Let Me See (Let Me Series)

Chapter 7

Two months passed by in a blur. Sa two months na wala ang parents ko, sinulit ko na ang pagkakataon para makalabas ako at magawa ang lahat ng mga gusto ko. William and I went to parties and bars every weekend. Halos hindi na rin ako umuuwi sa amin. I usually stayed with William in his condo or sa bahay mismo nila. It was his mom's idea actually.

When William's mom found out na wala yung parents ko at ako lang ang naiwang mag-isa sa amin, well aside from the household help that we have, she insisted that I'll either stay with William or with them just to make sure that someone checks up on me. She didn't like the idea that I was alone in that big house and wala man lang akong kasama especially during meals. I told her that I was okay and I was used to it naman pero hindi pa rin siya pumayag.

And so I spent the weekdays with William and his parents while the weekends were spent with William alone. I didn't want to compare but fuck. I liked it more when I was with William's parents. Mas mukha pa silang mga magulang ko when they tend to me and my needs. I could only wish for the same kind of attention to be given by my parents. But who was I kidding? Alam ko namang malabong mangyari 'yon.

"Aisleen, hija, when are your parents arriving again?" Tita Myra asked during breakfast. Napatigil ako sa paghiwa ng pancakes sa plato ko dahil doon. As much as I hate to admit it, I didn't want that day to come. Parang mas okay na rin kasi na wala sila rito.

"Tomorrow po, Tita," tipid kong sagot sa kanya. Tumango-tango naman siya bilang sagot na para bang may iniisip pa siya na gustong sabihin sa akin.

"It's William's birthday tomorrow. Would it be okay for you to stay until the day after tomorrow? We would love to have you here so that we could celebrate together." Napalingon agad ako kay William upon hearing what Tita Myra has said. How could I not know his birthday? Right. We never really talked about stuff like that. I bet he didn't even know my birthday, too.

Nang magtama ang mga mata namin ni William, isang ngisi ang nabuo agad sa mga labi niya. It was as if he was mocking me dahil halatang-halata na wala akong alam sa mga nangyayari. Sinamaan ko naman agad siya ng tingin dahil doon. He then chuckled lowly as he held my hand. Pinaglalaruan ko na rin kasi ang mga daliri ko sa ilalim ng mesa dahil sa kaba. I didn't want Tita Myra to see how nervous I was dahil sa nangyayari.

"Uhh... I'll have to check with my dad po if okay lang. Ang alam po kasi niya hanggang bukas lang po ako rito," nag-aalangan kong sagot even if hindi naman talaga ako nagpaalam kila Daddy that I'm staying with William for two months already.

"Let me handle it, okay?" singit ni William as he squeezed my hand lightly. I had no choice but to nod at him. I mean, how could I even say no when he was smiling so sweetly at me?

"It's settled then! Aisleen, we'll just be having lunch tomorrow with some of our family members. I believe William has other plans at night with your friends, right?"

"Ma, don't spill all of my plans."

"Okay, okay! Hija, help me in baking the cake for William, okay? Let's buy the ingredients later," yaya sa akin ni Tita Myra and I reluctantly agreed, feeling a little overwhelmed with whatever's happening now.

***

The next day, I woke up alone in bed. Wala na si William sa tabi ko and when I checked the time, it was 8 am already. Agad akong bumangon sa kama at nagpunta sa banyo to take a bath and prepare for the day. Paglabas ko ng banyo, nagulat na lang ako when I saw William standing outside the door.

"Kanina ka pa riyan?" I asked while trying my best to remain calm. My heart was beating so fast right now. I'm not sure if dahil nagulat lang ako sa biglang pagsulpot ni William dito or if it's because he's looking so good right now. Whatever the case is, it was still because of him.