The Switch: Fara's Turn | On-Going

CHAPTER 15

I looked at my right. Then, left. Okay, good. No one was in the field.

Napabuntong hininga na lang ako sa mga pinag-iisip ko. Bakit ko ba kasi napagdesisyonan na dito mag-picture?

Oh great, because part of you, wanted to see him, and chat with him!

Shut up! No! That's not the case. The field was full of symmetry. Hmm. How shall I explain this? I was planning to capture the emptiness of it. Wala lang, feel ko, maraming meaning y'on.

Like, there are instances where we aren't alone, and there are instances when we have to face something alone. Hmm, okay na ba iyon? P'wede ko na siguro gawin iyon explanation sa pinapagawa ni Ma'am Caroline.

Malayo pa ang pasko, pero pakiramdam ko, magpapasko na dahil sa pangalan niya.

Moving on, I started to stroll and test my oh-so-awesome photography skills. Well, good thing, magaganda posts ko sa instagram, and I know how to spot instagrammable places.

May bench akong nakita and that's my target. Target kong upuan. Nakakapagod kaya maglakad sa field! Pero naisip ko, p'wede ko rin naman siyang picture-an. Idagdag ko nalang sa portfolio.

I sighed. Kung tutuusin, pwede naman si Lara ang pumunta ngayon, tutal siya naman itong pumasok sa journalism at nadamay lang ako kasi nagpapalit kami.

But guess what? Hindi pumayag si Lara na siya ang pumunta ngayon. She doesn't really need intense training pagdating sa photojourn, since she already know what to do. Eh ako raw, hindi pa, so if I wanted to make this switching successful, kailangan kong magtraining para maging pantay ang ability naming dalawa.

Brrr. Kapag gagawa ng dyaryo, siya ang magpoprovide ng picture, hindi ako no.

I sighed again as I leaned my back on the bench. Wala pa ngang isang buwan, nahihirapan na ako. What more, sa susunod na buwan, sa susunod na sem?

"You look troubled. Did something happen?"

Hindi ako agad nakagalaw sa kinauupuan ko when I heard him speak, and he sat down beside me! Beside me! Jeez, Fara, calm down!

Okay, I shall run. Tinakbuhan siya kahapon ni Lara. Kung di ko siya tatakbuhan ngayon, baka magtaka na talaga siya sa mga ikinikilos ko.

I prepared to stand when he gently grabbed my wrist. "Not so fast, my lady." Even though, I'm not looking at him at the moment, I know the smirk he has on his face.

"You ignored me yesterday, and now, you're planning to ignore me as well."

This time, hinarap ko na talaga siya. Hindi pwede tong tumagal, mabibisto talaga kami nito. My gosh!

"Busy ako," I reasoned out.

"Why?" He asked...and he looked so serious! Jeez!

"Anong why? Busy nga ako. May task na pinapagawa samin si Ms. Caroline, and may time limit iy-"

"Why are you ignoring me?"

Hindi ako nakasagot sa tanong niya. Eh ano naman ang sasabihin ko? Kasi hindi naman ako si Lara and originally at the first place, Fara and him wouldn't meet? Iyon ba dapat kong isagot?

"Why are you so invested to dismiss me?"

Kasi nga, hindi pwede! Mahihirapan si Lara! She can't handle you. She can't shoo you away! The very last thing we wanted is to be busted!

I tried to act cool before answering. "Because you're someone I should avoid. You're a flirt. You're a womanizer. I don't like guys like you."

With that, tumayo na ako at nagsimulang maglakad palayo sa kanya. Pero napahinto ako nang makita siya sa harapan ko. Ugh! Bakit ba ang kulit niya?!

I glared at him so he may know na hindi siya nakakatuwa. Frustrated na ako, dahil hindi ko alam paano siya itataboy.

I thought he will utter something but he just stayed there, staring at me. I don't even know what was he thinking.

I shooked my head. "You should...stop. I mean, eventually, magsasawa ka rin naman sa akin."

Suprisingly, he scoffed. "What makes you think that?" Napaiwas ako ng tingin sa kanya. Somehow, medyo nagi-guilty ako sa pinagsasabi ko sa kanya. I just judged him, and it's so bad. But if saying this will make him go away, then, let be it.

"Wait, did Claire threatened you?"

Huh? I looked back at him questioningly. Who's Claire?

"What? I don't know what you're talking about. Sinong Claire pinagsasabi mo?"

Then I saw him heave a sigh. "Well, she's..."

Then it immediately dawned on me. How dare he?!

"See? May girlfriend ka na tapos nanlalandi ka pa ng iba?"

Ang kapal ng mukha niya! Tama lang na nalaman ko ngayon.

"She is not my girlfriend, okay? We just flirted, but that was two years ago."

What? Jeez, Fara. Don't you dare feel happy about that fact! You're so impossible!

I just scoffed. Naiinis ako sa sarili ko. Dapat nga wala akong paki eh. Yeah, that's right, I should tell him that. "You know what, I don't care. You don't have to explain things to me, because I don't give a damn."

"You just asked me who she is, that's why I'm telling you."

"Are we done here? I have a lot of things to do," I announced and immediately walked past him.

"Lara," he said and held my arm so that I couldn't go further. But that's not what stops me. It's about the fact that he called me Lara.

I am Lara. Kaya hindi talaga p'wede. See? Obliviously, pati siya pinapaalam sa akin ang bagay na iyon.

I was about to say that I'm leaving and have no time to chitchat with him when my phone rang. I guess, I'm saved by the bell?

Binawi ko sa kanya ang braso ko bago sagutin ang tumatawag. Kahit na unregistered number ito, sinagot ko na lang din para makaalis na ko. Yeah right, I'm making this call as an excuse.

"Hello?" I said as I immediately walk away from Hilton when my feet abruptly stopped when I heard the voice on the other line.

"Hey, Fara. This is Oliver."

What the hell?