Unconsciously
When Saturday came, I'm all nerves. Alas sais ang simula ng exhibit at may after party hanggang alas onse. Maaga akong pumunta kasi alam kong traffic na naman. I asked one of our drivers to accompany me. Hindi rin kasi ako sinamahan ni Kuya Van for an obvious reason. He hates traffic. Well, halos lahat naman yata.
It's a formal event. Mom offered to style me. She made me wear a multi-lavender tweed cocktail dress. I paired it with light pink ankle-strap heels. Simple lang ang sinabi ko sa kanya kasi ayoko namang makaagaw ng pansin. Maliit na hikaw at simpleng kuwintas lang din ang suot ko.
Pagkarating ko sa venue ay agad akong inalalayan ng isang staff at tinulungan akong dalhin ang paintings ko sa naka-assign na space para sa akin. Ang daming naka-display na paintings... I am so amazed. Manghang-mangha ako sa
JealousI was caught off guard. Hindi ako nakagalaw sa kinatatayuan ko nang marinig ang sinabi niya."Sorry, I shouldn't have said that," Sandro said.Napakurap-kurap ako at napaisip kung ano ba ang gagawin o sasabihin ko. I mean, what was I supposed to say anyway? Thank you for liking me? Sorry but you need to stop it because I'm not interested? I don't know... So I just settled with silence."Will you still offer a ride?" tanong niya.I am this close to taking back the offer. Pero alam ko na hindi ako patutulugin ng konsensiya ko kapag may nangyari pang masama sa kanya. And so I nodded. Inalis ko na ang dalawa kong paintings at binitbit. Ganoon din ang ginawa niya. He even offered to take mine but I declined.
HomeSimula na ng second semester. I have 21 units this sem kaya medyo mabigat ang load. Mayroon na rin akong classes na iba kina Agatha at Inigo. They both major in Information Design. May mga klase na hiwalay na ako sa kanila pero sa general courses ay magkakasama pa rin kaming tatlo."And then? You two were good after you cried your heart out?" Agatha asked. We're currently having our lunch. Kinuwento ko sa kanya 'yong nangyaring pagseselos ni Austin kay Sandro. She seems okay hearing Sandro's name. Bali cleared her mind daw kaya nawala na ang pagka crush niya roon."Not the crying that you're thinking of. More on happy tears... And yeah, we're good.""My gosh! Sa inyo na lang talaga ako kinikilig!" she shrieked. Sinabayan pa ng hampas niya sa braso ko.
No Questions "Javi Uvero with the deadly slam!" sabi ng commentator kasabay ng malakas na hiyawan ng supporters ng team. Nakakabingi ang ingay. Kahit si Iain at Inigo ay pareho ring napatayo dahil sa dunk na iyon ni Austin. Two minutes in on the fourth quarter and the game is tied. Nakalamang lang ang team ng Chanston dahil sa puntos ni Austin. Now that I've seen him play in a real game, I can't help but be impressed. Jaco's the star player of the team but Austin's contribution can't be ignored. Ang galing niyang maglaro... Whenever he makes a point, he celebrates humbly. Hindi siya iyong show-off na ang yabang tingnan. "Well, shit. The koala didn't play shit!" Inigo exclaimed. "Told 'ya, loser!" sigaw ni Agatha. If we want to talk to each other, we really need to raise our
LuckiestTo say that I rushed everything would be an understatement. Ni hindi pa ako naliligo nang makarating si Austin. I asked him why he was so early and he just said he's worried we'll get stuck in the morning traffic. Ayaw niya namang sabihin kung saan kami pupunta. Inaantok pa nga ako kasi tinapos ko kagabi 'yong requirement na ngayong araw ko dapat tatapusin.I felt like I was the Flash when I managed to get ready in a span of twenty minutes. Hindi iyon ang madalas na oras ng pag-aayos ko. I took a quick shower and just got the most comfortable and go-to clothes I first laid my eyes on. Sabi naman ni Austin kahit ano raw suotin ko basta komportable ako. So I settled with a faded maong shorts, a plain black top and I paired it with a black strappy sandals. I also tied my hair in a half ponytail. Hindi ko na na-blowdry pa kasi nagmamadali na.
KissPinipilit ko na si Austin na ako na ang magmamaneho pabalik pero ayaw niya talaga. The whole ride, he would hold my hand whenever his right hand's free. Kapag magpapalit siya ng gear, iniiwan niya lang ang kamay ko sa hita niya tapos hahawakan ulit pagkatapos. It's almost eleven when I got home."Thanks for today," I said. Hindi na matanggal sa mukha ko ang ngiti. Today was tiring but the happiness that came with it is unparalleled. "Kaya mo pa bang mag-drive pauwi?""Yup. It's just for a few minutes," Austin answered. Concerned lang naman ako kasi alam kong pagod na siya. Kung ako nga na naupo lang buong byahe napagod, paano pa kaya siya na nag-drive? At saka nakita ko rin siya na minamasahe iyong braso niya noong nag-stopover kami sa isang cafe para kumain."Alright. Uwi
Child"What happened?" I asked. Ang seryoso bigla ng itsura ni Austin kaya mas lalo akong kinabahan. May masama bang nangyari?Hindi napansin nina Inigo at Agatha ang presensiya ni Austin dahil abala pa rin sila sa pinag-aawayan nilang dalawa."Turbo and Robin got sick," he answered. Bigla namang nanlaki ang mata ko."What? Why?" tanong ko. Medyo nabawasan ang kaba ko nang malaman na wala naman palang nangyaring masama sa kanya."They won't eat. I don't know why."He looked awfully bothered so I stood up to face him."Did you have them checked already?"He shook his head. "Their vet's not in yet an
Child "Hi. I brought the extra references we need," bati ko kay Nerika nang maupo ako sa tabi niya. She's already busy on her laptop so I brought mine out, too. Naging abala na rin ako nang simulan kong i-input ang mga data sa report. We really have to work on this meticulously because our prof is very particular on details. Hindi pumasok ang professor namin para sa oras na iyon kaya nagkaroon kami ng oras na tapusin ang report. All of us are busy with the report. It's not all about painting in this class. Mayroon ding writing at technical papers na nirerequire. Nerika and I finished the work earlier than expected. "Hay salamat," sabi ko at nag-unat pa kasi masakit na ang likod ko. "We can submit this already. Finally," she sai
MVPI never believed that time flies by so fast because for me, we get the exact twenty-four hours a day. No more, no less. But that's until Austin happened... Kapag pala talaga masaya ka, ang bilis ng takbo ng panahon. Hindi mo namamalayan na lumilipas ang oras kasi masaya ka lang.Today's the game two for the championship title. Our university's team has been undefeated in the round two of the tournament. Nagpatuloy ang momentum na iyon hanggang game one ng finals. I've watched every game and now... I'm torn if I should watch live or sa TV na lang. Panigurado, ang daming tao. Natatakot ako na maulit iyong nangyari noong game one.Right after Austin and the rest of the team won the game, they allowed fans to take pictures with them. Hindi ko na muna nilapitan no'n si Austin kasi maraming tao. I was silently and patiently w
— Georgina Meredith —So far, everything about our honeymoon is perfect. The destination, the landscape, the food, the beaches... Literally everything. It's a perfect package to celebrate Austin and I's union.Yesterday, we spent the day doing island tours. Ngayon naman ay katatapos lang sa massage at spa. I'd say it's one of the best I've ever had, very relaxing that I really fell asleep. Ayaw ni Austin kaya ako lang ang nag-enjoy doon. He just waited for me to finish."Aus, let's visit the night market later?" I asked when we got back to our villa. Beachfront iyon kaya maganda ang tanawin. Also located on the secluded part of the resort so there's privacy."You want to?""Kung gusto mo."
Austin Javier's life before he met Georgina Meredith"Javi!" Jaco called. I was dribbling the ball and I passed it to him. He immediately released it for a three-point shot. When it went in, he celebrated and looked in my direction. "Nice assist!" he shouted and I acknowledged him.I started running to the other side of the court and guarded the opponent."You're unbelievably serious today, bro. Practice game lang, e," my teammate from the opposite team said.It's true that it's just a practice game but that doesn't give me the pass to slack off. Papalapit na ang UASA kaya dapat pagbutihin ko pa lalo. My teammates don't think the same, though. Probably because this is the second game already and the first one was too tiring. Everybody was giving it their all. Kaya ngayon na pang
Georgina Meredith’s life before she met Austin Javier"Georgina!"Nilingon ko ang tumawag sa akin habang tinatahak ang hallway ng main building at nakita ko ang isang senior ko."Ano po 'yon?"Nakahabol siya sa akin at hinihingal na inabot ang hawak niya. Envelope iyon at mukhang may letter sa loob. Hindi pa man nabubuksan ay alam ko na kung ano 'yon. The design of the envelope already gave away the letter's intent. Love letter ito, alam ko."You dropped this from your book," he replied and glanced at the book I was holding. Kumunot ang noo ko dahil paano naman napunta 'yon sa libro ko? Kahit nagtataka ay tinanggap ko iyon."Thanks... Sorry, you had to run after me for this."
— Georgina Meredith —Austin and I are sorting out all the gifts we've received. Sa dami ay hindi na namin alam kung saan ilalagay ang iba. All of it are delivered in our condo. Ang isang guest room ay halos mapuno na dahil doon namin dinala ang malalaking regalo."Not to sound too ungrateful but wow, there's no end to this," I said when I finished unwrapping another gift.Nakaupo ako sa carpet ng living room. I can already feel my leg cramping up so I decided to stand up and stretch. Hindi pa man nakakapag-unat ay marahan na akong hinila ni Austin para maupo sa hita niya. His arms immediately wrapped around me."You can rest. We're not in a rush, are we?" he whispered before gently kissing my cheek. Dahil nakasandal ako sa kanya ay madali
— Georgina Meredith —"What a wonderful wedding! Congratulations to the both of you.""This wedding will definitely steal the spotlight for next month's issue!""Hay. I do love weddings. Sana si Rex na ang susunod!"Kaliwa't-kanan ang mga bati na natatanggap namin ni Austin mula sa mga bisita. It feels heartwarming and at the same time overwhelming. Who knew this many people care about us? I personally didn't so I treasured each and every wish they had for us."Are you tired? We can rest for a bit and eat while we're at it," Austin said."I can manage. Mamaya na lang. We need to greet the other guests pa."Mat
― Georgina Meredith ― "I can't believe my only daughter is getting married," Mom said after one heavy sigh.I can't help but chuckle. "Mom, need I remind you again that I'm already married? It will be a second wedding."Ilang beses ko nang nabanggit na nagpakasal na kami ni Austin sa Vegas pero parang hindi tumatatak sa kanya 'yon. It's just funny to me because I know exactly why she's being like that.When my family learned about my first wedding, they were all disapproving. Not in a negative way, though. Iyon bang parang nagtatampo sila na hindi ko pinaalam sa kanila agad. They knew about it months after."'Tsaka ang bilis n'yo lang naman pumayag nang magtanong sainyo si Austin, e," dagdag ko.
Austin Javier Uvero"Austin!" Gia said and ran to me. Always the ball of sunshine."Hey... I missed you real bad," I said and hugged her tight."I missed you, too. Who's that?" she whispered, pertaining to Pablo. The asshole extended his hand to Gia."Pablo Vergeire. Javi's teammate," pakilala niya."Georgina Sy. Nice to meet you," Gia said and shook Pablo's hand."Okay, that's enough," I said and broke the hand shake. Ayaw bumitaw ni Pablo, e.I noticed he's keen on making fun of me. He even laughed before he took Gia's things."Your apartment, right?" pagkukum
Austin Javier Uvero"Heard Gia's back?" Iain asked when he dropped by my unit."Yeah. Three weeks ago pa.""Haven't seen her yet. Nakausap mo na ba?"I nodded."And then? Spare me some details, man!""We talked. She still won't hear me out. She thinks there's nothing to talk about 'cause we broke up a long time ago.""You gotta understand her. Nasaktan, e. But that's one setback. Work harder," he said and tapped me on my back.I did. That's my plan all along. I tried so hard to win her back. Even if it made me look desperate, I worked hard. I even took a step back to
Austin Javier Uvero"Fucking asshole. What are you doing here?" Giovanni asked when I showed up at their house. The guard won't let me in so he had to go out to see me. Alam kong galit siya sa akin kaya hindi na ako nagulat sa mapait niyang bungad.I'm a mess. Hindi pa nga naghihilom ang mga pasa ko galing sa suntok ng kapatid at mga pinsan ko pero nandito agad ako naghahanap ng panibago. With the way Giovanni is looking at me right now, I know his fist won't hesitate to land on my face."Van, tell me where Gia is. Please..." I begged."Leave. Before I punch your fucking face.""I won't leave until I know where she is. Just, please, tell me."I was at my low