Kinabukasan ay maaga kaming gumayak ni Eli papuntang Supermarket. Kami ang naatasan mamili ng mga kakailanganin para mamaya sa birthday dinner ni Tita Elena. Kahit antok na antok pa nga ay hindi na ako tumanggi dahil bukod sa nakakahiya ay chance ko na din ito para makapaglibot libot sa lugar. Sa biyahe ay hindi pa din maalis alis ang kakulitan ni Elijah, ayaw niyang tumigil sa pang-aasar sa akin. “Akala yata ni Mama di kita inaalagaan sa bahay,” nakanguso niyang sabi habang nagmamaneho.“Nagsumbong kasi ako sa kanya na kinakawawa mo ‘ko.” pang-aasar ko naman. Tinapunan niya ako ng tingin at saka tumawa.“I know I fuck you too hard pero never kitang kinawawa, Anj.” My mouth formed an “o” shape after that bold answer, malaki din ang mata ko habang di makapaniwalang binalingan siya ng tingin. Mabilis lumipad ang kamay ko sa braso niya para paghahampasin siya pero natatawa niya lang na tinanggap iyon habang nagmamaneho.“Napakabastos mo!” Kahit kailan talaga yung bunganga
Nakailang ikot na ako sa aking kama ngunit hindi talaga ako dinadalaw ng antok. I checked the time on my phone and saw that it's nearly 2am now. I kept on tapping my arm as I shifted from side to side. Until I decided to stare at the ceiling. I blew out a frustrated sigh as I recalled the scenario in the kitchen earlier. I admit, the unexpected scene which happened tonight really bothers me. Ganun ba kamahal ni Tito Elias si Victoria para tuluyan niyang iwan ang kanyang pamilya dito sa Pilipinas? My heart is really breaking for my best friend. He doesn't deserve this pain. Naiisip ko pa lang ang paghihirap ng kalooban ni Eli sa bagong balitang iyon ay nadudurog na ang puso ko para sa kanya. Alam ko namang wala ng pag-asa pa na magkabalikan muli ang kanyang magulang. Si Tita Elena na mismo ang nagpasya na wakasan ang pagsasama nilang mag-asawa ngunit hindi ko maitanggi na sa puso ko.. meron pa eh. May konti pa. May pag-asa pa akong nakikita. Nararamdaman kong mahal pa nila ang isa't
Our three day vacation at Elijah's family's house comes to an end. Akala ko ay hindi na magiging masaya ang mga huling sandali namin sa kanilang pamamahay matapos ang nakakagulat na anunsyo ni Tito Elias, but I think everyone in their little family already saw it coming, naghihintay na lang siguro sila ng panahon kung kailan ito mangyayari. Sa huli ay sinulit namin ang natitirang oras bago kami bumalik sa Maynila. Ako, Tim, Elijah and Tita Elena, the four of us went on a small escapade, we went shopping and ate in various restaurants downtown. I'm glad that Elijah managed to make his little family happy by spending time with them. At masaya ako na nasasaksihan ko ito. It's his small wins na alam kong hindi niya pinagtutuunan ng pansin dahil para sa kanya parte ito ng obligasyon niya, pero para sa akin na isang outsider sa kanilang pamilya, proud na proud akong makita kung gaano siya karesponsableng anak. "I'm still surprised that you decided to bring along home
"Can you come over?" Jemi asked me on the other line. Pauwi palang ako dahil kakatapos palang ng shift ko sa trabaho. Isang malalim na buntong hininga ang ginawa ko bago ako sumagot ulit. "Ano bang problema?" I asked lazily as I massaged my neck while walking to my car. "He wants to die, I think," she answered back.Alright so here's the thing, I have three best friends named, Jemi, Riz, and Elijah who happens to be the only guy. Yes, he's a hundred percent straight. And Jemi called me because our dearest friend Elijah was heartbroken."Tell him I'll kill him with my own hands when I arrive." sabi ko saka binaba ang phone. I drove to his place with a heavy heart, it's not that I hate him for not talking to me for three consecutive weeks but it's the fact that after all those weeks of not talking to me this is the first news I'm going to hear from him. Hindi pa ako nakakatatlong katok ay pinagbuksan na nila ako agad ng pinto.I frowned after seeing their long faces. I walked throu
"C'mon Ej, wash yourself first before going to bed." pagpupumilit ko habang hinihila siyang tumayo. I heard a groan from him, he's drunk but he's conscious."I can't do it myself, I'm too drunk Anj." he whined. Alright, bestfriend duties I guess. "C'mon I'll help you okay?" pangungulit ko pa. Sa huli wala rin siyang nagawa kundi tumayo, hirap na hirap akong itulak pa siya papasok ng banyo because he's too sleepy. He lazily walked inside and stand under the shower which he didn't turned on yet while I stand there inside watching him with hawk eyes, making sure that he's going to take a bath. I stood straight there with my folded arms as I watch him pulled up his shirt but stop on his neck when he realized that I'm still standing there and watching him shamelessly, he muttered soft curses while raising his brows at me."What? you're going to stand there and watch me wash myself? Jesus, Anjie." he scoffed at me in disbelief. When he saw that I'm not kidding about staying ins
Nagising ako sa mabangong amoy galing sa labas. The sweet aroma of coffee is lingering in the air as well as the smell of delicious breakfast, my stomach started to rumble sa sobrang gutom. Pikit mata akong nag-unat habang humihikab.I reached for my phone at the bedside table and saw that it's quarter to seven a.m, I need to get ready for work. Napasapo ako sa noo ko nang maalala ko na wala nga pala akong baon na damit pamalit, I sighed when I realized that I still need to go back home and get change especially that I forgot to wash it last night, there's no way in hell na papasok ako sa trabaho na ayun pa rin ang suot ko. Mabilis akong naligo at halos magdikit ang kilay ko nang hindi ko na makita ang mga damit kong hinubad kagabi,Shit where's my clothes dito ko lang 'yon nilagay ah! Nagbalot ako ng towel at nagmamadaling lumabas ng kwarto para tanungin si Eli. "Eli--" "Jesus, Anjie! You shouldn't be going out with just a towel on your body while I'm practically here!!" natata
6pm and my work is finally over."Any plans for tonight, Anj?" tanong ni Kairus habang nag aayos ako ng gamit ko. Nakasandal siya sa pinto ng opisina ko at hinihintay ako, habang nakasuksok ang dalawang kamay sa kanyang bulsa.Nangunot ang noo ko at nilingon siya."Why?" taas kilay kong tanong habang isinusukbit ang bag ko sa balikat saka sabay kaming lumabas na ng opisina at naglakad papuntang parking lot. Nagtext si Eli na nandoon na daw siya at naghihintay. "Club." maikling sagot ni Kairus sa gilid ko at nagkibit pa ng balikat. Agad nagusot ang mukha ko after ko marinig iyon, I don't do those kind of things anymore. Call me boring but I really don't like going to those places, I'm not fond of crowded area. Unless sila Eli ang kasama ko. I saw Jay jogs toward us with a smile on his face, I'm glad he's kind of relaxed now. Kairus turn his neck to face the newbie."Ikaw Jay? Sama ka? Club." yaya niya pa. Napailing nalang ako sa kalokohan niya kakaumpisa pa lang magtrabaho dito ng
Quarter to 2 am nang matapos namin ang movie, Elijah insists na dito nalang din matulog sina Riz and Jemi but they both refused dahil may mga lakad pa daw sila early in the morning kaya naman wala na rin nagawa si Eli kundi ang pumayag. Eli offered na ihatid sila kahit hanggang sa parking lot lang at ako naman ay nag umpisa nang magligpit ng mga kalat sa living room.After cleaning the living room I strolled to Elijah's room and make my way through the bathroom to brush my teeth. I heard Elijah's footsteps entering his room as well and it's not late before he swung his head to the doorstep of the bathroom as he stood there without his shirt on and just his black cotton shorts while watching me through our reflection in the mirror. He stared at me for a minute as he crossed his arms against his broad chest while leaning to the door frame before he decided to open his mouth to talk.. "Carlo invited me to his party next week," he started, voice deep and low.Carlo? Oh, Amber's boy b
Our three day vacation at Elijah's family's house comes to an end. Akala ko ay hindi na magiging masaya ang mga huling sandali namin sa kanilang pamamahay matapos ang nakakagulat na anunsyo ni Tito Elias, but I think everyone in their little family already saw it coming, naghihintay na lang siguro sila ng panahon kung kailan ito mangyayari. Sa huli ay sinulit namin ang natitirang oras bago kami bumalik sa Maynila. Ako, Tim, Elijah and Tita Elena, the four of us went on a small escapade, we went shopping and ate in various restaurants downtown. I'm glad that Elijah managed to make his little family happy by spending time with them. At masaya ako na nasasaksihan ko ito. It's his small wins na alam kong hindi niya pinagtutuunan ng pansin dahil para sa kanya parte ito ng obligasyon niya, pero para sa akin na isang outsider sa kanilang pamilya, proud na proud akong makita kung gaano siya karesponsableng anak. "I'm still surprised that you decided to bring along home
Nakailang ikot na ako sa aking kama ngunit hindi talaga ako dinadalaw ng antok. I checked the time on my phone and saw that it's nearly 2am now. I kept on tapping my arm as I shifted from side to side. Until I decided to stare at the ceiling. I blew out a frustrated sigh as I recalled the scenario in the kitchen earlier. I admit, the unexpected scene which happened tonight really bothers me. Ganun ba kamahal ni Tito Elias si Victoria para tuluyan niyang iwan ang kanyang pamilya dito sa Pilipinas? My heart is really breaking for my best friend. He doesn't deserve this pain. Naiisip ko pa lang ang paghihirap ng kalooban ni Eli sa bagong balitang iyon ay nadudurog na ang puso ko para sa kanya. Alam ko namang wala ng pag-asa pa na magkabalikan muli ang kanyang magulang. Si Tita Elena na mismo ang nagpasya na wakasan ang pagsasama nilang mag-asawa ngunit hindi ko maitanggi na sa puso ko.. meron pa eh. May konti pa. May pag-asa pa akong nakikita. Nararamdaman kong mahal pa nila ang isa't
Kinabukasan ay maaga kaming gumayak ni Eli papuntang Supermarket. Kami ang naatasan mamili ng mga kakailanganin para mamaya sa birthday dinner ni Tita Elena. Kahit antok na antok pa nga ay hindi na ako tumanggi dahil bukod sa nakakahiya ay chance ko na din ito para makapaglibot libot sa lugar. Sa biyahe ay hindi pa din maalis alis ang kakulitan ni Elijah, ayaw niyang tumigil sa pang-aasar sa akin. “Akala yata ni Mama di kita inaalagaan sa bahay,” nakanguso niyang sabi habang nagmamaneho.“Nagsumbong kasi ako sa kanya na kinakawawa mo ‘ko.” pang-aasar ko naman. Tinapunan niya ako ng tingin at saka tumawa.“I know I fuck you too hard pero never kitang kinawawa, Anj.” My mouth formed an “o” shape after that bold answer, malaki din ang mata ko habang di makapaniwalang binalingan siya ng tingin. Mabilis lumipad ang kamay ko sa braso niya para paghahampasin siya pero natatawa niya lang na tinanggap iyon habang nagmamaneho.“Napakabastos mo!” Kahit kailan talaga yung bunganga
Sunod sunod na katok ang nagpagising sa akin. Lumakad ako papuntang pinto habang kusot kusot ang aking mata. Shit, hindi ko namalayang nakatulog ako ah.Pagbukas ko ng pinto ay bumungad sa akin si Elijah. Pinasadahan niya pa muna ako ng tingin mula ulo hanggang paa. “So, I won’t ask you if you did sleep ‘cause it’s obvious.” he chuckled and pushed himself inside the room. Sumimangot naman ako habang hawak pa din ang door knob. Nang lingunin ko siya ay nakahilata na din siya sa aking kama. “Well.. you told me to take a rest,” “And I’m glad you did,” nakangisi niyang sabi.Inirapan ko lang ang sagot niyang iyon. Instead na isara ang pinto ay hinayaang ko lang na nakabukas iyon. I don’t want Tita Elena to think differently knowing her loving son is here with me inside this room. I walked towards the vanity mirror to check myself. My puffy eyes says that I slept really well. “The dinner is ready.” maya maya ay sambit niya.Sasagot na sana ako ngunit nagulat ako nang bigla ay h
I rushed out of the car as soon as we got to his home. My mind was clouded by anger and hurt. "Anjie!" tawag niya at narinig ko din ang malakas na bagsak ng pinto ng sasakyan niya. But I refused to look back at him, I refused to look at him! I was mad, ashamed, and deeply hurt to the point that I can't even look him in the eyes! "Damn it! Anjie!" he yelled again, and I heard his heavy footsteps as I entered his unit. He slammed the door at dire-diretso ako sa kwarto ko para mag impake ng mga gamit at damit ko, buong lakas kong binuhat ang maleta ko at ipinatong ko sa kama ko. I rummage through my closet at walang pakialam ko nalang na inilagay ang mga nakahanger at nakatiklop kong damit. My tears were in the brim of my eyes as I put all my clothes into my luggage."Fuck! Open this damn door, Antoinette!" he yelled again from the outside because I locked my room door, not wanting to see him."Leave me alone!" I yelled back as my chest keeps on rising and falling dahil
Elijah is standing there with Amber. Buhat buhat niya ang isang box habang ang isang kamay naman ni Amber ay nakapatong sa braso niya. Para bang galing sila sa masayang pag-uusap ngunit nahinto dahil dumating ako. “Babe,” alanganing tawag ni Eli sa akin. Ang mga mata niya ay gulat na nakatitig sa akin. Hindi naman nakatakas sa paningin ko ang mumunting ngisi sa labi ni Amber. So, kailan pa sila okay? Mabilis na bumitaw si Amber sa braso ni Elijah at humarap sa akin. “Hi, Anjie!” bati niya. Hindi ako timang para hindi mapansin ang peke at nakakalokong ngisi ni Amber sa akin. She’s too obvious. Since when did she become friendly to me? Tsk. Pero imbes na ipakita ang inis ko ay peke ko din siyang nginitian. “Hello, Amber.” bati ko pabalik saka mabilis na lumipat ang tingin ko kay Eli na ngayon ay papalit palit ang tingin sa amin ni Amber. Mabilis naman siyang kumilos para ipagpatuloy ang paglipat ng mga box papunta sa trunk ng pulang sasakyan ni Amber. I eyed the boxes left in
On the way to the mall, Eli hadn’t stopped and kept on teasing me about this-so-called “our thing”. At ako naman ay hindi pa rin humuhupa ang kahihiyan sa nangyari. He told me there’s nothing to worry about after I told him that I’m quite worried. However, even after he told me it was him who should worry, I kept on thinking that it might affect our friendship sooner. I kept on telling myself that it was an accident and we never meant it to end up that way. But Elijah told me that it was bound to happen anyway whether we’re drunk or not. Remembering what happened way back on the Boudoir photoshoot, there’s no doubt that we’d actually cross lines last night regardless of our friendship. Elijah wasn’t really trying hard to hide his body’s obvious lust calling and my attraction towards him did a great push as well to make everything happen. I know I shouldn’t be surprised about it but still, it worries me. I’d like to think that the lack of sexual action of the both of us from
My lips keep on twitching as I keep shifting on my seat every now and then. Elijah and I were both silent ever since we started eating lunch.Deep sighs were also heard between me and him. Alam kong pareho kaming may malalim na iniisip ngunit tila hindi kami pareho ng iniisip. Obviously, I am in deep discomfort while Elijah seems to be happy and relaxed. Nanatiling nakababa ang ulo ko at tahimik na nagfofocus sa tanghalian na niluto niya. I can’t seem to have the courage to look back at him despite the stares thrown at me by none other than Elijah himself. Hanggang ngayon ramdam ko pa din ang pag-iinit ng mukha ko at naiinis na din ako dahil tila ayaw humupa sa pamumula ang aking pisngi. I’m gulping hard down the food para lamang matapos na ako kaagad sa pagkain at makaalis na sa harapan ni Elijah. But then mukhang hindi pa siya tapos sa pang-aasar sa akin. I heard the clinking sound of his spoon against his plate followed by his loud huff. “Hey, stop ignoring me.” he demanded. A
With big and curious eyes, I watched Elijah stand up from his seat and walk into the corner. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and scribbled something on it with his brows slightly furrowed. Seconds after, a soft melodic sound started playing in the entire place. Constant by Jesse Barrera and Jeremy Passion played in the background. Agad kumalabog ang dibdib ko sa hindi maipaliwanag na dahilan habang pinapanood si Elijah na lumuhod sa harapan ko para hingiin ang aking kamay. “Can I have this dance?” he asked while smiling softly. I watched how the fairy lights shone and reflected through his doe eyes as he stared at me so fondly.I gave my hand as I stood up from my seat. We walked to the center part of the set-up. He placed his other hand at my back tightly pulling my body towards him. My right hand was placed on his shoulder. His other hand was perfectly tangled with my other hand. And we both danced in silence. Tanging ang malamyos lamang na musika ang naririnig sa pali