Cats and Hickeys

vii. rebel

Maikli palang ang panahon na nakilala ko siya, hell, it's only been a day! But he'd be the type to rebel, I'm sure.

Soulbound did well in hyping the crowd when the next band came. Ngayon ko lang naintindihan kung bakit maaga at kasama sila sa opening line-up–they were new faces. A rising indie rock band is enough to catch the attention of the current Filipino music industry. They've set the mood and hyped the crowd.

Hindi ako magugulat kung balang araw ay lumaki ang pangalan ng banda nila.

"That was fun!" Patalon-talon na sabi ni Lily, hila ang nakahawak sa ulo na si Evie.

"Tangina, nahihilo ako."

Dinalo siya ni Stella para paupuin at bigyan ng tubig. Paano hindi mahihilo, nakarami pala ng inom no'ng nagsasayawan na silang dalawa ni Lily. She gushed about how hot Mateo was. I rolled my eyes as I finished my cocktail.

He's the palest out of the four. Has the broodiest look I've ever seen in a guy and I can attest to Evie that he looks like a typical asshole. Kaya medyo hindi ko pa siya mabigyan ng tiwala sa unang impresyon ko sa kaniya. With all the men I've met during my 26 years on Earth, men are usually cut from the same cloth. Wouldn't say we haven't warned Lily a hundred times.

"Mikay!" Lumapit siya sa 'kin at pinilit na umupo sa tabi ko kahit wala ng space. "Look at the pictures of him! Did you see how sexy he looked while sweating and playing–"

Natigilan siya nang may humablot sa kaniya. Akala ko kung sino pero si Mateo lang pala. Liligy gasped, agad niya namang sinunggaban ng yakap ang kakarating lang na lalaki. Behind him were two of his bandmates, Aiden and Gabriel.

Pinilit kong ipalis ang dismaya dahil wala sa kanila ang inaasahan ko. Tumayo ako para magpakilala.

"You must be Mikaila," lahad ng kamay ni Aiden sa 'kin. Tinanggap ko 'yon at tumango. Kahit medyo madilim sa parte namin ay 'di ko mapagkaila na gwapo rin ang isang 'to.

Kung si Mateo at Lukas ay medyo mahaba ang mga buhok, Aiden sported a semi-buzzcut and had a line cut on his hairline side. He had piercings on his ears and a small ring on the side of his bottom lip, a tattoo snaking up the side of his neck. Sa kanilang apat ay siya ang pinaka-pilyo tignan dahil mapaglaro ang mga mata niya.

Aiden had a huge grin on his face as he assessed me.

"Yep! Call me Mikay. Tulog ka kagabi kaya hindi na kita nakilala," biro ko na nagpatawa sa kaniya.

"The jet lag was real last night. I'm surprised Lukas still had the energy to take you home," he winked at me. Natawa ako sa sinabi niya pagkatapos ay iminuwestra niya ang kasama. "This is Gab."

"Hello," I offered my hand.

Sa kanilang apat, si Gabriel lang ang mukhang anghel at mala-anghel pa ang boses nito. His singing was great and I could tell that his voice was versatile, he could sing softly or deeply if he wanted to. Kulay blonde ang buhok niya pero alam kong tina lang 'yon because his brown roots was showing. He sported a clean-cut hairstyle and almost looked like he belonged in a mainstream pop boyband if only a few tattoos on his right arm didn't make that a dealbreaker.

Humilaw ang ngiti ko nang matagal niya ako tinitigan. Contrary to how he looked charming on the stage earlier, he looked at me with so much judgment and... disgust.

"Loosen up, Gab," tinapik siya ni Aiden sa balikat pero mas bumusangot ang mukha nito.

Mailap na tumango si Gabriel at nilagpasan kaming dalawa; iniwan ang kamay ko sa ere. Agad ko itong binaba. Okay?

Aiden scratched the back of his neck. "Pasensya ka na. Pagod lang talaga 'yon."

Napangiwi si Aiden sa inasta ng kabanda pero nginitian ko lang siya. "It's okay."