Ikaw Lamang

Chapter One

THE STORY...

Nakakunot ang noo nang labing siyam na taong gulang na si Cedric habang nakabaling sa labas ng bintana sa backseat nang tumatakbong SUV.

Wala siyang nakikita kundi ang kulay na green saan mang dako siya tumingin. Lahat ng shades ng green—light, dark, yellow green, at golden yellow na may greenish tint—mula sa madamong kapatagan hanggang sa bulubundukin na mistula'y borderline ng lugar na ito.

And it was depressing. Hindi pa man siya nakakarating sa hasyenda, naiinip na siya.

Pero hindi iyon lang ang dahilan kung bakit mainit ang ulo ni Cedric. He could have tolerated it at any other day. Pero pwersahin siya ng kanyang mga magulang na magbakasyon sa sulok na ito ng mundo? Wait. No. The fact was he was thrown here like a little child who had no faculties to think for himself. Siya, na sa ikalabing-siyam na taon ng buhay ay nakatakdang kumuha ng post-graduate studies niya sa Harvard University.

Nakakatawa.

Ni hindi niya pa nakausap nang harapan ang mga magulang. Pinaasikaso lang siya ng mga ito sa assistant ng kanyang dad na si Andrew, ang lalaking kasalukuyang nakaupo sa tabi ng driver sa front seats harapan. Huling mga salita nito at noong pinaalala sa kanyang suotin niya ang kanyang seatbelt para sa biyahe. Pagkatapos niyon ay hindi na sila nag-usap.

Even Andrew treated him as a kid, and he was ten years younger than his dad.

The adults never really talked to him, anyway. More like at him, but not to him. Kapag hindi umaayon sa plano ng mga ito ang maririnig, nabibingi ang mga ito sa kanyang boses. It was like talking to a brick wall.

Ang nakakainsulto, pinatapon siya sa lugar na ito na parang isang suwail na anak na kailangang parusahan.

"You have to slow down ang think, anak. You have to take a break," sabi ng kanyang Mommy.

Lumabas ang isang hindi makapaniwalang tawa sa kanyang bibig. Mapaklang tawa. Who would have believed he was being treated like this right now because he had too many accomplishments at a young age?

Nag-aalala ang mga ito na baka raw nakalimutan na niyang bata pa siya, that he has to slow down. That however he busied himself, that wouldn't make him forget the fact that his Uncle Tom was dead.

Gumuhit ang pamilyar na kirot sa kanyang puso. Tumiim ang kanyang bagang. At gaya nang automatic na ginagawa kapag naaalala ang sakit, ibinalik niya sa pagmamaktol ang isip.

It was better to be angry than be hurt. He would choose anger any time of the day.

Kabibili lamang ng kanyang mga magulang sa hasyenda three months ago. He'd never been there, as his parents. Andrew arranged everything.

He wouldn't be surprised if his mother bought the godforsaken place to be his cell—the best prison for her only son—until they forced him to do what they wanted him to do.

Ang mag-relax. Ang makalimot. Like he didn't know it was all this was about.

Nakadama siya ng panic.

No, he couldn't forget. It was too painful to even think he could forget his loss. And he couldn't relax. He has no right to relax. He has no right to be happy.

Napakurap-kurap siya. A sting in his eye. Namalayan na lang niyang nakatingin siya sa labas na parang umiiwas sa tingin nang kung sino kahit wala naman siyang kasama sa backseat. And then he was assailed by the view of the mountains again.

Shit, everything is just so fucking green.

Naalala niya bigla ang childhood friend niyang si Grey. Kung kasama niya ito ngayon, the first thing the bastard would plan to do was to find a pretty village lass. Grey would have thought an appropriate joke about the place, about the scenery, about the color. Unfortunately, his parents had shipped him to a boarding school in London because he wanted to marry his girlfriend. And that was that.