Chapter Text
Regina sighs as she massages her temple, her headaches are acting up again. It’s happening more often than before. She could go to a doctor, but she can’t help but think that going would be a sign of weakness. She doesn’t want her dad to think she’s weak. What’s alarming is, it’s not just a headache. There are…. voices. She hears them whispering like snakes in her mind and she thinks she’s going insane.
“Ali?” she calls for her assistant but no one answers. Regina groans and opens her drawer to see if there’s medicine for headache. It only contains pens and sticky notes. She closes it loudly with a cuss. “Fuck.”
As she was about to grab her phone to call her assistant, the office door opens wide and she snaps her head up.
“Regina may ipapapirma sana--- okay ka lang?” Narda strides towards her and Regina could only stare at her concerned face.
Narda’s warm hands touches her face and neck, checking her temperature. “Di ka naman mainit, masakit ba ulo mo?”
Regina nods. “Yes. You don’t need to worry, I just have to drink medicine.”
“Nasaan? Meron ako dito sa bulsa kung wala sayo.”
The attorney lets out a chuckle. “You keep medicine in your pockets?”
“Oo para laging handa,” Narda answers, ignoring the attempt of humor. “Kuha lang ako ng tubig.” Regina watches as Narda crosses the other side of the room where the water dispenser is. Regina takes time to admire the other woman’s build, she’s kind of buffed. When she comes back, the concerns is still etched on her face.
“Inom.” Narda offers and Regina amusingly accepts.
After downing the capsule, Regina smiles and raises her brows. “Why are you so bossy huh?” she humors as an attempt to ignore the fluttering feeling she feels in her stomach.
This seems to fluster Narda because she suddenly turns red. “S-sorry nag-alala lang ako, mukha kasi talaga kayong nahihirapan kanina.”
“So, haggard?”
“Hindi ah. Maganda na nahihirapan.” She feels her cheeks heating up and wishes to the gods that Narda doesn’t notice.
“Ikaw talaga Narda, you’re such a boy sometimes.”
The other girl giggles. Regina notices that Narda keeps giggling when they’re together. It’s actually kind of cute. See, Narda is a mixture of hot and cute, depending on the situation.
“Akin na yung pipirmahan ko.” She says after a comfortable staring contest. Narda hands her the paper and she reads it carefully before signing.
“Here.” Their fingertips touch for a brief moment.
“Salamat Regina. Sige ibalik ko na to dun ha? Okay ka na ba? Kumain ka na ba ng lunch?”
“I feel better now, and no, I haven’t.”
Narda squints her eyes, nods, and then hurriedly gets out of her office. Now that was weird. She shrugs.
She continues writing and researching about her new case for a while. It’s for a domestic abuse victim and she really needs to win this. It is not because she wants her father to be proud, but because she needs her client to have the justice that she deserves. There’s just something vile about abusers, it makes her blood boil.
After about half an hour, her door opened again and she assumed it was her assistant. “Ali where have you--” she paused, clearly surprised. “Narda?”
Regina’s heart warms as she looks at the other girl. She was carrying takeout food which she assumed was vegetable, some weird round orange thingy, and an electrolyte-rich drink. “Sabi mo di ka pa kumakain, ito oh bumili ako.” Narda puts the food on her table.
Regina sets aside her papers and gingerly reaches for the food. “You didn’t have to do this Narda.” she softly says, clearly touched.
“I want to.” The other girl replies with a grin. Dang, she looks like a puppy. Regina ignores her thoughts again as she starts eating.
“Do you want some?” she asks.
“Tapos na ako kumain, para sayo talaga yan.”
“Thank you Narda, I appreciate this. You’re so good.”
“Dagdag pogi points po ba?”
“See? You’re such a boy but yes, more points for you.”
They’ve also been doing this for days now. Regina isn’t sure if Narda is just flirty in nature but she’s having a blast with the attention she is receiving.
The other girl smiles widely again, showing her perfect teeth. “Try mo mamaya yang kwek-kwek after mo sa rice. I assume di mo pa yan natitikman?”
“Kwek-kwek?” she reaches for the fork and attempts to skewer it. “It’s fluffy.”
Narda nods. “May itlog yan sa loob. Isawsaw mo jan sa suka.”
“Okay, thank you for this again.”
Narda grins and shakes her head. “Sige, balik na ako sa trabaho.”
Regina eats happily, if it wasn’t for Narda, she wouldn’t have realized that she is starving. She can’t help but feel giddy. Good thing Ali isn’t with her because she’s smiling like an idiot right now. Narda is a naturally caring person, Regina noticed that whenever they’re together.
She’s cute. I want her.
Regina stops. That didn’t sound like her inner voice at all. It was a huskier, deeper voice. She waits for it to speak again and it did.
For someone who is a lawyer, you’re pretty slow.
The attorney swallows her food roughly and looks around to check if someone is in the room with her. There was no one.
“Who are you?” she asks, feeling terrified. She feels the atmosphere become chilling.
You have to use that little brain of yours. Come on, you should’ve figured it out by now.
“What do you mean?” she forces out the words, ignoring the lump in her throat.
Really? Are the snakes not enough clue for you?
Regina freezes. She remembers the voices she hears in her head, the hissing. Snakes. They were snakes.
“Nababaliw lang ako.” She whispers to herself, rejecting the idea that she might be talking to the…. to Narda’s greatest fear.
She hears a long hiss before her mind keeps quiet again.
--
Narda is all smiles for the whole afternoon. She doesn’t mind the judgmental stares she is receiving from the other EMT women. Ever since Regina visited and comforted her last month, she couldn’t stop thinking about the woman’s eyes. She still thinks of those eyes even without Valentina terrorizing her thoughts. Now she isn’t dense, she knows what this is. She was attracted to some girls during her younger years but never acted on it because her priority was her brother. This time, she lets herself feel. She has a silly little crush towards her boss and friend.
Despite her intimidating aura, Regina has a calming presence if you get to know her better. Especially her eyes, they just look so kind, so human. Brian is one lucky person for catching Regina's special attention. It has stopped now but during their first bonding moments as friends, Regina would always talk about “her Brian”. That they are partners and all that. Maybe right now, the attorney has ran out of Brian stories because they don’t talk about him anymore. She does understand the attraction, Brian is charming. If Narda weren’t so wary of the police, perhaps she would’ve liked him too. Too bad he is part of a rotten system. Don’t get her wrong, she knows Brian is a good man. Regina on the other hand, is the person of her dreams. Narda is more inclined to her political views than her police friend.
After pondering about her two friends, Narda stretches her arms and yawns. She glances at the clock and smiles as it hits five in the afternoon. She arranges her things and says goodbye to her coworkers. When she’s outside, she sees Brian standing beside his police car. Her eyebrows raised.
“Brian.” Nandito pa ata to para sunduin si Regina.
The man gives her a wide smile. “Hatid na kita pauwi?”
HA?
“Bakit naman? Wag na mas gusto kong naglalakad pauwi.”
“Kaya kita ihahatid kasi naglalakad ka pauwi mag-isa, delikado ngayon Narda. Alam mo naman yung balita tungkol sa kidnapping attempts diba?” Brian says with a concerned frown.
Narda rolls her eyes. “Kaya ko sarili ko Brian.”
“Alam ko, pero kahit na. Delikado pa rin.”
“Ang kulit mo ah.” She says, a little annoyed.
“Ikaw ang makulit, sa sobrang kulit mo palagi kang nasa panganib.” Narda stays silent because she can’t argue with that.
She sighs and relents. “Sige na nga-
“Ako na maghahatid kay Narda.” Both Narda and Brian turn towards the firm voice.
“Regina?” both say with surprise in their voices.
“Come on Narda, sakin ka na sumabay.” The attorney grabs Narda’s wrist and tugs her towards her car.
But Brian grabs Narda’s other hand and tugs back. “Ako na, Regina.”
“No Brian, ako na.”
Narda’s eyes widen, a little perplexed by this exchange from her two friends.
“Pano mo siya maihahatid eh di mo nga alam kung saan ang bahay nila.” The police says.
“How about you, do you know where she lives?” Regina bites back.
“Oo naman. Galing na ako dun noon, nagkihapunan.”
Narda watches as Regina frowns and glares at her other friend. “Pwes, pwede naman ituro sakin ni Narda kung saan bahay nila. Right Narda?”
Narda scrunches her nose and retracts her hands from both of their grips.
“Alam niyo para hindi na kayo mag-away jan, maglalakad na lang talaga ako.” She states while giving them a disapproving look.
“No I will drive you home/Narda delikado nga.” Narda sighs, suddenly feeling tired.
“Bahala kayo jan magje-jeep na ako.” She gives them a little wave of goodbye as she turns around and walks away. She ignores them calling her name.
Regina and Brian scowl at each other.
--