‘Make love to me, please...’ . Sandaling napatigil sa ginagawa ang kamay ni Kimberly nang maalala ang mga katagang ‘yon. Nagtataka pa rin siya kung paanong ang simpleng mga salitang ‘yon ay nauwi sa sitwasyon ngayon. Halos isang linggo na rin ang nakakaraan nang magbago ang sitwasyon nila ni Jace. And all through those days, hindi niya na rin maintindihan ang nadarama niya rito. She felt closer. Pero ang nakakatawa... hindi awkward. Parang napakanatural lang na ganoon sila magkalapit. She shook her head to refocus herself. One sigh and she went back to scribbling on that notebook he left for her. Sabi ni Jace mahilig daw sya mag-scribbles. Ang nangyari, sa gulo yata ng isip niya, nagkapunit-punit ang iniwan nitong papel, yung iba nasa sahig, yung iba naman nakalamukos sa desk. Sa dulo ng lamesa naman ay mayroon ding mataas na baso ng juice, platitong may sandwich, at sticky note. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be back in a few. Need
Three in the morning. One cold rainy night. One dark room and twenty-five possible sleeping positions with zero hours of sleep. What could be more devastating? Isang malalim na bintong-hininga ang nagawa ni Kimberly nang muling bumiling sa kama. ‘Twenty-six.” she desperately counted, setting her gaze at the beeping red numbers on the alarm clock. It was two-twenty na ng madaling araw pero wala pa si Jace. Nang magbago ang numero sa minutero ng orasan at muli siyang bumiling. “Twenty-seven.” Ilang minuto pa ang lumipas hanggang sa tuluyan na niyang nakalimutan ang kanyang binibilang. Napapagod na siya sa kakahintay pero hindi naman niya makuhang isara ang mga mata. Her senses were searching for that familiar warmth that never missed to hold her at night. Wala sa sarili na napalingon siya sa pwestong inookupa ni Jace sa napakalaking kama bago napakagat ng labi. ‘The right side as he always said,’ she thought, as one of her hands moved on its own to snatched his pillow. Pumikit siya
Hindi ka ba gutom?"Kimberly’s fingers went hard around the cup she was using. Giving the man before her a hesitant stare, she pushed her plate forward.Madilim pa rin ang buong paligid habang nakaupo siya sa harapan ni Pete. Malawak naman ang kusina ng mansyon pero pakiramdam niya napakaliit noon para sa kanilang dalawa.Gumagawa ng ingay ang tunog ng ulan na humahampas sa bintana. Malakas, maingay, at lalong nagpapabigat sa hangin na nakapaligid sa kanila.“Kakainin mo naman siguro ‘yong niluto ko para sa’yo, diba?” She wasn’t able to open her mouth. Ang totoo, gusto niyang himatayin habang nakatitig kay Pete. Sa truwing kikidlat kasi ay nakikita niya ang mga tilamsik ng dugong nasa kanang pisngi at balikat nito, pulang-pula at napakarami. Katulad ng rock garden sa labas ay napakalamig ng lalaki kahit pa nga malumanay naman ito magsalita. Basag din ang isang lente ng salamin nito, na tila may sumuntok dito at napuruhan yon. The black turtle-neck sweater gave him that dignified edg
"HINDI TOTOO YON!"Kimberly's throat felt like tearing into pieces as she screamed those words for the hundredth time. Marahas na sinipa niya ang brake ng kotse nang biglang may gumuhit na hapdi sa kanyang ulo.I did not do that. It wasn't me. It wasn't my name!The sudden stop created a loud screeching sound in the middle of that damn stormy night. Gumewang ng sinasakyan niya pero hindi na niya inalintana man lang nang sumalpok ang gilid noon sa isa sa mga punong nasa gilid ng daan.Her head crashed against the window of the driver's side door and yet she didn't even move to protect herself from the impact. She closed her eyes before parting her mouth to breath when a warm streak of blood ran down her cheek.She felt her new wound stung and burned but it wasn't anything compared to the pain that had been eating her guts since she started driving."Hindi ako yon." she denied with her shaky voice when she opened her eyes and met a broken girl staring back at her from the rear view mirr
PASADO ALAS DOSE. ‘Yon ang oras na nakita ni Kim nang sandali lingunin ang orasan na nakakabit sa dashboard.The storm was still heavy against her car's windshield - so much that for a second, she wondered which of the two actually weighs more - the rain or her heart?Malakas na buntong hininga ang pinakawalan niya bago inabot ang cellphone mula sa patungan. Doing so made her get a glimpse at the huge bag on the passenger seat. Umaapaw ang laman noon at halos hindi na maisara ang zipper. Sa ibabaw, nakapatong ang isang manipis na notebook na naninilaw ang mga pahina.She evaded the sight of it. The way her heart cringed whenever she remember what was there made her chill.Akma siyang papatayin ang Google Map ng kanyang telepono nang bigla iyong tumunog at mag-vibrate.‘Damn!’ Mabilis niyang nahagis pabalik ang cellphone sa kanyang pinagkuhanan. Agad na lumagabog ang kanyang dibdib sa simpleng pagbungad pa lang sa screen. The name alone made her eyes watered.It was Jace.....'F*CK
Night came too early that day. The whole city was already dark at six. She lost count of how many hours passed since she sat behind that couch. Her back against it as she rested on the floor.Trying to count all her mistakes wasn’t an easy task. Napakarami niya palang nagawang pagkakamali. At malamang mas marami pa iyon kaysa sa mga patak ng ulan na humahampas sa floor-to-ceiling na glasswindow sa kanyang harapan.'Si Pete, Jace, at ako...’ Galit na naisata ni Kimberly ang hawak na folder nang sumigid ang sakit sa kanyang ulo. Nanginig pati tuhod niya sa kirot nang saluhin nang mapasabunot siya sa kanyang buhok at ibuhos ang gigil doon.Aside from understanding how she ended up believing that she killed someone, the cassette player lying silently near her toes gave her a clear idea of how she had an accident that day too.Tama si Pete. Nai-record nga pala sa tawag niya ang buong pangyayari. Mula sa oras na nangangako si Jace na darating ito sa kanyang kaarawan, hanggang sa pag-uusap n
What was there for a man to learn in span of four years?One is that all p*ssies look the same. Two is that all pussies have a hole and the holes are actually all the same. Three is that there's no such thing as a special p*ssy – though he thought there was, long long time ago."Yes! Harder.... masarap... " Naging mas agresibo ang pagkilos ni Jace habang marahas na naglalamasok sa babaeng nakangudngod sa kama. His fingers were digging her soft white *ss. It must have hurt but then who cares? She wanted it."Ugh! Jace!" He gritted his teeth when she shrieked. His sweat was beading on his forehead. Ang sarap sa pakiramdam nang pigain nito ang kanyang sandata habang nakabaon siya pagkababae nito. He could go for another one, thus, he hit her supple butt cheek again."Aw! Shit... masarap..." Pinanood niya ang pagliyad ng makinis na likod sa kanyang harapan. "Oh my... spank me! Spank me! Oh... yes... ugh!"He was standing while the woman he was f*cking was barely hanging beside the bed. Bi
"Woah! The air!"It was that loud voice that made Jace look up from the documents he was reading. He'd been busy for hours skimming through works he could have read the previous night. Well that is, if only he slept on his own bed."The air smells like..." Nilabas pa ng bagong dating ang dila na tila tinitikman ang hangin. Mayamaya ay pumalatak ito kasabay ng pagpitik. "P*ssy," the guy dramatically popped the word before walking to his own desk, passing two more tables before sitting to the one next to his.That made him smirked. He knew that the insult was for him. "Good morning, Mr. Sandoval.""What's good with the morning Mangino?"Jace silently laughed the indifference off. God knows how much he hates the guy who'd been battling neck to neck against him for his promotion. "It smells like pussy. Isn't it enough reason?"His competitor gave him a blank stare. Lalo namang natawa si Jace sa inuupuang swivel.Balewalang hinatak niya ang case mula sa ilalim ng kanyang desk. He shove the
“And they lived happily ever after...”“Hindi kaya.”“They did, Casey. They did...”“Hind kaya frog ‘yong pinakasalan ni Snowhite. At mas lalong hindi tatlong tadpoles ang naging anak nila!”Jace had to move the book covering his face down a bit. Raising a manly eyebrow, isa-isa niyang siuyod ng makahulugang tingin ang tatlong batang magkakatabi sa ibabaw ng family-size bed na kaharap - isang six years old na babae and dalalawang cute na two-years old na lalaki.Patamad na sinandal ni Jace ang likuran sa inuupuan niyang single couch. Pinilit niyang wag matawa nang ibalik ang kanyang tingin kay Cassidy na kanina pa nakasimangot habang nakatingin sa kanya. “Binilang ko, Casey. Tatlo talaga--”“Daddy naman eh--”“Snowhite! Frog!” It was Rain who cut her sister off. Umangat sa ere ang maliliit na kamay nito bago gigil na pinagtatapik ang comforter na nakakumot sa kanilang magkakapatid. The baby was pouting his lips while furrowing his eyebrows. He got jet black hair just like their mom, b
Hell and back, and then, hell and back again.Kimberly heard something popped when she tried to rest her back against her chair. Her eyes were droopy, her white shirt was a little unclean from being worn for three days in a row, and yet never had she thought of leaving that same spot for even just an hour.Malalim ang kanyang naging buntong hininga nang sandaling ipikit ang mga pagod na mata. For a while she found herself concentrating to the mild machine beeping sound occupying the room.The same noise that keeps her believing that Jace's still alive. Unconscious but still there.‘One. Two. Three heartbeats--’"Kimberly." Pinutol ng tawag na yon ang kanyang pagbibilang. Mabagal ang naging pagmulat ng kanyang mga mata para lingunin ang kung sino mang pumasok sa kwarto.She found herself letting out a forced smile upon seeing Chester sitting in a wheelchair. Sa likod nito ay ang ama nitong tumutulak ng upuan at inang may buhat ng kanyang unica hijang mahimbing ang tulog.As if on cue,
BANG!"Jace!"It could have been the odds among all odds. Kung gaano kabilis ang naging pagbulusok ni Kimberly pabagsak ay gayun din kabilis huminto yon.Luha, sipon, laway... what else could an inverted hanging body withdraw just to justify what fear of death is like?Huminto ang oras, pati yata pagsulak ng dugo sa kanyang ulo tumigil.Kimberly doesn't want to count how many seconds was she swaying upside down. Pero nang makaramdam siya ng hapdi sa lalamunan dahil sa pinipigil na hininga ay napilitan din siyang dumilat at lingunin kung ano ang mahigpit na bagay ang nakapulupot sa kanyang binti.She made a loud gasped.It was a strong and manly hand.For a fraction, Kimberly almost forgot what the real score she was in was."Tangina!""Jace!"Terror and relief mixed with her blood when his callous hand pulled her back to the stairs.She lost her balance and almost slumped on her butt. Buti nalang ay mabilis nitong nasalo ang kanyang katawan bago pa siya matumba. He held her tight with
Hindi masigurado ni Kimberly kung ano ang mas malakas. Ang pagkabog ba ng kanyang puso? O ang kanyang naririnig o ang makinang katabi. It had been a while. Hours and hours of searching. Days and nights of visiting different hospitals and morgues in hopes of finding the man she needs to rescue. And yet, here comes the moment, and there she was... standing stiff beside the hospital bed where Chester was laying weak, pale, and half dead. ‘Jusko... Chester--’ "Umh...nurse?" Dagling naagaw ang kanyang atensyon mula sa panakanakang pagpitik ng linyang nasa monitor. She felt her face froze under the surgical mask when her eyes met a pair of confused hazel eyes looking back at her. Pinigil niya ang pamumuo ng napakaraming tanong sa loob ng kanyang isipan at pilit pinakaswal ang pagkukunwari bilang isang nurse. "Yes ma'am?" "Kanina pa po kayo nakatayo d'yan. Hindi pa po ba kayo tapos obserbahan ang pasyente?" The young woman sitting on the lone chair inside that room gave her a once over
Kimberly’s insides were in tight knot. It had been a while since she opened the door for him pero magpasahanggang sa mga oras na ‘yon ay di pa rin niya mabasa ang ekspresyon nito.‘Oh God. Tell me how to decode chopping board faces.’"Umh... candlelit dinner." She shrugged her shoulders unsurely. "Surprise?"Jace still didn't but a word. Bagkus ay lumibot ang malamig na paningin nito sa medyo madilim na salas. Mula sa malaking mesa na pinilit niyang itulak galing dining room, sa mga larawan na isa-isa niyang pinagpi-print bago nilagyan ng tali at isinabit sa ceiling, sa dalawang bandehadong nakahanda, sa ice bucket na kaysa wine ay dalawang bote ng beer ang nakababad, sa kandilang pamblack-out na nakatayo sa gitna ng lamesa... hanggang mapapadpad ang paningin nito sa mga pahabang baloons na ginawa niyang bouquet at pinang-center piece."Condoms ko ‘yon. ""Alam mo na pala eh." Binalewala niya ang pag-awang ng bibig nito dahil sa sinabi niya. Instead, lumakad siya palapit sa lamesa, ki
Bacolod sunsets are beautiful... Pero hindi kung may sakit ka ng katulad kay Pete.Umangat ang kanyang kamay para i-adjust ang suot na de-kulay na salamin. Papadilim palang . Masarap sana sa pakiramdam ang malamig na ihip ng hangin pero hindi kaya ng kanyang mga mata ang sobrang liwanag.The lights were too harsh and every step he was taking on that road was a matter of tolerance. Ito ang rason kugn bakit laging madalim sa bahay niya at laging gabi ang pinipili niyang oras ng trabaho. He hated the light because it was making him dizzy. Nasusuka siya pero pinipilit niyang pigilin. His house in Sta Clarita was specifically designed for his need.He was born photophobic. His eyes were strikingly beautiful and light, dahil kinulang sa pigments ‘yon. It was a health condition that he had been bearing with his whole life.Inayos niya ang suot na shawl para takpan ang mukha bago pinagpatuloy ang paglakad sa siksikang kalsadang ‘yon. Hilong-hilo na siya sa dami ng taong bumabangga sa kanya.
----------------------------------- Office emergency. Will be back home before dinner. Breakfast ready. Lunch on the fridge. I love you, Queen and Princess, J. ____________________________ Kimberly's mouth shut tight after reading that sticky note. Ilang beses pa siyang napakurap at inulit-ulit ang pagbasa sa hawak bago wala sa loob na napahigop sa hawak na tasa ng malamig na kape. She shook her head left and right before lifting her face to the antique table sitting grandiose inside that kitchen. Walang nagbago, naroon pa rin ang mga sinasabi ni Jace. There were more than five different dishes carefully covered above the table, may maayos na naka-wrap na dalawang sandwich sa loob ng clear canister at higit sa lahat ay sliced fruits na nakahilera sa isang platter - pineapples, rabbit cut apples, at oranges. ‘Jace...’ her mind sighed before putting the sticky note straight to her pocket. It took her some seconds before she realized that she had already been suppressing a smil
‘PUTANGINA.’Jace felt the battle worsen amid the alcohol inside his head.He was mad. He was barely holding on. He was drunk but he knew exactly what he was doing. He was faking normal and trying his best not to lash out. God knew that he was trying... really hard.Sobrang init ng ulo niya nang marinig ang pangalan ng kapatid mula sa labi ni Kim. Worse? Halos magkapatong na sila pero ni hindi man lang nito binanggit kay Chesterna naroon din siya. Ang sakit sa puso noon.For a moment, he wanted to slam her to bed and shove his dick into her pretty little mouth to kept her from talking more. Bawat salita nalang kasi na lumalabas sa mga labing ‘yon, nakakasakit. The funny thing though was that he wasn't even able to blurt out a single word about it. Rather, he found himself drinking silently while pacifying himself. Parang maliit na batang pilit pinapatahan ang sarili sa isang sulok kasi wala naman siyang aasahan na gagawa noon.Grudges. He was pent up for years. He was dying inside fig
"Jace..."The name was almost incoherent when it slipped out of her mouth.Nakadama si Kimberly ng pagkaalangan na lapitan ang hinahanap nang sa wakas ay matagpuan ito sa madilim na parte ng bahay.He was silently standing before a window with his back facing her. Sa katabi nitong mesa ay may nangangalahating bote ng mamahaling brandy at halos umapaw na ashtray. He was motionless as he remained staring over the dark empty yard. It was a give away that he was mentally somewhere else and that he'd been drinking for a while before she came.For a moment, she felt unsure if calling him would be a sin. Pero sa huli binuka na rin niya ang kanyang bibig. "Matulog na tayo."That was the only time Jace seemed to stir and noticed her there. Lumingon ito sa kanya, may kagat na sigarilyo at malalamlam ang mga mata. His face was as dark as the night outside and it wasn't even hard to tell that he wasn't okay."Matulog na... tayo?" he repeated in a cold tone, giving emphasis to his last word, na pa