LOVE IS WAR(M).

33

Laurice.

[I'm sorry, I don't think I can go.]

Napanguso ako nang muli kong maalala ang naging sagot ni Sebastian noong tinawagan siya nila Cassie kanina para sumama sa'min kagabi. Kahapon ako dumating dito ngunit sa kasunod na araw agad naming napagpasiyahang mag Baguio para masulit ang short vacation na ipinunta ko rito, magiging busy na rin si Cassie dahil next week na ang kasal nila ng kaniyang fiance. That's why, the only time we have to get together is during the earlier days of this week.

Sebastian still has no clue that I'm already here, surprise sana iyon kung sumama siya sa'min ngayong araw but it seems like he has a lot on his plate dahil kababalik niya palang sa kaniyang trabaho. I guess I'll have to surprise him myself nalang pag bumalik na kami ng Manila.

We're currently in La Union right now. We decided to drop by an eatery since it turned out that our snacks were not enough to fill our tummies until we reach Baguio. Hindi na rin kasi kami nakapagbreakfast kanina dahil maaga kaming umalis, we were aiming to arrive there before lunch pero mukhang hindi kami aabot dahil sa lala ng traffic sa Manila. Hindi pa rin pala nagbabago ang daloy ng trapiko roon kahit ilang taon na ang nakalipas, parang mas lumala pa nga yata kahit na ipinatanggal ng gobyerno ang mga jeepney sa dami ng mga private vehicle.

"Kami na oorder, ano sa inyo?" Ani Felix matapos naming makaupo ni Cassie sa pwestong nahanap namin. Nakatayo lang si Samuel sa gilid niya na animo'y hinihintay rin ang desisyon namin.

Matapos naming makapili sa menung naka display sa mesa ay bumaba na sila para mag order dahilan para maiwan kaming dalawa ni Cassie. Sabay pa kaming napatikhim nang tuluyan nang maglaho ang dalawa sa aming paningin matapos namin silang sundan ng tingin noong bumaba sila sa hagdan.

"Uhm," I started, attempting to talk about something while our other friends are away. Yes, my childhood friends welcomed me wholeheartedly like nothing happened to us for the past ten years at all but it is undeniable that we haven't seen each other for a long time so there can still be awkwardness between us. Hindi pa namin napapag-usapan ang tungkol doon and I know that just like me, they also want to take things slow. "Are you a vegan now?"

"Hmm, not really." Kaagad namang tugon ni Cassie habang nakayuko at nakapatong ang dalawa niyang siko sa mesa, hawak ng kaniyang mga kamay ang magkabila niyang braso.

"I just wanted to try how it feels like to be one, but I've been doing this for almost a month now." Natatawa niyang dagdag. Hindi ko naman mapigilang mapangiti habang pinapakinggan kong magsalita si Cassie, she sounds more fluent in English now. She indeed became a flight attendant, after all.

Hindi nagtagal matapos noon ay napatakip siya sa kaniyang bibig. "How about you? Ang sexy mo na, ah. Nagdadiet ka ba?" Tanong niya.

"Hiyang-hiya 'yong balakang ko sa'yo!" Naghihiya-hiyaang sambit pa ni Cassie na may bahid ng pang-aasar sa kaniyang boses.

"Uhm, 'di naman," I paused for a while. "But I regularly go to the gym. Rice is life pa rin kasi, e." Natatawa ko namang sagot sa kaniya.

Napapalakpak naman siya at napailing-iling. "Baste is a damn lucky guy." Mapang-asar niyang sabi.

Kung dati ay matagal kong itinago sa kanila ang tungkol sa aming dalawa ni Sebastian, ngayon ay hindi na.

Sebastian was always ready to show the world that I was his girlfriend back then, but I didn't let him because I was not comfortable with the world finding out that I fell in love with the guy I swore I would always hate. Now that I already grew older, I realized that he didn't deserve that and I'm not going to do the same mistake again. I won't hesitate to shout to the world that I'm only his this time, because the world has to know how awesome of a man he is- and to be the only woman he has ever loved is a privilege.