Gone With The Ring (SUAREZ SERIES II)

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Ang akala ko noong una ay lumipat lang si Rhyne sa kuwarto ni Kuya. Nasanay na akong ganoon ang nangyayari sa tuwing inaatake siya ng morning sickness kaya hindi na ako naghanap nang magising akong wala siya sa tabi ko.

Pero nang bumabang mag-isa si Kuya Asher para mag-agahan, I began to worry. Na mas lalo lang nadoble nang tanungin ko ito kung nasaan si Rhyne at sinabi nitong nasa kuwarto ko.

Agad nadagdagan ng panic ang pag-aalala sa dibdib ko. Rhyne was pregnant and she was nowhere in the house! Pati tuloy si Mama ay nag-panic na rin. Kuya Asher didn't even get to eat his breakfast and went straight to her house. Kumalma lang kaming lahat nang sabihin ni Kuya na naroon nga siya at natutulog lang daw.

Pero sa kabila ng paghupa ng pag-aalala ko, hindi ko napigilang makaramdam ng pagtatampo dahil hindi man lang siya nagpaalam. But then, she was pregnant. They said pregnant women had the tendency to be oversensitive, so I had to understand her. Maybe she was just overwhelmed with all the wedding preparations going on.

For two days in a row, I kept texting her. I always made sure to check up on her whenever I had some free time. Kinakabahan na rin kasi ako sa kanilang dalawa ni Kuya Asher. Pakiramdam ko ay may mali. Dalawang araw nang hindi nagpapakita si Kuya sa bistro. For this whole weekend, I subbed for him. Hindi rin ito umuwi sa bahay. We just assumed that he stayed with Rhyne. Ganoon naman ito palagi. Kapag wala sa bahay, siguradong nandoon kay Rhyne.

Pero kahit ganoon, I still couldn't bring myself to ask Rhyne whenever I dropped by at her place before heading to the bistro. At the back of my mind, a small voice was telling me that I had to be cautious with my words around my pregnant friend. Pakiramdam ko, magkamali lang ako ng isang kataga, maraming madadamay.

Malakas na pukpok ang inihatol ko sa mga drums na kaharap at napapikit na lang habang pinapakinggan ang hiyawan ng mga tao. Mas lalong lumakas ang mga iyon sa pagtuntong namin sa huling chorus ng kanta.

It was my second night of subbing for my Kuya, but I felt drained already. Hindi ko alam kung dahil ba iyon sa magkahalong sama ng loob at pagod pero parang pagalit na ang pagpukpok ko sa mga drums. We were playing a rock song kaya para na akong nagwawala rito. I was probably messing up the performance already, but I couldn't even stop myself.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw Troy standing sideways so he could look at me. His dark gaze bore into my eyes and head, as if trying to decipher what was going on with me. Pareho kaming abala sa kanya-kanyang instrumento pero nanatili ang titigan namin.

Hindi ko alam kung dahil ba roon kaya mas lalong lumakas ang tilian ng mga fans. Everyone now believed that we had a thing for each other. At parang lalo pa naming ginatungan dahil sa titigan na iyon. Iyon ay kahit pa parehong kunot ang mga noo namin. The eye contact was more than enough for the fans. No one cared enough to notice the bad air between us. Or the exhaustion in our eyes. Or maybe they couldn't see... because they didn't want to see.

Sa tuwing sinusubukan naman ng mga reporters na tanungin si Troy tungkol doon, umiiwas ang barumbado. Hindi ko alam kung bakit mas gusto niyang manahimik. Wala namang magandang naidudulot iyon. Mas lalo lang nadadagdagan ang kuryosidad ng mga tao at mas lalo nilang iisipin na totoong may relasyon kami. Sabihin na lang dapat niya ang totoo. Siya dapat ang magsalita at hindi ako dahil mas papaboran ng mga tao ang sagot niya.

We went up to our usual table for a thirty-minute water break. Nabuhayan lang yata ako ng loob nang makita kong dumating sina Kuya Asher at Rhyne.

Dear God, it felt like years had already passed since the last time I smiled. And I realized that I missed Rhyne so much. Parang kulang sa buhay ang bahay kung wala siya roon. Kahit nga si Princess ay ngayon ko lang din nakasama ulit.