How You Hate Me Like That

Chapter 43

I sank my face onto my pillow. I smelt my pillowcase, I loved the smell of lavender and jasmine unto it. I sighed loudly. It was a lazy Saturday. I never felt lazy when I turned 20. Parang ngayon lang nangyari sa akin ito. My hair was mess. I took a bath early in the morning even though walang pasok.

Inamoy ko ang unan ko. It smelled like  Manchester. Last night, he borrowed my extra pillow because he said he wanted to smell me all the time. Hindi naman niya ako maaamoy buong magdamag dahil hindi siya pwedeng pumasok sa room ko. I let him used my pillow nalang para makatulog siya. I remembered how his face felt down when I reminded him na hindi siya pwede sa room ko— he's the one who told me na hindi pa kami pwedeng magsama sa iisang kwarto.

Dati natutulog naman kami sa iisang kama but... things suddenly changed abruptly. The things we did didn't stay like before. It was engorged by the dusts. A pixy dust. A pixy one.

I froze when I realized that I was smiling like I was some kind of ninny who's dealing with mental issues. I turned my smiling face to a serious one. Kinapa ko ang dibdib ko. My heart was so beating wildly. Naging ganito na ang puso ko nang magsimula si Manchester na manligaw sa akin. I didn't know kung tama ba ang panliligaw niya.

Hindi na ako nagsearch pa sa Google. I did it a lot of times dahil nagsusulat ako. Of course I needed it for my writings. I needed to background checking.

But, for what I felt, it's different. It's really different provided na ikaw na talaga ang bida. How I wished that we work out. Inside the relationship, kailangan ay matibay ka. And sabi pa sa internet ay dapat understanding ka. What Manchester and I had, was understandable. He's patient way back then, at nadagdagan pa yun. I thought he grew older.

He was changed. Hindi na siya yung dating nag-gogroom sa akin. Ang problema lang dito ay yung Mommy niya at si Thressia Bardelo. That night, I'd never expected them to visit at that hour. They should have pay a visit on the next day. I didn't mind to face them lalo na't nasa condo ako ni Manchester. It's not like I'm going to die if I face them by myself only.

Manchester told the receptionist and the other stuffs here in this tower na hindi pwedeng makapasok ang Mommy niya o maging si Thressia Bardelo sa tower na'to.

I shrugged my thoughts and sent myself to the relaxation again. I did not have any assignments to do. Parehong natapos ko na kagabi pa. Hindi ko pa sana tatapusin but unfortunately, I found myself doing it last night. So now, I'm just facing my bedroom ceiling for ten minutes.

I sat on my bed when he knocked on my door. Inayos ko ang pagkatali ng buhok ko saka ko linapag ang paa ko sa sahig. I stood there on my bedroom floor for a minute before I proceeded to open the door for him.

"Lunch is ready. Are you okay?" He touched my cheek through the back of his palm.

Umilag ako sa lamig ng kamay niya. From the air-condition yata.

"No, I'm not sick. Kakatamad lang."

That made his brows earned a crease. He wiped his hands using his shirt. Sinuri niya pa ako na parang may sakit pa ako. Umiling ako para matanggal ang kamay niya. I did not feel sick.

"Period?"

I shook my head again. For the second time, I explained to him na tinatamad lang talaga ako. Nakunsenti ko naman siya. We ate lunch together without fussing during that time and we talked about our work. He's a professional engineer. He was working in his paternal Uncle's company, same as with his other brothers. Hindi ko lang alam kung sino kina Manhattan at Maplewood. Working with his Uncle was much better than working under his Dad's cave.

Manchester's career as an engineer was making his lifestyle worked magically. He's not living under his parent's house. He's occupying his twin's house— the one his offering me to na tinanggihan ko.