Rhythm to My Chaos

Chapter 38

"Ayos lang naman sa akin," sabi ko kay Ike. "Ako nga dapat ang magtanong sa 'yo kung ayos lang ba na magtagal tayo rito. Don't you have some other things to do? Hindi ka pa ba pinapabalik sa Manila?"

"Not yet," he replied with a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Sic's overseas projects are not yet over. I own my time 'til he's back for good."

I tilted my head, suddenly curious about their band. "You mean, once he's back, New Classic will finally end their hiatus and make a comeback?"

Ike flashed a mysterious smile, but he didn't answer my question. He shifted on his seat to have a more comfortable position while staring at me.

"Let's not talk about that." He obviously avoided giving an answer to my harmless question. "We need to come up with a decision so that I can reschedule our flight back to Palawan."

I narrowed my eyes as he was being suspicious. "Ayos nga lang sa akin. Gusto ko ring magtagal pa rito."

He licked his lower lip and raised his brow. "What about Auntie Divina, then?" he suddenly asked which made me hesitate giving a final answer. "Hindi tayo nakapagpaalam nang maayos sa kanya. She knows we're going home in three days. I don't want her to think that I'm corrupting your mind or trying to getaway with you."

Nang binanggit ni Ike si Auntie Divina ay nawala na ulit sa isipan ko ang tungkol sa kanilang banda. Napaisip agad ako ng mga maaaring sabihin kay auntie upang hindi siya mag-aalala.

"Hmm... Let's just call her tomorrow morning," Ike suggested. "Saka na tayo magdesisyon kapag nakausap na natin siya."

Naningkit muli ang aking mga mata. "Ang akala ko ba ay kailangan na nating magdesisyon?"

"Well, I realized we still need to talk to Auntie Divina," he explained his reason. "I don't want her to think that we're abusing her kindness and the freedom that she's giving us. We still need to get her opinion and respect whatever it is. If she won't allow us, we can come back here anyway once we've explained everything to her in person. I'll go with you again."

Ike held my stare while he was talking. I just stayed quiet, listened and let him speak his mind because it rarely happens. And once he does, you'll learn a lot from his words. You'll have so many thoughts to ponder.

"But if you'd ask me, I really want you to stay here longer." He voiced out his own opinion. "I can also tell that you do. I know you want to learn more things about your father and spend time with your auntie here. It'd be nice if we can extend our stay."

My heart began to waver. His words lingered on me like a warm hug. I couldn't keep myself from smiling nor tearing up.

The storm inside my head, raining on me with negative thoughts, finally stopped. The truth behind my father's disappearance won over all those doubts and fears. Ike fought alongside with it. I had come to realize that those dark thoughts are pale in comparison to the love he's giving me.

His lips parted when I became slightly emotional.

Just then, the soft wind blew my hair in disarray while I was staring at him. Some strands of my hair went over my face.

Pursing his lips, Ike looked at me with intense concentration while he tidied my hair. He gently tucked the loose strands behind my ear. My chest tightened with emotion as I gazed deeply at him.

"Thank you for being with me..." I spoke with sincerity. "It means a lot to me."

His hand softly stroke my cheek, traveled from there to my arm and ended up holding my hand.

"You don't have to thank me," he said, his voice was hoarse. "I came with you because I wanted to. I'll follow you anywhere you want to go—even if you don't want me to."