Pagkauwi ko ng apartment, naligo lang ako at nagbihis agad. Kila Maya lang naman ako pupunta kaya nagsuot na lang ako ng oversize shirt at puting shorts at crocs. Kaso pagkababa ko nagulat ako nang maabutan ko si Sergio sa tapat ng tindahan sa baba ng apartment namin habang kumakain ng ice bar.
"Sinusundan mo ba'ko?"
Napakunot siya ng noo at umiling.
"I was craving for melona," sagot niya. "Which is why I asked if I could drop you off since I was planning to buy an ice bar."
Napa-mental facepalm ako.
Kaya bawal mag-assume eh.
"Ah... Sorry. Nalagkitan kasi ako kaya naligo muna ako," sambit ko. "Hindi naman ako umiiwas."
Sergio gave off a faint smile, "You want some?" Gusto ko pa sanang tumanggi pero nahiya na'ko dahil sobrang halata naman na na gusto ko na talaga siyang iwasan. 'Di naman tanga si Sergio... He's smart enough to figure out if I really am avoiding him.
I can't give off that much vibe.
Baka maapektuhan pa 'tong SIP namin at mas lalo walang mapatunguhan imbes na patapos na.
Tahimik lang kaming pareho habang nakatayo sa labas no'ng convenience store at kumakain ng ice bar. Minsan nahahagip ng peripheral vision ko na nakatingin siya sa gawi ko pero hindi ko na lang pinansin.
Tangina bakit ba kasi ang complicated ng sitwasyon.
Alam ko naman sa sarili ko na matatapos 'to lahat kung mag-uusap kami nang matino ni Sergio, pero parang ayaw kong marinig talaga kung ano pa man ang nasa isip niya. Kasi kung gusto man niya talaga ako... Kailangan kong umiwas. Pero kung gusto niya lang i-clarify na kiss lang 'yun at nothing more, e 'di mas lalo lang ako nag-overthink ng what-ifs. Whether i-reject or i-prove man niya 'yung hypothesis sa utak ko, I'll just end up with more baggage to carry.
Kaya okay na 'to. Give it time at makakalimutan ko rin lahat ng tumatakbo sa utak ko.
"We're friends, right?" Napalingon ako kay Sergio nang bigla niyang basagin 'yung katahimikan.
Ngumiti ako at tumango.
"Even after the SIP?"
"Oo naman," sagot ko pero alam kong keme lang 'yun dahil sobrang daling iwasan ni Sergio. Minsan lang nagtatagpo 'yung schedule naming dalawa dahil madalas overlapping 'yung mga subjects namin pareho kaya madalas hapon kami nagkikita sa library. Tapos marami pang ganap the next few weeks dahil sa SciFest. Thanks G talaga.
"We can still hang out after this?"
Nag-shrug ako, "Hindi ko rin sure, e. Daming activities tapos review pa for midterms," sagot ko. Shit, oo nga pala midterms. Ngayon ko pa talaga naaalala 'yun.
"We can... study together?"
Natawa ako, "Ano ka ba, mamaya iba isipin nila Maya," sagot ko bago inubos 'yung last part ng ice bar ko at itinapon sa basurahan. "It's just SIP, Sergio. After nito, we can just go back to our usual routine. I mean, we're still friends. We can still talk about stuff and all that. But I can't really guarantee that much time, I mean... I'm still the president of the student council after all."
Sergio nodded.
Mental pat sa likuran ko.
I know I did well. I just drew the line.
"Right," he said, more like a whisper tainted with disappointment bago napatingin sa'kin.
But Sergio... Sergio seems like he doesn't wanna back down.
YOU ARE READING
the stars above us (medtech series #2)
Teen FictionMEDTECH SERIES #2 What Lula Madaline Quinto has prayed for ever since she was a kid was finally coming true--and that is to finally leave Laoag and start anew. But sometimes, prayers lead to new destinations. She left Laoag in hopes of passing UPC...
