Chapter 13
Shy
I still couldn't believe it. Aedion is courting me!
I buried my face on my pillow and uttered a curse. Mas lalo akong nabalot ng matinding kahihiyan ng maalala ang mga sumunod na nangyari pagkatapos noon.
It was so embarrasing! Halatang-halata na wala pa akong karanasan sa mga ganoong bagay. I didn't know what to do nor what to say to him. All I did was panic and flush. I couldn't even utter a single word without stuttering badly! Hindi pa nakakatulong na tila natutuwa si Aedion sa reaksyon ko. Damn it!
Kung hindi pa siguro tumawag si Mama at pakiusapan akong umuwi dahil bibisita sila Tita sa amin ay hindi ko na alam kung papaano makakatakas sa sitwasyon na iyon. Mabuti nalang at hindi na rin umapila pa si Aedion nang sabihin kong uuwi na ako, though he looked so amused the whole time he walked me to the parking area.
Bumaling ako sa aking kanan at nagpakawala ng malalim na buntong hininga upang pakalmahin ang naghuhumerantadong puso. Kusang kumurba ang labi ko at sumimangot nang maalala ang may halong pagmamayabang niyang titig sa akin kanina.
Pinulot ko ang aking cellphone na nasa tabi ko. Medyo natagalan ako bago makapagbihis dahil hindi ko malaman kung papaano ko ipapaalam kay Aedion na nakauwi na ako. Hindi ako makapaniwalang maski sa bagay na ito na nakasanayan ko na'y mahihirapan ako.
My heart pounded hard when I saw a notification for his reply. I noticed my hands slightly shaking due to nervousness. Relax, Yuri! It's just a text!
Aedion:
Okay.
This ain't good. Just a simple text is making my heart beat wildly!
Dahan-dahan akong bumangon. I combed my hair using my fingers before slowly typing another message. I bit my lower lips.
Yuliana:
Ikaw?
I muttered a curse after sending it. Para akong mababaliw. A part of me is saying that I shouldn't have asked him back, but there's another part of me, telling me it's fine.
My heart almost jumped out of my ribcage when my cellphone beeped for his reply.
Aedion:
Pauwi pa lang, traffic po kasi. :(
Umuwang ang labi ko. Nagsimula na namang magwala ang puso ko kasabay ng pag-iinit ng aking pisngi. Unti-unting kumurba ang maliit na ngiti sa aking labi. Ewan ko sa 'yo, Aedion.
Naudlot ako nang biglang may kumatok sa pintuan ng aking kuwarto. I turned to my room door and spoke.
"Yes?"
"Ma'am, hinahanap na po kayo ni Ma'am Hestia sa baba," tinig ng isa naming kasambahay.
"Bababa na 'ko," I said and stood up.
Sandali kong inayos ang sarili bago tuluyang lumabas at bumaba sa sala kung nasaan sila Mama.
Nang makauwi ako'y narito na sila Tita Kuja at Kuya Sam. Kuya Eliron wasn't with them. When I asked where he was, Kuya Sam told me he was busy with other things, which I quickly concluded to him being busy with a new girl. Doon lang naman siya nagiging busy.
Pagkababa ng hagdan ay naabutan ko si Mama at Tita Kuja na nagtatawanan tungkol sa kung ano. May nakahain nang tsaa at panghimagas sa center table. And as I walk near them, I caught a glimpse of Kuya Sam at the balcony talking to someone over the phone. I shrugged it off and continued walking towards the sala.
"Oh, ayan na pala si Yuri," si Tita Kuja na agad akong napansin.
Binalingan ako ni Mama. The smile on her lips was slowly replaced with a malicious smirk. Napakurap-kurap ako doon ngunit tumuloy pa rin at naupo sa mahabang sofa.
"Kumusta ang lakad mo, hija? Pasensiya ka na kung pinauwi na kita agad," si Mama.
I smiled and shook my head. "Ayos lang po 'yon, Ma."
Kumunot ang noo ko nang umusog siya ng kaunti at tuluyan nang humarap sa akin. The smirk on her lips appeared once more.
"Anyway, kumusta ang date n'yo ng manliligaw mo? Balita ko kay Mang Alfred madalas ang labas n'yo nitong mga nakaraang araw, ah? Sinusulit masyado ang summer," she giggled.
My cheeks heated. I glanced at Tita Kuja who also glanced at me looking all confused. I turned back to Mama and gave her meaningful look. Ni hindi ko na magawang itanggi ang panliligaw dahil totoo na ito ngayon!
"May nanliligaw sa 'yo, Yuri?" si Tita Kuja na hindi na napigilan ang magtanong.
"Ah, Tita..."
"Oo, meron na!" si Mama na inunahan ako sa pagsagot. "He's her schoolmate. At alam mo ba, basketball player siya! Yuri said he's shy, isn't that cute?!" she sound so happy.
"Ah... ganoon ba?" tunog dismayado si Tita Kuja.
Sandali kaming natigilan sa pag-uusap nang pumasok si Sam. He smiled at me when our eyes met. I smiled back. Naupo siya sa tabi ni Tita Kuja and uttered a small apology for the call that interrupted them a while ago.
"May manliligaw na pala itong si Yuri, Sam," agad binalita ni Tita Kuja sa kaniya.
His eyebrows raised. Bumaling siya sa akin. Uminit ang pisngi ko. He smiled at me again before turning to Tita.
"Sino po, Tita?"
"'Yon nga, e, hindi pa pinapakilala sa amin ni Yuri,"
"What? You should meet him, Hestia!" si Tita Kuja na agad naalerto. "Know his family background too while you're at it. Mahirap na, marami ang mainit ang dugo sa atin. He might be a part of a scheme or something,"
Napangiwi ako. Alam ko ang pinanggagalingan ni Tita ngunit 'di ko pa rin nagustuhan ang kaniyang sinabi. I don't think Aedion is like that though.
"Ano ka ba, Kuja! Masyado kang OA!" Mama laughed.
Natikom ko ang aking bibig. Tita Kuja looked shocked then offended as she gasped. Her brows furrowed.
"I'm not OA! I am saying this for your daughter's sake, Hestia! Hindi mo pa kilala ang manliligaw niya tapos hinahayaan mo lang silang lumabas ng lumabas? Hindi ka ba nagaalala sa maaaring mangyari sa anak mo?"
Kuya Sam held Tita's arm, trying to calm her down lalo na't mukhang nag-iinit na ito. She's always been sensitive when it comes to our family. Tumawa ulit si Mama at bahagyang winagayway ang kamay niya sa ere.
"Kumalma ka nga, Kuja. Syempre nag-aalala ako sa anak ko, at inaalala ko rin ang mga 'yan. Pero higit doon, may tiwala ako sa kaniya. I trust her judgement. She may be new to this pero nasisiguro ko namang hindi siya magpapaligaw ng basta basta lang," bagaman natatawa, Mama still managed to sound serious.
Hindi nakapagsalita si Tita. Mama smiled more.
"Besides, Mang Alfred is with her. She's going to be just fine."
An awkward silence filled the air. Tumikhim si Tita Kuja. She took a sip on her tea before speaking.
"Anyway, Teo was asking about you, Yuri. We saw each other yesterday. Tinatanong niya kung maayos na ba ang pakiramdam mo."
"Teo Claveria?" si Mama.
Tumango ako. Ngumisi si Tita.
"That guy seems to be interested with you, hija..."
"Oh, stop it with that matchmaking of yours. Let the kids handle that part on their own. Saka hindi ko gusto ang mga Claveria. I know you know their reputation too,"
Nagtaas lang ng kilay si Tita at nagkibit balikat. Ngunit tumigil na din siya sa usapan na iyon.
Hindi nagtagal ay nagpasiya na silang umuwi. Mama wanted them to stay for dinner but Tita said she still has to ready some of her things para sa paglipad nila ni Kuya Ron patungong Singapore kung nasaan si Tito Emmanuel. Papaalis na sila nang dumating si Papa. They had a small talk just outside our lot bago tuluyang magpaalam at umalis.
Pagkatapos no'n ay dumiretso na kami sa hapag para sa hapunan. Mama kept on talking about random things, tahimik lang na nakikinig sa kaniya si Papa. Samantalang halos wala nang pumapasok sa akin sa pinag-uusapan nila. I was already getting nervous for Aedion's call later. Pakiramdam ko, kahit sa tawag ay mauutal pa rin ako.
Done taking a half bath, I was wearing my sleep wear and is already tucked in my bed ready to sleep. Dati ay nilalabanan ko pa ang antok para lang masagot ang tawag niya. Ngayon alas onse na ay dilat na dilat pa rin ako.
May parte sa akin na gustong makatulog sa paghihintay para magkaroon ng excuse upang hindi sagutin ang tawag niya. I can also lie that I'm asleep if he calls right now, but I don't want him to feel like I'm avoiding him after he told me that he's courting me.
Bumuntong hininga ako. Inayos ko ang comforter na nakatabon sa aking katawan at tumitig sa puting kisame. Hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala. How did we end up like this? I was pretending to have a crush on him because I knew he doesn't want to be in a relationship, and that he turns down all the girls that confesses to him. Paanong nangyari na nililigawan niya ako ngayon?
Ayoko man siyang pagdudahan, ngunit hindi ko mapigilan. Karamihan sa mga babaeng may gusto sa kaniya ay 'di hamak na mas maganda kaysa sa akin. They are also very confident that makes them even more beautiful. Paano nangyaring tinanggihan niya ang mga 'yon at ako ang nililigawan niya ngayon? Isa pa, akala ko ba ay wala pa siyang balak na pumasok sa isang relasyon. Then why is he doing this now? It just doesn't make any sense.
Naputol ang pag-iisip ko nang nagsimulang tumunog ang cellphone ko. Ang namuong pait sa aking kalooban dahil sa mga naisip kanina ang nagpalakas ng loob ko upang agad sagutin ang tawag niya.
"H-Hello?" I stammered.
Aedion chuckled hoarsely. It echoed in my ears. Napalunok ako.
"Ang bilis mong sumagot ngayon, ah," he pointed out cockily.
Uminit ang pisngi ko. Madalas ay inaantok at halos makatulog na ako tuwing tumatawag siya kaya natatagalan sagutin. Now I'm still fully awake, he makes it sound like I was so excited for his call tonight.
"What are you up to?"
Ngumuso ako. "Wala, nakahiga na,"
"Hmm..."
I can almost hear him smirk. Sumimangot ako. He really thinks I'm waiting for his call, huh? Well, I am waiting but it has nothing to do with him courting me or anything. We both agreed to this. Besides, I am the main reason why he has been doing this. I said I was bored this vacation so he tries to keep me company.
Hindi ko na nga lang matignan ito sa ganoong paraan matapos ang sinabi niya kanina. At matapos ang mga naglaro sa isip habang hinihintay ang tawag niya. I'm starting to doubt his reasons for courting me too.
"Can I ask you something?" I asked after a few minutes of silence.
"What is it?"
"B-Bakit mo ako n-nililigawan?"
Parang tambol ang puso ko sa lakas ng pintig nito. I bit my lower lips. Mas lalo akong kinabahan nang hindi siya agad nakasagot.
Hindi ko kasi talaga maintindihan. Why me? Ang dami namang mas maganda kaysa sa akin. Andiyan si Alliah! Si Octavia, bakit ako pa? I'm not beautiful like them, I'm not confident, and I dress like a boy. On top of all that, I'm boring! I don't see any reason for him to court me.
Narinig ko siyang bumuntong hininga. Ang tunog ng mga dumadaang sasakyan ay dinig ko mula sa kabilang linya. Siguro'y nasa isang karinderya siya ngayon malapit sa pinag ta-trabauhan niya.
"I don't really want to say this over the phone..." I heard him muttered.
"Huh?"
Narinig ko ulit siyang bumuntong hininga.
"I like you, Yuri."
Unti-unting namilog ang mga mata ko. Napabalikwas ako ng bangon. My cheeks heated rapidly.
"H-Huh?!"
Aedion sighed again. "I'm courting you because I like you and... I want you to be my girlfriend,"
"G-Girlfriend?!"
Pakiramdam ko umuusok na ang mukha ko sa sobrang init nito. Halos habulin ko na ang aking hininga. I swallowed hard.
"Hmm... then eventually we'll get married,"
"Sandali!! Isn't that too fast?!" halos sumigaw na ako sa sobrang pagpa-panic sa mga sinasabi niya.
I'm just asking why he's courting me, how the hell did we end up with marriage?!
Napapaos siyang tumawa. "Hindi ko sinabing ngayon, Yuri. Maybe after a few years, pag tapos na tayong mag-aral at parehong may maayos na na trabaho,"
With mouth agape, sandali akong natulala. I quickly shook my head before I could even start imagining things.
I started tugging my comforter. My heart is pounding wild. Panay ang galaw ko, hindi mapakali.
"M-Magpapakasal t-tayo?" sa maliit na boses kong tanong.
A wave of embarrassment hit me after asking that. I bend my knees and buried my face there. Hiyang-hiya sa tinanong.
Para akong hihimatayin nang marinig siyang tumawa sa kabilang linya. Nakakahiya!
"Isn't that the reason why people enter a relationship with someone?" he chuckled again and sighed. "Of course that will only happen if you answer yes to me,"
Flushed, lumunok ako at marahang tumango. So, if I answer Aedion, I'll be his girlfriend and after some years... we'll get married!
Hindi ako makapaniwala na mayroon magkakagusto sa akin, to the point where he's already thinking of marrying me! At higit sa lahat, si Aedion 'yon! He likes me and he wants to get married with me!
Hindi ako pinatulog ng kaalamang iyon. Pagkatapos ng ilang minutong pag-uusap namin ni Aedion sa tawag, gising na gising pa rin ang diwa ko. No matter how much I try to force myself sleep, wala iyong epekto. I still end up thinking of the things that may happen if I answer Aedion base on what he told me earlier.
If I answer Aedion, that means we will be in a relationship. I felt my cheeks burning up. Ibig sabihin we will hold hands and... kiss.
I shifted on my bed and buried my face on my pillow. What the hell am I thinking?!
Those kinds of thoughts kept on haunting me no matter how much I try to focus on other things. Hindi pa nakakatulong na iyon ang unang pumapasok sa isip ko tuwing magte-text sa akin si Aedion. Madalas tuloy ay late na akong mag reply sa kaniya dahil pinapahupa ko muna ang sobrang kahihiyan.
Hindi na kami nakakapagkita simula nang huli naming labas noong araw na 'yon. Bukod kasi sa trabaho, nagsimula na ulit ang basketball team sa pag eensayo. Not that I don't want to see him, but I'm thankful that his schedule is full these days. Hindi ko ata kakayanin na magkita kami habang may mga ganitong naglalaro sa isip ko.
I lifted my eyes. "Po?"
We were having breakfast together like usual. Nag-iisip palang ako ng maaaring gawin para sa araw na 'to nang sabihin sa akin ni Mama ang plano niya na isama ako sa pagbisita sa school ngayon.
Walang problema sa akin ang samahan si Mama sa mga lakad niya. Madalas nga ay ako ang nagpe-presinta na sumama pero... going to school means I might see Aedion! I don't think I'm ready to see him again yet!
Tumango si Mama habang abala sa paghihiwa ng pancake sa kaniyang plato. "Ime-meeting ko lang ang mga teachers at mag i-inspect na rin. Wala ka namang gagawin ngayon, 'di ba?" she then looked up at me.
Lumunok ako saka marahang tumango.
Wala na akong nagawa kundi sumama kay Mama. Bagaman kinakabahan na baka magkita kami ni Aedion, naisip ko na mas mainam na nga na sumama ako. Mahirap na, baka magkita sila ni Mama tapos wala ako. Who knows what Mama will tell him about me!
I wore a dark grey hoodie, ripped jeans, a beanie and a pair of white Air Force. Pagkatapos kong mag-ayos ay bumaba na ako. Mama was also done preparing so we decided to get going. We used the black sedan which Mama usually uses whenever she has errands to do.
Habang nasa biyahe I checked my cellphone. Kanina pang alas nwebe ang huling text sa akin ni Aedion, letting me know that they're going to start their morning training at school. I replied to him, but it seems like he's still busy with training so he hasn't replied yet. Medyo nakampante ako sa kaalaman na iyon. If he's busy then, mababa ang tiyansa na magkita kami mamaya sa campus.
When we arrived, agad kaming dumiretso ni Mama sa faculty room. Medyo kinabahan pa ako nang may makasalubong kaming mga atleta na nagjo-jogging. Mabuti nalang at ang mga volleyball players lang iyon.
All the teachers quickly greeted us when we stepped inside the faculty. Lahat sila ay mukhang naalerto sa prisensya ni Mama. Though I think they're already expecting her to come just by looking at them all wearing their uniform kahit na wala pa namang pasok.
Naupo ako sa isang sulok habang nagme-meeting sila sa bandang loob ng silid. Naririnig ko ang madalas na pagtawa ng mga guro, and how they agreed to whatever Mama says.
Their meeting took an hour. After that, we all ate lunch together, as what Mama wanted. She ordered a lot of food for all of us. Kaya naman ganoon na lang kung paulanan siya ng pasasalamat ng mga teachers.
Quarter to one na nang magpasiya si Mama na simulan ang pag i-inspect sa campus. We were with some teachers and other people who are in charge with taking care of the facility.
"Ma, bibili lang po ako ng inumin," paalam ko.
Nilingon ako ni Mama. "Sige, aakyat na kami. Sumunod ka na lang,"
"Sige po,"
I watched them for a few seconds as they went up to the second floor of the HS building before turning around. Binalikan ko ang nadaanan naming vending machine sa tabi ng pathway patungong SHS building.
I bought two drinks, one for me and the other for Mama. As I was standing back up after getting the drinks I bought, I heard a familiar voice that made me froze.
"Ganito ba talaga pag ace player, kahit bakasyon may bisita pa rin? Ang unfair naman!" dinig kong daing ng nasisiguro kong si Lance.
Nagsimula nang kumalat ang kaba sa aking sistema. Humigpit ang hawak ko sa mga inumin na binili. I swallowed hard before slowly turning around.
My vision was quickly filled with the basketball players, all in their jersey and basketball shorts. They were lined up as they jog. Nasa may bandang likuran si Lance, pilit tinatagilid ang ulo upang matignan ako.
"Hi, Falcutila!"
Isa-isa nila akong binati, ang iba nama'y tinatanguan ako habang dumadaan sa pathway sa harapan ng kinatatayuan ko. Nahihiya akong tumango sa kanila.
Nang si Lance na ang dadaan sa harap ko ay huminto siya. Nagulat ako nang lapitan niya ako. His eyes narrowed.
"Yuri, wala kabang kaibigan na puwede mong ireto sa 'kin? Para may bibisita din sa akin tuwing bibisitahin mo si Aedion," hindi ko sigurado kung nagtatanong siya, tunog nagrereklamo kasi.
"Lance! Sinabi ko bang puwede nang magpahinga? Bumalik ka sa puwesto mo!" their coach shouted.
Dumaing si Lance saka bumalik sa kaniyang puwesto. My eyes drifted to where their coach is. Napatuwid ako ng tayo nang mapansin ang nakatayo sa tabi nito.
In his white jersey and black basketball shorts, Aedion was standing next to their coach. His dark eyes bore into me like daggers. He was frowning a bit.
I cleared my throat. Unconsciously, my eyes dropped to his red lips. Napalunok ako. I quickly averted my eyes in embarrassment.
Stop it, Yuri! Nakakahiya!
"Magpahinga ka muna, Aedion. Samahan mo muna si Yuri." I heard the coach said calmly.
My eyes widened. Napa-angat ako ng tingin sa kanila. Naabutan kong tinapik siya sa balikat ng kanilang coach bago sundan ang mga teammates niya.
Umuwang ang labi ko. Slowly, I drifted my eyes to Aedion. He was already looking at me, waiting for me to turn to him. It made me flinch.
My heart pounded when he started walking towards me. Wala sa sarili akong napaatras.
One of his brows raised. He glanced down before looking back at my face, now with a taunting look. I swallowed hard.
In a swift move, kinuha niya ang isang inumin na hawak ko. Akmang magrereklamo, I lifted my eyes to him and tried to grab the drink from his hand. Natigilan lang nang nguling magtama ang mga mata namin. Tinaasan niya ako ng kilay, tila naghahamon.
I pursed my lips and just let him have the drink. Para kay Mama sana iyon.
Pinanood ko siya nang buksan niya iyon at inuman. When Aedion licked his lower lips, my eyes drifted down to it. Wala sa sarili kong ginaya ang kaniyang ginawa. I also licked my lower lips.
Unti-unting umangat ang gilid ng kaniyang mapulang labi. Uminit ang pisngi ko.
"Are you done shying away from me?" he asked.
Hindi ako nakasagot.
Aedion tilted his head to the side, sinisilip ang mukha ko na pilit kong tinatago sa hiya.
Instead of his dark eyes, sa kaniyang labi dumirekta ang mga mata ko. Lalong nag-init ang pisngi ko dahil sa mga ideyang nagsisimulang pumasok sa isip.
I shivered when I felt his hand hold mine. I lifted my widened eyes to him. The smirk on his lips grew. Aedion pulled me closer to him making me squeal. Napapikit ako.
Nang imulat ko ang aking mga mata, ngiting-ngiti na siyang nakatitig sa akin. The amusement is very evident in his eyes and the way the side of his lips twitched.
Realizing that he was making fun of me, I tried pushing him away. He did moved a bit but he pulled me closer again.
Flushed, and slightly annoyed, I gritted my teeth and glared at him.
"Ano ba?" medyo iritado kong nasabi.
"Naarawan ka diyan," he coolly said and even pointed where I was standing a while ago.
Nilingon ko iyon at napagtantong tama nga siya. Ngumuso ako.
Aedion crouched a bit. I pursed my lips, realizing how close our face is to each other. Ngumisi siya.
"So, what are you doing here?" he asked teasingly.
Nag-iwas ako ng tingin. "S-Sinasamahan ko lang si Mama..."
"You won't come here tomorrow then?"
Napalunok ako. I glanced at him and pouted a bit.
"T-Titignan ko..." napapaos kong sinabi.
Pumikit ako ng mariin. Damn! I don't know how handle this! Should I start searching about courting on the internet?
"Yuri!"
Agad akong nabalot ng matinding kaba ng marinig ang boses ni Mama. Nagmamadali akong lumingon. From the corner of my vision, I saw Aedion looking at me intently before slowly following my line of vision.
Kitang-kita ko ang kislap sa mga mata ni Mama habang tinatanaw kami mula sa hagdan. She didn't even wait for the staff she's with anymore and quickly went downstairs.
Mama stopped for a second and covered her mouth using both her hands. Para naman akong binuhusan ng malamig na tubig sa sobrang kahihiyan. Sinubukan ko siyang senyasan ngunit tila nakapako na ang mga mata niya kay Aedion.
When she was walking towards us, I felt Aedion gently let go of my hand. I looked down to it before lifting my eyes to him. Kunot ang noo niya habang nakayuko. His jaw moved a few times.
"Anak, kanina pa kita hinahanap, andito ka lang pala," sabi ni Mama nang tuluyan na kaming malapitan. She said the last few words meaningfully.
I gave her a warning look but she only smiled at me happily. She even moved her brows up and down.
"Oh, hello!" baling niya kay Aedion, umaakto na parang ngayon niya lang ito napansin. "Are you a friend of my daughter?"
I pulled Mama's arm to stop her. Nilakihan niya lang ako ng mata.
Nag-angat ng tingin si Aedion sa kaniya. Wala pa man siyang sinasabi ay halos himatayin na ako sa kaba. Mayabang pa naman ang isang ito.
Sa takot na baka kung ano pa ang isagot ni Aedion, inunahan ko na siya sa pag sagot.
"Mama, si Aedion... Uh, Aedion si Mama ko,"
Mama's eyes glimmered. Parang gusto ko nalang kainin ng kinatatayuan ko nang humakbang siya palapit kay Aedion upang titigan ang kaniyang mukha.
May halong gigil kong hinila pabalik sa puwesto si Mama. She giggled. Palaro niyang tinabig ang braso ko.
"Ang guwapo naman pala," she whispered.
Nag-init ang pisngi ko. I glared at her.
"Mama,"
"What?" natatawa pa siya.
Tumikhim si Aedion na siyang dahilan kaya napa-angat kami ng tingin sa kaniya ni Mama. With furrowed brows, he averted his eyes.
"Excuse me, I need to go back to practice," he uttered in serious tone.
"Ah, sige," agad kong sinabi.
Aedion glanced at Mama and nodded his head a bit. He then turned his heel. Isang sulyap ang ginawa niya sa akin bago tuluyang umalis. Napakurap-kurap ako.
Dire-diretso siya sa paglalakad. When he was a little far from us, he started to jog. From my side, Mama started voicing out her thoughts for him.
"Ang guwapo! I didn't expect him to be that shy though. He did not even look at me in the eyes!" humagikhik si Mama.
Unti-unting umangat ng gilid ng aking labi. I nodded in agreement to what Mama said. So even Aedion gets shy, huh? I smiled.