No Strings Attached

-25-

Sobra.

Eleanor sighed, "I don't hate you. Nawindang lang ako, okay? Hindi ko alam kung ginagago mo ba ako or hindi. I tried setting you up with other women but you fell for me? Sa akin pa talaga, Chance!?!"

Hindi siya umimik dahil wala na siyang masabi. Lahat ng dapat niyang sabihin ay nasabi na niya kanina.

Eleanor walked closer to him and stood in his front. Ngayon ay magkaharapan sila, only a few inches apart, while staring at into each other eyes.

"Are you seducing me? Because I would really want to kiss you now." He asked, in a low, threatening voice.

Napangiwi si Eleanor na parang nabigo, "So totoo pala talaga. Hindi ka naman kasi maaakit kung hindi mo ako gusto."

Napakunot ang noo niya sa sinabi nito. Just what the hell was she trying to do?

"What are you doing, Eleanor?"

"Wala. Tinesting ko lang kung totoo ba, but I guess you're not joking." She sighed, before looking at him again.

After a few seconds, he was shocked when Eleanor cupped his face.

"What the..."

"Chance baby." Panimula nito, "As much as I want to punch you, tsaka na lang because I will save it for someday. Anyway, pag-uusapan natin ito, okay? Let's get a few things straight. But right now, give me some time. We're both busy as hell. May finals ako at alam kong may trabaho ka. Maybe after my final exams, mag-usap tayo. Sabaw pa kasi ang utak ko ngayon sa sobrang pagrereview. Yun muna atupagin natin, okay? Don't worry, I won't hate you or anything. Alam mo yung sa How I Met Your Mother? Yung kapag nag-aaway si Lily and Marshall, and they want to set it aside for a while? They call it a pause. And right now, pause muna tayo tungkol doon sa mga sinabi mo. We're still friends, babe. Just let me overcome my finals. Then we'll talk about it." Litanya ni Eleanor. Chance can only nod and smile.

Pakiramdam niya ay natanggalan siya ng malaking tinik sa dibdib niya. He wasn't expecting that kind of response from Eleanor, but it was better than anything he could come up with.

It looks like Eleanor would really make a good Lawyer, someday. That was the most rational reaction. She was right. They should let it pass, for a few days dahil pareho pa silang may inaasikaso. It was weird, if you think about it but he didn't care.

"Okay." Chance smiled.

If someone could see them in that weird position, he/she would probably think they're sharing something intimate. Then Eleanor smiled back, "Do we have a deal then, babe?"

He wrapped his hands around her waist to pull her closer to him. Mukhang nabigla naman si Eleanor sa ginawa niya but before she could make a decent reaction, inunahan na niya ito.

"Let's seal that deal with a French kiss."

And they did.

***

And that's what happened. They had a weird deal which Eleanor calls as the 'pause'. But the highlight of that event, for Chance, was when they sealed the deal.

It was f-ucking amazing. He knew it was stupid to kiss her inside her own home, but he didn't gave a f-uck about the odds. Hindi na niya pinakealaman ang posibilidad na baka may nakakita sa kanila.

Eleanor was all that mattered to him.

Yun lang at wala nang iba.

Natapos siya sa ginagawa niya at tsaka umuwi ng bahay. He fought the urge to call Eleanor dahil gusto niyang patunayan na kaya naman siyang sumunod sa deal nila. It almost drove him crazy, but he managed.

May iba din naman siyang dapat asikasuhin. Isa na dun ang pagbalik nila Lourd at Monique galing sa honeymoon nila.