Paris
"Anong kailangan mo?" tanong ko kay Venny matapos ko siyang pagbuksan ng pinto. Basta-basta na lang kasing pumunta rito. Hindi man lang nag text o ano.
She didn't answer. She just barged in like she owned the place. My place.
"Don't you remember?" giit niya nang makaupo sa couch. Ipinagkrus niya pa talaga ang magkabilang binti. "Ibibigay mo sa'kin 'yung Chanel lippies, 'di ba?"
Halos mapairap ako sa narinig. 'Yun lang pala!
Hindi na lang ako umimik. Diretso akong nagtungo sa kwarto para kunin 'yung lipstick. Wala ako sa mood na magreklamo at sagutin pa si Venny! I was still too preoccupied about the... freaking...
Agh!
Naramdaman ko uli ang pag-init ng dalawang pisngi nang maisip ko nanaman ang nangyari sa condo ni Ezzio kahapon. Napapatulala na lang ako sa tuwing naiisip 'yon! Nakakainis!
Paris"Paris, thanks sa pagsama rito kay Pamu, ah?"Anda said, gently holding me by the arm."Hindi ko alam na ikaw na lang pala naiwan dito. Nakakahiya naman."Tumawa lang ako ng mahina."It's no problem, Anda. Don't mind it."Totoo naman kasi. It was no big deal for me. I considered Anda as a friend and her daughter was a nice girl, too. Hindi naman masakit sa ulo si Pamu."Gago talaga 'yung Z na 'yon. Hindi man lang ako tinext na aalis siya!"Napabuntong hininga ako nang marinig ang pangalan niya. What Anda said made me a little worried again. Ni hindi niya natext si Anda k
Paris"He said that?!"I winced at how loud Venny's voice was. She even slammed both her hands on the dining table. We were at her place. Niyaya niya kasi akong magdinner. Good thing she wasn't busy. Patapos na raw siya sa pag-aayos sa bahay ni Z at sa susunod pa magsisimula ang iba niyang projects. Meanwhile, I wasn't that busy, too. Kinuha ko na rin 'to bilang oportunidad para sabihin kay Venny ang mga sinabi ni Ezzio sa'kin. At heto na nga't halatang hindi siya makapaniwala."So..."she leaned forward with her eyes fixed on me."He's courting you now?"Hearing the words from her still urged a part of me to be surprised; the same thing I felt that night. Tumango ako, hindi alam kung ano ang idadagdag. Venny opened her mouth but took a few seconds to finally speak."Magre-retire na raw si Rapunzel. Nahiya na siya sa'yo."Halos maihagis ko
Paris"Here we are,"Ezzio uttered under his breath when he stopped the car in front of El Gusto. It was 8 in the morning. Unfortunately, my car needed some fixing so my boyfriend volunteered to take me to work.My cheeks heated up at the thought.My boyfriend.Sinikap kong h'wag mapangiti. Simula nang naging kami, tila ang laki pa rin ng epekto sa'kin sa tuwing naiisip ko na boyfriend ko na nga talaga siya. Tila hindi pa ako sanay. A part of me still couldn't believe it and I had been having quite a hard time adjusting, too. This was the first real and serious relationship I had ever had. I was anxious I might screw it up."Hey."Once again, I heard Ezzio's voice. Agad akong napalingon sa kanya. Nakita kong hindi na siya nakahawak sa manibela. Sa halip ay nakabaling na ang buong atensyon niya sa akin. I recognized the look of concern on his face."Thinkin
ParisI left.Of course, I left! Ni hindi ko na nga hinayaan pang makapagsalita si Ezzio o sino man sa kanilang dalawa. I was too furious and hurt. 'Yung parang hindi ko kakayaning patagalin pa ng kahit isang segundo ang pagtitig sa mukha noong Martinez na 'yon!And so, I stormed out of the room. Went straight to the parking lot. Drove back to El Gusto. And pretended like nothing ever happened.Nagulat pa si Marky nang makita ako. Akala niya raw kasi ay matatagalan ako sa pagbalik. I just smiled at him and asked about how the couple of hours went. Talagang nakaya ko pang magtanong tungkol sa deliveries at orders!I decided to work in the baking room because
Paris"What do you think?"I asked and twirled around to make him see more of the gown. It was a simple black V-neck chiffon. Third try ko na 'to at isinama ko si Ezzio para hingin ang opinyon niya.He was sitting on the small couch in front of me, his arms crossed while eyeing me carefully. I watched his lips form a twisted smile as his eyes traveled up and down my body."Beautiful,"he whispered while I rolled my eyes."Paulit-ulit naman 'yang sinasabi mo, e!"reklamo ko."I want anhonestopinion, Ezzio. Or else we're stuck here and we're not going anywhere."
Paris"Paris!"I heard Sam exclaim when she barged into the restroom."There you are."Her voice was laced with relief. Umurong ang mga luha ko. I turned around to face her."Nag-alala ako sa'yo. Ang tagal mo kasing bumalik."She smiled apologetically. Sigurado ay iniisip niya na ang OA niya dahil doon. But little did she know, she was right to worry about me. Because after the little chit-chat I had with Charlotte, I was far from okay. However, I didn't want to worry Samantha. So I gathered up my strength to give her the fakest smile I had ever done in my entire life."I'm
Paris"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"I asked. Because I honestly didn't know how I should take it.Ezzio shrugged. Inilapag niya ang phone sa mesa."I guess I'll find out later."Napakunot ang noo ko. Later?"He wants us to talk over lunch,"he said, probably reading the confused expression on my face. My mouth formed a small 'o'. Saka lang ako tuluyang lumapit para lagyan ng kubyertos ang pinggan niya, kasama na rin ang akin."Baka na-miss ka lang niya kaya siya bumalik,"biro ko. I hadn't met his dad yet, but I could tell he wasn't the affectionate type.Ezzio laughed a little."Come here,"he uttered, reaching his hand to me. I looked at him suspiciously when he pulled me close. Ipinulupot niya ang mga braso sa baywang ko habang humawak naman ako sa batok niya, dahilan sa mas pagkakalapit n
ParisThere was a long pause. Tila hindi pumapasok sa utak ko yung sinabi niya. I even thought about asking him to repeat it just in case I didn't hear it right but who was I kidding? It was just a damn excuse. I heard it the first time. Narinig ko. Narinig ko naman ng malinaw.A heavy sigh escaped from my lips, not knowing what to say. Nakatingin pa rin ako sa magandang tanawin sa harapan ngunit parang nawala na ang epekto no'n sa'kin. I couldn't appreciate it anymore. My thoughts and attention were now directed to something else.I felt Ezzio's hold on my waist tighten, like he was afraid of what I was about to say, or do. Did he thought I would lash out?My lips parted, preparing myself to speak."That's..."I could barely continue. The emotions inside me were starting to get overwhelming and my mind has become too chaotic. Kasi parang ang bilis naman yata? We spent the rest of the day happy and no