Let's Talk About Us [Completed]

30. Travel Alone

30. Travel Alone

3rd Person's POV

'What the hell have you done, Venice?'

Arthur has wanted to burst it out but chose to just stay calm infront of his daughter. Ayaw niyang pagalitan ang anak niya. For heaven's sake, she is only a little kid. Kahit na ba sabihin na likas dito ang pagiging matalino ay hindi pa rin mapagkakaila na isa lamang itong bata. A kid who only wants pure fun. Iyon lamang iyon.

For the nth time, he couldn't control himself to touch his lips while driving. Ang isang kamay ay nasa manibela at ang isa naman ay nakahawak sa labi habang ay siko ay nakapatong sa gilid na pinto ng kotse. He can't help but to think over how their lips met each other, the feelings that rose up and their body reaction towards that kiss. It was... unexplainable. Napapangiti nalang tuloy siya nang maalala ang nangyari. Parang tanga lang. Akala mo, first kiss kung makapag-react. It shouldn't be a big deal for both of them. After all, it's part of the agreement. Yeah, right. It is all part of the deal. Kasama iyon sa bayad.

Unti-unti tuloy napawi ang ngiti sa labi ni Arthur at napakagat nalang sa kanyang labi. He thought he might have gone crazy for thinking this way. Ano naman kung parte lang ito ng deal? Remember, you must only go with the flow and leave unnecessary stuff that has nothing to do with the agreement. Stuck that in your mindful brain, he thought to himself.

"Dad, what's wrong with your lips?"

He snapped back from the reverie when Venice asked him that. Dun lang niya na-realize na kanina pa pala niya pinagdidiskitahan ang sarili niyang mga labi. Pakshet lang. Ganito yata ang epekto ng matagal ng hindi nakatikim ng halik. When was the last time he got kissed by a girl? Five years na yata at five years na rin siyang celibate.

Enough of his s.ex life...

"Don't mind me," he finally answered and remembered what she did just awhile ago. Actually, hindi talaga maalis sa isip niya ang kalokohang ginawa ng anak. "Venice, you shouldn't have done that to us."

"What is it, Dad?"

Napakamot siya sa batok. Kasalanan yata niyang sinanay niya ang anak sa pagsasalita ng English. Hindi tuloy siya marunong mag-po at opo. "You intended me and your mom to kiss," he said as he focused on the spacious road.

"But I thought it was okay since you're my dad and she's my mom. Aren't you supposed to kiss each other often? I never saw you kiss mom on the lips."

He grunted in frustration of how to explain it nicely to a five year old kid. Ang daming tanong palagi, kailangan ding maraming nakahandang alternative answers. "It's okay for us to kiss since we are your parents but we'd just prefer to do it privately."

"Why don't you let me see it? Don't you love mom?"

That caught him off guard. He wasn't prepared of the question. Malay ba niya. Nasa kiss lang naman ang subject tapos biglang napunta sa love? Good Lord, help me, he thought. "Loving someone doesn't mean you have to kiss him or her always. Rather, it is about how you let someone feel how much you love and care for them."

Ngumiti naman ang bata sa sagot ng ama. She was as though impressed by how he explained it. "I see. I love you, daddy," she replied with a sweet voice.

He may not look at Venice directly because he has to focus on driving, he still held out his hand and touched her hair. "And it's not just about words, baby. It's all about actions. I love you too, Venice."

His phone suddenly rang in the middle of their conversation, so he had to push the button somewhere on the dashboard and plugged it in his earphones.