Daisy His Remedy 4 "Jealousy"

ONSE

Walang pagsidlan ang saya na nararamdaman ko. Althea was finally back. Lahat ng sama ng loob, galit, agad nawala nang magkita kami. The relief of knowing she had chosen me after all the heartbreak was overwhelming. 

Kung ano man ang nabasag sa loob ko noon, agad-agad nabuo dahil sa pagbabalik niya. Sure, she had made a mistake—falling for another guy’s sweet words—but I convinced myself that it was just a slip moment of weakness. 

After all, Althea is younger than me, and that gap always made me a little insecure. I worried that one day she might get bored of me or fall for someone her age. Nangyari nga ‘yon. But now, none of that matters. She was back, and that’s all I needed. Sisiguraduhin ko na hindi na ulit siya hahanap ng iba.

Katatapos nga lang namin mag-usap. At sabi niya darating siya. Gusto niya raw bumawi sa mga kasalanan na nagawa niya. Sa sobrang tuwa ko, nag-send ako ng message kay Daisy na pumunta rito sa condo ngayon at may mahalagang nangyari na kailangan naming e-celebrate. 

Kaya lang, ilang minuto na ay wala pa rin akong reply na natanggap mula kay Daisy. Kaya heto, tinawagan ko na siya. Gusto kong sabihin sa kanya ang magandang balita. Gusto ko alam niya kung ano ang dahilan ng celebration namin. She had been my rock through the toughest moments of my life, the person I could always count on. She listened when I vented and stayed by my side when I didn’t know how to cope with Althea’s betrayal. 

Daisy had been a huge part of my healing process. In short, she’s my remedy. It felt right that she be part of this moment, too.

As Daisy’s phone rings, siya namang pagbukas ng pinto ng unit ko, at pumasok si Althea. Nakangiti. Syempre, masaya siya dahil birthday niya pa rin ang passcode ko. 

Her presence filled the room, like it always did, making everything feel... complete. 

I smiled at her, warmth and love surging through me. But before I could say anything to her and to Daisy, na kasasagot lang sa tawag ko. Binawi naman ni Althea ang phone ko, at walang salita pinatay ang tawag. 

Nagulat ako sa ginawa niya at akmang babawiin ang phone ko, pero nilayo niya. “Sino ba ang kausap mo?” Bakas ang tampo at selos sa pagsasalita niya, pero halatang naglalambing lang naman. Niyakap na nga niya ang mga braso ko at banayad na hinaplos-haplos iyon. 

I hesitated for a second. “It was Daisy. I wanted to tell her the good news. Darating nga siya. I invited her to celebrate with us.”

Althea’s face darkened at the mention of Daisy’s name.

“What?” Her voice was sharp, almost angry. “Why would you do that, Onse? This is our moment! Tayo lang dapat ang mag-celebrate; hindi siya kasali!”

Her frustration was clear, and the joy I had been feeling just moments ago started to fade, replaced by a creeping sense of conflict. Hindi ko naisip na ganito ang magiging reaction niya. I thought Althea would understand; ma-appreciate niya ang tulong sa akin ni Daisy na makayanan ang heart break na siya ang dahilan. I tried to explain to make her see the reason.

“Daisy was there for me, Althea,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm but firm. “She helped me get through everything. She’s been a good friend. I thought—”

“I don’t care!” Althea snapped, cutting me off. “She’s just your friend, Onse. Hindi na dapat siya ivolved sa relasyon natin. She’s overstepping, and you’re letting her!”

The argument escalated fast, our voices bouncing off the walls of the small condo. I felt caught between my loyalty to Daisy and my desire to fix things with Althea. I had no intention of hurting either of them, but it was clear that keeping both happy was impossible.

“Althea, walang ibang namamagitan sa amin para magalit ka ng ganyan—”

“Walang ibang namamagitan? Alam mo nga na crush ng babae na ‘yon noon pa. Ang bilis nga niyang pumasok sa buhay mo nang nawala ako, ‘di ba?” 

“Althea, tama na, please. Kababati lang natin. Hindi dapat tayo nag-aaway ng ganito. Daisy is just my friend. Inaamin ko, she’s been a great help; noong panahon na halos sumuko na ako. She’s my remedy, but hanggang doon lang ‘yon.”

“Remedy? Or should I say, a rebound?!" 

Hindi agad ako nakasagot. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang isasagot ko. Ginawa ko nga bang rebound si Daisy? 

“Now, you can't say anything, because deep down, you know it's true. Naging panakip butas mo ang Daisy na ‘yon!"

Pagbagsak ng bote sa sahig ang sumunod sa sinabing ‘yon ni Althea na nagpakabog ng dibdib ko.

My heart sank when I saw Daisy standing there, her face pale, her eyes wide with shock. Narinig niya ang sinabi ni Althea, at alam kong nasasaktan siya. This wasn’t how I wanted her to find out about, sa pagbabalik ni Althea. 

Daisy’s eyes flicked to the floor, where a broken bottle lay shattered. Without a word, she kneeled, her hands trembling as she gathered the pieces. I moved forward, wanting to stop her, to tell her not to bother, but the words that came out of my mouth were much harsher than I intended.

“Daisy, umalis ka,” I said, my voice cold, more commanding than I meant. 

I didn’t mean it like that. Ayaw ko lang na masugat siya. She flinched, I knew I had hurt her differently.

Her face froze before she stood up, her hands still shaking. She avoided my gaze as she mumbled something about needing to go, and before I could stop her, she was walking out the door.

Gusto ko sanang sundan siya. Gusto kong sabihin na hindi ako galit, at hindi ko siya pinapaalis, pero pinigilan ako ni Althea.

“Dito ka lang, Onse,” Althea said sharply.. “Sabi mo, ako ang mahal mo, hindi ba? So, please, stay with me. Ako ang piliin mo at hindi ang Daisy na ‘yon.”

I wanted to argue, and explain that it wasn’t about choosing between them—it was just about making sure Daisy was okay. But Althea’s eyes were hard, daring me to defy her. For a second, I stood frozen, unsure of what to do.

Then the rain started. It was sudden, heavy, and relentless—the kind that would flood the streets in no time. Alam ko na kapag ganito kalakas ang ulan, pahirapan ang makasakay. My protective instincts kicked in, and all of Althea’s objections faded into the background as my concern for Daisy took over.

I pulled away from Althea, grabbed the umbrella and rushed out the door. Gusto kong masiguro na okay si Daisy. I had to know she wasn’t out there, alone in the storm.

But when I got to the curb, I saw her. Kausap ang kung sinong tao sa loob ng kotse. 

My jaw clenched as I watched Daisy move closer to the car, at sasakay na sana. Ang bilis kong narating ang kinaroroonan ni Daisy at hinila siya palayo sa kotse.

Ang nakakainis lang, imbes na sumama sa akin si Daisy at pumayag na ako ang maghatid sa kanya. Nagmatigas pa siya. Hindi pa siya pumalag nang humawak si Vincent sa baywang niya.

The sight of Vincent touching her—his hand on her waist, so casually intimate—made something inside me burn with a fire I couldn’t name. It wasn’t just a concern anymore. It was something darker. Pakiramdam ko, parang may kumagat na kung ano sa loob ko.

Why was Vincent touching her like that? Why did Daisy look so comfortable with him?

Siguro dahil sa ulan. Siguro gusto niya lang protektahan si Daisy. But I couldn’t shake the jealousy that was simmering beneath the surface. It was irrational; I knew that. Daisy was like a younger sister to me. That’s what I had always told myself—what I kept trying to believe. 

But seeing her with Vincent stirred something inside me that I didn’t want to acknowledge—something that went beyond friendship, beyond loyalty.

Walang salita na umalis ako sa harap nila. The rain pounded harder, soaking through my skin, but I barely noticed. My mind was racing with thoughts I didn’t want to have, feelings I didn’t want to admit.