Kabanata 7

I don’t understand why my cheeks flushed that led me to unconsciously bite my lower lip when Ares chose to sit down on the seat beside me. Bale, napaggigitnaan ako nina Harry at Ares, nasa magkabilang gilid ko ang dalawa. Si Apollo naman ay nasa katabing upuan ni Ares naupo, kaharap si Hera na kausap ang magkapatid na Kiel at Klien.

Klien may be the youngest in the band but he still manages to talk like an adult. He's approachable and charming compared to his older brother, Kiel. I think he's eighteen or something?

Kagaya ng nakita ko kanina, nakasuot si Ares ng puting v-neck shirt na pinatungan ng maong na jacket. He partnered it with a dark blue jeans and a pair of white sneakers. All in all, his attire is simple, but I can't lie, he really stands out from the crowd. Kaya nga madali ko siyang nakita kanina, 'di ba?

Ngunit napataas ang kilay ko nang mapansing halos same colors ng sa akin ang get up niya. Ginagaya niya ba ang OOTD ko? Ano 'to, couple OOTD? Couple goals? Hindi naman kami couple!

What the heck am I thinking?! And why the heck am I thinking these kinds of things?! Mon Dieu, what’s happening to me?

Matangkad siya, sobra. Pang basketball player ang height niya. I think his height is 6 or 6'2. Isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit nagsastand out siya sa lahat. Tindig at looks niya pa lang, makukuha niya na agad ang atensiyon mo. Baka nga pati puso, e. Kidding.

I wonder if he's an athlete? He looks like one. Plus, he looked hot even with his simple attire.

Wait, what? Hot?! Seriously, Athena?!

Tumikhim siya na siyang nagpabalik sa akin sa ulirat. I noticed how his Adam’s apple moved, kaya ay napalunok rin tuloy ako.

What the hell is wrong with me and why do I notice every single detail about him?!

"Hey," He greeted the others with a small smile.

Nang bumaling siyang muli sa akin ay nagulat na lang ako nang tumalim ang tingin niya kaya mabilis akong nagbawi ng tingin.

Shit. Why do I feel so nervous around him? Hindi naman ganito dati, ah?

Uh, kasi alam kong may kasalanan ako sa kaniya? Hehehe.

"Uy, Ares, bro!" Bati ng mga lalaki sa kaniya.

Ares was supposed to be the bassist of the band, but because he was always out of the country, he decided to leave the band. That's when Kiel thought of letting his brother, Klien, join the band and be Ares' replacement. 

Napabaling ang tingin ko kay Hera nang marinig ang malakas niyang pag-ubo.

"The fudge?" She blurted out. She then pointed at me and Ares, "Are you a couple or something? Why the hell are you wearing the same clothes?" Pagpuna niya sa OOTD namin ni Ares. She raised a brow on us.

Nagkantyawan ang grupo. I awkwardly looked at Ares who had no reaction at all.

"Uy, hindi! Gaga ka, Heralyn! Magkaibigan lang kami!" Agad na pagtanggi ko dahil nahimigan ko ang pagka-ilang ni Ares.

"I said stop calling me Heralyn! My real name's way better than that." She rolled her eyes on me.

"Weh, Athena? Magkaibigan lang ba talaga o magka-ibigan na?" Mags asked as she wiggled her brows, probably making fun of me.

"What? No!"

Patuloy silang lahat sa pagkantyawan. Nakisali pa ang walanghiyang kapatid ko at sinabing botong boto raw siya kay Ares para sa'kin! Nakakahiya! We have just met! We're just... acquaintances? We're not friends yet. And we're nothing more than that!

Ares remained quiet though kaya iniba na lang rin nila ang usapan. Maybe they also sensed Ares' coldness, which is not new. Pero unusual pa rin since he's not cold towards his friends, pero sa mga hindi niya pa masyadong ka-close, oo.

He's unusually cold and quiet tonight. But he doesn't forget to glare at me whenever our eyes meet.

As much as possible, hindi ko na ibinabaling ang tingin ko sa gawi niya para hindi masalubong ang nakaabang sa aking matatalim na mga mata.

I find him oddly cold tonight because like I said, hindi naman ganiyan ang attitude niya when it comes to his circle of friends. Besides, he's much closer to Apollo and Harry. Especially Harry since they're almost the same age and they have the same course.

Ares is twenty-five, I calculated his age when he said he first met us. Apollo shared to me that Ares is a graduating college student and his course as Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. Meanwhile, Harry is already twenty-four, he’s still in his fourth year of college and they’re of the same course as Ares. And like Ares, they're both preparing to take their master's degree to be able to become licensed Engineers, kahit hindi pa naman graduate ang dalawa.

Mabuti nga naman iyong pinaghahandaan talaga.

Tingin ko pa’y dito tatapusin ni Ares ang pag-aaral. Narinig ko lang din sa pag-uusap nila ni Apollo noong isang araw, ngunit hindi na ako nakinig pa sa buong usapan nila.

I didn't intend to eavesdrop and I will not continue to eavesdrop when I accidentally hear a personal matter that I should stay out of, or I was not supposed to hear since I am not involved.

Apollo is the youngest among them three. Since we're twins, we're obviously the same age. Twenty-one.

Napalingon akong kay Harry nang kalabitin niya ako at bahagyang hinila palapit sa kaniya para bumulong, "I wanna ask your friend out."

Halos itumba ko siya sa kinauupuan niya dahil sa sinabi niya.

Grabe naman kung manggulat ang isang ‘to!

"Ano?!" May kalakasan na pagsigaw ko.

Napalingon sila Apollo sa amin pero hindi ko rin masyadong pinansin. Itinuon kong muli kay Hardin Rye ang atensyon ko.

"Shh. Tone down your voice, idiot." Natatawang aniya. Lumapit siyang muli para bumulong. "That girl, Magui? I like her."

Pagkatapos ng sinabi niya ay halos mamatay ako sa kakatawa. Nothing's funny but I can't help but laugh. Halos maubusan na ako ng hangin dahil tawang tawa talaga ako. Muntik pa nga akong mahulog sa kinauupuan ko, mabuti na lang at kaagad akong nasalo ni Ares.

Napalingon muli ang grupo sa banda namin ni Harry kaya napakagat-labi ako at yumuko, pinipigilan ang sariling huwag matawang muli.

"What the heck is funny?" Nakakunot-noong tanong ni Harry sa akin.

"Mags, even when she acts like a hoe for my brother, she's never interested in men." I whispered and chuckled.

Mas lalong nangunot ang noo niya.

Bahagya akong lumapit sa kaniya para bumulong, "She's not NBSB, Harry, but she hated men for some reason that’s why she stayed single for years now.  And if you really want to pursue her, well, good luck with that." I chuckled.

Namilog ang mga mata niya, hindi makapaniwala sa nalalaman.

"Damn. I wonder what made her hate men?" He murmured. But then he shook his head afterwards when realization hit him. "Indeed, there are a lot of reasons to hate men." He chuckled.

Natawa ako lalo sa inasta niya. He's crushing on one of my girls, huh? 

"Besides, Harry, she's the same age as me. I thought you hated young girls for some reasons?" My brows twitched.

His eyebrows furrowed but then his lips curved a little for a smile.

"Forget about that."

Natawa ako. Shit.

"Anong pinagtatawanan niyo riyan, ha?" Pang-uusisa ni Hera sa amin, hindi na napigilan ang pagsasariling mundo namin ng kapatid niya.

Umiling-iling lang ako at pilit pinipigilan ang sariling mapahalakhak.

Hardin Rye is damn whipped! This is freaking new! He may have dated a lot of girls back then, but then, him dating young girls isn't in his dictionary! Hindi ko rin maintindihan ang trip ng isang 'to.

"Hoy, Kuya, ha! Baka nililigawan mo na iyang si Athena ko!" Sinamaan ni Hera ng tingin ang kapatid.

Natatawang umiling si Harry.

Napatingin ako kay Ares na nakatingin rin pala sa akin. Umiwas siya ng tingin at hinarap ang dumadaldal na si Apollo.

Huh? What is wrong with him?

"Sinasabi ko sa'yo, brader Harry, huwag ang kapatid ko." Sabat ni Apollo. "Taken na 'yan!"

Napamaang ako. Anong taken? In a relationship na pala ako ngayon nang hindi ko man lang nalalaman? 

"Ares, bro! Buti at naisipan mo nang manood sa performance namin?" Pagpansin ni Harry kay Ares na nananahimik sa isang tabi.

"Ah, yes, Rye. Apollo dragged my ass out." Malamig na tugon niya.

"Aba, langya 'to! Sino kaya-" Angal ni Apollo na agad na pinaslakan ni Ares ng lumpiang shanghai ang bibig.

Ayon at natahimik ang kapatid ko habang nginunguya ang lumpia. Mukhang sarap na sarap naman siya at may balak pa atang magpasubo kay Ares na wala nang pakialam sa kaniya.

"Hey, Ares. Wanna go out?" Out of the blue, I blurted that out.

I just thought of bringing him to some place he could relax. Baka kasi may problema siya kaya ganun na lang ang attitude niya. Gusto kong mag-unwind muna siya at para na rin bumalik na siya sa dating palangiting Ares sa mga kaibigan niya.

Pansin kong panandaliang nanahimik ang table namin kaya napalingon ako sa kanila, only to find out of their shocked expressions and jaws dropped. Bakit nakanganga itong mga 'to?

"Woah, Ana! You're asking out my friend here?" Napahalakhak si Harry.

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang maintindihan ang pagkakaintindi nila sa sinabi ko kanina.

"No! It's not what you think! I mean, I just wanna talk to him alone- no, uh, like, does he wanna breathe some fresh air outside and relax and we'll have a little chitchat-" Natatarantang paliwanag ko na nagpahalakhak sa kanilang lahat.

"Chill, Ellie. Napaghahalataan ka masyado, eh." Kiel chuckled while eyeing me and Ares with a hint of malice.

Sinamaan ko siya ng tingin. Apollo's group really loves to give me nicknames, eh?

In the end, napagdesisyunan ni Ares na umalis sa Contri at magpunta sa isang mall.. kasama ako. Hindi na sumama ang mga kaibigan namin dahil baka raw ay makasira sila sa atmosphere ng date namin ni Ares.

Mga siraulo. Hindi naman ‘to date!

Narito kami sa parking lot at hinahanap ang sasakyan ko. Sinundo kasi siya ng kapatid kong walanghiya kaya't wala siyang sasakyang dala.

Kahit nagtataka ako sa inaasta niya ngayon, hinayaan ko na lang. Kanina pa kasi siya hindi nagsasalita masyado. Tanging tango, iling, at matitipid na salita lamang ang sinasagot niya sa mga tanong ko. He doesn't even open a topic like before! I wonder what happened and why he suddenly changed?

Halos magtatalon ako sa tuwa nang sa wakas ay mahanap ko na ang sasakyan ko. Damn, nakalimutan ko kasi kung saan ako nag-park kanina. Muntanga lang.

Agad kong pinatunog ang alarm at nilingon si Ares, signaling him to go inside the shotgun seat. Tahimik lang siyang tumango bago tuluyang pumasok sa loob ng sasakyan kong isang 2019 Honda CR-V, isang puting SUV na seven-seater.

Napabuga na lang ako ng hangin, overthinking what has happened to him or what his problem is. Why he is glaring at me kanina.

Nang pumasok ako'y naabutan ko siyang patingin-tingin sa loob ng sasakyan.

"Wait, woah. The white Honda SUV is your car?" Namamanghang tanong niya, obviously forgetting his stone cold aura a while ago.

"Yep. Why?" I asked without looking at him. I started the car's engine before I maneuvered the gear shift. I skillfully rotated the steering wheel para makapag-backing at makaalis na sa parking lot ng Contrivance. I was so serious while doing it kaya hindi muna nagsalita si Ares. When I successfully maneuvered my car out of the parking lot, I started to drive to the nearest mall. That's when Ares started to talk again.

"I remember Apollo using this car whenever we go out. It was days after I got home, I think?" He said. Gulat akong napalingon sa kanya.

His car is a damn 2017 Subaru XV 2.0! Why does he have to use mine?! And without my permission!

Bumalik ang tingin ko sa daan at napahigpit ang kapit ko sa manibela. Tumalim ang tingin ko sa kawawang daan na animo'y naroon si Apollo at handa akong sagasaan siya.

"Damn him! He has his own freaking car! He doesn't even let me borrow his when mine's under repair, and then you'll just tell me that he sometimes uses my car without my permission?!" Gigil na saad ko.

"He said he likes yours because it's way better than his car. He likes to drive it because it's smoother than his."

Then he should sell his car and buy a new one! May ipon naman na siya since he has lots of part-time jobs, plus Mama's spoiling us so much allowance kaya mayaman na siya! He can surely afford to buy a new one! Hindi yung akin ang gagamitin niya!

Next time, I won't ever leave my car keys sa bahay! Apollo can never be trusted!

"Hey, chill. It's not like he's not your brother." Pagpapakalma sa akin ni Ares.

"No, Ares. The point here is, why does he have to use mine when he has his own? He doesn't even ask for my permission. Even when we're siblings, he should ask for permission for everything. Hindi yung diretso kuha lang ng gamit na hindi naman nakalaan para sa kaniya. Hindi kami tinuruan ni Mama ng ganoon." Pagpapaliwanag ko. "We were taught to always ask for permission when we want to use or do something... everything!" Magulo at walang kwentang dagdag ko pa. "Mama may spoil us so much money, but she never forgets to remind us to use the money wisely. Either save it for the future, or use it for emergency purposes only. Besides, Apollo has a lot of savings so he can surely buy a new one and sell his old one. It wouldn't be a loss."

"It's not that easy to let go of something you treasure. Malay mo, may sentimental value sa kaniya 'yong sasakyan niya kaya hindi niya magawang pakawalan."

I sneered.

"What is his car, his girlfriend?" I rolled my eyes when I remembered him naming his car Natalie. "Whatever. My main point here is he should've asked me before he used the things I possess. Period."

Hindi ko na narinig pa ang sagot ni Ares. Sandali ko siyang sinulyapan at nakitang nakatanaw lang siya sa labas ng bintana at.. bahagyang... nakangiti?

Binalik ko sa daan ang atensyon ko at ipinagsawalang bahala na lang ang lahat ng sakit sa ulo. I don't wanna be stressed!

I think it's me who needs to unwind and not Ares!

Nakarating kami sa mall nang saktong alas nuebe ng gabi. Buti at bukas sila hanggang 11 pm. Ewan ko ba rito sa isang 'to at bakit trip niyang mag-mall kahit gabing-gabi na?

Paglabas namin ng sasakyan ay napansin kong balik na naman ang gunggong sa cold aura niya kuno. Tinuruan ba siya ng gagong kambal ko ng mga walang kwentang tips niya?

I shrugged the thought off. Thinking about my brother and his stupidity makes my blood boil in anger and frustration.

Charotism. I love him so much! He’s just annoying at times that’s why I can't help but be pissed at him.

Napagdesisyunan naming kumain muna bago mag-ikot sa mall. Hindi kasi siya kumain bago nagpunta sa Contri, ako rin naman. Tapos puro mga finger foods tsaka kaunting alak iyong mga inorder namin kanina doon sa restobar kaya malamang sa malamang ay kumakalam na ang sikmura naming dalawa.

Sa isang kilalang fast food chain kami kumain. My favorite fast food chain.

I ordered burger steak with rice, large fries, coke and a hot fudge! He ordered the same meal as mine but without the hot fudge. He said he doesn't wanna eat the fries kaya ibinigay niya sa'kin ang fries.

Yay! More and more fries! Yum.

Napansin kong natutuwa siya habang pinagmamasdan akong kumakain. Palibhasa, tapos na siyang kumain. Wala sigurong magawa kaya tinitigan na lang ako.

Nakakaconscious ang mga tingin niya.

"Staring is rude,” Nahihiyang saway ko.

He smiled softly. The way he gazed at me was with pure gentleness.

"You look cute. Damn, you make me fall for you even more." Hindi ko na narinig ang huling sinabi niya dahil naging bulong iyon.

Namula naman ang mukha ko.

Ako? Cute? 

Ahe, enebe. Matagal ko nang alam ‘yun, ‘no!

Charot.

Tinapunan ko siya ng tissue, kunwari naiirita pero sa kaloob-looban ay kinikilig naman talaga sa biglang pagbanat niya.

Shit talaga! Kinikilig ako, enebe!

Wait. What?! Bakit naman ako kililigin, aber?! Maghunos-dili ka nga, Atheeva Narelle!

He just let out a soft chuckle, probably amused at my stupid reaction.

Binilisan ko ang pag kain ng fries. Todo sawsaw ako ng fries sa hot fudge imbes na sa ketchup. Duh, masarap kaya isawsaw sa ice cream ang fries! Minsan sinasawsaw ko pa sa gravy or sauce ng chicken fillet o burger steak. Sarap talaga.

Pagkatapos kong kumain, panay na ang hila ko sa kanya patungo sa kung saan-saan. I love shopping!

Okay. My childish side is showing.

Hinila ko siya sa isang bookstore at minamata na ang mga librong ninanais kong bilhin. Sa dami ng minamata ko, nakaramdam ako bigla ng hiya.

Nakakahiya naman kung bilhin ko lahat ng gusto ko, tas bibitbitin niya ‘yung iba? Kalmahan ko na lang muna ang pagbili ng mga libro. Mga dalawa o tatlo na lang muna ang bibilhin ko ngayon para less hassle. Hehehe.

“Ikaw? May gusto ka bang bilhin dito?” I asked him.

Tumango siya at nagtungo sa isle kung saan mo mahahanap ang sandamakmak na art materials. He picked up the art materials that looked girly and cute, so I didn't have to guess anymore. These are for Artemia.

Nagtungo kami sa cashier at nagbayad. Nginisihan ko siya nang hindi niya naicharge sa kaniya ang mga pinamili ko. Nagbuntong-hininga na lang siya bago binayaran ang kaniya.

Pagkalabas namin sa bookstore ay pinaghihila ko na naman siya sa kung saang magandang nakikita ko.

"Ares, tara dun sa arcade! Gusto ko maglaro!"

He totally forgot about his coldness a while ago. And that's my main goal for tonight. To make him smile instead of flashing a resting bitch face at everyone else!