Chapter 05

Chapter 05

“I'm really sorry for making you wait, Miss HM. Just something urgent came.”

I can clearly see how tired she is. Kakarating nya lang galing kung saan man siya galing. She’s wearing a casual white dress. I waited for half an hour until she came. 

I gave her an assuring smile. “No problem, Janice.”

She sat down on a single coach to my left and let herself rest. Looking at her, where she came from is far away from here. She looked tired and exhausted like any minute she’ll pass out. I can tell she’s a hard working person. She deserves more than that guy who’s bugging me up until today.

“So, where are we now?” 

We’ve been discussing her plan for their wedding when she got a call from someone. She excused herself for ten minutes and came back after.

“About the venue.”

“Ah, yeah,” she sat down and looked at my sketch. 

“Do you want to change or have a suggestion?” 

“Uhm,” she kept scanning my sketch. “This is already good. I like it.” she commented.

“Thank you.”

She then closed my sketch pad and put it down on the glass table before looking at me.

“But…” she uttered. 

“But?” I got confused. 

Her eyes became unlively. “I need to postpone my wedding and put it in the first week of next month.”

“Huh? Why? Is there any problem with my sketch? With my plan? Don’t you like it—”

“No, no, no…” she tried to stop me from talking. “It’s not you, Miss Hm. It's about my parents actually.”

Kumunot ang noo ko. Her parents? Why don’t let this lady decide for herself?

“They’re in the US right now and they still need to be there until the end of the month, that's why…”

I can't stand this anymore.

“Are they asking you to stop your own wedding for them?”

“No.” Mabilis na sagot niya. “No, I have wanted it also since… since I have a feeling there’s something Leo’s hiding from me…” she almost whispers it like a young girl who’s confessing her mistakes to her parents.

“Hiding?”

She nods and looks at me like she’s about to cry.

“Dati ko pa pansin na parang may tinatago siya… hinahayaan ko lang for,” she stop herself from confessing what she truly feels.

“For… your parents?”

Tinignan niya ako nang matagal sa mata. It’s like I hit the right spot on her. Hindi siya nagsalita. Hindi niya tinanggi. Hindi niya rin inamin. But in the look on her face right now what i said is right. 

“Am I that obvious?” she laughs sarcastically. “Everyone always says the same thing. Am I that easy to read?”

I lend my ears on everything she will say. Even though I don't like her parents, I still can’t dislike this young her. I remember seeing her for the very first time when her mother gave birth to her. I’ve liked her from the very beginning until today. 

“Gusto ko lang naman i-please si mom at si dad. I want them to be proud of me by doing what they want from me. Is that wrong?”

I keep my mouth shut and let her voice out her thoughts on me. 

“I want them to be proud of me. I want them to love me… I…” and that she’s crying the way I saw her in her mother’s arms.

I didn’t think twice. I got up and moved towards her. I gave her a warm hug. Mabilis na pumulupot sa bewang ko ang mga kamay niya at dumako ang mukha sa tiyan ko. She is saying the things she can’t say to her parents while hugging me. Hearing her voice, I can say that she really feels left out in this family. The only thing I did was to caress her and listen to everything she says. 

We became silent for a while. No one makes a move or noise. We are still hugging each other. Then suddenly I heard her laugh and she slowly removed her hands on me.

“I’m sorry for causing another trouble” pinunasan niya ang luha sa mga pisngi habang natatawa. “Ang iyakin ko talaga. Sorry.”

“Hmm, it’s okay. Though I don’t have the right to say this, I'm glad you open up what you truly feel.” Bumalik ako sa pagkakaupo. “I hope you feel better now.”

She looks at me with genuine eyes and a smile. “Thank you so much, HM. Can I call you that?”

Ngumiti ako. “You can call me Hanneah.”

“Hanneah?”

Tumango ako. “That’s the meaning of H in HM, you can call me that.”

“Really?” She looks excited. “Are we friends now?”

“We are.”

“Oh my gosh! Really?” hindi siya makapaniwala. 

Tumango ulit ako. “Of course.”

Sa sobrang saya niya mabilis siyang yumakap ulit sa akin.

“Thank you! Ngayon na lang ulit ako nagkaroon ng kaibigan.” she sounds happy at the same time sad. “Thank you, Hanneah, really. For your time and for listening.”

Starting that day she became more talkative and open to me. She even adds and follows my personal social media accounts to contact me. And she got my number. She was really happy. I'm happy for her. 

We’ve been textmates after that. Minsan natatawa ako mag-isa sa mga nonsense messages from her. It’s actually fun having conversations with friends. Ngayon ko lang napagtanto na may saya palang nakukuha sa pakikipag usap sa kaibigan. 

About Leo, I blocked his number already. I decided to not make my plan in breaking them apart. Since Janice already sensing something, sooner or later she’ll find out it on herself that ass*hole wrongdoings and she’lll realize he’s not the man for her. Even though I knew her parents set her up with Leo looking back on our first meeting I can say she already fell for him. I will not let that man ruin her kind soul.

“Manang, juice po please. Please sit down, Hanneah.” 

For the nth time, I am here at their mansion because of her request. She begged me a while ago to come to their mansion because she wanted to tell me something about Leo. Though I said it’s not my business she’s so persistent. That’s why I am here again.

“So about my tea. Are you ready to hear it?”

Pinagmasdan ko ang reaksiyon niya sandali. She looks happy. Is it some good news or what?

“What about it?”

“Leo’s cheating!” she exclaimed happily.

“Wait, what?!”

“I said, Leo’s cheated on me!” mas sumaya ang itsura niya. “Leo’s has a girl who’s a model—”

“Wait, wait, so you’re telling me that Leo cheated on you, right?”

She nods. “RIght.”

“And you are happy with it?”

“Yes, of course!”

“I don’t get it.”

“Well, the thing is I don't like Leo, that's why I am happy right now!” She really sounds happy as if she won a lottery. “I can send these pictures to my parents and let them handle everything. As long as I don’t have to marry Leo, I will be happy!”

Pinakita niya sa akin ang mga evidence niya tungkol sa panloloko ni Leo. looking at those pictures, I can say that Leo’s really an as*hole. Not only one, not only two and not only three but so many girls in different pictures. He’s a playboy freak. Ang kapal ng apog.

“See? I’ve been collecting these pictures. Now I can send it to my parents.”

Habang nagsasalita siya, may biglang sumigaw mula sa itaas. 

“Sir! Sir!”

Pareho kaming napalingon ni Janice sa kung saan nanggaling ang boses ng lalaki. And to my surprise, the man named Jian is already on the last step of the stairs while looking at us.

“Kuya!” takot ang boses na tinawag ni Janice ang lalaki. “W-What are you doing here? Go back to your room!”

Instead of following what Janice said, the man continued walking towards us while staring at me. I felt nervous and… afraid while looking at him.

“I’m hungry, Ja. Can’t I eat now?”

Nangilabot ako sa narinig. His voice is so deep and whole. It gives me chills. 

“Who’s this anyway? A friend?” His pair of eyes looked at me.

Once again, I felt my knees become weak. 

I can’t stop myself from staring at his eyes. I can’t look away. There’s something in his eyes that wants me to look at it. Anong nangyayari sa akin? Anong ginawa niya sa akin?