman at pumagitna kay Dawn at Aislinn.

"Kuya messaged me. The boys will be here in a few minutes," Euphoria announced. 

The smile in my lips wavered. Don't tell me they're complete? Fuck. I'm not ready for this. And how about Chaos? Is he with them?

"You mentioned the last time that you're not into this kind of place," Dawn stated like she's accusing me of why I am here. Her eyes were scanning my face, down to my clothes, ang back to my eyes again. 

"Dawn, you're scaring her!" saway ni Harmony. 

"She's with her friend," Euphoria announced like it was an enough explanation on why I am here.

The sound system isn't that wild so we can still hear each other without shouting.

"How about Chaos? Did he know you're here?" Dawn asked. Katulad lang ng itinanong sa akin ni Euphoria.

Ngunit bago pa ako makasagot ay nakapagsalita na si Harmony, nasagot ang kaninang tanong ko sa sarili.

"Chaos isn't with us. He seems preoccupied. Mukhang may problema." 

"You should call Chaos," Aislinn suggested. "Tell him you're with us. Baka sumunod."

"Ikaw na ang tumawag, Harm." si Euphoria. "Seems like they have..." she trailed off and glanced at me. Tila nagtatanong kung maaari ba niyang ituloy ang sasabihin. 

I gave her a faint smile as a response so she continued. 

"A problem. Rieselle might not want to talk to him. But still, we should inform him. Is that alright with you, Rieselle?"

I hummed and simply nodded my head. Wala namang problema sa akin iyon. Even though Chaos seems mad at me or whatever, I'll be more comfortable if he's here. Iyon ay kung pupunta nga siya kapag nalaman na narito ako.

Harmony grabbed her phone out of her clutch and maybe, started dialling Chaos's number. "Chaos! Are you busy?" She glanced at me.

"Is that so?" Harm nodded. "Rieselle's with us. Maybe you wanna join us now that your fiancee's here?" she asked using a playful tone, like she's urging Chaos to come.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

And because she's sitting beside me, I can clearly hear her words. But not Chaos's.

"She seems—" Muli siyang sumulyap sa akin at tinakpan ng kamay ang speaker ng kanyang cellphone. "Are you alright?"

"Huh? Y–yes." Nahihiwagaan man sa biglaang tanong niya ay sumagot pa rin ako. Well, I don't know if I'm alright or not but isn't that everyone's answer when asked if doing fine?

"She said she is. But you should come here and talk to her."

Noon ko natanto kung bakit ako tinanong ni Harmony. So Chaos is concerned? Why didn't he called me then?

Their call ended and Chaos told Harmony he'll come. 

"Ang bilis magbago ng isip. Kanina busy daw. Then after knowing that Rieselle's with us, he's suddenly not busy?" There's a hint of teasing in Euphoria's voice. Her lips were even pursed, tila pinipigilang mangiti.

"Good thing our families once joked about the two of you getting married. Who would have thought na tototohahin niyo 'yon?" Si Harmony iyon matapos ibalik sa clutch ang phone niya at muling nakaayos ng upo.

The conversation continued until their orders came.

Ilang sandali lang ay dumating na rin ang pinsan nilang mga lalaki. The Zaldivar cousins are almost complete, well except for Chaos and Peony, the actress. I was told that she's with her boyfriend.

Si Euphoria lang pala sa magpipinsan ang hindi nakadalo sa engagement namin ni Chaos. 

They greeted me when they saw that I'm now with their other cousins.

Gremian sat beside Dawn who happens to be his twin. Ngayon ko lang nalaman iyon. I thought they're just siblings. 

Sa sandaling oras na nakasama ko ang kambal, hindi na maipagkakaila na magkaibang magkaiba ang ugali nang dalawa. Kung anong lamig ng mga mata ni Dawn, siyang lawak ng ngisi ni Gremian. 

While Wymond and Guerdon sat in our side. I moved a bit closer to Aislinn to give them space. Ganoon din ang ginawa ni Harmony sa aking tabi, na ngayon ay katabi na ni Wymond.

Dahil sa pag-usad, napunta kami nina Aislinn at Harmony sa gitna ng u-shaped couch. Even though they're now almost complete, the couch still have a huge space to occupy. 

"Have you contacted Chaos? He's been looking for you since last night." It was Gremian who spoke while looking in my direction.

"Problemado si pareng Chaos, ah!" Gremian pointed as he started pouring drink in his glass.

"Your words, Gremian," saway ni Dawn sa kapatid.

He tsked. "We're not in a formal gathering. Loosen up, will you?" He even tried to massage his twin's shoulders but Dawn immediately dodged.

I parted my lips. I was about to answer Guerdon and confirm if Chaos was looking for me but I chose to shake my head in the end. "I haven't." 

"We talked to Chaos over the phone. He's coming," Aislinn muttered.

Guerdon's eyes were fixed on mine. "You two should fix your mess. Your engagement party was highly publicized. It would be a big scandal for the both of the family when your relationship fall apart and decided to call the wedding off," Guerdon said using his cold baritone voice.

I suddenly heard a chuckle slowly drowning because of the sound coming from the sound system inside the club. 

"Really?" Para bang hindi naniniwalang sambit ni Euphoria. "Come on, Kuya. We know you. You're worried about their relationship and not the scandal that will happen if they broke up."

Naputol ang usapan dahil sa mga lumapit sa aming table. Nagsunod-sunod na iyon. Ilang minuto matapos lang ang pag-alis ng ilan ay may darating na naman. Some even tried to sit in our table because of the Zaldivars. 

Some were girls, trying to hook up with the boys that they all declined, kahit pa si Gremian ay nakangisi na kay Wymond. Habang ang huli ay marahang tumango at may multong ngisi sa mga labi, tila may napagkasunduan na ang dalawa na sila lang ang nakakaalam.

"No girls for tonight," Dawn stated that made the smirk of the two vanish. 

"Bakit si Chaos p'wede?" Gremian whined. 

"Then look for your own fiancee. And you can have her here."

Ang ibang lumapit naman ay kaibigan o 'di kaya ay kakilala ng mga Zaldivar, na hindi rin naman nagtatagal sa table namin at bumabati lang. 

I was sipping at my glass when Chaos came. Nasa gitna ako ng mga pinsan niya ngunit agad niyang nahanap ang aking mga mata.

His eyes were dark while directed at my direction. Harmony immediately moved away from me so Chaos could sit beside me instead.

I felt my whole body tensed the moment my arm brushed on him. He shifted as his hand encircled on my waist. Lalo na nang inilapit niya ang labi sa aking tainga. "Where did you go last night? You weren't on your parents' mansion." Sa lamig ng boses niya ay hindi agad ako nakapag isip ng tamang isasagot.

Fuck. I shouldn't be feeling like this. What's wrong with me? Sinubukan kong pakalmahin ang sarili at marahan siyang nilingon. "A–are you mad? You didn't call." 

Of course he is. I deeply inhaled. 

His lips remained in a grim line. "I didn't?" 

Well, yes! I was— well, somehow waiting for it. 

"Why don't you try checking your phone." 

"You didn't," pilit ko gamit ang marahang tono. I even looked for my phone inside my clutch and opened it to prove a point that he didn't call me. Ngunit napaayos ako ng upo nang hindi nabuhay ang aking phone. 

What the hell. 

"I can't contact you since yesterday. Now answer me, where were you last night?"

"I was in..." Where am I? I'm in Flavio's condo until I decided to go to this club. But hell! I can't tell him that! "My friend's condo. I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you." I lowered my head. "You're mad, I thought you need space."

"And now you're here? I was looking for you the whole day. I thought something bad happened yet I saw you here?"

"I'm sorry." I tightly pressed my lips while still looking down.

"Let's get out of here," he announced. Akmang tatayo siya nang hawakan ko ang kanyang braso upang pigilan siya. 

Alanganin akong ngumiti. I'm not ready for this. I don't even know what to say when he ask things? Ni hindi ko pa nagagawang mag-isip ng mga idadahilan!

"Chaos."

Someone called and that's when I realized that Chaos's cousins suddenly went silent. I looked around them but their heads were all in one direction. 

Nag-angat ako ng tingin sa tumawag kay Chaos. I saw a woman that seems familiar. The lights were a bit dark reason why I can't clearly see her. 

"Chaos, we need to talk." That was a bit loud as the music inside the club is now getting louder. And to get Chaos's attention who didn't even give her a glance. Diretso sa akin ang tingin ni Chaos. Like he didn't care about the things around. 

But as I turned my head to the woman again, that's when I remembered who is she. 

Oh, freaking Hazaiah. This bitch.

__________