"We're near the stairs," Moira told Kelvin. Nakaalalay ang parents niya sa kanya. They're leading him up the stairs, to his room.
"I'm alright, mom," sabi niya sa ina.
"You're drunk. Baka matalapid ka."
"I'm not that drunk."
Inalis niya ang braso sa pagkakaakbay sa mga magulang saka siya naupo sa hagdanan.
"I'm not drunk enough," he murmured. "I still know what I'm doing."
Umiikot na ang paningin niya at gusto na niyang matulog, but he's not drunk enough to throw his cautions in the air. Linaw pa rin siya. He knew what he said and did earlier. And he's not blaming it on the alcohol.
"You acted like a love-drunk earlier," his father told him.
"I just want to tell her how I feel without scaring her away."
"Aww honey..."
"Well, that's just stupid."
"Vince!" Moira snapped at his dad.
"I'm just saying that she might get the wrong idea. She won't feel special if he treats her like everyone else," paliwanag ng ama niya. And he's right. Kung anuman ang ginagawa nya para kay Celine, ginagawa rin nya para sa iba. Ayaw kasi niyang magtaka ito. Alam na kasi niya kung ano ang magiging reaksyon nito kapag nalaman nito ang totoo.
He already tried that approach, but she doesn't like him that way.
"I don't know how to stop this," he lamented.
Naupo sa tabi niya ang ina.
"Love is a strong force, anak. You can't stop it even if you want to. You're already in love with her, aren't you?"
Tumango siya. He must be. It won't feel like hell if he wasn't.
"Imposible na bang magustuhan nya rin ako, ma?"
"Sa ngayon, maybe," she told him. "But if you're meant for each other, she will realize that she loves you too. Someday. It might just take a while. Kita mo ang dad mo, it took him twelve years."
Vince rolled his eyes. "Ako na naman ang nakita mo."
Moira laughed. "Well, anyway... Halika na. Kailangan mo nang itulog 'yan."
--
Hindi nakaranas ng monito-monita sina Celine dahil graveyard shift naman sila. So ang ginawa nila ni Yuan, sila na lang ang nag-exchange gifts. Isasali sana nila si Kelvin pero noong Christmas party pa ang huling kita niya rito.
Hindi niya alam kung ano ang problema nito. Hindi naman kasi siya nito tini-text o tinatawagan.
Kaya naman noong umaga ng 24, nagulat siya nang makita itong nakaabang sa labas ng boarding house pag-uwi niya.
"Nagtatampo ka ba sa 'kin?" bungad na tanong niya. Wala kasi itong imik. He just stood beside his car, staring back at her.
"No," tipid nitong sagot.
"Akala ko e. Ilang araw ka kasing hindi nagpakita."
"I was just busy." He said, then he smiled coyly. "Bakit, na-miss mo 'ko?"
"Slight," she replied, wrinkling her nose. "Ano'ng ginagawa mo rito?"
"Na-miss mo 'ko, di ba?"
She looked at him sternly. "Seryoso nga kasi."
"Ihahatid sana kita pauwi."
"Pauwi? Sa 'min?"
Tumango ito.
