Forgetting My First Real Kiss

Chapter Thirteen

Umiling ako. "Wala."

Tinitigan ako nang matagal ni Rita bago siya nagtanong ulit. 

"And you're the girlfriend of Mitchell of The Rubbers?" 

Sinasabi ko na nga ba. 

I stared at her dead on. "Is this still about your school paper or my boyfriend?" I asked with a brow raised.

Hindi siya sumagot. Instead, she stood up in front of me and addressed her group. "Girls. Anong gagawin natin sa bandwagon fan na to?"

Nagulat ako nang bigla nilang pinalibutan ang inuupan kong park bench. May ilang humawak sa magkabila kong braso.

"What the hell?" I sputtered as I tried to stand up. Ang lalakas nila at ang tutulis ng mga kuko!

"Get your hands off her," sabi ng isang pamilyar na boses ng isang lalaki. I knew who it is kahit hindi ko siya nakikita dahil sa mga nakaharang sa harapan at paligid ko.

"Lourd!" I called out his name in relief.

"Go ahead and hurt her, I'll send this video to Mitchell," narinig kong pagbabanta niya. Agad namang nagsibitawan at nagsitakbuhan palayo ang mga fangirls ni Mitchell.

"You okay?" tanong sa akin ni Lourd nang makalapit siya sa akin. Umupo siya sa tabi ko, I watched his eyes roamed around my face and my body. Matapos niya akong i-inspection for injuries ay tinanguan niya lang ako at sumandal sa park bench.

"Uhh... Thanks for saving me," I reluctantly said as I watch him played with his phone. 

"Don't mention it," he answered dismissively.

Shit. Mukhang galit pa rin yata siya sa pang-paprank ko sa kanya kagabi. I have to own up to it and apologize. What I did was uncalled for and dangerous.

"About last night, Lourd..." I trailed off when he didn't look my way. "I went too far."

"You didn't."

My brows furrowed in confusion. I know for a fact that I really went too far last night. "But you were so red last night! Akala ko hihimatayin ka sa anghang. Inubos mo pa yung soup!" Hindi ako makatulog kagabi dahil maraming pumasok na possibilities sa utak ko.

What if he's just acting cool? Pero hindi na pala siya makahinga nang maayos? Kasi ang pula-pula niya. Aakalain mong puputok ang mukha niya dahil parang may lumalabas na usok sa nostrils at magkabila niyang tainga.

Lumingon siya sa akin at ngumiti. I noticed it didn't reach his eyes. "Marami ka na ngang nakalimutan sa akin."

Lalo akong napasimangot sa sinabi niya. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I love spicy food, Daphne," simple nitong sumagot bago napailing. Ibinalik na nito ang atensyon niya sa kanyang phone.

I sighed. Shit. How could I forget that? I panicked and felt guilty for nothing.

I cleared my throat and asked him what was really bugging me last night. "Gagantihan mo talaga ako?" 

"What do you think?" lang ang isinagot niya.

"You will," I answered with a sigh. "You don't have to stay here with me. I'm sure hindi na nila ako babalikan."

"I'm not like your boyfriend, Daphne. I can't just leave you here with the Nico still on the loose." May narinig akong pagkairita sa tono niya. 

"He was busy," I shot back lamely. Hindi ko naman pwede sabihin sa kanya na wala namang kasalanan si Mitchell. But I get where he's coming from. He's an overprotective douchebag but he still gave way for Mitchell when I told him protecting me wasn't his job anymore. 

"You should've texted me instead. Pauwi ka na sana ngayon and not waiting for your driver."

I shrugged. "Next time na lang."

"There shouldn't be a next time, Daph," Lourd seethed. "I'll fucking beat the shit out of your boyfriend if something happened to you when he's not with you."

Umiling ako para ipakita ang pagtutol ko. "He's busy, Lourd. Importante sa kanya ang career niya."

"You should be his top priority. Not his band," he shot back without missing a beat.

Natawa ako sa sinabi niya. "We're just in college. Music is his life."

Tinignan niya ako at hindi ko mapigilan ang sarili ko na mapatitig din sa kanya. "Then he shouldn't be with you. You deserve nothing but the best."

I looked away when his gaze became too much for me. Iniba ko rin ang usapan dahil ayokong umabot pa kami ulit sa dangerous territories. 

"Ikaw, bukod sa panggugulo mo sa akin, anong pinagkakaabalahan mo?"

"School. I'm a PolSci major, by the way," he answered, his gaze still trained on me. 

Huh. Just like Dad and Ninong. "Are you following Ninong's steps?"

"If you're asking if I wanted to be a lawyer, then yes. I don't to be a politician like your Dad."

I cleared my throat as I threw another question his way. "What else? Ano pa ginagawa mo ngayon?"

I can still feel his intense eyes on me. "It's just you and school."

"Boring ng buhay mo," pilit kong biro. "What's your life like before you came back?"

"My life in Canada? It's pretty normal." Am I ready to learn about his life in Canada? Why did I ask him that? "I studied, hangout with friends, did the whole high school thing."

"How about girls?" I blurted out without thinking.

Fuck. Just shut your mouth, Daph. Shut it.

"You mean girlfriends? I had three."

Three.

"Three."

"Yeah."

Okay. What should we do with this new information? Bakit pa kasi ako nagtanong? Bakit biglaan akong nagkainteres sa buhay niya bago siya bumalik?

At bakit hindi ako makahinga nang maayos sa katotohanang nagkaroon siya ng tatlong girlfriends sa loob ng ilang taong malayo siya sa akin?

I only had Nico and he had three.

"Were they serious relationships?" I couldn't help but ask. 

"Yes."

You had to ask, Daphne? God, why do I feel like shit right now? Why does his answer make my heart squeeze so hard? Why does it hurt?

Tapos na kami, diba?

Bigla akong napatayo dala ang bag. "I think  should go. Nandiyan na si Manong sa may Gate 3," sabi ko sa kanya habang nakatuon ang atensyon sa direksyon ng Gate 3. I can't look at him right now.

"I'll walk you there," sabi niya bago ako hawakan sa braso.

I twisted my arm off his hand. "No need."

"Daphne."

"I want to be alone, Lourd," pakiusap ko sa kanya nang hindi pa rin siya tinitignan.

"Mauna ka maglakad, susundan kita," he compromised. Tumango ako at nagsimula na maglakad palayo sa kanya. Dahil sa bilis ng paglalakad ko ay nakarating kaagad ako sa Gate 3. Nakita ko kaagad ang family car namin at ang driver namin na naghihintay sa akin.

Malapit na ako sa aming kotse nang tawagan ako ni Lourd.

"Daph?"

"Yes?" I acknowledged him without looking back.

I heard him sigh before he completely shattered my heart all over again.

"Walang pumantay sa'yo."