Five O'clock Sky (Nueva Caceres#1)

CHAPTER 41

CHAPTER 41: Anxious

Kahit pa hindi na umiiyak ay nanatili kaming nakayakap sa isa't-isa. Kung gaano kami katagal sa ganoong posisyon ay hindi ko alam. Nangangalay man ang paa sa kakatayo ay hindi ako nagreklamo kay Sandro. Afraid that everything I say will end the truce at panimulan na naman ng bagong away.

Isang warning knock ang nagpatingin sa'kin sa pinto. Bago pa makagalaw upang humiwalay sa yakap ay bumukas iyon at pumasok si Larren na mahigit dalawang linggo ng hindi nagpapakita sa'kin.

"Señorita—" Nabitin sa ere ang sasabihin ni Ren nang matantong hindi ako nag-iisa sa opisina. Ang masayang ngiti na bungad nito kanina ay nahalinhinan ng nahihiyang ngiti.

"M-may kasama po pala kayo."

Bagamat nakatalikod sa kanyang gawi ay alam kong nakilala nito si Sandro at ganon din si Sandro na nakilala ang boses ni Larren kahit hindi niya ito lingonin. And the jerk has no plans of letting me go kahit alam niyang may tao. He didn't even bother acknowledging the presence of Ren. Tila wala siyang pakialam kahit may makakita sa kanyang parang koala kung makayakap sa'kin.

The smile I gave to Larren was more of awkwardness rather than apologetic.

"Pasensya po sa istorbo, Señorita. Babalik nalang ulit ako bukas."

Nakayuko nitong sinarado ang pintuan. But I think I caught a glimpse of his eyes reflecting sadness. Kung sa anong dahilan ay hindi ko alam. But that's the second of my concern at this moment.

Nilagay ko ang kamay sa pagitan naming dalawa ni Sandro sa tangkang humiwalay sa yakap but he wouldn't budge a bit. Para akong tumutulak ng bato.

"Sandro, let go. You're hugging me so tightly I could have broken bones." I said softly. Hindi ko mawari kung bakit tila mas naglalambing ang boses ko kaysa nag-rereklamo.

"Sorry, sweetheart." Then he loosened his arms but didn't let me go anyway.

Naikot ko ang mata sa ere subalit may ngiti na sumibol sa aking labi. He's acting like a kid and I find it amusing.

"Stop being a big baby, Sandro. How long have you been hugging me? Nangangalay na ang paa ko sa kakatayo."

And in an instant, namalayan ko nalang ang pag-angat sa ere. I reflexively snaked my arms on his nape. Ang kamay niyang kanina ay nakapulupot sa aking bewang ay naka-sapo na sa aking puwetan— karga-karga ako na parang koala habang naglalakad sa couch at umupo. He settled me on his lap.

"I could stay like this forever." Sandro whispered.

Nagbuntong-hininga ako at hindi na nagtangka pang umalis sa kandungan nya. As if he would let me. And I've got enough foolishness in me today to admit that I like being this close to him so much I don't want this to end.

Sandro leaned backwards and rest his head on top of the couch. He stared at me. Both in admiration and scrutiny. Ang mga kamay niya'y naglalaro sa mga gilid ng aking bewang.

"You seemed very close with that kid." It was a statement.

Kumuno't ang aking noo. Kid? "Si Larren?"

"Yeah." He boredly answered. But the amusement in his eyes remained as he surveyed every feature in my face.

"He was very annoying at first, but he's a good companion. In fact, I kinda missed him." Natigil siya sa paglalaro sa aking bewang at mataman na nakinig sa'kin, as if I said something that caught his interest to listen. "It's been two weeks or three since we last saw each other until earlier. He passed the admission test to one of the universities in Singapore kaya nitong mga nakaraang araw ay pabalik-balik siya sa Manila para asikasuhin ang visa at passport niya. He's very smart. Even my parents are proud of him they're willing to continue aiding him financially in his international studies. Though passing the admission test also means getting a full scholarship from the university itself at hindi pa ron kasali ang scholarships na nakuha niya from external agencies."