Moonville Series 1: Secret Lovers

Alex stayed in the student lounge for a little longer before she decided to go. She let herself cry and just ignored the students who looked at her as they passed by. Good thing no one approached and asked her what might be the reason she is crying.

If the students saw someone crying, it's enough to make them curious about it. But Alex is not just a typical student. She's Alexandra Nichole Pascual Martinez. Since her elementary days, she has managed to make a name for herself in CPRU. Maybe because her sister started it. Since grade school, Angel has been an exceptional student. That is why when Alex started schooling, everyone already knew about her. Angelica Martinez' younger sister.

She doesn't mind being called like that. She's proud at her older sister's achievements. She's her number one fan. And she didn't mind being compared to her ate. She was the reason why she strived to excel in her studies as well, to not taint the good reputation her sister has in school. And because of that, she was able to make a name as Alex Martinez and not just as Angelica Martinez' sister.

This is the first time she regrets being famous. For sure she will be the number one topic of the students in the entire CPRU. But what can she do? She really feels so bad.

When she's feeling a little better, she decided to go home. She can't come to her classes anymore, and she also does not want her sister to see her like that. For sure, she'll worry about her and she'll be sad to know what happened to her and Richard. She does not want to bother her for the time being.

She decided to ride a taxi instead. Here in Tarlac, the few taxis on the road are owned and operated by the company called Call-A-Taxi. You seldom see a taxi on the road that you can hail because, well, you need to call or text one for it to come to you. But Call-A-Taxi has a terminal in front of CPRU. Of course, rich kid would prefer taking a cab than other means of transportation, as well as some of the employees of the said university.

The terminal is right opposite the university gate. Alex was immediately greeted by a man who seems to be the dispatcher on that terminal.

"Miss?" he asked her. He frowned when he saw her swollen eyes.

"Moonville, please," answered Alex.

"Sorry Ma'am, but we don't have any available driver right now. Most of them are dispatched, while the remaining available drivers are on break." It's lunch break now.

She looked at the taxis parked at the terminal. What if she drives one herself? She just does not want to bother her sister. If she borrows her car, for sure she will ask why she needs to go home early. Surely, she already knows that Richard is her problem, especially since they already talked earlier.

What if she borrows Bryan's car instead? 'That's a worse idea, Alex,' she told herself. Call-A-Taxi is really her last resort, but...

"Is there really no available cab? It's just Moonville, Kuya." Not that Moonville is just a block away, but it's also just in the city and at that hour the traffic is not that heavy.

"Sorry Miss. There's really no available one right now."

Alex suddenly felt sorry for herself. She felt like crying again, even though she doesn't want to. She really felt so pathetic, so hopeless.

"I'll drive for her."

Alex's tears are suddenly stopped by the man who spoke. She looked at him, and saw a guy in his mid-twenties, probably. He's tall, well-built, and has a strong sex appeal. He doesn't look like a driver, even though he's wearing just a white T- shirt, ripped blue jeans and black high top canvass sneakers. He actually looked like a model, because of his ruggedly handsome face, mesmerizing eyes and unruly black wavy hair. His beard and mustache added to the appeal. Alex feels like she's looking at the Filipino Johnny Depp.

The guy smiled at her before speaking to the dispatcher again. "Keys."

The dispatcher took the keys reluctantly. He then gave them to Johnny Depp look-alike.

"Let's go, Miss?" the guy asked Alex.

Alex nodded, then followed the guy to a taxi. He opened the door for her, and waited for her to be properly seated before closing it. Then he went to the driver's seat and started the engine. "Moonville?" he asked her.

"Yes."

He started driving the car. In fairness, his driving is smooth. Even though he looks like a rugged action star, his smooth driving gave Alex a romcom-ish feeling. Somehow, she was able to relax a little. But because she felt calmer, she suddenly remembered what happened earlier in CPRU.

She can't help but cry again. She tried to prevent her tears from falling, but she just couldn't. So she just let herself cry, not caring what the driver would think. She feels bad, so what can she do?

When they arrived at Moon Village, she needed to make the security guard see her to be recognized, so she wiped her tears and tried to stop crying.

"Good afternoon, Ma'am," said the security guard upon recognizing her.

She just smiled, then closed the window again. They were ushered into the village. She told the driver the block where their house is, as well as the house number. After a few minutes, they arrived at their house.

"How much?" Her voice is a little cracked. She let out a slight cough to clear her throat.

"It's free, Miss."

"Huh?" She looked at the driver.

The driver moved to face her. "Think of it as a small treat. It seems like your morning was not good. At least, somehow something good happened to you to make you feel a little better today."

She gazed at him. This guy whom she just met - she doesn't even know his name - gave her a free ride home? Is that how pathetic she looks? Although, the guy is somehow right as she felt a little better, knowing there's someone who's willing to do a good deed just to make her feel better. But still...

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"Thanks," said Alex with a smile. "But, your boss might not like it."

"No, it's okay. My boss is nice."

Alex contemplated. "Really? You know, I kind of know the daughter of your boss. She's not that kind."

"Daughter?" The guy frowned.

"Yes, Gina Aguilar. She's my school mate."

Gina Aguilar's family owns Call-A-Taxi, as well as the car dealer The Garage. They also own an auto repair shop - The Mechanic.

"Really?" There's mirth in his eyes.

"Yes, and like what I've said, she's not nice. She might get mad if she knows you're giving me free ride. Knowing her, she might be more bossy than her father. She might fire you, so please. I appreciate your kindness, but I don't want to cause you any trouble."

"There's no trouble at all."

"Well, I'm just worried about you, Kuya."

"I don't think my father would fire me."

"Father?" Angel pondered.

"Hmn-hmn." The guy nodded. "My father is my boss. And that Gina Aguilar, she's my sister."

"Oh crap..." Alex suddenly felt embarrassed.

The guy chuckled. "It's okay. I'm aware that Gina is a spoiled brat. She was spoiled by everyone in the family, being the youngest child. Did she do something bad to you?"

"Not me. My sister. She embarrassed her in the entire Business School."

"Is that so?" It's the guy's turn to feel embarrassed. "I'm sorry about that. Don't worry, I'll talk to her about that."

"No! You don't have to, Kuya! Just... let it be..."

The guy smiled. "Well then, if that's what you want. But if she treats you badly again, or your sister, tell me about it, okay? Just ask for me on that Call-A-Taxi terminal. Tell them you're looking for Kuya Tomas. I'm quite known there, you know." Alex smiled. "Thanks, Kuya Tomas."

"By the way, Gina is not the reason you're crying right now, is she?"

Alex giggled. "She's not."

"That's good to hear," Tomas said. "But whatever it is, I hope, it will be resolved immediately so that you don't have to cry anymore."

"Thank you." She felt better because of this man's kindness. "I feel better now, Kuya."

"That's good."

"I'll go now. Thanks for the free ride."

"Sure. But next time, I'll charge you already, okay?"

Alex giggled. "Are you really a taxi driver?"

"Uhm..." The guy pretended to think deeply. "Not really. Just today."

Alex smiled. "Well then, next time I'll pay. But for now, thank you again."

"Okay."

She got out of the taxi. Thomas even saluted to her before driving the car again. Alex waived at him in return.

Yeah, somehow, she felt better. But as she opened the front gate, she started feeling bad again. Her parents are in the office, and it seems their maids are watching their favorite noontime show. She just used her keys to enter their house. She didn't bother calling their maids to let them know she's home. She's also not hungry so she's not having lunch. She went straight to her room and continued sulking about what happened earlier at CPRU.