I grabbed a scoof of my hair, hoping it could lessen the nausea that I was feeling. I slightly opened my puffy eyes and gasped upon realizing that I was not in my room. The roof doesn't have glow-in-the-dark stickers and the wallings are not colorful either.
"M-mommy?! Daddy? Nanny Fe? Mang Noel? N-nasaan po kayo?" I started to cry because of nervousness.
Someone gently slapped my face, and it made me snap back to reality. I turned my head on my side and saw Kyle laughing while covering his mouth. Ezra was sleeping peacefully on his left.
Nandito pala ako sa condo ni Levi.
Maingat kong inayos ang hinigaan ko dahil baka magising si Ezra. Alam kong pagod din siya kahapon dahil sa sunod-sunod niyang photoshoots pero pinili niya pa ring makasama kami kagabi. Gaya ko ay paniguradong malalagot si Kyle kay Tita Cynthia kapag nalaman niyang nalasing ang kanyang anak kaya 'di rin ito nakauwi.
"Bakit kaya ang ganda niya kahit tulog?" Kyle said in a soft voice, looking at Ezra.
Nakahalumbaba akong humiga sa kama para pagmasdan din si Ezra nang maigi. "Yeah, he looks like a male barbie."
Sinundan ko nang tingin si Kyle nung tumayo ito at lumapit sa bedside table ni Levi. Pagharap niya'y mayroon na siyang hawak na color pens habang nakangisi ang kanyang labi. He sat on the edge of the bed before he opened the cap of the marker.
"Zein, you like bright colors right?" Kyle wiggled his brows.
"Yup, I like rainbows." I gave him a smile without knowing what he was about to tell me.
Kyle took a picture of Ezra's colorful face after we made our piece of art. Ezra's eyebrows are now connected to each other, and his noseline is now detailed because of how Kyle drew it. The cheeks, forehead, and chin of Ezra look pretty with different shapes and cartoon characters, which were drawn by me.
"Mission accomplished!" malakas naming ani ni Kyle bago mag-apir.
Tumakbo palabas si Kyle mula sa kwarto nung magising si Ezra. Napansin kong nakatingin si Ezra sa hawak kong color pens kaya tinago ko iyon agad sa aking likuran. Binigyan ko siya nang matamis na ngiti ngunit huli na ang lahat nung buksan niya ang camera ng kanyang cellphone at pinagmasdan ang kanyang makulay na mukha.
"ZEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIINNNNN!!!"
Tanghali na nung dumating si Mang Noel sa condo ni Levi para sunduin ako. Kasalukuyan akong nakadungaw sa bintana ng van nung tumunog ang aking cellphone. I cleared my throat before answering my mom's call.
"Baby, where are you?! Kanina pa kita hinihintay dito sa resort. Saan ka ba natulog kagabi?" She exclaimed.
I scratched my head, trying to think of a good reason. "M-Mommy, nag-sleep over ako kila... Levi. Tama! Natulog ako sa kanila."
My mom chuckled. "Wag ka nang magsinungaling, halata ka masyado, anak. By the way, did Mang Noel pick you up?"
I nodded, even though she couldn't see me. "Yes, mommy. Nakasakay na po ako sa car."
I heard her squealed. "Naku! Pakisabi kay Mang Noel na ihatid ka niya agad dito dahil may mahalagang bisita sa resort."
I stayed silent for a few seconds before I talked. "S-Sino po-"
"Basta, I'll be waiting for you here, anak. Fighting!" She excitedly said then ended the call.
Nung napag-alaman ko ang bisita sa resort ay kumaripas ako nang takbo papasok. Hindi ako makapaniwalang ang matagal ko nang hinihintay ay narito na sa wakas. Napatigil ako sa pagtakbo nang makarating sa exclusive pool at masaksihan ang maraming tao na nakasuot ng itim na T-Shirt. May nakatatak sa crew sa kanilang likuran.
"Okay, rolling na tayo. Scene 362, take five in 3,2,1... action!" sigaw ng lalaki na tingin ko'y direktor.
A familiar voice of a man shouted. "Mahal kita! Hindi pa ba malinaw sa 'yo ang nararamdaman ko?"
Napangiti ako nung makita siya. He's at the pool, and he's not wearing anything on top. I can't believe his face didn't change at all. His body became more sculpted; it seems like he often went to the gym to do some workouts. I know he's an actor from Germany, so I was shocked to see him here.
"Kung ganon, patunayan mo! Gusto kong patunayan mong... mahal mo ako!" biglang sabat ng isang babaeng kaharap niya sa pool.
A lot of cameras are filming them. The whole place was silent, and they were the only people talking. I couldn't believe that they would film here at our resort amongst the other settings.
Pakiramdam ko'y nadurog ang puso ko nang bigla niyang hinalikan ang babae. I saw how he held the waist of the girl who was only wearing a red bikini to deepen the kiss. The girl immediately hugged his neck in reply to his kisses.
Bakit ako nasasaktan?
Sino ba ako para magdamdam?
I know they're just acting, but why do I feel like dying?
Tumulo ang mga luhang kanina ko pa pinipigilan nang mabaling sa akin ang kanyang tingin. He immediately pushed the girl when he saw me wiping my tears. Akma siyang tatakbo palapit sa akin nang biglang sumigaw ang direktor.
"Gellian, what's your problem today?! Kanina ka pa wala sa sarili. Paano tayo matatapos n'yan?" Disappointment was evident in the tone of his voice.
Gellian mumbled. "S-Sorry, boss. Can we take a short break? I just need to-"
The director cut him off. "No! Let's start again. We need to finish this now!"
I just turned my back and dragged my feet to walk out of that scene. My sight was blurry and I felt heavy inside. Nasasaktan ako sa di malamang dahilan. Matagal ko na siyang hinihintay pero hindi ito ang inaasahan kong makita.
Gellian came back,
The man who asked me to wait for him patiently to come back is finally here!
My old friend, my Knight in Shining Armor, and the other half of my heart came back after 6 years of yearning.
Hindi pa ako tuluyang nakakalabas ng resort nang bigla akong makaramdam ng pagkahilo. Humawak ako sa aking tiyan nung umalboroto ito. I really thought that the soup that Levi prepared for us would help me fight my hangover, but it seems like it didn't. My body instantly lowered when I threw up everything I ate this morning.
"Alak pa,"
I looked up and rolled my eyes upon seeing Aaron with his familiar smirk. He rubbed my back to help me, and I'm glad that it worked somehow. I grabbed the handkerchief in his pants pocket and wiped it on my lips.
Aaron fixed my hair with his fingers, which made me startle. "Baby, 'di ba sabi ko naman sa 'yo na wag kang iinom ng alak? Dapat milk lang or Yakult to improve your digestion."
"May shift ka later, 'di ba? Bakit ka pala nandito?" Pag-iiba ko ng usapan.
He bit his lower lip. "Well, I'm here because my baby is here and I was informed that my rival is now shooting here at your resort. Did you see him?"
"Yeah, your... baby saw me." A deep voice intrudes.
Kaagad kaming napatingin ni Aaron sa pinanggalingan ng boses. Hindi na ako nagulat nang makita si Gellian. He's now wearing a short-sleeve shirt, beach shorts, and his steampunk sunglasses. His wet, tapered hair was now combed upwards. I couldn't see his eyes because of his shades, but I knew he was mad. He's so easy to read.
Agad akong inakbayan ni Aaron bago ngumisi kay Gellian. "Bro, I thought you wouldn't come back. It's been six years, pero... bakit ngayon ka lang nagparamdam? We missed you."
Gellian's jaw clenched before he took off his sunglasses and centered his eyes on me, "I missed you too."
Parang binuhusan ako nang malamig na tubig matapos kong marinig iyon. Lahat ng alaala at mga pangako niya'y sumaging muli sa aking isip. I took a glance at Aaron, sending him a signal that I wanted to leave. He nodded his head and covered my face with his chest. I'm glad he did that when a lone tear rolls down from my eyes.
"Bro, mauuna na kami ng baby ko. It's good to see that you're here again. Welcome back, Gellian." Aaron bid his goodbye before he guided me towards his motorbike.
Marahan akong sumulyap kay Gellian at binigyan siya nang tipid na ngiti bago ko suotin ang helmet. Gellian's frowned face kept registering in my panicked brain as Aaron started the engine. My heart raced from shock when Aaron held my hands and wrapped them around his waist for support. When Aaron drives his flashy motorcycle at a fast pace, I feel like my soul has left my body.
"Kumapit kang maigi, baby. Baka ako yung maunang bumitaw... kung mahulog ka sa kanya ulit." Aaron mumbled, which I barely heard from the loud sound of his stifling engine.
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