He hums in agreement. I let him hold the bouquet for me bago ako pumasok sa loob ng room to carefully and silently get my keys. Paglabas ko, nandoon na siya sa tapat ng sasakyan ko at naghihintay. I unlock the car and open the door to the shotgun seat. Chio hands the bouquet back to me.
I look at the bunch of flowers after setting it down. Okay lang ba talaga dito 'to?
I look at Chio. Hands in his pockets, he raises his brows questioningly.
"It's going to die," I tell him. Hindi ba dapat mailagay agad ito sa something na may tubig? Hindi ba lanta na 'to bukas kung pababayaan ko 'to rito? What about the air circulation inside the car? Should I leave the windows open?
Umawang ang bibig niya. He glances at the bouquet, then back to me with a seemingly amused expression. Bakit? Am I wrong? It is going to die.
After a few seconds of just staring at me, he sighs. Pinatabi niya ako at siya na ang nagsara ng pinto para mawala sa view namin yung bouquet. "Ibibili na lang kita ng bago kapag namatay."
"I don't like flowers."
He raises a brow, and once again attempts to hide his smile but miserably fails. I don't know what's to smile about kapag sinasabi kong ayaw ko ng bulaklak. He doesn't say anything more about it and just shrugs. "Tulog na tayo."
"Good night," I tell him before going inside our room, closing the door before hearing his reply.
The next day, he tails my car on the way home against my advice. Kakaunting oras parehas ang tulog namin at mapapagod lang siya lalo kung dadaan pa siya sa 'min bago umuwi sa kanila.
His eyebrows are furrowed when I get out of the car after parking sa tapat ng isang restaurant. He hesitantly gets off his motorcycle after parking beside my car.
Parang may magnet yata ang isa niyang kamay, and it just can't help but gravitate towards my nape whenever I'm within reach. My neck is starting to get familiar with his thumb pressing on its side. "Kakain tayo?" he asks, tracing a line on my neck with his thumb.
"Gutom na ako," I tell him. He scrunches his nose and walks with me inside without further questions.
Dalawa lang naman kaming kakain kaya isang order lang ng ulam lang ang binili ko. Maaga pa kaya we're asked to wait for a bit for the food. Sa ilang minutong 'yun, pinabayaan ko si Chio na kumuha ng tulog sa table ng restaurant. Ang bilis niyang makatulog. Parang pagkalapat na pagkalapat ng ulo niya sa table, tulog siya. Parang laruan na inalisan ng battery.
Nahiya pa nga yung server na ihain yung food noong dumating dahil kung titingnan ay ang sarap ng tulog niya. I have no choice but to wake him up. Well, at least he got some sleep because he needs it when he's going to drive himself home.
"Ubusin mo na 'yan," parang pareklamo niyang sabi nang itulak ko sa side niya yung plato kong may kanin pa. I shake my head no and he frowns. "Iisang kanin naman 'yan di mo pa uubusin. Ubusin mo 'yan," he says and pushes it back to my side.
"Busog na ako," sabi ko. "Ayaw ko na."
He clicks his tongue before pulling the plate back to his side and scooping my leftover rice to his plate. "Nagsasayang kang pagkain e," he says, frowning. Hindi naman nasayang kasi kinain niya.
After that, bumalik na kami sa road. I stop near the church parking to ask him to turn back papunta sa kanila dahil malapit na naman ako sa 'min. Tumigil siya sa gilid ko. I roll the windows down.
"Go. I'm safe," I assure him. Wala naman nang masyadong sasakyan dito. At sobrang lapit ko na rin.
He arches a brow. Tahimik siya for a while as if contemplating, before he scratches the back of his head and points to the nearby bank na lilikuan ko. "'Pag lumagpas ka na do'n, iikot na 'ko."
BINABASA MO ANG
Between Your Lips and Mine (Cervantes Series)
RomanceA dumb suggestion from my friend says that there's a foolproof method to know whether you like someone romantically or not. It's simple. All you have to do is close your eyes, think of that person, and imagine kissing them. Kapag nandiri ka, e di hi...
