Paradox [BoybandPH]

e i g h t

I'd  like to say we gave it a try,
I'd like to blame it all on fire.

I turned in my bed. Trying to block Ariana Grande's voice.

Maybe we just weren't right,
But that's a lie. That's a lie..

Why the heck won't she stop? Ugh.

And we can deny it as much as we want, but in time our feelings will show..

Phone. Where's my phone?

I'm really not a heavy sleeper kaya nagising na ko agad. Nakapikit pa rin ako habang kinakapa ang ilalim nang unan ko. Dito ko madalas kasi ilagay ang phone ko bago matulog.

'Cause sooner or later, we'll won—

I swiped the phone without even looking at it, carelessly putting it beside my ear.

"Hello?" I mumbled sleepily.

"Pagmata na oy!"

Ano daw? Alien ba tong kausap ko?

I can still hear the other line talking about whatever pero tinignan ko muna yung caller ID. Which I immediately regret dahil nasilaw ako. I blinked a few times hanggang sa maka-adjust ang mata ko sa liwanag.

Neil Murillo talking..

"Leshe ka, akala ko alien." I said with a yawn. I heard him sigh, mumbling something I don't understand.

"Bumangon ka na. May lakad tayo."

Can't I spend this day in my bed? I groaned. Magrereklamo pa lang ako, nagsalita na siya ulit.

"Therapy ni Kuya."

Naaksidente kasi ang kuya niya few months ago at sinisisi ni Neil ang sarili for what happened. Ni hindi ko alam kung bakit. We don't have the courage to ask kung ano talaga totoo, because everytime we do, anger and guilt always flashed in his face. At hindi ako sanay na nakikita yun sa inosente niyang mukha.

No one really blamed him. Kahit ang mismong kuya niya, hindi yun naisip. But Neil is thinking otherwise. Kaya since then, he made it his responsibility na samahan siya sa mga therapy niya until he fully recovered.

Natahimik ako pero nagsalita din makalipas ang ilang segundo.

"O-okay. Sunduin mo ko ha? 30 minutes."

He snorted, "Ikaw? 30 minutes? Sunduin kita after lunch."

Napatingin ako sa clock sa bedside table. It says ten in the morning. Napailing-iling na lang ako. Kilala talaga ako ni Neil.

"Fine. Two hours."

Binaba ko na ang phone.

I can feel my phone slowly sliding out of my hands. Unti-unting bumabagsak ang mata ko. Five minutes lang.

I startled when my phone rang once, followed by a beep few seconds later. I squinted my eyes and checked my phone again. A missed call and a text message, both from Neil.

Neil:
GUMISING KA NA.

My eyes automatically rolled. I huffed before pushing myself off the bed to take shower.

I dabbed small mount of liquid foundation and spread it on my face evenly. I coated my eyelashes with a mascara and lightly applied lipgloss. I opted to wear floral jumpshort and a gray cardigan over it.

When I was satisfied with how I looked, I sent Dad a message na may lakad kami ni Neil. I also texted my bestfriend na I'm ready and invited him over to eat lunch. But he said he needs to fetch his mom and kuya sa Buendia, out of the way na kung pupunta pa siya dito.