"Anong ginagawa mo dito?" ang nasabi ko.
Ang tanga mo Iggy! Ang tagal mong hinintay ang araw na 'to tapos 'yan pa ang sasabihin mo? Ano, pinagtatabuyan mo? Think fast. Bawiin mo 'yung sinabi mo!
"Ah... ah... what I mean is, gabi na. Bakit nagpunta ka pa, wala kang kasama."
"Ano ka ba? Ang lapit lang ng bahay mo sa condo. Atsaka hindi pa naman masyadong late," she replied.
I suddenly noticed the paper cups she was holding. "Akin na 'yan. Sorry. Baka naiinitan na 'yang kamay mo. Halika, let's go inside."
Ibinigay n'ya sa akin ang mga 'yon kasama ang matamis n'yang ngiti. Just like before. And damn I missed that smile! It's been a while since I last saw it. Alam n'yo naman, tuwing nagkikita kami ay panay simangot at death stares lang ang binibigay n'ya sa akin.
Pagpasok namin sa loob ng bahay, I guided her to the dining room where my dinner was going cold.
"O, bakit hindi mo pa inuubos 'yung dinner mo? Kanina pa 'yan dineliver ah. Akala ko tapos ka na kaya dinala ko na 'yung kape eh. Akala ko magpapatunaw na tayo ng kinain," she said upon seeing the unfinished food on the table.
But wait. What? What did she say? Am I getting it right? She...
She must've read my face because she answered all the questions inside my head. "Yes. Ako ang nagpadala ng lahat ng 'yon."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I wanted to say thank you."
"For what?"
"For last night?"
"Last night?"
"O c'mon, don't act as if nothing happened. Sinabi sa akin ni Farah na tinawagan ka daw nila para sunduin ako. Ikaw din daw ang naghatid sa akin pauwi. Kaya thank you."
"Ah, wala 'yun." I noticed how she blushed up and then bowed her head. Nahiya siguro sa mga nangyari kagabi. "Ah, upo ka muna. Halika." She sat on the chair I pulled out for her and hurriedly sprinted to the other side to sit across her.
"Sorry din pala if you had to see me that way. Nakakahiya naman," she said. It was pretty obvious how shy she is about what happened last night.
"No, don't worry about it. Mas gugustuhin ko nang ako ang maghatid sa 'yo pauwi nang ganon ang itsura mo kesa naman kung sinu-sino lang. Kahit nasaang parte pa ako ng Maynila ay susunduin kita. Kahit nasa Batangas pa ako, luluwas ako para lang sunduin kita."
"Grabe ka naman! Pero hindi na mauulit 'yon. Last time na 'yon na malalasing ako ng ganun. Promise."
BINABASA MO ANG
Letters to Cleo #Wattys2016
General FictionIt's hard to find true love. And it gets harder when you fall for someone you haven't physically met. This is the story of Inigo Javier's search for Cleo - a girl he has only exchanged letters with and his quest in finding true love.
