Bullet

Chapter 22

MY head tilted as I continued watching him clean the cuts on my feet. Tinanggal ko nga pala ang sapatos ko kanina. Nalimutan ko. I took it off when I was sneaking behind a drunk enemy. Nawala na sa isipan ko dahil ang gusto ko lang ay makatakbo kami at makatakas. I didn't mind it even if I stepped on a lot of sharp and rough things.

"Wear my boots, alright?" He said, and then glanced at me.

Umiling ako. "Huwag na. Ayos lang."

"No, Aurora. Wear my boots to avoid infecting your wounds." He sighed and rested his chin against my legs. Nakaupo ako sa kama habang siya naman ay sa ibaba. "You have a lot of wounds, it's making me mad. I even promised I won't let anything hurt you and this happened."

I laughed and tapped his head. Hinaplos ko ang buhok niya. "Hindi naman natin ito maiiwasan. It's okay. At least you've promised me we'll keep each other safe, that's what matters to me the most. Okay? Nag-ooverthink ka na naman. Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Malalim na buntong-hininga naman. Valente closed his eyes and hugged my legs. I continued caressing his hair as I quietly sighed as well. 5 hours had passed, and we consumed one canned good. Tumutunog na naman nga ang tiyan ko pero ayoko pang kumain. Mamaya pa. We need to ration.

"Hungry?" He suddenly asked.

"No. Di pa."

"But I can hear it. It's rumbling, baby." He chuckled. Dumilat siya at nginisihan ako. "C'mon. Let's eat. Huwag mo nang itanggi at naririnig ko iyon."

I raised my eyebrow at him and flickered his forehead. Bahagya siyang napasimangot doon. "Sundalo ka ba? Hindi ka marunong mag-save. We need to ration and save our supplies. Kinakabahan nga ako sa tubig. Pakiramdam ko, mauubusan na tayo."

"I'm a soldier, but you're Aurora. I don't want you getting hungry or anything." Hinimas niya ang noo na pinitik ko. "So you need to eat. Eat now or I'll eat you---ouch!"

Awtomatikong hinablot ko ang buhok niya at hinila iyon nang malakas. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko sa narinig at malakas na pinitik ang tenga niya. He said, ouch again but he laughed.

"What?" Tumatawang tanong niya habang hawak-hawak ang tenga. "What did I say? You keep hurting me. This is boyfriend abuse---ouch! Heck, Aurora. This is getting serious and out of hand."

Serious at getting out of hand daw pero tawa pa rin siya nang tawa. This is the first time he has laughed like this---but I can't even smile because he keeps teasing me. I pursed my lips and then he looked at that. Tumatawang nginuso niya rin ang labi kaya mas lalo akong naasar.

"Pervert ka palang Valente ka!" Mahina ko siyang sinampal, pabiro lang. Nakanguso pa rin siya pero hinawakan na ang beywang ko. I took a pillow from behind me and hit him with it. "Tsaka huwag mo nga akong ginagaya-gaya riyan! Tanggalin mo iyang nguso mo, o sasapakin kita."

"O-ouch!" He is still laughing. And no matter how lovely and sexy it is to my ears, I'm still flustered and blushing!

"Hindi nga kita boyfriend! At ano 'yong eat now or I'll eat you?! Masasapak talaga kita nang todo, Santiago!" I jokingly grabbed his neck and pretended to choke him.

"W-what?" He snorted and bursted out laughing, chuckling a little bit. "What? I'm not your boyfriend? Okay. I understand. I'm your husband now. Asawa na kita---ouch! You've done that a couple of times now, Aurora. I'm a battered husband."

Natawa ako roon at hinaplos ang noo niyang pinitik ko. "Sorry. Sorry. Ikaw kasi. Kung ano-ano sinasabi mo. Di kita asawa at di pa nga ako gutom."

He sighed and then let out a deep chuckle. "I was joking. Hindi naman masakit. But seriously, I want you to eat now. It's been 4 hours since you've last eaten. At tumutunog na rin ang sikmura mo. Do you want to have an ulcer? I don't want you getting sick, Aurora."