The Fall of Alexander the Great (Monteverde Series 3)

11

Chapter Eleven

I took a shot of the sunset. The mixture of red and orange on the horizon looked absolutely beautiful. I examined the photo on my camera and smiled, satisfied with the outcome. I was about to take another photo when the camera was snatched away from my hand by the rude and incredibly entitled Alexander.

"Pakialamero ka talaga," pakli ko. "Akin na 'yan, hindi pa ako tapos."

He ignored me. He looked like he was examining the photos.

"Give me that!" He gave me a blank stare before going through the album again.

"Ugly, ugly, ugly," paulit-ulit niyang sabi habang inililipat-lipat ang mga pictures. Nag-init ang ulo ko lalo na nang makitang binubura niya lahat ng mga kuhang sinabihan niya ng pangit. Hinampas ko ang braso niya ngunit hindi siya nagpatinag.

"How dare you? Iyo ba 'yan para mag-delete ka?" naiinis kong tanong. Akala ko pa naman ay bumabait na ang lalaking ito dahil tatlong araw na kaming hindi nagtatalo. Ngunit ngayon ay binabawi ko na kung ano man ang mga naisip kong mabuti tungkol sa kanya. If only I had known earlier that he would delete my shots and call them ugly, then I would not have let him come with me.

"People always take photos of the sunset," walang pasubaling komento niya.

"Hindi ka lang marunong makaappreciate ng beauty! Ikaw, ikaw ang ugly!" I retorted angrily. He smirked at me and lowered his hand, but it wasn't enough for me to reach the camera. Instead, he pointed it on my direction.

"Smile for me, love," masuyo niyang sabi. When I didn't, I heard his hearty chuckle. "Come on, Blythe. Cooperate a bit." Pinaikot ko ang mga mata ko bago inilahad ang kamay, senyas na ibalik niya na sa akin ito.

"Quit goofing around!"

"I promise to give it back after I take a photo. Just one." He smiled. "Come on."

"I don't trust you." I said matter of factly.

"Just one shot, love."

It looked like he really has no plans of giving it back, until I relented. I growled and put on the fakest smile I could muster. I was looking directly at the lens, but my attention was caught by a teenage girl behind him who was running with a dog on a leash. The dog was chasing after a stray cat and the girl was getting dragged behind. She fell on the pond trying to keep up with the beagle, and no matter how much I tried to suppress the grin, it still escaped.

"Nice." I heard the click.

Alexander handed the camera back to me and I examined the way I look like in the photo. I was mid-grin, with my hair looking like it hasn't been combed in a week. I was about to delete it when Alexander interrupted my train of thoughts.

"You look beautiful. More beautiful than the sunset that I think it might get jealous."

"Bolero," anas ko. "Tigilan mo ako, wala akong mapapautang sa'yo." Nalukot ang mukha niya sa tinuruan ko. Isinabit ko sa leeg ko ang camera at kumuha pa ng ilang random na litrato ng mga tao sa park. I think there's beauty in the normalness of daily life. Most people take it for granted, but beauty is not that hard to find for people who know where to look and what exactly to look for.

"I'm hungry. Let's go grab something to eat," anyaya ni Alexander. Tumago na lang ako at sinundan siyang maglakad palabas ng park. Many people are eyeing him and they are not even bothering to be discreet about it. Maybe they noticed the strong aura of confidence emanating from him. He was sharply dressed in a casual attire but he still draws this much attention. I'm not even mildly surprised.