Out Of The Blue (Querencia Series 1)

20

'grow for yourself, and I'll do the same'

The last line said by the female lead of the novel I'm currently reading while drinking a hot coffee. Sa ibabang parte ng huling pahina ng libro ay may nakalagay na 'to be continued'.

"that's enough Azura. Fix yourself, we'll go now" saway ni mommy.

I checked my baguette bag at iniwan na ang libro sa coffee table. It's my school year end recognition day. Si mommy ang sasama sakin to claim my award dahil busy si dad.

I'm wearing a white maxi dress paired with a white ankle strap heels. Nasa labas ng bintana ang tingin ko habang nagbabyahe.

"Can I go out with Caelus later mom?" Tanong ko ng papababa na kami ng sasakyan.

"Sige, but make sure to go home early. Well have a family dinner since your grandma is coming tonight" agad akong napangiti at tumango. "You can let Caelus join us if you want"

We went inside the campus' conference hall. It's airconditioned and there are lots of students and parents. Good thing, the hall was able to accommodate the number of attendees.

"Zura! Dito!" Ele's waving hands immediately caught my attention. Lumapit kami ni mom. "Tita dito po kayo"

Magkatabi kaming umupo. She's so ingay at ang daming lumalapit sa kanya, kadalasan ay council officers.

"You're the top of the whole HUMMS ah. Congrats" siniko niya pako ng bahagya.

"Congrats din sayo" nakangiting saad ko. She's one of the top students of whole STEM strand.

The recognition started. The awardees are called based on their rankings. Naunang tawagin yung awardees from STEM, sumunod yung HUMMS, ABM, TVL at huli yung GAS.

"Nakapicture ka sakin?" Tanong agad ni Ele pagkababa niya ng stage. "Send mo sakin. Sa telegram mo isend para hindi masira yung quality"

"I send it already. Take a picture of me too" tumango naman siya.

When my name was called, kasama ko si mommy na umakyat ng stage. Tatlong medalya ang suot ko since I'm an honor student, a conduct awardee and a leadership awardee.

"I got three medals" pagmamayabang ko kay Eleonora. She just showed me her her five medals, making me laugh.

It took half day for fhe event to wrap up. We took alot of pictures with our classmates and teachers. Pasado alas dose na nang makalabas kami ng campus.

"Take care of her ijo. Please send her home before six in the evening" rinig kong habilin ni mommy kay Caelus.

I waved goodbye to my mom before adjusting my sit. "Let's eat lunch first? I'm hungry Cae"

Tumango agad siya. "Where do you wanna eat?"

Ngumuso ako at naisip. I ended up shrugging. "Kahit saan"

We ate in a restaurant. We stayed for awhile before going to a famous spot called 'Sirao Garden'. It is known for its majestic garden field with different flowers.

"Take a picture of me please" saad ko.

"Pose for me" he used his camera to take shots.

I also want to take a photo of him so I snatched his camera and let him pose. We also asked his driver to take a picture of us two together.

We stayed there for almost two hours before deciding to go back. It suddenly rained while we are on our way home so we have to stop in a small café.

"Wear my jacket. It's cold" I'm wearing a sleeveless maxi dress so it's a good idea for me to wear his jacket. I can smell his pabango. "I'll order a coffee"

Iniwan niya ko sa table namin so I decided to check the pictures in his camera. There are alot. I keep on pressing the next button until it started showing pictures that was probably taken during his journalism days.

I also saw a picture of Kalea and Remo fighting over a chocolate bar. There's also a picture of a cat trying to drink from glass. And I saw a picture of me. I was standing from afar bringing a white tote bag and I wasn't looking at him.

"That was taken when we first meet" agad akong napatingala. He handed me a cup of hot chocolate. "it was during a seminar"

Naningkit ang mata ko. "You took pictures of me without my permission"

Ngumisi lang siya at tumabi sakin ng upo. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to him. "Damn, you look so beautiful"

Ngumiti ako at inayos ang puwesto ko. There are books inside this café so I stand up and got one for me to read.

"you like reading so much" bulong niya sa tenga ko bigla.

Tumango ako at sinulyapan siya. "You don't like reading?"

Umiling ito. He started combing my hair. "I prefer sleeping than reading. But when I have to review, ofcourse I have to read"

Ngumuso ako at tumango. I went back to reading again. The book I got is a romance novel. It's quite nice though pero agad ko ding tinigilan dahil mejo boring na.

"Do you like rain?" I randomly asked while staring outside the glass wall of the café.

"Not really. I'm not used to maginaw" sagot niya. He's playing with my hands now. "You? You like rains?"

Tumango ako at ngumiti. "Rain often comes with thunder so I like it more"

"You like thunders?"

Tumango ulit ako. "Its the only time where I can cry without covering my mouth. No one can hear my pains and weaknesses even if I scream during rainy days"

He suddenly lift my head up and made me look at him. "You can laways cry on me Ife. I can listen"

I smiled and nodded. We went silent, just staring and watching the rain pour. Ang mainit na kapeng hawak ko ay paubos na. I adjusted myself to fit more on Cae's arms perfectly.

"It feels so good to have you in my arms right now, but it would be perfect if I could call you my girlfriend now" agad akong natawa sa binulong niya.

Tumingala ako sa kanya. "Let's make it perfect then?"

🫀

An. Sirao Garden is a famous tourist spot here in Cebu.