Artificial Horizon - A César Fernando Basa x Reader story

XII - Lift

Tangina... sabi ko nga na kapag bumalik pa ako sa panaginip na ito... hindi ko na talaga alam ang gagawin ko!

"Good afternoon," I almost mumble as I try to suppress my own smile from even appearing.

He reaches out to touch his freehand's knuckles against my cheek and later on turns away to head on to the dining, asking me then in return, "Kakagising mo lang?"

Opening the door much wider and exiting the room, I nod and follow after him. "Yes. Hindi mo ako ginising kaya mukhang AWOL ang nasa record ko na."

He laughs. "Anong AWOL ka diyan? Nakalimutan mo ba na day-off mo ngayon?"

Hindi ko nga alam kung anong date ngayon, paano ko pa malalaman na day-off ko ngayon?!

"Kaya ka nagiging limutin dahil madalas mong kinakalimutan ang pagkain, lalo na ng almusal." César sighs heavily. "Gusto mo bang initin ko 'yong iniwan ko para sa iyo kaninang umaga?"

"H-Hindi na!" I counter as I stop him from pulling off the cloche. "Ayos lang kung hindi naman bagong init." I take the cloche myself, and see the well-prepared breakfast he had left for me. Unfortunately, I am to take this now at noon in his presence.

He looks at me for a moment, and I start to feel insecure of being watched. Finally, he takes the seat across from me, saying, "Minsan napapaisip din ako paano mo nagagawang mag-survive ng wala ako. What will you do without me?"

I look up at him, seeing him with that teasing smile once more that only makes me blush and turn my attention back to the food I have on the plate. "Still live?" I inquire. "Still be the same old me, I guess? That's, well... kung hindi tayo nagkakilala, panigurado ganoon."

"But you have me now. I guess that's all that mattered, at wala akong pakialam kung magiging dependent ka sa akin all throughout this life."

"That's too much... Anong gagawin ko kapag nawala ka naman?"

"I think that's quite farfetched to be of the present." César chuckles before combing off his hair with his fingers and then pulls out the item from the paper bag. "Sa tingin ko mauuna ka pang magsawa sa pagmumukha ko bago pa mangyari iyon."

"Ano naman ang pagsasawaan ko sa pagmumukha mo?" I inquire.

He shrugs at that. "I don't know. Time will fade and... Well, bakit ba tayo napunta sa ganyang pag-uusap?"

"Sabi mo kasi paano ako makaka-survive kung wala ka."

"Ah, yes. But, in the contrary, I know that you will. You've always been strong, (Y/N)."

Buti pa 'yong sa dream na ito, I am credited to be strong. Pero sa totoong buhay, nadadawit na ma-kidnap...

I don't know what to say to that and instead, after taking a bite of my own food, I catch sight of the packaging that he opens up from the paper bag.

César realizes that I am looking at that and he then explains, "Oh, nakita ko sa may likod ng silya sa may terrace. Halatang galing kala Mama. Siguro akala niya walang tao kaya iniwan niya na lamang doon. Pero piaya ito na mula pang Negros."

Piaya? Maging dito...

I take the paper packaging, reading then the sticker written on it as "Varmont Refreshment's Piaya", and looking on inside, it had been a stack of the familiar crispy piaya that I unconsciously know, just by looking, to be something that César loved.

"That's the original crispy piaya," he explains. "It's a favorite of mine. Kaya ever since na lumipat kami ng Maynila, kapag bumibisita kami or nagpapadala ang mga kamag-anak ni Mama mula Negros, laging may ganyan."