Their Love Schemes 1: Nothing Like You & I (CLO|RXN)

Ruins of then

"Cielo! Cielo!"

Raxen called out her name a number of times and ran after her. But she tuned him out and pretended she didn't hear him. Instead, she walked faster than usual and never looked back. Raxen tried to keep up with her but when he reached the parking lot, Cielo's car was already speeding off, tail lights flashing at him as if to say good bye.

"Stupid! Stupid!" he chanted as he walked towards his car. When he came near it, he kicked the tire and punched the hood. He angrily opened the car and slammed the door after he got inside it. He then hit the steering wheel, venting out his anger on the poor vehicle. Clearly, this is not one of his days.

"'Hindi mo alam ang gulong sinimulan mo'. Hah!" ulit nito sa sinabi ng dalaga bago siya iniwan sa madilim na lobby ng DGC. Umismid siya at pagkatapos ay pinaandar ang sasakyan. "Yan kasi humalik-halik ka pa kanina! God, Raxen! What's happening to you?" pagsesermon nito sa sarili, stepping on the gas a little more to gain speed. He has no idea where he is going but what the heck!

* * *

Cielo touched her lips with one hand while the other is on the steering wheel. She's in the middle of the traffic in Balibago which gave her more time to think about what transpired this evening. Well, what had been going on for weeks already actually.

Hindi niya maintindihan ang nararamdaman. A kiss is just a kiss. Raxen's kiss is nothing. So what kung hinalikan sya nito? It's not as if there's something special about it. 'Right Cielo', a part of her brain said sarcastically.

Naiinis siya. Naiinis siya kay Raxen dahil sa ginawa nito. At mas lalong naiinis sya sa sarili dahil hinayaan niyang mangyari iyon.

But her body is saying otherwise. If truth be told, she liked it. She liked it even more because it was Raxen who kissed her. And she's glad that it was him whom she made out with on that Saturday night. Parang may mainit na kamay ang humaplos sa puso niya sa kaisipang iyon. She dated a number of guys for the past years, made out with the few, but never she had felt like this. Like something was put back into place.

"Cielo, ano ka ba! Anong pinag-iisip mo dyan!" atungal nya sa loob ng kotse. Kasabay nun, nag-green na ang traffic light. Dahil sa inis, napalakas ang pag-apak niya sa gas at napabilis ang takbo niya.

Hindi niya alam kung kanino siya tumatakbo palayo. Kay Raxen?

O sa sarili niya mismo?

Tuluy-tuloy na sana ang pagtakbo niya when something caught her eye out of her peripheral vision. She slowed down. Ilang beses na niyang dinaanan ang hi-way na ito pero ngayon lang niya napansin ulit ang restaurant. To avoid traffic, she parked her car in front of the establishment. Lumabas siya sa kotse at tumayo sa gilid nito, and looked up at the signage. May lumapit sa kanyang guard at nagsabing na magsasara na ang restaurant. Sinabi niya ditong hindi siya magtatagal at may tinitignan lang. Iniwan siya ng gwardiya at nahulog siya sa malalim na pag-iisip. Sa pagbabalik tanaw. Sa oras kung saan malapit na palang magbago ang lahat...

* * *

"Congratulations!!!!" sabay-sabay na bati ng pamilya ni Raxen, ni Eno, ang barkada niya at ang teammates nito pagkapasok nito sa loob ng restaurant. Pinakiusapan niya ang Kuya Sean nito na dalhin ang nobyo sa nasabing kainan para sa surprise Thanksgiving Party na pinagplanuhan niya.

"Whoa! What's happening here?" tanong nito pagkatapos makabawi sa pagkabigla. She silently watched him while his family and friends gave their greetings to her boyfriend.