Tristan, the Rebel Guy (Published)✓

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

“Merry Christmas!” masayang bati namin sa bawat isa pagsapit ng alas-dose ng hatinggabi.

We are all in the living room right now. Nagsimula na rin kaming magbigayan ng mga regalo.

Pero kumunot ang noo ko nang mapansin na wala pala si Tristan. “Dad, did you see Tristan?” I asked while my eyes were still searching for him.

He smiled widely at me. Pero parang ang weird ata ng ngiti niya. “I saw him go upstairs a while ago.”

I nod at him. “Okay. I’ll just go upstairs to see him. Mauna na po kayong kumain,” I said, then went straight at the stairs.

Hahakbang na sana ako paakyat nang bigla akong napahinto. May napansin kasi akong nakarolyo na puting papel at may nakataling pulang ribbon paikot dito mula sa unang baitang ng hagdan.

Wala sa loob na kinuha ko ito at binuksan.

“You know what? I will never forget that day when I accidentally bumped into someone. Dahil unang kita ko pa lang sa kanya ay nakaramdam na agad ako ng inis. Do you want to know why?

Because that someone did not just bump into me; she also bumped into my heart and made it beat so fast again.”

Wala mang nakalagay kung kanino ito galing ay nasisiguro ko na si Tristan ang nagsulat nito para sa ‘kin.

I chuckled. How would I forget that day? Ayun lang naman ang araw kung saan sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon ay may isang lalaki na nakapagpatulala sa ‘kin.

Nagsimula na akong humakbang. And there I saw a roll of white paper again. Kinakabahan kong kinuha at binuksan ito. Bakit parang may sabwatan atang nangyari rito?

“Then there was this day when I finally found a place to be alone and to be at peace. Or that’s what I thought. Because as I was silently sitting on the grass, I just suddenly heard an angelic voice. Pinilit kong balewalain ‘yon dahil wala na akong balak pa na magpaapekto sa mga gano’ng klase ng bagay. Pero hindi ko na napigilan ang mairita dahil nagsisimula ko ng magustuhan ang boses na naririnig ko.

Then you just came out from nowhere and started to tell me those piercing words. Ang mga salita na ayoko na sanang marinig at paniwalaan pa. But when I heard it coming from you, a big bunch of hope suddenly rose inside me. Maybe one day I’ll see for myself that what you said was all true and possible. And that thought scares me.”

Namalayan ko na lang na umiiyak pala ako nang mapansin ang tulo ng luha ko sa hawak na papel. Naloka naman ako sa kadramahan ng lalaking ‘to. Hindi ba niya alam na madali akong maiyak? And I don’t even have a single idea that he’s capable of writing these words!

Nagpatuloy muli ako sa paghakbang. Pakiramdam ko tuloy ay kay bagal ng oras. Then I saw another one again.

“When we saw each other again on the rooftop, I told you to back off and stop bothering me, because I don’t have such time from girls like you.

The truth is, I was too afraid that you might break the wall that I built for my own sake. Kapag nangyari ‘yon ay tuluyan ka ng makakapasok sa buhay ko. Kahit na ba ang totoo ay gustong-gusto kong nakikita ang maamo at mala-anghel mong mukha.”

Hindi ko naiwasan ang mapangiti. Kailan pa ito natuto na maging corny? Pero humanda talaga ito sa ‘kin kapag nakita ko na ito!

I read the other one that I saw again.

“But if there’s one thing that I wasn’t afraid to do before, it was when I kissed you. Because that was one of the most precious moments of my life. To feel your lips against mine.