Read Online Welcome to Envy Park by Mina V. Esguerra - Free Book Online
Authors: Mina V. Esguerra
Tags: Romance, Literature & Fiction, Contemporary, Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Women, Women's Fiction, New Adult & College
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who lives on
the top floor?"
"Who is Matilda?" Ashley was so
interested.
"She's so glamorous," I
said.
"Like a magazine cover girl,"
Ethan added. "Except the effect's a little strange when you see her
up close."
"How close?" I said without
thinking, and honestly it was a joke.
Ethan smiled and held a palm
against my shoulder. "This close. Polite elevator
distance."
My shoulder went all tingly and I
actually pulled back, just so it wouldn't start a chain reaction
down my entire body. "Anyway, she's got a penthouse apartment but
she's just home all day. How do you get that kind of
gig?"
"Lotto," Ashley
suggested.
"She says she makes
candles."
"I think we should all make
candles then."
"I don't think she's making
candles," Ethan said, not joking.
Rin was just eating throughout this. I made sure to
look at her when I spoke, as if she were participating in the
conversation, but she was barely there.
"Moira," Ashley said. "Where's the
nearest pharmacy? I need to buy something."
"Two buildings in that direction,
ground floor," I said, pointing.
"Come along with me?"
"Um, sure."
-/\/\/\-
"I love your hair," Ashley
said.
"Thanks."
"Are you going out with my
brother?"
She said this maybe five steps
after we left the burrito place, so I assumed the pharmacy errand
run was just for show. I kept walking in that direction anyway.
"No. Well—no. We just had dinner a few times. Because I keep
running into him at the gym."
"He poked your food. I saw
it."
"I know, I should have told him
not to."
"That's just a bit too friendly to
me, I don't know."
"He's a friendly guy."
"Ha!" Ashley scoffed.
We made it to the drugstore and she led me into the
shampoo aisle rather aimlessly.
"Do you know who Rin is?" she
asked me.
"No."
"She used to be his girlfriend.
They just broke up in November."
Well that explained the refusal to
acknowledge me. "No, he never said anything. Not that he should, to
me. I barely know him."
Ashley rolled her eyes. "I don't
know why he's socially awkward like this. You should have at least
gotten some vibe off him, I don't know, that he was with that girl
for two years. But he can be so..."
"Guarded?"
"Ugh, socially deficient. No one
else in the family is like this. Rin is my friend, I actually
introduced them. And you know what tonight is?"
"No, sorry. What?"
"He and Rin work together. She's
my friend but she's a bit, well, clingy... She found a job there
once they started dating so she'd be close to him, and now that
they're broken up she can't deal with it. So she quit. Today is her
last day at work."
Wow. Must have been super awkward for him either
way. Why invite me to the table though?
Ashley absently picked up a
"hairfall control" shampoo. "They don't talk anymore, but she
insisted that I set up this dinner so she could get to say goodbye,
or whatever. Kuya Ethan didn't want to go unless I came
along."
"Sounds like a bad
breakup."
"It's not that bad. It's my
brother's fault."
"You don't have to tell me
anything, Ashley." Curious as I was, I felt I had to say
that.
"No," Ashley said, smiling at me.
"I think it'll be good for you to know, because I don't think he'll
say anything. He's like that. He waits for things to happen to him,
and he's missed out on so many good things because he just lets
them drift away. He wasn't into Rin, at first, or maybe ever. I
convinced him to go out with her, and he just did. And he kept
going out with her. And suddenly she was his girlfriend, but I
really think he just didn't want to say he didn't want to, you
know?"
I wasn't sure how to feel about this. Undeniably her
words were like air, inflating the cardboard cutout Ethan in my
mind into something with a bit more shape, not exactly in a
flattering way.
"He didn't even break up with her
until he absolutely had to," Ashley continued. "And I feel like I
had to tell him to do it, because putting Rin through a
long-distance relationship like that wasn't fair to her. She's
really into him.
the top floor?"
"Who is Matilda?" Ashley was so
interested.
"She's so glamorous," I
said.
"Like a magazine cover girl,"
Ethan added. "Except the effect's a little strange when you see her
up close."
"How close?" I said without
thinking, and honestly it was a joke.
Ethan smiled and held a palm
against my shoulder. "This close. Polite elevator
distance."
My shoulder went all tingly and I
actually pulled back, just so it wouldn't start a chain reaction
down my entire body. "Anyway, she's got a penthouse apartment but
she's just home all day. How do you get that kind of
gig?"
"Lotto," Ashley
suggested.
"She says she makes
candles."
"I think we should all make
candles then."
"I don't think she's making
candles," Ethan said, not joking.
Rin was just eating throughout this. I made sure to
look at her when I spoke, as if she were participating in the
conversation, but she was barely there.
"Moira," Ashley said. "Where's the
nearest pharmacy? I need to buy something."
"Two buildings in that direction,
ground floor," I said, pointing.
"Come along with me?"
"Um, sure."
-/\/\/\-
"I love your hair," Ashley
said.
"Thanks."
"Are you going out with my
brother?"
She said this maybe five steps
after we left the burrito place, so I assumed the pharmacy errand
run was just for show. I kept walking in that direction anyway.
"No. Well—no. We just had dinner a few times. Because I keep
running into him at the gym."
"He poked your food. I saw
it."
"I know, I should have told him
not to."
"That's just a bit too friendly to
me, I don't know."
"He's a friendly guy."
"Ha!" Ashley scoffed.
We made it to the drugstore and she led me into the
shampoo aisle rather aimlessly.
"Do you know who Rin is?" she
asked me.
"No."
"She used to be his girlfriend.
They just broke up in November."
Well that explained the refusal to
acknowledge me. "No, he never said anything. Not that he should, to
me. I barely know him."
Ashley rolled her eyes. "I don't
know why he's socially awkward like this. You should have at least
gotten some vibe off him, I don't know, that he was with that girl
for two years. But he can be so..."
"Guarded?"
"Ugh, socially deficient. No one
else in the family is like this. Rin is my friend, I actually
introduced them. And you know what tonight is?"
"No, sorry. What?"
"He and Rin work together. She's
my friend but she's a bit, well, clingy... She found a job there
once they started dating so she'd be close to him, and now that
they're broken up she can't deal with it. So she quit. Today is her
last day at work."
Wow. Must have been super awkward for him either
way. Why invite me to the table though?
Ashley absently picked up a
"hairfall control" shampoo. "They don't talk anymore, but she
insisted that I set up this dinner so she could get to say goodbye,
or whatever. Kuya Ethan didn't want to go unless I came
along."
"Sounds like a bad
breakup."
"It's not that bad. It's my
brother's fault."
"You don't have to tell me
anything, Ashley." Curious as I was, I felt I had to say
that.
"No," Ashley said, smiling at me.
"I think it'll be good for you to know, because I don't think he'll
say anything. He's like that. He waits for things to happen to him,
and he's missed out on so many good things because he just lets
them drift away. He wasn't into Rin, at first, or maybe ever. I
convinced him to go out with her, and he just did. And he kept
going out with her. And suddenly she was his girlfriend, but I
really think he just didn't want to say he didn't want to, you
know?"
I wasn't sure how to feel about this. Undeniably her
words were like air, inflating the cardboard cutout Ethan in my
mind into something with a bit more shape, not exactly in a
flattering way.
"He didn't even break up with her
until he absolutely had to," Ashley continued. "And I feel like I
had to tell him to do it, because putting Rin through a
long-distance relationship like that wasn't fair to her. She's
really into him.
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