Our eyes met and we turned silent. Hindi ko alam kung paano magre-react. Soon enough, the silence became unbearable. I had to speak up. Naglakad ako palapit.
"I-I... thought you're going to CDO?"
I lifted my hand and pointed at his clothes. His brows furrowed.
"CDO?"
"Yes."
I mean, akala ko ba may flight siya? So ba't nakapambahay lang siya? Na-delay ba? Or...
I tried to let it all sink in. 'Di ba, sabi ni Tresh...
Napaawang ang bibig ko habang lito naman akong tiningnan ni Ike.
Sabi ni Tresh.
I scoffed in disbelief when I realized what that asshole did. I even nodded and faked a laugh kahit ramdam ko na ang pamumula ng magkabilang pisngi.
CDO? CDO?! Punyeta, bakit ako naniwala do'n?!
"Ah, haha, so wala talagang flight,"
Tumango-tango din siya, medyo nakangiti pero nalilito pa rin sa'kin.
"Wala talagang conference," pagpapatuloy ko.
Bwiset ka talaga, Tresh Ivan!
Para kaming tanga na tatango-tango lang sa isa't-isa. Habang sa isipan ko naman ay paulit-ulit ko nang sinasakal si Tresh hanggang sa malagutan siya ng hininga.
I so hate him! Ang gago niya talaga!
"Yeah. Nagkukulong lang ako rito these past few days," Ike explained. Tumango ako, hindi na alam kung ano pa ang sasabihin. Nagkatitigan uli kami. Muli nanaman akong nailang!
Shit, ano ba 'to? Last time, sobrang galit ang naramdaman ko para sa kanya. Tapos ngayon, ni kahit anong negatibong emosyon, wala na 'kong maramdaman. Parang... naglaho na lang bigla. Now, I'm totally acting like a shy teenage girl who's about to confess her feelings for her long-time crush. What the heck!
"So... what brings you here?" he asked. Naninimbang ang mga tinging iginagawad niya.
Yumuko ako.
"Uhm..."
I played with my fingertips while biting my lip. I am not good with words. Kahit noon pa man!
Mas lalo lang akong natameme nang humakbang siya palabas sa pintuan. He's now standing a little too close from me. Talagang naaamoy ko pa ang mabango niyang aftershave.
I tried to take my mind off it and cleared my throat.
"Kasi... ano..."
Come on, Galeley. Speak up!
"Uh..."
"Ano?" he said in a low voice, as if he's anticipating what I'm about to say.
Fuck, he's so close. Why does he have to be so close?! Hindi ako makapag-concentrate!
"Sabihin mo sa'kin, Gal," udyok niya. I grew more frustrated as I met his gaze.
"Tsk, pwede bang h'wag na lang akong mag explain?!"
Alright, that was supposed to just stay in my head! I didn't mean to say it out loud.
He chuckled a little. I don't know if it's just me but he really looks so damn good right now. Kinagat niya ang pang-ibabang labi upang pigilan ang nagbabadyang ngiti. He held on to the towel.
"Hindi naman pwede 'yon," aniya. "Gusto kong marinig ang paliwanag mo, Galeley."
I'm aware of how much I look uneasy in front of him. Words aren't my best suit.
"Don't you want me to just go straight to the point?" I suggested. He stared at me with the same intense shade of his eyes before nodding.
"Fine. Go straight to the p-"
"Mahal kita."
Silence reigned for a moment. Natigilan siya ro'n. I went on.
"M-Mahal din kita," I uttered. "Mahal pa rin kita."
Ang pagbanggit lang ng mga salitang 'yon ang kinaya ko. Hanggang do'n lang ang kaya ko. I couldn't elaborate further. I couldn't explain why and how. Ang mahalaga naman ay sigurado ako ro'n sa mga salitang 'yon, 'di ba? At ngayon, ang tanging magagawa ko na lang ay ang maghintay ng sagot niya.
Nanatili lang siyang nakatitig sa'kin. I don't know if that's a bad thing or a good thing. God, this is torture!
I uncomfortably tapped my shoe on the floor while waiting for him to speak. Napatigil ako nang may sumilay na ngiti sa mga labi niya.
"You mean that?"
Huh?
My forehead immediately creased. That was not the answer I was expecting. Nakaka-offend!
"Sa tingin mo talaga hindi ko 'yon-"
I never got to finish my sentence. Because before I could finish it, he has already bent his head down and kissed me.
I was taken by surprise but eventually, I closed my eyes and reciprocated. Agad akong nanghina. I held unto him for support while his arms snaked around my waist to push me more against him. And then his hand travelled up my spine, all the while giving my lip a hot bite.
I can only lose my breath and kiss back in surrender.
Man, I was right. He still has the moves.
My random thoughts made me laugh and smile between our kisses. We then pulled away at the same time, our eyes set at each other's while our noses touched. His breathing was quite heavy.
"I love you," he whispered. "No more 'almost'. Sa pagkakataong 'to, official na tayo."
Natawa ako nang kaunti bago tumango. He gave me a quick peck before I tip-toed to hug him. He hugged me tight and I've never felt more safe. More satisfied.
At last.
"You still have my heart too, Ike Sonja. Now and always."
------
Snippet 5 - Hilltop
*A shot of Gal making her way towards him*
He sighed in hopelessness as his eyes followed her every move.
"Wanna know a secret?"
The camera zoomed in, focusing on Galeley who was then posing a wacky face while looking at the lenses.
He couldn't help but laugh at her quirkiness before blurting out the confession only him could hear.
"That girl over there still has my heart."
~FIN~
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24 Hours Challenge: EX EDITION
ChickLit[COMPLETED] Ike Sonja Claveria is Galeley's "Ex", and a few weeks before summer ends, Gal is tasked to do this challenge: Be Ike's girl for a whole day. Yes. Twenty-four hours, just like what you see on YouTube. Doing groceries, watching a movie, s...
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