Arctic Heart [#Wattys2018 Winner]

Chapter 17

I kissed dad on his cheek before going upstairs to my room. I wanted to eavesdrop and see what was happening between my parents, but I trust them so much. Alam kong kaya nilang lagpasan ang problema nila ngayon at alam kong mas gusto rin nilang huwag na akong makialam.

The urge I have to eavesdrop to check what was happening to my parents was too strong. I was this close in going out of my room, but the moment my phone rang with a call from Jace, I instantly halted.

Slowly lifting my phone against my ear, I heaved before I answered the call.

"Hello..." I quietly said.

"I'm home," he told me as soon as I answered. "What are you doing?"

"Hmm... nakaupo lang sa kama," sabi ko.

"Can't sleep yet?" he guessed.

He was right. I can't sleep yet because I was worried for my parents. Gusto kong malaman kung naayos na ba nilang dalawa ang gusot nila.

Even if I was hating my mom right now, I still didn't want them to fall apart. Ayokong magkasakitan silang dalawa. Hindi ko kakayanin 'yon bilang nag-iisang anak nila.

"Want to go for a night drive?" he asked me.

Parang nahulog naman ang aking puso sa kanyang biglang pag-aaya.

"Huwag na. Nakakahiya, Jace. Kakauwi mo pa lang tapos babalik ka na agad," pagtanggi ko sa kanya.

"That won't stop me. I'll be there in ten," he quickly said and ended the call.

Agad naman akong lumapit sa salamin upang tingnan ang aking sarili. Nakasuot na ako ng white cotton shorts at pink plain top. Mukha namang maayos pa ang aking hitsura sa suot ko. Okay lang naman siguro kahit huwag na akong mapalit.

I glanced at my phone, remembering Jace's last words before he dropped the call. A smile appeared on my lips. He was truly being himself already. The Jace earlier this morning was a Jace who will do everything I said, and will always bend down for me. But the Jace that I just got a call from, he was the real Jace. He rules his own life.

In exactly ten minutes, he sent me a message that he was already waiting for me in front of our house. I got my wallet and phone from the vanity desk and quietly wet out of my room.

My parents weren't in the living room anymore. Maybe, they're settling their problem inside their room.

I immediately spotted Jace's car as soon as I got out of the gates. He opened the window to my side and signed me to get in already and so, I did.

He was really the Jace I knew.

"Why are you laughing to yourself?" he asked me when I silently chuckled.

Napatingin naman ako sa kanya at saka umiling. "Wala lang."

Kumunot naman ang noo niya sa akin bago umiling at tinapakan na ang gas upang umandar na ang sasakyan.

"Your seatbelt, please," he pointed out to the unused seatbelt.

Without thinking twice, I buckled up my seatbelts and sat properly before I deciphered his look tonight.

Napangiti naman ako. Bagay na bagay sa kanya ang kaswal na damit. He was wearing a white v-neck shirt and some kind of black cotton shorts just like what I was wearing. Natuwa naman ako dahil kahit hindi kami nag-usap ay parang magkaparehas pa rin kami ng suot.

"Stop staring at me. I'm driving," he said while his eyes were focused on the road.

Ngumuso naman ako at saka humalukipkip bago idiniretso ang tingin. "Ang sungit talaga," bulong ko at umirap.

Gone were the times that he was so extra sweet and all. Sana pala ay pinatagal ko man lang.

I saw in my peripheral vision that he glanced at me, but I remained facing the road we were taking.

Taking back my words that he wasn't sweet anymore, I was completely blown away when he suddenly reached out for my hand. He slowly slipped his fingers in between mine, intertwining our hands, and let it rest on my lap. Even when controlling the gearstick, he made sure that he'll never let my hand go from his hold.

Paulit-ulit kong tinatago ang aking mukhang tuwing hindi ko napipigilan ang sarili sa pagngiti dahil sa sobrang kilig. I wasn't prepared for that gesture! I thought we were done with that already! Hindi ko man lang naihanda ang puso ko.

"Stay there," he simply instructed me when he parked his car on a convenient store.

Mabilis siyang lumabas ng sasakyan at ako naman ay nanatili sa loob habang nakatingin sa aking kamay na kanyang kaninang hawak-hawak.

Hindi rin naman siya natagalan sa pagbalik. May dala-dala na siyang supot ngayon na inabot niya sa akin. Mayroon iyong laman na dalawang popsicle ice cream.

When we were back on the road, he held onto my hand again.

He drove all the way to a subdivision and stopped at a small and quiet park inside it. It was a normal park with a simple playground for children and a couple of benches around it.

"Anong subdivision 'to?" mahina kong tanong habang naglalakad kami sa parke.

"Our subdivision," he answered and sat o one of the benches.

Bahagya naman akong napatigil sa paglalakad at saka siya tinapunan ng kuryosong tingin. "Malapit lang dito ang bahay ninyo sa park?"

Tumango naman siya. "Just turn on the next intersection. Sa dulo no'n, iyon ang bahay namin," sabi niya. "Gusto mo bang tingnan?"

Mabilis naman akong umiling bago umupo sa kanyang tabi. "Bukas na lang."

He chuckled at my answer before giving me one of the popsicle ice cream and the other one for himself.

"Why did you bring me here?" I asked him. "I thought we're just gonna drive around."

He casually leaned on the back rest of the benches while he ate his ice cream. Pinanood ko lang siyang maging kumportable sa kanyang ginagawa.

"I usually come here when I want to think and be alone, and I thought that you want to stop and think," he answered. "When I called you earlier, I can sense in your voice that there's something not right that's why I called you out. I'm not gonna ask you to tell me what your problem is, I just want to be by your side while you settle your problem inside your head until you're finally at peace."

Napangiti naman ako bago binuksan ang ice cream at kumain na rin. Tiningnan ko ang playground sa aming harapan at naalala noong bata pa ako't wala masyadong inaalalang problema. I guessed this was the consequence of being a carefree child before.

"Have you ever heard your parents fight?" I absentlyminded asked him. "Recently, my parents started fighting. May hindi sila pinagkakasunduan na bagay kaya hindi sila magkaintindihan."

He shifted his position and acted like he was thinking of circumstances when his parents fought before he answered.

"My parents never fought... Well, I actually don't know if they are fighting while we're not looking or listening, but I never heard nor see them fight," sabi niya. "Masyadong mahal ni daddy si mommy para hayaan niyang mag-away silang dalawa at ganoon din si mommy. Kung pagtatampuhan ay madalas magtampo si mommy pero simpleng suyo lang ni daddy ay ayos na ang lahat. Kapag si daddy naman ang magtatampo, sa huli ay siya pa rin ang gagawa ng paraan para magkaayos sila."

He slightly chuckled before he continued to eat his ice cream.

"People are actually commending them for having a strong bond, but my dad always tell them that he and my mom have gone through a lot for them to bend with a simple problem," he shared. "You'll see what I'm talking about when you visit our house tomorrow."

He seemed to have a very happy and warm family. I wondered what made him so cold and different from his family.