AGS 1: The Love Investment (PUBLISHED)

18. Missing

"Where are your friends?" I asked in my serious tone.

"It's hard for a man like me to appreciate a woman who wears a coat in resto bars like Padi's."

I rolled my eyes at him before I got in the car I borrowed from Mel. "And it's hard for a woman like me to appreciate a man who will ask ladies to take their clothes off just for the sake of entertainment, especially in resto-bars like Padi's. Hindi ko 'to isinuot para sa 'yo. Huwag kang feeling special."

Wala siyang pakialam kung ano ba ang gusto kong isuot. Kung magsuot man ako ng miner's jumpsuit, wala siyang karapatang magbigay ng opinion. I couldn't understand the idea of him always noticing everything about me.

Still, why did I encounter him every time na bad mood ako because of other guys? I wanted to forget it. But now, it was all coming back to me.

"First time mo sa speed dating?" I casually asked Rico.

"Not really. Nangangapa lang ako sa 'yo," he said, giving me his infamous grin.

"Mahilig din silang mangapa," I said, full of sarcasm. "Paturo ka kung paano para magkasundo tayo."

"Was that a green joke?" he asked, puzzled, and he didn't take that as pure sarcasm.

"You took that as a green joke?"

December last year, may barkada outing sila. Clark took me with them as her "date" but I ended up being the grumpy side chick sa ayaw siyang makausap.

Ang daming babaeng kasama, and he was flirting with one of them kapag nakatalikod ako. Nakikita ko sila, and I guess sinasadya niya yata para mag-react ako. But sorry for him, hindi ako nabebentahan ng gumagamit pa ng iba para magselos.

Lumandi siya sa iba, kanila na siya, period.

Nakikita ko si Clark, tatlong upuan lang ang layo kay Rico. We had a speed dating sa rest house ni Joana. At kahit na alam nilang may something sa amin ni Clark, naging part pa rin kami ni Rico ng date na 'yon. Nakipagkamay naman ako kay Rico para hindi ako masabihang killjoy.

"You play?" he suddenly asked in the middle of our conversation.

Bad mood ako. Mayabang akong sumagot. "Depends on the game."

Lumapit pa siya sa akin para bumulong nang mas mahina pa. "If I kiss you right now, sa tingin mo, magkakagulo ngayon?"

Dumadalas ang pamimisikal ko kaya napitik ko siya sa noo nang hindi ko sinasadya. "You wish! Out na 'ko!"

He just laughed hysterically habang hawak ang noo niya. I saw my friends and his peers looking at us with a huge question mark on their faces. Bad mood na nga ako tapos may gana pa siyang man-trip nang ganoon, nakakairita Dapat pala sinampal ko na lang.

Umalis na ako sa table na 'yon at nagtago sa kanilang lahat. Dumeretso ako sa kitchen ng bahay at kumuha doon ng kahit anong maiinom. May case sila ng beer kaya kumuha ako ng apat na bote. I rarely drink kaya alam kong masyado nang marami ang apat. Wala akong pakialam sa mundo nang mga oras na 'yon dahil naiinis ako kay Clark. Binigyan ko kasi siya ng second chance, pero hindi na siya gaya ng dati kung paano ko siya nakilala.

O baka hindi ko pala talaga siya kilala.

O baka gaya ng lagi kong rason . . . hindi ko pala talaga siya mahal.

Clark is . . . he is the joker of the barkada. He likes to play. And compared to Patrick, he likes to do things his own way without thinking about what he's doing. Sobrang opposite kaming dalawa, and I don't like it when he doesn't take things seriously. Parang sa kanya, joke lang lahat. Maybe, both kaming may problema. Hindi kasi mag-work kahit anong pilit namin. Commitment issues again na hindi ko alam kung fault ko ba o fault niya. I fucking hate MUs. Ang hirap ng walang label, pero mas gusto ko namang walang label, sa totoo lang.