JACE WAS AWARE that he was crossing the wrong isle. He was even conscious of how many corners he passed by before reaching the rooftop. Laying next to Kimberly sounded like a brilliant idea. Ano nga bang mas masarap gawin kaysa makatabi at mahawakan ang kamay nito? Tapos, kung sweswertihin, makatulog na rin habang yakap ito... sana. That would be a nice way to end the day and cut all the noises inside his head. But that wasn’t what he did. Bagkus, natagpuan niya ang sarili niya roon sa pinakatagong parte ng hospital, nakaupo magisa sa bench doon habang pinanonood ang langit. Kung tama ang pagkakaalala niya ganito rin ‘yong panahon noong manyari ‘yon eh. Madilim kasi makapal ang ulap. Malakas ang hangin. It was September, the season of starless sky and hard rains. He took a breath to calm himself. Taking his cigar from his pocket, he lit it and started puffing like crazy. Wala na siyang pakialam sa ‘no smoking’ sign na nakakabit sa posteng naroon. He was in pain... He needed to s
‘Crab sticks? Like seriously?’ Ilang minuto na ring nag-iisip si Kimberly pero hanggang sa huli ay di niya pa rin kayang intindihin ang kanyang naging reaksyon. ‘When in history did I ever find interest with that freaking thing?’ She closed her eyes. Her head felt like breaking as she tries digging in her memory . She did her best to remember but just like all other attempts, she just ended up frustrating herself. ‘Come on, brain. Recall. Recall. Re--’ "Are you alright?" Bigla niyang naidilat ang kanyang mga mata nang marinig ang baritonong boses mula sa di kalayuan. Her eyes scanned the rest of the whitewashed room she was in; tiles, furniture, until her sight stopped at the semi-opened door and saw Jace looking at her through the small gap. Flashes of lights brought back what lead her to that hospital bed; the waves, the sea, the cliff jump he forced him to do. She should be angry, really angry. Pero sa hindi malamang dahilan tulad ng nangyari nang magising siya ay di niya na
A promise that took him a decade to fulfill. Never had he imagined himself that speechless when the moment finally came. Tumuwid ng upo sa kahoy na silya si Jace para pantayan ang tikas ng kaharap.The vacant hospital room they were in was huge. Puti ang mga kurtina, malinis at kung tutuusin ay may sapat na espasyo para mapagkasya ang lima pang higaan. But fuck him! He can't even breath easy in the presence of this old man. Mas malala pa ang nararamdaman niya ngayon kumpara sa araw na tinutukan siya nito ng seniorita gun. Yes, that same day when he married the bride who outshone all the other brides in world's history... his Baby. The tension felt like a thick slab of ice against his face so he decided to break the silence. He cleared his throat. "Dad... I mean Mr. Santiago." Hindi agad kumibo ang kanyang kaharap. Nanatili lamang itong nakatitig sa kanya gayong alam niyang narinig siya nito. He waived off the coil that was forming in his stomach and continued. "It's nice to see you
“Binubura ka nilang lahat, Jace...” “Alam ko...” “Hindi naman talaga kasi dapat ibalik pa ang nakaraan. Isoli mo na siya.” “Hindi ko kaya. Siya lang ang meron ako...” . . . . “Jace!” It was Kimberly’s scared voice that cut through all the ruckus in his mind. Nang lingunin niya ito ay agad niyang sinalo ang mga pisngi ng dalaga, bago maingat na diniinan. Nagla-lock jaw na naman si Kimberly dahil sa takot at dahil ‘yon sa kanya. Syempre, kasalanan niya ulit. ‘D*amn...’ “Wag kang tumingin sa labas. Sa akin ka lang tumingin.” “S-Saan ba kasi tayo pupunta--” “Pete’s place,” mabilis na tugon niya habang ginigiya ang tingin nito. He knew that making her ride that speedboat was a bad idea. Lalo pa ngayon na hindi pa ito nakaka-recover mula sa pagkakahospital. Kaso wala na siyang pagpipilian. Kailangan niya itong ilayo, o ito ang ilalayo nila sa kanya. Could he handle that? Nagawa niya noon pero hindi niya alam kung magsu-survive siya sa ikalawang pagkakataon. Baka ikamatay niya n
It was a scramble.Everything inside Kimberly felt like being tossed in a mixer! Fear, pain, agony, darkness and that wild nameless emotion that made her locked her mouth tighter to Jace's and bit his lower lips hard.Naramdaman niya nang dumaing si Jace sa loob ng kanyang bibig at napapikit siya nang maramdaman ang pagulong noon sa kanyang lalamunan. It brought a spark inside her core pero mabilis niyang isinantabi yon.She fought with him. Her strength against his. Her fear against his will to keep her under water. Nanipa siya at nahagip noon ang tagiliran ni Jace pero bukod sa sandaling paglalayo ng kanilang mga labi sa ilalim ng tubig ay sinalo nito ang kanyang baba at muling sinibasib ng halik.Her chest was about to burst when she felt him forced her mouth to open using his teeth and tongue. Nilaban niya ang panga sa kagustuhan nitong paghiwalayan yon. Her fingers found a way to claw his back through his shirt until she blindly felt it ripped.Umapaw ang tubig mula sa bathtub. P
"I was looking all over for you." Napapiksi si Kimberly sa pagkakaupo nang biglang may magsalita mula sa kanyang likuran. She felt her heart jumped inside her chest, pero ilang sandali pa bago siya lumingon sa pintuan ng nag-iisang kwarto sa rooftop. "What are you doing here, Baby? Malamig na. Are you okay?" She didn't made any extra move other than to stare back at the man leaning lazily against the door frame. Kahit madilim sa kinatatayuan nito ay hindi siya maaaring magkamali. Every cell in her already knows his baritone voice. It was Jace. "Kim, Are you aware that your feet are--" "Dipping in an infinity pool." she completed his statement for him before she raisied one foot from the water and watched how the drops drip down her toes. Nang matapos ang pagtulo ng tubig mula sa kanyang binti ay nilubog niya ulit yon at ang kabila naman ang inangat na tila isang batang nagtatampisaw. "So you finally made peace with water?" She heard him sigh. Nasundan yon ng mga yabag sa tile
HINDI MALAMAN ni Kimberly kung paanong kapit sa hand rail ang dapat niyang gawin habang hinahabol ang mabibigat na paghinga. The water before her was moving and she could feel it almost reaching her chin. Her toes were barely touching the floor under water and she's more than sure that she was just few inches from drowning, but... "Oh...Jace!" Isang halos hindi makilalang ungol ang kumawala sa kanya kasabay ng pagpikit ng mata. Nang hindi pa maging sapat yon para kontrolin ang panginginig ng kanyang hubad na kalamnan ay mariin niyang nakagat ang pang-ibabang labi para ikulong ang isa na namang nakakadarang na ungol mula sa kanyang lalamunan. "I'm... I'm oh!" she felt her folds parted and darn her for knowing what was that warm thing that was lapsing her core. Naramdaman niya nang umangat ang isa niyang hita at sumampay yon sa matigas na balikat. Lalong bumuka ang kanyang mga binti, kasunod ng pagtama ng kanyang balakang sa sinasandalang tiles. " Jace!" Her back arched when the wo
It was the longest ten seconds of her life. Kimberly had never felt so hesitant before until that time came when she had to wait for his reaction while standing butt naked on a mansion's rooftop. Every second was just too silent, long and totally disturbing... Napayakap siya sa sarili nang umihip ang hangin. The night was dark and cold, pero wala yon kumpara sa blangkong titig ni Jace - nakakapangyelo ng puso. "Ano? Wala ka bang sasabihin?" Untag niya rito nang di na makatiis. Hindi pa rin ito kumilos hanggang sa paulit-ulit nalang siyang mapakurap. She breathed deep in an attempt to push back her tears and hold herself together. ‘Dang it! Masakit pala ang maapakan ang pride’. "Fine." She jerked her head with a fake grin and continued with the hardest monologue she ever delivered. Tutal para namang wala siyang kausap eh. "If that’s what you want. Sana noong dumating si Dad, sinoli mo nalang ako..." Alam niya na magkasing pula na ang kanyang mga mata at pisngi sa sobrang pagkapah