"But if you need help, I'll help you." Ngiti ko, halos mawala na ang mga mata.
He looked sideways before looking away. "No thanks."
I chuckled. "Uy... nagmamagandang loob lang 'yong tao. Sure ka?"
He pursed his lips. "Don't talk to me," he sounded frigid.
Lalo akong ngumisi nang may maisip. "So... you're Escareal? I am Ludovica, Asia Ludovica Velarde." Pagpapakilala ko at inabot ang kamay sa kaniya.
Nagtaas ako ng kilay nang balingan niya ako gamit ang iritadong mga mata. Tinapunan niya ng tingin ang aking kamay na para bang may nakakahawa iyong sakit.
Arte.
He opened his lips to say something, but for some reason, he shut them. Kinagat niya iyon at walang imik na bumaling sa aming harapan. I want to laugh. He's rude and snobby, as expected.
I didn't find him friendly even the first time we met each other. Kung hindi ko pa siya pineste noon ay baka hindi na talaga kami nagkaroon ng nakaraan. Though the history I have with him isn't that deep.
The only thing I'm certain of that night is that we were both broken and dealing with something big, and it happened that we found each other. I am actually glad that he's in a relationship now. A long-term one. Ibig sabihin lang nito ay seryoso siya at may mahalaga nang tao sa buhay niya.
I just wish we could be friends. Even though it's been years, I still know how it feels to be with him. He was a good companion. I'd like to have a drink with him again and perhaps talk about life and his girlfriend.
But since it seems like he doesn't want anything to do with me, for unknown reasons, I have no choice but to let it go.
"Hi! You're Ludovica, right?" A girl with glasses and braces approached me.
She's beautiful and has those typical chinky eyes. Asian. Tumango ako, nakangiti na rin sa kaniya.
"Yup. You are?" binaling ko ang buong atensyon sa kaniya.
"I am Ysabelle Sato. We're classmates. Exchanged student ka, hindi ba? I know you! You usually appear in ads and other magazines!"
Her presence is light, and she has a jolly personality. She reminds me of Nika, the friend I used to have.
"Wow. I didn't know someone would recognize me because of my freelance!" I smiled.
"What do you mean? You have a lot of followers, and you also appeared at New York Fashion Week two years ago!" she's now talking like a fan girl.
Hindi ko mapigilan ang ngiti ko habang nagsasalita siya. She was right. I appeared twice. It was because I have the connection and I have to do something for a living. After I quit music, which enraged Mom, she stopped funding me.
Tanging allowance na lang ang binibigay niya sa akin noon. Dad never failed to send me money, but I used all of them, too. Kaya naman nagpasya akong mag freelance model.
"I didn't expect you'd be here, really! I followed you on social media, and I really like your fashion sense and advocacy for animals! Are you interested in volunteering?" Daldal niya at sumabay sa akin sa paglalakad.
Naagaw niya ang interes ko.
"Volunteering? You mean, sa mga hayop?"
"Yup! I usually volunteer and donate to animal shelters. I also volunteer to rescue stray animals. Gusto sana kitang i-approach noon about it kaso you were based in Brazil."
"Oh..." Napangiti ako. "Sure! Can we talk about it during lunch? I have a lot of time since kakauwi ko lang dito."
Lumawak ang kaniyang ngiti at maagap na tumango. Kaya naman nang mag lunch, sabay kaming kumain at pinag-usapan ang pag-v-volunteer.
YOU ARE READING
Zephyr Strings
General Fiction(SPHEROID CHAMBERS #3) Ongoing Moving on from a traumatic episode in the past is never a cakewalk. Each of us encountered a lot of crusades in the past and it's up to us how we'll deal with it to outweigh them. He was pressured. He was devastated...
Kabanata 1
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