The Touch of Eternal Sorrow (Altarieno Series #3)

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Rhys... why are you recording?"

Her right hand tried to cover the camera. She's not exactly a camera shy. Mas nagiging masaya lang siya kapag siya ang kumukuha ng mga litrato.

"Rhys!" Suway niya sa akin pero hindi ko pa rin siya tinigilan.

"Good morning, baby..." I chuckled and tucked her hair behind her ears. Gulo-gulo ito dahil napakalikot niyang matulog. "How's your sleep... hmm? Did you dream of me?"

Tumalikod siya sa camera, naiinis.

"What are you doing?"

"Hindi kita kakausapin hangga't naka-on 'yang camera."

"Why? I like filming you..." Lumapit ako nang kaunti sa kaniyang tabi. I sniffed the back of her ears. She really smells so good, like the smell in the front yard after the rain has stopped—with the fragrance of flowers that were washed away.

"Isa..." Pagbabanta niya. "Papatayin mo ba iyan o hindi?"

"I'm going to, later."

"Dalawa. Turn it off now."

"Okay... okay..." Lumayo ako, pretending that I turned the camera off. Tinago ko iyon sa likuran ko. "Done."

"Are you sure?"

"You don't trust me?"

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes—"

She gave me a warm and deep kiss when she faced me. Bahagya akong napaigtad, shocked.

My heart fluttered so much. Siguro, dahil sa gulat because the move was unexpected. O baka... dahil sa mas lumalalim ko pang pagmamahal sa kaniya bawat araw.

I was about to respond to her kiss when she moved away from me. She then grabbed the camera from my back and laughed.

That's why...

"You're doing that again..." Iiling-iling ko sabi sa kaniya.

Tinawanan niya lang ako.

"Doing what, exactly?"

I hissed. Nagmamaang-maangan pa.

"Distracting me, so you can do your motive?"

Tinutok niya sa akin ang camera."You think I was distracting you?"

"What else should I call that? You kissed me out of nowhere." I stated. "You know how obsessed I am with that heart-shaped, light pink, and perfect lip of yours. I will marry you only with that."

Umasim ang kaniyang mukha.

"I was actually... pissing you off. Wala pa akong toothbrush kaya..." Nainis siya at bigla akong pinaghahampas. "Why are you not mad?! My breath surely doesn't smell that good!"

Do I tell her that when she kissed me, that was not what I thought of?

It's the soft brush of her lips and her angelic touch that took me—my heart away.

Nagtaas siya ng noo.

"But... my lips really look that good?"

"Yeah." I whispered. Underwhelming pa nga ang good, kung tutuusin.