Drown
I didn't attempt to surf again. Nanatili lang ako sa pwesto ko at pinapanood ang paulit-ulit na subok nina Iain at Inigo. Meanwhile, Kuya Rex, Raf and Austin are surfing at their own pace. I'd be lying if I say that I'm not amazed at how good Austin was. Saan kaya siya natuto mag-surf? Who taught him?
I am staring at him too much, that's for sure. I don't even know why I'm doing it. Kaya naman nang makita ko na pabalik na siya ay agad akong umiwas ng tingin.
"Girl, he's ripped. With muscles in their right places!"
Nagpanting ang tainga ko sa narinig. Lumingon ako para makita kung sino ang nagsabi noon. Not far from me, I saw two girls talking and giggling. They are boldly staring at Austin as he walks. He even ran his fingers through his wet hair which made the girls giggl
DrownEverywhere in my body hurts. My head is pounding when I opened my eyes. Nasa isang puting kwarto ako. Siguro ay clinic ito ng resort. Nang gumalaw ako ay naramdaman ko ang mainit na kamay na nakahawak sa kamay ko. Nang lingunin ko iyon ay nakita ko si Austin na bakas sa mukha ang sobrang pag-aalala.Siya ba 'yong tumulong sa'kin? How so? Malayo ako sa kanila kanina, ah? If someone helped me, I won't expect it's anyone from them."Please, don't ever scare me like that again..." nanghihinang sabi ni Austin.Memories flooded me. I was surfing and my leg cramped. Malayo ako sa dalampasigan. Nahulog ako sa tubig. Nahirapang lumangoy. Kinakain ng mga alon. Unti-unting nawawalan ng hangin. Hindi makahinga at hindi makawala."I a
ThankfulI wasn't a strong believer in second chances. I always thought that once something is broken, it will never be the same again. Once your trust is broken, it's so hard to restore it back whole. It's not an overnight fix. Some take years and some just never get fixed. That's how crucial second opportunities are for me. But Austin changed my belief.When I went home, I was so certain I'd never look back. Kasi ano pa ba ang point? Everything is done. Bakit ko pa babalikan? Bakit ko pa pagtutuonan ng pansin? I lived my life differently for almost two years. I forced myself to forget and bury all the pain. To heal... But I was so wrong. It turns out I was healing for the wrong reason. I thought I got cheated on and quite honestly, that destroyed me. Pero mali pala ako. Had I learned the truth early on, I would've saved myself some trouble even just a bit.
ThankfulHindi kalayuan ang condo ko sa firm namin kaya mabilis lang ang naging biyahe."Thank you..." I said as Austin opened the door for me and helped me unbuckle my seatbelt."I'll walk you to your unit," sabi pa niya. He also helped with my bags. Siya na ang may dala noon hanggang sa makarating kami sa unit ko.I'm not a slob but I immediately felt embarrassed when I saw that some of my things in the living room are not organized. Nagkalat pa iyong mga brush sets ko pati na 'yong maliliit na canvas."Sorry. It's a mess," I apologized.Isa-isa kong pinulot ang mga gamit ko at maayos na sinalansan sa gilid."It's fine," Austin said. Nakaupo
Austin Javier Uvero"Are you ready?" Giovanni asked on the other line."Yeah. Everything is all set," I replied.I just arrived in Madrid three days ago and I'm seriously so pumped up to meet Gia today. Tatlong araw ko pa lang siyang hindi nakikita, miss ko na agad. Man, if I hadn't convinced her to come here with me, I'd probably go nuts. Siguro hindi ako magtatagal at uuwi rin sa kanya agad."Sigurado ka na ba sa kapatid ko?" he laughed. "She's a headache sometimes and she's really difficult when mad."Tumawa rin ako. "Hella sure."I'd honestly take hardships with Gia over any other thing. We're simply meant to calm each other's storms. When she gets
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
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"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
― 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.
— 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