Arctic Heart [#Wattys2018 Winner]

Chapter 7

"I texted and called you," he said, and I can feel him blaming me for something.

"Oh..." Kinuha ko ang aking cellphone sa may drawer at nakitang may isang bagong mensahe siya at pati na rin ang tawag. "Nasa loob ng drawer ang phone ko at nakasilent. Hindi ko na nalingon."

Buti na lang at hindi masyadong halata ang panginginig ng aking kamay habang pinapakita sa kanya ang aking cellphone.

"You seemed so busy..." He raised his eyebrows on me.

"Need to review these paper works." Inilahad ko ang mga papel na nakakalat sa aking lamesa.

Halos mapasandal naman ako sa aking upuan nang bigla siyang humakbang papalapit sa akin. Pigil-pigil ko ang aking paghinga nang tumayo siya sa harap ng aking lamesa at kinuha mula sa nagkalat na mga papel ang kanyang portfolio na aking nakaligtaan.

Oops?

"I came to give you my portfolio," he sternly said and placed the portfolio on top.

Maagap naman akong tumango dahil sa biglang pagtigas ng kanyang pagbigkas. Kanina ay gusto ko siyang magalit at mainis, pero ayoko pala.

"Alam ko... Nasabi rin ni Rose sa akin," sabi ko naman at nagsimula na akong mag-iwas ng tingin sa kanya.

Sinulyapan ko siya sa gitna nang pag-iwas ng tingin at siya'y nanatili lamang ang halos naninigkit na mga mata habang nakatitig sa akin.

"Rose said that you were with Engineer Veñegas earlier for a lunch date... That's Bench, right?" he said, slightly accusing me of something I can't pinpoint.

"Hindi lunch date 'yon!" agad kong pagtanggi. "Lunch meeting 'yon. We talked about business. Sinabi ko sa kanya ang tungkol kay Engineer Horan."

Muli naman siyang nagtaas ng kilay sa akin at bahagyang lumayo sa aking lamesa. It was like I was given an access to breathe when he stepped back, only to take my breath away when he suddenly leaned forward. He supported himself by pushing his palms on my desk.

"Next time, invite Isha and I. He would also need to meet his team for this project of yours," he slightly scolded me.

"E, 'di sa susunod..." sabi ko na lang.

He stepped back once again and stood straight while his eyes never left mine.

"Your father invited me again for a dinner at your house. He said that your Mom wants to meet the Architect for your project," he informed me.

Bahagya namang nanlaki ang aking mga mata. Wala akong ka-alam-alam na roon siya sa bahay magdi-dinner. Alam kong gusto ni Mommy na makilala ang nakuha kong arkitekto dahil sa kanyang pagdududa sa kakayahan nito pero hindi ko alam na mamayang gabi na iyon. Daddy never told me anything.

"I'll wait for you to finish your work. Sabay na tayong pumunta sa inyo," sabi niya at saka naglakad patungo sa sofa upang umupo.

He made himself comfortable there like he wasn't really planning to leave my office anytime soon.

Siguro ay kaya siya bumalik agad mula sa pagpunta nila ni Engineer Horan sa Cavite ay nang dahil sa imbitasyon sa kanya ni Daddy.

I wondered when will I ever stop assuming when he was already shoving to my face that I will never have a chance with him. Titig niya pa lang ay tila mga salita nang nagsasabing ayaw niya sa akin.

"You should've brought Engineer Horan, too." I can't hide the bitterness dripping on my voice and averted my gaze back to the papers. "Mom should meet her, too."

"She's tired from our site visit in Cavite. I asked her to just rest at home," he casually said.

Ngumuso naman ako upang pigilan ang sarili sa pagngiwi.