Giovanni Clark: Gone Crazy (Golden Child Series #1)

Chapter 37

Lito akong napatingin sa kanya. "Alin don?"

He rested his left elbow on the window and leisurely played with his lips, while his right hand took over the wheel.

"I thought I heard something," he mumbled meaningfully.

The moment I fathomed his question, my cheeks flushed profusely.

Tumikhim ako. "Guni-guni mo lang iyon. Wala akong naaalalang may sinabi akong kakaiba."

"Wala ako sinabing kakaiba 'yon. Gusto kong marinig ulit... para malinaw tayo."

Hearing him speak Filipino gave me goosebumps every time. Not because it's awkward, but because it sounded even sexier to my ears. What the heck is wrong with me?

"Bakit, anong gusto mong linawin?" I asked curiously instead.

Humarap ako sa kanya. Nahuli ko siyang tinatakpan ng kamao ang bibig kaya kumunot ang noo ko nang naalala ang ibig sabihin ng arteng iyon.

Susuwayin ko pa lang sana siya nang binalik na niya ang kamay sa manibela.

"That I'm not crazy enough to hear silly things."

"Oh," I scoffed. "You think it was silly?"

"Yeah..." his voice croaked before he gave out a low growl of a chuckle. "How did such endearment make me go crazy? That's unfair."

Hindi ko na rin nakayaanan at natawa na sa inaakto niya.

"Yes. You're silly. And overreacting," that's a lie.

Kung may mas nakakaalam man sa amin kung gaano kalaki ang epekto ng salitang iyon, paniguradong ako na ang salarin.

I couldn't believe that endearment could make me lose my mind every time. Pakiramdam ko, alam na alam niya ang epekto nito sa akin kaya sinasadya niya palagi. Turns out, he was freaking clueless, too, himself!

Bago pa man kami makalabas ng syudad, sinabi ko na sa kanya kung saan ko gustong pumunta.

Ang totoo nyan, medyo nagulat pa ako na wala siyang komento kung bakit doon. Gio was unfazed and it didn't even affect his speed.

Hindi na niya ginamit ang navigator ng kanyang sasakyan dahil tila kabisado na ang dadaanan. Is he sure about this? Even though the place is quite popular, the route is a bit tricky.

"Sigurado ka ba na sasamahan mo ako buong araw? Paano ang trabaho at school works mo?" I asked when I remembered it.

He said he was busy, right? Saan naman kaya?

"I finished everything in advance to reserve some time today."

Kung umabot na siya sa puntong kailangan na niyang mag-request ng special class, hindi ba't ibang usapan na iyon? Whatever he's dealing with right now, it must be intense. How come he managed to sacrifice some of his precious time for my birthday?

Bahagya akong nahiya. I should've stayed at home and rested as he suggested. That way, he could leave early for more significant things. Or I should've lied about going out. In that case, he wouldn't be dragged into this childish affair.

As if Giovanni could hear my thoughts, he poke my cheek and shook his head.

"Hey, let's not overthink this. You're not holding me back," he guaranteed. "If anything, it's that certain incident that is hindering me from hanging out with you."

Napailing ako sa kanya. "Alam kong may nararamdaman ka para sa akin. Pero hindi mo ako kargo de konsensiya, Gio. Don't do that to yourself."

He flexed his jaw in disagreement. "I regret not being there for you, Elia... At least let me do that."