Chapter 10

Nagdaan na naman ang ilan pang oras at ngayon ay nagluluto na naman ako para sa hapunan namin. Dahil tinamad na ako ngayon, ininit ko lang 'yong natirang bulalo kanina at nagluto lang ng karagdagang ulam--isang mangkok ng ramen, na naman.

Nasanay naman na kasi ako na palaging ganito lang ang kinakain, lalo na kapag nasa mga normal na mission lang ako. Kahit nga de lata lang, oks na oks na ako. Pero dahil may kailangan akong pagsilbihan ditong senorito, kailangan kong maghain ng pagkain na dapat ay magustuhan niya.

Kaya nagprito na lang din ako ng na frozen na na lumpia sa ref. Nang matapos na, nilapag ko na ang lahat ng 'yon sa center table sa sala, at saka pumunta muna sa kwarto ko para makabihis sandali ng tshirt.

"Delgado! Kakain na!" Tawag ko na naman kay Sid.

Mabilis naman siyang napunta sa harap ko. The night went on and he didn't make me entertain him that much. Wala siyang imik habang kumakain kami. At nang matapos na, agad naman siyang nawala sa paningin ko kaya inisip ko na lang na baka bumalik na 'yon kaagad sa kuwarto niya.

Sa sumunod na araw, gan'on pa rin naman ang nangyari. Halos buong araw niya yata akong iniiwasan, or maybe that's just how I thought everything unfolded.

Sa hapag lang kami nagkikita, at wala pa rin siyang imik sa 'kin sa tuwing kumakain kami. Gaya rin kagabi ay agad lang siyang nawala pagkatapos. Kaya naman nang umabot na ang gabi, medyo nailang ako sa pakiramdam na parang ako lang na naman mag-isa ang nasa bahay. So I tried my best to go and persuade him to accompany me good for the night.

I mean, the normal... accompaniment. For the night.

I knocked on his door two times fast and one time slow.

"Hey? You in there?" I called for him.

It took a while for the door to open to reveal his self, but not that long to make me go frustrated about him again.

His hair is messy, like he just got off from bed. But his eyes weren't that normal drowsy eyes people make when they're interrupted in their sleep, so I assumed that maybe he was just reading while tucked in his bed the whole day. Hindi ko na lang din 'yon pinuna pa.

"What is it?"

"You wanna watch a movie?"

He stared at me weirdly for a while, and I just innocently blinked at him as I wait for his response.

"Okay." He simply agreed and I clapped my hands in delight.

"Great! Sa sala tayo!"

Nauna nga akong naglakad papunta sa sala. May kinuha pa yata siya sa kwarto niya bago tuluyang sumunod sa 'kin kaya medyo natagalan siya. Pero hindi naman masyado.

Dali-dali kong sinetup ang t.v para maka-start na kaming manood ng N*****x. At nang ma-display na sa screen ang account ko, agad akong nag-browse ng ibang magandang panoorin. Some old classics are here, too. I also scrolled once on the latest movie adaption of the After series, the book that the kid beside me just read, pero nilampasan ko na lang 'yon.

I am in no mood to talk about the things we discussed yesterday again, kaya talagang inilagan ko ang mga movies o series na magpapaalala sa 'kin at sa kanya na rin ng mga bagay na napag-usapan namin kahapon.

I ended up picking the Pride and Prejudice. This is one of my favorite romance movies. The novel's one of my favorite, too. At nang tignan ko ang katabi ko, he seems to be amazed when the title showed up on the big screen of the my flatscreen t.v.

"This has a movie adaptation?"

His eyes screamed his delight on such a thing. Talagang kumikislap ang mga mata niya sa tuwa nang makita ang kung anong nakita niya sa screen.

"You didn't know? This was released more than six years ago," I explained.

"No, I didn't," his smile grew wider. "This is splendid!"

Mahina na lang akong napatawa sa sinabi niya. I can understand the part that he didn't knew what N*****x was, pero ngayon na pati ang pelikulang ito ay hindi niya alam, parang ang imposible naman. Gaano ba kastrikto ang mga magulang nito noon at ano lang ba ang mga palabas na pinapayagan nilang panoorin ng anak nila? Puro cartoons?

I mean, that could be in a good way of parenting, para hindi nga masyadong lumabas ang bata. But if the case is already involving raising a grown man, I don't think that can still be justifiable.

There really is something fishy about this kid's parents.

"What were the movies that you've watched before, then? I mean, anong klaseng movies ang mga napanood mo na?"

"Well, have you heard of anime?"

I raised a brow. "Yeah. That's all you watch?"

"Well, not really. I also watch football in our t.v. Pero movies," he pouted, "my parents made lots of restrictions on the things I can watch, though."

Wow. Surprising, Delgado. I've never thought of that before.

"Like what restrictions, exactly?" I examined him more.

"I don't think I can explain all of them as exactly as what would satisfy you. Pero all in all, I can conclude that they are doing everything to avoid me from watching or even reading such... intimate scenes..."

Mas lalo lang tumaas ang kilay ko sa kanya, now also with a frown on my face.

"And also, maybe scenes of... danger?"

"You mean, mga away? Baril? Giyera? Gan'on?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Those, too."

Nakuha na naman ng atensyon niya ang palabas sa t.v kaya hindi ko na lang din siya inistorbo pa.

Why need the tons of restrictions in his life, though? I'm already having my own suspicions and accusations but I think it will be a lot better if I call to my father the rightest information I can ever get, and also the most accurate one. I don't want him disappointed in me, especially for such a very big mission.

All of these might be easy as it seems, but it's actually not. The entire mission doesn't just revolve around the fact that I should get the gem of rarity from this Delgado's hands. Kung 'yon lang pala ang misyon, pwede ko lang naman siyang bugbugin ng hindi naman masyadong malala, sabihan siyang ibigay sa 'kin ang hinihingi ko, at tapos na ang lahat.

Or I could also just barge in his room and look on anything he's own in my house to see if maybe he has the gem all these time with him. Pwede ko ring kapain na lang ang suot niya ngayon at pwedeng ako na lang din talaga ang maghanap sa diyamanteng iyon kung 'yon lang naman ang kailangan kong gawin para sa misyong 'to.

But the problem is that's not the only thing that I'm tasked to do here. Well, not the only thing I myself wants to do, to be exact. I have to gather information about this rich yet not-so-known family, mostly about the late parents of this poor boy. Because, well, I also have my own suspicions about the mission. 

Bacause why would my father be in great want of the gem, anyway? He kept his reason from me. Kaya parang may mga namuo rin na mga pagdududa sa loob ko. But not because I'm doubting what job he gave me, doesn't mean I won't oblige to his what he wants me to do. 

"She's beautiful," I heard Sid mumbled beside me.

"Elizabeth Bennet?"

"Yes," he answered immediately, "the actress suits the character well."

"Indeed."

Tahimik na naman siyang nanood pagkatapos no'n. And because I've already watched this movie more than seven times for my whole life, I didn't care much about it anymore. Kaya sa huli, ang batang Delgado na lang ang pinanood ko.

The light of the television reflected perfectly on his innocently soft eyes. And that is something that I never got to see for almost most of my life. Innocence.

Which can probably explain the emotions I'm feeling about him. My soul is not just offering him pity, but also... jealousy.

Because he had all his life being this... innocent. Kahit na may masama ngang naidulot ito sa kanya, kasi kahit na umabot na lang siya sa edad niya ngayon ay kakarampot pa rin ang alam niya sa mundo, that can still be something that I can envy of.

Because I'm born to a family of geniuses, with great capability of almost everything, I was also expected to grow up the same way, to provide evidence that I am indeed the heiress of the family. And that's a lot of pressure.

At dahil doon, kailangan ko ngang matuto ng samu't-saring bagay, kahit sa mura pang edad. And that's not something that I had fun to do with, or even volunteered to do. As a child, my willingness to do something that will not spark my interest is something that will make my body shake uncontrollably. Because I was torn in either disagreeing with only one reason- that I don't want to do it, or agreeing without my full enthusiasm. Pero dahil nga kailangan, kahit hindi ko gusto, ginawa ko na lang.

In times when normal kids my age was playing with their stuffed toys or dolls, I am already playing with knives and guns. Even with my small and fragile hands, I was tasked to learn how to use those weapons, in hopes that I will grow up as a brave and daring girl that can withstand any harm and dangers that could be surrounding my future—the destiny my family have always expected me to follow. To fight. To be brave and independent.

To become a knight for myself.

My innocence was stolen from me at such a very young age, just because of that fate of mine. And I will be lying if I say that I didn't regret that I gave in to my family's wishes. Of course, I missed my childhood. And that's something that I'm so regretful about.

Kahit na naging ganito ang epekto nito sa kanya, at least, you can see that his parents were just trying to protect him. But in my case, my family will do anything to let me see the cruelty of the world, and will even vomit all their evil doings in front of me just to make me realize that it's not so bad to be evil after all... as long as you have the power to turn your evilness into something that can benefit you.

Hindi naman sa sinasabi kong masasamang tao nga ang pamilya ko. Of course, in this field of life, it's impossible to not have your own share of evil. Having enemies is just one of the many perks of living this kind of fate, and that can also just mean that you're also doing a great job.

Pati ako ngayon, madami na ring kaaway. So I can also just consider this mission as a vacation, too. A break from all the dangerous stunts I've been for the past months. At least for now, there is a huge possibility that my golden boy won't be that hard to fight.

It's just his hidden intelligence that's keeping me a bit threatened.

But overall, hindi naman siguro mapapababa ang kumpyansa ko sa sarili dahi lang sa misyong ito. I just have to face the reality that my supposed to be innocent childhood was messed up terribly, and I can never do anything to turn back time now. And if that's the only thing that keeps me envious about this kid, then I should stop myself by just accepting the fact I just mentioned.

Kasi kung awa lang naman ang nararamdaman ko sa kanya, hindi ko naman yata maiisipan din na tulungan lang siya. But my jealousy is also somehow getting at an alarmingly high point that one of these days I might also want to let him experience what I did, which is bad.

I know my limitations here.

I should only do this for the sake of the mission, for the sake of my job. Not because some of my feelings are being involved. That's just so unprofessional of me.

Nakita kong medyo nanlaki ang mga mata niya habang patuloy na nanonood no'ng movie. Na-curious naman ako kaya binalik ko na lang din ang tingin ko do'n.

And, yeah. He's actually more than halfway through the movie. It was the scene after both Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy had enough in just sitting on the church and listen to Mr. Collins' preaching. Well, for Elizabeth's part, she was actually listening to Colonel Fitzwilliam the entire time, who told her something about what Darcy did about Jane and Mr. Bingley.

Now, the scene playing is when they were fighting, after they ran in the rain, then met in that seemingly old abandoned place. And after all the shouting, the accusations, and the confirmation too, there was a scene where they almost kissed.

Like, just a little bit of leaning each other's faces closer, but they both have their own restraint. I don't think kissing, even in a private place, as long as it is an open space, has ever been agreeable on the 18th century. Even just holding hands is a big deal.

But the big boy beside me became so attentive with the scene so suddenly, that made me cringe at him again.

Ang ganda na sana no'ng mga realizations ko kanina, eh. Tapos ngayon, balik na naman ako sa realidad na kailangan ko pa palang patnubayan nang maigi 'tong batang 'to.

I almost rolled my eyes. Ilang araw pa lang kaming magkasama pero, ugh... kaumay.

"They're not going to kiss," I stated, that made him turn to me in a flash, eyes wide, like he was caught red-handed.

"See?" Turan ko na naman nang makitang umalis na nga si Darcy sa lugar na 'yon at iniwan si Elizabeth.

Binalik ni Sid sandali ang mga mata niya sa t.v pero binalik din naman ulit 'yon sa 'kin, gulantang pa rin.

"What?"

"I... I wasn't expecting them to..."

I smirked. "To kiss? Eh bakit parang biglang atat na atat kang makita silang idikit pa ang mga mukha nila, ha?"

He looked away and swallowed. "H-Hindi, ah..."

Now, I finally rolled my eyes again.

"Talaga?"

"W-Why would I be... interested i-in that?"

I raised a brow and pouted again, like my usual look when I am not satisfied of what people just said in front of me.

"Maybe because you haven't seen a couple kiss before?"

Hindi siya umimik, kaya nilingon ko siya. And he was just there sitting so awkwardly like a scolded child.

"Have you?"

Nabigla naman ako sa bigla niyang sabat. Aba't! Itong batang 'to talaga, oh! Ang galing mambwisit!

"Pardon?"

"Have you seen someone kiss already?" He crossed his arms in front of him, his tone now getting even more dangerously serious.

"Or, have you already... kissed someone?"

Hindi ko alam kung anong mararamdaman ko sa sinabi niya, o kung ano ang magiging reaksyon ko. So I just stared at him with a crumpled face, almost cringing out because of his questions.

"Of course," I said with all honesty.

Like, come on. I'm 23. How can I come to this age without kissing even just a single guy?

I mean, I've actually kissed multiple guys before. I've had my own fair share of ex-boyfriends. Some were even just for playing around with suspects or other men involved in my missions and I just seduce their way to spill the information I want to get.

But yeah, I don't think I'll be proud that I lost my first kiss to someone... unexpected. Kung sino siya? I'll just open that up someday.

His head turned sideways to face me again, now in an unexpected scowl.

I didn't know he can do such a face. Muntik niya na akong natakot do'n, ah.

"Really?"

His voice gave me chills. Mas lalong lumalim ang boses niya, at magkasalubong na ang mga kilay niya. But unlike all the times that his brows creased, now, his eyes are showing evident anger and I don't think I've ever seen his eyes look this dark. Like he's starting to think of preying me or something.

Bigla na lang gumapang ang kaba sa sistema ko. Hindi ko alam kung bakit.

Should I be ashamed on what I just confessed? Of course, it's normal for someone my age to have experiences in kissing. But at least, I'm still a virgin! Saka na yata ako mahihiya kapag sinabi ko sa isang estranghero na hindi na ako virgin!

But that's not the case now, so I shouldn't feel that way. Calm your nerves, Seph.

"Yeah? What's wrong with that? Kissing is normal." I explained. "And it's not like I'm a twelve-year-old girl, alright? I'm in my twenties na. One shouldn't be surprised anymore when I say that I already have an experience in kissing."

"An experience? Just a single, one?"

"Actually," I shifted on my seat, "multiple experiences already. As of now."

Mas lalo lang yata siyang nagalit sa 'di malamang dahilan nang sabihin ko 'yon. And for the first time that he's been here, I saw how his jaw clenched from my angle.

Halos lumuwa ang kaluluwa ko nang makita siyang gawin 'yon. How did he know how to do that?

"Okay." He said so coldly.

The coldness in his voice gave me shivers. What is wrong with him?

"Hey, don't be sad that you still haven't experienced that. You'll have the perfect time for that someday."

"Uh-huh?"

I turned to him with questioning eyes now. "What's wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?"

Kumunot ang noo ko. "Ba't parang naiinis ka? O baka nagdadabog ka lang kasi naiinggit ka? Kasi hindi ka pa nakakahalik noon?"

Mas lalo lang yatang sumama ang timpla niya sa sinabi ko. But I saw that he somehow put a restraint in himself, and just looked away again.

"Bakit naman ako maiinggit?"

I let out a chuckle, which made him turn to me again, still with his arms crossed in front of him and the daggering stares.

"Anong nakakatawa? Hindi naman talaga ako maiinggit. Bakit naman ako maiinggit?"

Mas lalo lang akong napatawa sa sinabi niya. Nilingon niya ulit ako at mas sinamaan ng tingin, pero hindi ko siya pinansin at nagpatuloy sa pagtawa.

"I'm sorry it's just-" I tried to stop laughing so I can talk better "-that was a good one! Joker ka pala, ah! Haha!" Patuloy akong tumawa.

Pero nang makabawi na ako sa pagtawa at tinignan siyang muli, talagang hindi nawala ang simangot sa mukha niya! Mas lalo ko lang yata siyang ininis ngayon!

I mean, it's not like I'm scared. Kanina lang 'yon.

"Hindi ako nagpapatawa." He said with all seriousness.

Pero imbes na dibdibin ang pagiging seryoso niya, medyo natawa na naman ako. Hindi ko mapigilan, eh. I still found him so cute even with his mad face. I can't take his seriousness seriously.

"Talaga ba? Parang nagdadabog ka na d'yan no'ng sinabi kong madami na akong n*******n, eh! Sabihin mo na lang kasing naiinggit ka!"

"Bakit naman kasi ako maiinggit?" Sabat niya naman.

"Kasi hindi ka pa nakakahalik!"

His eyes went even darker than ever, but I still didn't mind him. I even almost stick my tongue out at him. Mabuti at napigilan ko ang sarili ko at baka mamaya maging dragon na 'to sa harap ko.

You're facing an actual stranger, Seph, may I remind you kasi ginagawa mo na siyang purong katatawanan ngayon. And a stranger, from an old rich family! Who might also have other motives to you right now! 'Wag mong ginagalit ang hindi mo kilala! Baka mamaya, lamunin ka n'yan! Baka halimaw pala talaga 'yan!

Those words in my head kept me composed for the meantime. But then, when I was already sure that I won't see him as a laughing stock anymore, he literally just made me think about every criticism I just thought about him a while ago.

"Eh ano naman ngayon? Bakit hindi mo na lang ako halikan para hindi na ako kawawa o katawa-tawa sa paningin mo?"