My Favorite Game

CHAPTER 38

Sa sobrang busy ko na naman. Kaya walang time i-edit at basahin ulit. Ayusin ko nalang kapag okay na ang lahat sa akin! :)

Sali kayo sa FB GROUP: XMISSYGRAYX STORIES :)

****

For Ericka, seeing that little tears was like looking at her soul. She closed her eyes. She didn't want Rake to see that. Ayaw n'yang makita nito ang kahinaan n'ya dahil hindi sanay si Ericka na ipakita sa mga tao kung ano ang magpapabagsak sa kanya. She wouldn't let them use it against her.

"Ericka Quinn..." his voice were concerned.

Ericka looked at him. Pinahid n'ya ang isang mata na may tumulong luha. She didn't expect this too, gaya ng reaksyon ngayon ni Rake. Nagulat din s'ya nang maramdaman n'ya ang pagpatak ng luha n'ya.

"Are you hurt?"

Those three words caught her off guard.

Are you hurt?

In her thirty years of life. No one ever ask her that question. Maybe because she never cry infront of everybody. It was not her thing, she believed that crying is for the weak.

Mariin n'yang ipinikit ang mata. Pinipigilan na ang susunod na tutulo mula rito. She's supposed to be acting, right? Pero bakit ganito? Nasasaktan padin s'ya.

Huminga si Ericka ng malalim. Are you hurt? The question was echoing on her head. She tried to remember the last time someone asked her if she's hurt. Pero wala s'yang maalala. Kahit simula pagkabata ata walang sinuman ang nagtanong sa kanya kung nasasaktan na ba s'ya.

Not even her parents...  When she knew that her father had another family and her mom was a mistress. Walang nagtanong sa kanya, na kung okay pa ba sa kanya ang nangyayari. Noong panahon na iniwan sila nito ng kanyang ina walang nagtanong sa kanya, kung ayos lang ba s'ya.

She bit her lip so hard to refrain that emotion from filling her. Are you hurt? Bumalik sa kanya ang alaala habang isinasaboy ang abo ng kanyang ina at unti-unting nagsisialisan ang mga tao sa paligid. No one fucking dare to ask her. Not even when she lost her sister and feel empty the whole time.

As a teenager, she grew up finding the right answer to that question; is it a yes or no? Was she really hurt? Or in pain? Was she lost?

No one dare because no one care.

Not when her Tiya Judith beat her to death. She recalled someone asked her, "What happened?" instead of "Are you okay?". Or not when she had her heart first broken. Or the first time she gave herselft to a man. Whenever she looked at the mirror, she was still staring to that strong woman that her mother told her.

Ericka believed she wasn't hurt because she was too numb to feel the pain.

"Stay, Rake." mahinang utos n'ya. "I need you just this once. Sumasakit pa ang pagkatulak sa akin ni Laura. It hurt a little... So stay. Kahit saglit lang."

Sumampa si Rake sa kama at umupo sa tabi n'ya. He held her hand and entwined it together, tila ba naiintindihan nito ang nararamdaman n'ya ngayon. Pero ang tanong, pareho ba sila ng interpretasyon sa emosyon n'ya?

"I'm sorry." he murmured. "Nag-usap na kami ni Laura na hindi ka n'ya sasaktan."

"I'm so used to it." she answered. "Alam mong kaya kong gawin ang lahat para ipagtanggol ang sarili ko. But sometimes I can't do anything to defend what's inside me." kinuha n'ya ang kamay ni Rake at nilagay sa t'yan n'ya. "How's the feeling?"

Ngumiti si Rake sa kanya. As if, he could feel it. What he didn't know, it was all empty like the woman infront of him.

"Perfection." huminga si Rake ng malalim at nagulat si Ericka nang lumapit ang mukha ni Rake sa t'yan n'ya. She didn't move. She was now wishing that this was real. That the life she once treasured was still alive. "Nararamdaman na kaya n'ya ako?"