One-shot Compilations

Flirt

"Bakit?" tanong niya.

"There's like ten open tabs. May mga porn sites and picture sa google ng mga babaeng nakanude. The fuck! Gulat na gulat ang pagkatao ko Jack!" sabi ko sa kaniya. Mas lalo itong natawa sa sinabi ko. "Well, we all watch porn pero tangina naman kung ipapahiram mo naman ang phone mo dapat he should have close the tabs and erase the history. Nalaman ko tuloy ang kababoyan niya!" inis na sabi ko. "He was the one who told me to turn off the lights when I'm sleeping at binabakuran niya rin ako sa iba. It's very creepy!"

"Akala ko ba creepy rin yung isa?" tanong niya.

"Yes, mas lalo na 'yun. He guarded my door all night on my fucking first day and people told me about it! Maybe, he means well, but what the fuck! You don't stay outside of a woman's room all night. Wala pa namang kurtina ang room ko so wala akong privacy doon. Isa pa, you know how I hate to be disturbed kapag nagsusulat ako diba or if I wanted to spend sometime alone with myself," sabi ko sa kaniya.

"Oo."

"He doesn't respect my boundaries," I said. "Like he just wants to speak all day. Tangina! It's draining my energy and I'm not that comfortable with him for me talk to him all day. Hindi ko naman masabihan na tigilan ako without sounding so mean to him. Dalawa lang naman kayo na komportable akong makipag-usap eh."

"Oh, you mean si---"

"Don't say his name," I said. He smirked at me.

"Wow, bitter?" he said. I rolled my eyes.

"Hindi ah. I just don't want to hear his name," sabi ko.

"Akala ko ba susuportahan mo siya kahit na anong mangyari?" tanong niya. Napabuntong-hininga ako. "You said you want to be the bigger person. Anong nangyari sa pagiging bigger person mo?"

"Yes naman. I'll support him still pero diyos ko, tao lang rin naman ako nasasaktan, but I don't hate him. Nasasaktan lang pero I'll pray for him still ah," sabi ko sa kaniya.

"Pray? Wow, ikaw nagdadasal? Hindi ka ba umuusok kapag nagdadasal ka? Susuportahan mo siya, but you blocked him?" tanong niya. He looked amuse for some reason.

"Yes, susuportahan kung makikita ko siya. I don't want to say anything against him pero kahit na sinabi ko na susuportahan ko siya hindi naman ibig sabihin noon na hindi ako nasasaktan. Hindi ako martyr, Jack. I have my limitations. I get hurt. He doesn't care about me. I should stop the madness," sabi ko.

"Then you should have unfollowed instead. Ang bitter lang kasi sa ginawa na blinock mo. You don't want to be friends with him anymore? Ayaw mo siyang maging kaibigan maybe in the future?" tanong niya.

"He doesn't need my friendship. Sa dami ng mga taong nakapaligid sa kaniya. My support doesn't mean anything to him. Isa pa, I felt betrayed by him. You know I hate feeling betrayed. It's game over for me when I felt betrayed by someone. I considered him as a special friend then but he doesn't consider me as one. If he just wants someone who could bloat his ego, well, he should find someone else. I'm not playing his games anymore. Mas okay na iyong blinock ko tapos in-unblocked ko rin naman lol," sabi ko sa kaniya. Tumawa ito.

"Are you okay?" tanong niya.

"Oo, okay ah. My life feels like it's going back to the time where I don't know him yet. Iyon ang feeling ko ngayon. No excitement or anything but I feel at peace and out of guilt pero alam mo yung may kulang," sabi ko sa kaniya. "I'm not complaining though. Mas mabuti na rin ang ganito."

"Will you forgive him?" tanong niya.

"Forgive? There is nothing to forgive. Pareho kami mali. I just wished he talked to me though. That's it," sabi ko. "There is nothing to reconcile too anymore. "

"What if magkita kayo? Will you act like you know him or hindi?" tanong niya. I smiled sadly.

"You know when I lost respect or got hurt so bad with people I act like they don't exist at all, right? Hindi ko sila kinikibo kahit na kinakausap nila ako. Instead of makipagplastikan and waste my energy arguing kung ginawa ko naman lahat para magkaayos pero wala pa rin, I will act like they don't exist at all."

"Sad," he said.

"Ganun talaga eh. Kaya ikaw, if mag-aaway man tayo and I tried to reconcile with you. Don't push me away, ha? Kasi if I will walk away, I will walk away without looking back. I'll cut you off in my life," sabi ko sa kaniya.

"Nakakatakot naman," sabi niya.

"That's just how I am Jack," sabi ko sa kaniya. "It's a waste of time and energy."

"Magkakajowa ka rin," seryosong sabi niya. Natawa naman ako sa ekspresyon niya. "Bakit?"

"Eh, kasi ang seryoso mo ng sabihin mo na magkakajowa rin ako," sabi ko sa kaniya. "Ikaw diyan? Napansin ko mas lumalala yata ang smoking problems mo, Jack."

"Ah, this?" sabi niya at pinakita ang sigarilyo na hawak-hawak nito.

"It's just my third stick," sabi niya. "Paminsan-minsan lang naman. Gusto mo tumigil ako?"

I pouted. Hindi ako makatango sa tanong niya.

"Hindi naman. Kung gusto mo naman mamatay ng maaga. Walang problema sa akin 'yan," I said. Tumawa ito. "Kakain lang naman ako ng snacks at iinom ng kape sa burol mo tapos iiyak ng mga very slight."

"Bakit hindi mo na lang kasi sabihin na gusto mo akong tumigil?" tanong niya habang nakangiti ngayon.

"I don't want to let you do something you don't want to do," sabi ko sa kaniya at ngumiti. "Kasi if sasabihin ko na, I don't want to see you smoking. Ang mangyayari niyan is that you'll smoke secretly instead. If you want to quit. You have to try and convince yourself into quitting at dapat gusto mo rin baguhin ang habit na 'yan. Not because the doctor or someone else wants you to quit but because you know in yourself na hindi 'yan mabuti."

He looked at me with disbelief bago tumawa ng malakas.

"Teka nga lang si Ella ka ba?" tanong niya.

"Pero siyempre charot lang," sabi ko sa kaniya at tumawa. "Ang mature ko na ba mag-isip? Grumaduate na yata ako sa mga kalokohan eh."

"Graduate my ass!" he said. "Okay, I'll try but no promises."

"Good!" sabi ko sa kaniya at ngumiti.

"That smile is a scam," he said.

"Ha? Ano na naman?" I said at tumawa.

"Tsk! That smile of yours. 'Yan ang dahilan kung bakit pakiramdam ng ibang lalaki you are hitting on them eh. Alam mo rin ba na kapag tumatawa ka para kang kinikilig," sabi niya.

"Oo, narinig ko na 'yan ilang beses sa ibang tao pero hindi naman ako kinikilig. Ganito lang ako tumawa. Ba't parang kasalanan ko pa?" sabi ko sa kaniya. "Maiba tayo, how are you with your wife?"

"Girlfriend," he corrected me.

"Oh, edi girlfriend," sabi ko.

"Same," he answered curtly.

"Same? Is that a way of saying please don't ask me, I don't want to talk about it because it is still not getting any better?" tanong ko.

"Bingo!" sabi niya

"Oh, okay," sabi ko naman. "Sige na. Let's end this call. Kanina pa tayo nag-uusap baka may gagawin ka pa."

"Sige, I'll call again whenever I'm free," he said.

"Okay, no problem," sabi ko sa kaniya. "Bye!"

Napabuntong-hininga na lang ako ng mag-end ang video call.