ROSES AND CURTAINS [A BOY LOVE NOVEL]

V

Tantan's savior was Akihiro. A 16-year old boy. Tantan met him just a month ago noong nakatanggap ang tatay ng trabaho bilang company driver ng isang mayamang businessman, named William Ng. Aki was his third and youngest son. Minsang pinasundo si Aki from his school ay sinabay din siya ng tatay sa pag-sundo. They met, clicked and the rest was history.

Tinaktak ni Akihiro ang bag niyang punong-puno ng branded chocolates and sweets on the grass. Paloma and Justine sweep everything as Tantan watches them exchanging barbs, comparing the chocolates they got with each other.

''Buti nahanap kita sa loob. Nag-text ako kay Justine that I was out. I asked kung nasan kayo kasi I want to surprise you before we leave for Taiwan.'' Akihiro pulls a glowing plastic toy and shoots it in mid-air. The toy lands on his hands again at pagkatapos ay humiga sa damuhan. His body is relaxed but Tantan can see a strain of sadness in his narrow eyes.

Hinagis ni Justine ang ibang chocolate papunta kay Tantan and he catches them with bare hands. ''Ayoko sa inyo na lang. Nakakahiya kay Aki lagi na lang tayo nililibre.'' Ibabalik sana niya ang chocolate pero inambaan siya ni Justine. ''Wag kang pabebe diyan bakla. Hindi ka maganda. Garampingat ang puta.''

''Wait what's garampingat?'' Aki asks.

Justine moved to their side at humiga sa tabi ni Akihiro. ''Thank you for that very wonderful question. Garampingat means pabebeng malandi. Like Tantan. Feeling pretty at nagpa bleach ng pwet kung maka-tanggi. Gaga ikaw kaya ang pinaka sugapa sa'ming tatlo.'' Bubuga ng tawa si Akihiro. He is probably the greatest fan of Justine's punchlines and tirades.

Iirapan siya ni Tantan. ''Ang dami mong chika beh. Busog nga kasi ako.'' He lied down and watched the night sky with Akihiro. ''Buti pinayagan ka ng parents mo? Eh di'ba ayaw nila samin kasi nga B.I. daw kami? Kahit itong si Justine lang naman ang totoong B.I.''

''Ulol'' Justine fired back. Paloma joins them and lied down as she continues sucking on a lollipop.

''B.I. is bad influence di ba?'' Justine and Tantan nod. ''Wag kayo maingay ha. I escaped lang'' Their eyes went wide. ''Hey don't worry I got everything under control. Saka it's kinda unfair na sila ang pipili ng friends ko noh? I mean I have good friends in school pero you guys are way more fun to be with. Saka pag kasama ko kayo parang walang rules. So they can't stop me.''

Tantan goes back to a sitting position scratching his back. ''Pero next time magpa-alam ka pa din bhe kasi baka ma-grounded ka na naman'' Aki puts his left hand on Tantan's right leg and he felt a sting when it landed. ''Di yan. Just trust me.'' He winks at him and it automatically sent chills to his spine. Mapapa-iwas siya ng tingin as his cheeks go sunburnt.

''Huy baka naman may pwede kang i-reto sa'kin sa school niyo. Pangarap ko yan eh mag-aral sa all-boys school. Nag break kami kanina ni Kevin..... '' Justine reveals, which arouses the interest of Aki. Paloma also joined the conversation and from that point parang nabingi na si Tantan because of the sensation that he felt earlier.

It's true, Akihiro is attractive, he's also caring, like a pillow you can lie down if you're tired. He also provides another kind of adventure, far different from what Paloma and Justine can offer.

Pero when he got to know the boy and his background. He understood this one-of-a-kind concept. That, he is an expensive item sa department store na pwede mong daan-daanan, look at it, appreciate its beauty and wonder. Pero alam mong you can't buy, so just keep it that way.

He felt another sting when Aki patted his back. ''Okay ka lang?'' Tantan nods nonchalantly, kulang na lang may tumulong laway sa bibig niya. ''Naiihi ako wait'' He stood up and brushed his pants. He moved quickly and walked with ease exiting the grassy plains as he looks up to the towering figure of the pencil like structure which he adores so much.

He's thinking to himself, trying to figure out this feeling every time Aki is with them. Does he have a crush on him? And then he felt something huge and hard crash on his back. He loses his balance at saka bumagsak ng paharap sa sementadong lupa.