DUCANI LEGACY SERIES #4: KLINN (Exclusively Available In The VIP Group)

Kabanata 3

Tumango ang gwardya. "Oo, Sir Klinn. Bagong gupit? Bagay niya."

Kumunot ang noo ko. "Bagong gupit? Anong klaseng gupit?"

"Tinkerbell yata 'yon?"

"Tinkerbell o pixie?"

"Ay pixie pala, Sir." Tumawa siya. "Kakanood ng apo ko ng Tinkerbell, 'yon tuloy ang naisip ko."

Nakangisi ko siyang tinapik sa balikat. "Ikaw talaga, Mang Dio. Sige ho, pasok na ko."

Tumango ang gwardya saka ako pinagbuksan ng pinto. I immediately searched for Cassy inside the cafe, and when I spotted her by the far end of the place, I found myself stopping from taking another step.

She looked... different. Still pretty, but very... very... different. 

Hindi ko maipaliwanag ang kakaiba kong naramdaman nang matitigan ko siya nang husto. Her face, it's still the same, but her pixie hair made her look more stunning. Kailan pa siya nahilig sa ganoong gupit? Cassy loves keeping her hair long. I wonder if there's another problem in their home that's why she chose to chop her long hair?

Ibinulsa ko ang susi ng kotse saka ako humakbang palapit sa kanya. She looked surprise when I finally occupied the seat next to her. Lumagabog naman ang dibdib ko sa hindi maipaliwanag na dahilan nang magtama ang tingin naming dalawa.

Her eyes, why did it seem... different as well? Para siyang natatakot, kinakabahan, at tila... humahanga. Since when did Cassy lose her cool around me? 

"Nice haircut," I commented to break the awkward silence between us.

Cassy looked away shyly. "T--Thank you."

I jerked my head and tried to calm my heart when I heard her lovely voice. Madalas ay malamig ang tinig ni Cassy, hindi gaya ngayon na may halong emosyon na ang boses niya. It's like for the first time after years of knowing her, I finally had a glimpse of her humane side.

"Dito na ba talaga tayo kakain o lipat pa tayo sa resto?"

Tumikhim siya. "D--Dito na lang." She tried to catch my gaze as if she wanted to show me that I don't affect her that much. "We're... gonna go for a race... right? Anong... klaseng karera nga ulit?"

"Drag lang. Sa abandonadong airport."

Tumango-tango siya, umiiwas na naman ng tingin na parang hindi niya matagalan ang titig ko. Hindi ko tuloy naiwasan ang pagsasalubong ng mga kilay ko. Is she alright?

"Wala ka ba sa mood?" I asked.

"N--Nasa mood naman. Medyo... kinakabahan lang kasi... kasi 'di ba... ngayon mo lang ako isasama?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I want to make them believe that we're really dating."

She tried to straightened her back to fake her confidence. "Bakit nga pala... tayo nagpapanggap na magkarelasyon?"

Lalong nagsalubong ang mga kilay ko. Why is she asking me that?

I licked my lips. "Because I don't want girls to still hit on me when I'm not in the mood to date anyone. Saka para hindi ka na pag-initan ng parents mo dahil kay Miguel kasi nga 'di ba ayaw nila sa boyfriend mo?"

"Right. Just making sure we're still both aware of our deal." She forced a smile. Mayamaya ay napansin kong parang napapatagal ang titig niya sa akin na para bang nahihipnotismo ko siya. 

Cassy never looked at me this way. Why is she acting weird all of a sudden?

"Are you alright?" hindi ko na napigilang itanong.

Kaagad siyang tumango. "Yeah. Uhm, stressed lang. That's all."

Alanganin na lang akong tumango bago ako nagtawag ng waiter para makapag-order. I kept observing her the entire time, and the more she's being awkward around me, the more I am convinced that something wrong is going on. 

"Sigurado ka bang ayos ka lang?" tanong ko.

"Oo naman. Bakit naman hindi?"

"Wala lang." I smirked. "Don't tell me you're starting to like me for real, Cassy. You know I don't have plans to take things seriously especially when I am just your front so you can keep your relationship with Migs."

Napansin ko ang paglunok niya. "I'm not. Don't be so full of yourself."

I whistled and tapped my fingers on the table. "Sana nga mali ako. Can't lose a good friend because of a one sided love, Cas."

"So are you saying that you will never like me romantically?" she asked, now looking straight into my eyes as if she wants to see if I'll be honest with my answer.

A playful smirk made its way to my lips. 

"Depende. Kung ibang tao ka lang, baka seryosohin talaga kita..."