Before Anything Else (Absinthe Series 2)

Kabanata 32

Kabanata 32

Before Anything Else

Hindi kami nagtagal sa Stone Cross dahil marami ang tao at nagsisimula na ring uminit ang paligid. Eion and I hiked back to his car, na nasa paanan ng munting burol.

I watched him as he wiped his forehead. Ngumuso ako habang pinagmamasdan ang gwapo niyang mukha. Kahit pawisan talaga ay nakakaagaw pansin pa rin, ano? How would their fans react to their sweaty bodies? I am sure marami ang tumitili kasi kadalasang may naghuhubad pa ng pang-itaas at hinahagis sa mga tao.

Eion caught me staring again. Hindi ko na iniwas ang aking tingin at nagkatitigan na lamang kami. Back up the hill, I told him to pray once we reached the peak where the stone cross was located. It was surprising for me that I initiated to pray. Nagdasal nga siya habang nakatabi sa akin. We both kneeled down in front of the cross together with the other tourists. Nauna akong matapos sa pagdadasal kaya napagmasdan ko ang taimtim niyang pananalangin. Ngayon ang una kong beses na nagdasal sa harap ng malaling krus. I do not really believe in such miracles that these tangible things are capable of but I tried to pray from the heart.

It saddened me for some reason. Siguro ay dahil alam kong sa panalangin ko, sinasabi kong sana ay hindi na siya manatili at umalis na lamang. I told God I wanted Eion to stay away from me. Kasi alam kong hindi ako kompleto at hindi ko pa lubusang mahal ang aking sarili. I told God I wanted to love myself deeper before I proceed to love another person. Hindi ko alam kung si Eion nga ba ang mamahalin ko kapag alam kong sapat na ang pagmamahal ko sa sarili.

It was hard to stay this way. Sobrang lapit namin sa isa't isa ngunit sobrang layo naman ng aming nararamdaman. Our hearts were both tied to other commitments. Hindi ko alam ang kaniya ngunit sigurado akong hindi para sa akin.

"You still look beautiful after all these years…." bulong niya habang mariin ang titig sa akin. I felt my cheeks blushed under his gaze. It's like a teeny feeling.Pakiramdam ko ay bumalik kami sa panahong una kaming nagkita.

" You looked better though." pambawi ko at ngumiti sa kaniya. The feeling was warm. At nanlalambot rin ang aking katawan kapag napapadoon ang titig niya. I tried to comfort my heart. Eion just don't know that he was already killing my heart but in a good way.

Naging tahimik ang sandaling iyon bago siya nag-ayang umalis na. We drove past the ocean and went to the cave museum of Marina. Hindi iyon kalakihan ngunit kakaiba nga lang sa mga museum na napuntahan ko. There were no bats inside kasi naayos na iyo  at na-furnish. Ang iilang mahalagang kayamanan ng Marina ay nandoon. Even the portrait of the first family of Marina was there! Napakaganda!

Everything turned to a roadtrip. Matapos sa Cave Museum ay umikot kami papuntang Arroyo. There were antique houses and mansions. Kadalasang nandoon talaga ang mga bahay ng mga mayayaman sa Marina. Even the famous manor of the Governor was there and the old military camp called CampoRazzo.

Halos mag-aalasais na ng makabalik kami sa Costa. Hindi namin nalibot ang buong Marina dahil natagalan kami sa iilang lugar. I wonder how Eion knew about those tourist spots gayong ang iba ay hindi ko pa naman napupuntahan. Hinayaan niya akong mag-enjoy doon habang nanunuod lamang siya sa akin. It was weird but my heart flutters whenever I set my eyes on him. Alam ko kasing sa akin lamang siyang nakamasid habang namamasyal.

"Thank you for today, Eion. Although dapat ikaw naman talaga ang magpapasalamat sa akin kasi ako dapat ang magto-tour sa'yo."

"It's nothing. Pagod ka na ba? I was just going to invite you for dinner if it's not too much." sabi niya.