Forbidden Pleasure

Chapter 29

"Pasensiya ka na kung hindi ko maipapakilala si Sam ngayon. She's in Japan kasi, chasing her dreams," sambit niya sa mapag-umanhing tono.

I nodded. I don't care about her sister. Not until she showed me a picture of her.

"This is her when she won the photojournalism on Internationals. Pretty, isn't she?" Nakangiti si Resha habang pinapakita sa akin ang larawan ng kanyang kapatid.

She looks so familiar to me...

"Damn it, Ice! Ilang taon pa ba ang hihintayin at sasayangin mo para sa babaeng nakilala mo lang at nakasiping mo sa isang gabi?! Kung may balak siya magpakita, sana matagal na! Kilala ang pamilya natin. Ayokong madungisan ang apilyedo ko, Isaiah. Find her as soon as possible or marry Reizo's granddaughter!" Grandfather's voice thundered the four corners of his study room.

It's been three years, but still, there's no sign of that one-night girl. Hindi ko matandaan ang kanyang mukha. But my hands definitely remembered the curves of her body. Damn it!

Grandad took a deep breath. "Isprav'te etot besporyadok. V sleduyushchem mesyatse ty vyydesh' za Reshu zamuzh, bez vsyakikh no." [translation: Fix this mess. You're gonna marry Resha next month, no buts.]

He stormed out of the room, not knowing it would be the last conversation wed have. My grandfather died from a heart attack after our conversation. That's when I decided to talk to Resha.

"Pumapayag na ako," I started. "Just until we find someone to be with for the rest of our lives."

I saw her stiffen. "W-what do you mean?"

"Let's get married," I said. "But I don't want you to meddle in my business. Or, in other words, we're just married on paper."

That's it. Hindi naman mahirap pakiusapan si Resha. Mabait siya at kung susubukan ko, hindi imposibleng mahulog ako sa kanya. But I decide not to. May parte pa rin sa akin ang naghihintay na bumalik ang babaeng 'yon.

Not until our wedding day came.

Nilapitan ko ang parents ni Resha to look for her. It's already time but she's still not here.

"Dad, Mom. Buti po at nakarating na kayo. Where's Resha?" I greeted. Pansin ko ring may kausap silang babae.

"Oh. Hello there, Isaiah. She's on her way. Nahirapan pa nga kami sa gown niya," sagot naman ng ginang. "Siya nga pala, Hijo. This is Sam, my youngest."

As she turned to face me, I felt like the world was going in slow motion. My heart thudded so fast as her brown eyes settled on me. But instead of making it a big deal, I ignored those feelings.

Nalaman ko ring siya ang arkitektong pinagmamayabang sa akin ni Clint noong nag-submit siya ng layout ng kanyang drafts. She's good I can say. Hindi nagkamali si Clint sa sinabi niyang magaling ang taong ipinadala niya.

But the feeling I felt when I first saw her at our wedding grew. And it's the dumbest reason why I sent her to Manila. Ayokong lumabong ang nararamdaman ko para sa kanya. I'm not stupid enough to realize I'm falling. Really damn hard that it makes me think of her before and after sleep.

The thought of not seeing her again scares me after knowing she's single. Ayokong may umaaligid sa kanya. Call it selfish, but I really asked for Kiyo to switch our tasks so that I could be with her. Gusto ko siyang bakuran, at 'yun ang ginawa ko. Ngunit hindi ko inasahang darating ako sa puntong makukuha ko siya.

That's when I realized how awful I am for owning two people at the same time. I don't want to lose her. She's like the missing piece to complete my puzzle.