MVP
Marami na ang tao nang makarating ako sa Chanston. The first game was held at the opponent's home court. Ngayon ay dito naman sa Chanston. I am so praying that Austin and the rest of the team will win today. Kasi mas masaya naman mag-celebrate kung nandito mismo sa school namin. Mas ramdam ang school spirit.
"Where are you?" Austin asked on the other line.
"Papunta na sa tabi nina Tita... I see you. Baba mo na ang tawag, Aus," utos ko. Nagwa-warm up na kasi sila at dapat hindi na siya gumagamit ng cellphone. Their head coach is really strict. Ayokong mapagalitan pa siya.
Tito Steve, Tita Verna, Ali and Kuya Rex are all sitting together. Sabi ni Austin manonood din sina Iain pero baka nasa ibang side sila nakaupo.
"Good afternoon,
Happy BirthdayNanatili akong nakatayo sa pwesto ko. I didn't know what to react or what to do. Lalapitan ko ba sila o mananatili ako rito? A part of me wants to leave this place but I couldn't because this is Austin's moment. I don't want to leave acting all hurt and bruised just because of what I saw.Alam ko na magkaibigan silang dalawa. They go way back. They're childhood friends, I think. So maybe the hug and kiss is normal? Pero naapektuhan pa rin ako. Hindi ako sanay na makitang may babaeng gagawa no'n kay Austin bukod sa pamilya niya at sa akin... And he doesn't seem affected so maybe I shouldn't, too?"That was just friendly, I guess," Inigo said as he shrugged.Hindi ko alam ang sasabihin ko kaya tumango na lang ako.Nang m
Happy Birthday "Hi po, Tito, Tita." Nilingon ko kung sino iyon at nagulat nang makita si Sinara na tumabi kay Tita Verna. Bumati rin siya kay Ali. Nagkamustahan sila habang ako ay nanatiling tahimik. Naalala ko na naman iyong kanina... I seriously need to get over it. Ayokong sa kada nakikita ko si Sinara, iyong ganoong imahe na lang lagi ang papasok sa isip ko. 'Tsaka si Austin na rin ang nagsabi na wala lang iyon. "Kamusta ka na, hija? Hindi ka na pumupunta sa bahay," Tito Steve said. "Busy po. We're currently playing for a league," sagot ni Sinara. Nakikinig lang ako sa usapan nila. I know it's bad but I can't help it. I just continued being busy
Portrait "Thank you..." I sincerely said. Kahit na nahihiya pa ako sa itsura ko ay niyakap ko si Austin. It's a nice feeling seeing him first thing in the morning. Niyakap niya rin ako pabalik. "I'll date you today," he said. "Ngayon na?" tanong ko. I have no plans kasi mamayang gabi pa naman kami magce-celebrate. "Yeah..." "As in ngayon? Five in the morning?" Saan niya naman ako dadalhin sa ganitong oras? He nodded. "Just prepare. And I need to get out of your room now. Giovanni strictly said I can only stay for five minutes," he said seriously. So kay Kuya siya nagpaalam para makapasok sa kwarto ko? Mamayang hapon pa kasi ang dating
Portrait I knew it won't be easy for me. Nahuhuli kami ni Austin kasi maya't-maya akong tumitigil para magpahinga. He's just laughing at me. "Come on. Malapit na," he said. Kanina niya pa iyon sinasabi pero ang layo layo pa pala. "You kept on saying malapit na pero hindi naman..." I said and drank water on my tumbler. Pawis na pawis na rin ako. I'm just thankful that the weather's nice. Hindi masyadong mainit. "It's true this time, though. And the view's nice for sure. Mawawala ang pagod mo." "Pagod ko lang? Aren't you tired?" "Slight," he answered. Okay... siya na athletic. Ako yata ang least at
Video "Are you sure you have everything you need?" Austin asked while helping me bring the paints to the compartment of his car. "Yup," I answered. I'm mentally checking if that is all. Ayokong may makalimutan pa. Lahat ng paint, dala ko na. Brushes, check. Pencils and blank canvas boards, check. "Alright. Get in, I'll fix these," he said. Sumunod naman ako sa sinabi ni Austin at pumasok na ako sa loob ng sasakyan. He'll drive me to Cainta. I accepted Sandro's offer to paint in an events place. I'm not sure if Sandro will be there but Nerika and I got an offer and we accepted. Thanks to his recommendation. Mabuti na lang din at pinayagan kami ng professors namin na ma-excuse. They are more lenient to us this semester. "You'll c
VideoThat was my routine for the next four days. I paint for like ten hours a day with little breaks in between. Kaya kapag gabi, diretso na lang talaga ako sa tulog. Even Nerika, whom I share a hotel room with, is also knocked out every night. Kahit na magluluto pa dapat kami ng dinner, e hindi na namin nagagawa dahil sa sobrang pagod kaya lahat na lang fast food iyong kinakain namin. I'm sure Austin will scold me if he knew about this. Napaka nutri-freak pa naman no'n."Wow. This is paradise," Nerika commented when she went to my work place. "Gi, dinner tayo nina Sandro. Kasama si Ms. Andrada and si Bea," she added, referring to the designer and the other girl who paints here as well."Sure. I'll just wrap up," I answered. Bukas, kaunting detalye na lang ang idadagdag ko sa buong mural. Just the shadows and little more h
EndMy tears kept on falling. Kahit pa mabilis kong pinupunasan iyon ay may panibago pa ring tumutulo. So many emotions were running through my whole system. Doubts, jealousy, and a slowly creeping pain. How could Austin do this?"Let me see it again. Baka hindi naman 'to si Javi," rinig kong sabi ni Nerika. I couldn't care about what they said anymore. Everything's starting to blur, my vision because of the nonstop tears and my rationality because of what I saw.In the video, I saw Sinara dancing near Austin in what seems like a bar. They were so close to each other that it's so hard to just ignore how bothering their setup was. And at the end of the video, they kissed... It was quick but a kiss is a kiss."Stop that!" Austin said to the recording despite the loud booming music
EndI woke up feeling extreme headache and soreness in my eyes. Nang tingnan ko ang oras ay tanghali na pala. Austin was supposed to pick me up today. Pero hindi na iyon mangyayari pa.I checked my phone and there was one message from him.Austin:Gia.Just that one. I immediately felt a lump forming in my throat. Pinigilan kong umiyak ulit habang binabasa ang nag-iisang mensahe mula sa kanya. Masyado ba siyang abala kagabi para iyon lang ang masabi niya? Was he too guilty? Ayaw niyang magpaliwanag o makipag-usap man lang?Ininda ko ang mga nararamdaman ko at pinilit na pumasok sa klase. I only have one class today. Wala na si Kuya Van at Aspen nang bumaba ako pero nag-i
— 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