Drawn to His Flame

Kabanata 4

Remember

“Isang masarap na hapunan para sa dalawa kong poging tenants. Sana magustuhan ninyo ang niluto ko, mga hijo,” wika ni Tita Janice pagkatapos ko siyang tulungan sa paglalapag ng pagkain sa mesa.

Even though I wasn’t looking at the guy across the table, I still could feel him boring holes in my skull. I decided to take a risk and I immediately regretted it because of how sharp Treyton was glaring at me right now. Kung nakamamatay lang ang tingin, baka kanina pa ako pinaglalamayan ngayon.

Hindi rin siya nag-abalang magsalita pa kaya ako na lang ang nagpasalamat para sa libreng pagkain. This was one of the perks of living in Tita Janice’s apartment. She’s giving us free meals whenever we are at home. Pero bad timing lang talaga ngayon. I would rather eat outside than eat with my roommate who looked like he was busy torturing me in his mind.

I can’t even use Shell as an excuse so that I could get away from this tight situation! Sa mga ganitong pagkakataon pa talaga nawawala ang kaibigan ko. Looks like I’m left with no choice. Might as well endure it.

“Maiwan ko muna kayong dalawa. Enjoy the food!” This was the moment that I loathed to happen. If I could, I would beg Tita Janice to stay here and eat with us. Pero hindi kaya ng pride ko. It would make it extremely obvious that Treyton still had an impact on me. Dahil kahit ano man ang gawin kong pagtanggi, alam kong mayroon pa rin talaga siyang epekto sa akin kahit katiting man iyon.

It’s damn hard to move on from your crush of three years.

Mabilis na bumigat ang atmospera sa loob ng kuwarto pagkatapos kong marinig ang pagsara ng pinto. I saw Treyton leaning on his chair before crossing his arms in front of his chest. Uneasiness filled the air but I did everything to disregard him even though he was still staring at me like he was a predator and I am the prey.

I only managed to scoop rice once from a bowl when he finally broke the awkward silence. “So how long are you going to pretend that you don’t know me?”

Umalingawngaw pagkatapos ang kalansing ng kubyertos nang wala sa sarili ko itong naibagsak sa mesa. Treyton sounded pissed when he asked me that question. Pero nakahinga ako ng maluwag nang maramdaman ko sa tono niya na hindi na siya masyadong galit kumpara noong minura niya ako kaninang umaga.

Well, so far, so good.

Pero hindi pa rin ako makatingin sa kanya ng maayos dahil pinoproseso ko pa ang tanong niya. Namutla ako nang may mapagtanto. Did he remember me as someone who bugged him for years?

The fudge! I began to panic but I did everything so that it won't show. I suddenly felt the burden of contemplating my response because one wrong word could put me at stake. Pero dahil nablanko na talaga ang isipan ko, pinili ko na lang na magpanggap. “Ha? Magkakilala ba tayo?”

My voice slightly croaked because of nervousness. Pasimple kong kinurot ang sarili ko dahil doon. Hindi na nga ako magaling sa mga roleplay, hanggang dito ba naman papalpak ulit ang acting skills ko?

“Are you sure that you don’t remember breaking something earlier? Something more valuable than your life?” he asked and I can sense him leaning towards me.

Pasimple akong napabuga ng hangin nang malamang iba ang pagkakaalala niya sa akin. That's good news.

Pero pumantig ang tainga ko sa aking narinig. Did he just compare my worth to an object?

Tumaas na lang bigla ang dugo ko sa katawan. Life is priceless. Even the thought of comparing it to a thing is absurd.

I took a deep breath before finally meeting his deadly gaze. Kung hindi lang talaga ako nakaupo ay kanina pa yata ako natumba dahil sa lalim ng pagtingin sa akin ng lalaki. But having eye contact with Treyton really made me regret worrying for him earlier. He looked unharmed and he even had the energy to appear dominant. I suddenly had the urge to punch him so that I can erase that smug look on his face.