Don't give up on him.
It echoed around a hundred times right about that second na sinabi ni mamang kay Noreen. Nag panic ang workers sa loob ng utal nya, turning on the red light.
" Uhh...I don't think we're at the same page po. What I meant po is... is I like him po as a brother po " Sabi ni Noreen, shyly smiling and trying to avoid looking away from Mamang, mahirap pero sinubukan nya lahat ng makakaya nya.
" Talaga? Ohh, I thought...Okay, If you say so. But, I'm telling you... He's not the type of person who gives up easily. I think...you need time to sort out your feelings " Sabi ni Mamang with a bright smile on her face as she walked away.
" Pero po..." Sabi ni Noreen pero nakalakad na palayo si Mamang papunta sa ref.
Madaming iniisip si Noreen. Thinking, tama ba sinasabi nya o dapat sinasabi nya nalang talaga ang totoo. What Mamang said sounded like a big responsibility and Noreen felt like she's not cut out for it. She wasn't born rich and she's not as classy as them unlike , Balm, IU or Lika. Noreen compared herself to the girls linked to Ezra, at tinignan nya sarili nya habang naghuhugas ng plato and she frowned. I'm not the one for him.
-
It was time to go home, It was around 5 p.m. the boys were fully rested, while Noreen and Mamang were chatting and having sweets.
" Mamang , you're feeding him sugar?" Sabi ni Ezra nakakagising lang, kinakamot nya pa mga mata nya. There was chocolate cake and dulce de leche cheesecake.
" Oh, please " Mamang said as she took a sip from her cup of tea. " Whenever I bring sweets here you don't eat them. Atleast now, I have someone to eat with me " Sabi nya habang nakanhiti sya at nakahawak kamay nya kay Noreen.
" Well, you're both candidates for diabetes and decayed teeth " Sabi ni Ezra, umupo sya sa arm ng sofa na pinag uupuan ni Mamang, with heavy eyes.
" My dear, I only ate half a slice " Sabi ni Mamang as she winked at Noreen. " Well, I need to get going my darlings. Tell the boys that I'm leaving, okay? " Sabi ni Mamang, she stood up and she cupped Ezra's face and kissed his forehead that is covered by his bed hair. Noreen giggled, mukha kasing bata si Ezra sa part na yun.
" Noreen it was nice to meet you, I hope that I'll see you again for more interesting stories" Mamang said as she smiled at Noreen.
Hinatid ni Ezra si Mamang papunta sa harap ng building kung saan nakahintay na ang car para sa kanya. The butler opened the door for Mamang.
" Ezra, I like that girl Noreen... Nightingale. She may have rejected you but I know girls...just give her time, understand?" Sabi ni Mamang while smiling at the void then facing Ezra. " Bye darling " Sabi nya.
" Bye " Ezra waved goodbye while smiling.
-
Habang nasa baba si Ezra, Noreen finished her slice at niligpit nya na ang pinag kainan nila ni Mamang, she checked Ezra's bedroom at tulog padin ang lima at mukha silang magkakaptid matulog. Bumalik nalang tuloy sya sa Sala, sakto pumasok sa din si Ezra sa pinto.
" Uhh, Erza...Wala nga pala akong kasalanan ha, pinilit lang ako ni Mamang " Sabi ni Noreen although she looked really guilty about it.
" Okay lang " Ezra said smiling at her.
" She's a very cool person, ang dami nyang alam. It's no wonder that you're a smart dude. She told me stories, about bonnie and clyde...she was a hopeless romantic. May lahi pala kayong ganun eh " Kwento ni Noreen, habang nag nanarrate sya ang saya saya ng itsura nya, jumpy and excited tuloy nakangiti din ang Ezra, Noreen punched Ezra playfully, then realizing that the boy was staring at her smiling. Naging seryoso na tuloy expression ni Noreen at tumahimik sya.
" You're pretty " Biglang sinabi ni Ezra. Noreen's eyes went big and unexpectedly, nag disco ang puso nya. " Ha? Naano ka?" Sabi ni Noreen, trying to show that she's cool, calm and collected pero wag ka, nag bubutterflies sya at ang workers sa brain nya nag diwang.
" You're pretty " Ezra said, taking one step closer to Noreen and leaning at her while looking at her closely. " Ah...Thanks " Sabi ni Noreen.
" I'm going to say it again, I like you Noreen " Sabi ni Ezra. " Baka kasi hindi mo narinig mabuti the first time or ... I dunno, you panicked" dagdag nya.
" I panicked? Ako? " Sabi ni Noreen, placing a hand on her waist. " I didn't panic, I heard you clearly at naprocess ko syang mabuti sa utak ko and...Yun talaga ang sinabi ko " Sabi ni Noreen.
" Hmm, Okay " Sabi ni Ezra. " You rejected me once, that means I can try again . I 'll call you everyday when I'm at Ireland, Okay?" Sabi ni Ezra.
" Da...dahil?" Noreen asked.
" You offered me friendship and I accepted it, friends can call each other then you'll eventually be mine " Sabi ni Ezra.
" Be yours? Excuse me, ewan ko po talaga kung ano nangyare sa inyo pero clearly, hindi ako para sayo at hindi ako mapapasayo " Sabi ni Noreen.
Ezra scoffed as he looked away, then he looked back at Noreen. Eye to eye he took steps closer to noreen causing her to step back as if they were dancing.
" Sino ka para mag desisyon nyan?" Sabi ni Ezra.
Hindi na nakasalita si Noreen as she was about to fall on the sofa. Alam naman ni Noreen na wala nga sya sa lugar para magdesisyon nyan but it was nonsense. The boy who was nearly perfect likes her, it was overwhelming.
-
Noreen's POV
Grabe ang tingin nya saakin , parang matutunaw na ako o di kaya lalamunin na ako ng lupa. Pwede nadin ata higupin ng mga mata nya ang kaluluwa ko. Malapit na ako mapaupo sa sofa but I did everything to balance myself, at hindi ako uurong sa staring contest na to.
All I know is he's freaking serious about this and it's scary. Kahit aminin ko ang totoo, hindi ko ata kaya gampanan at ipaglaban nararamdaman ko kaya mas mabuti na ganito lang. mapapagod din sya at titigilan nya din ako.
Pagkagising nila kuya, hindi na kami nag usap ni Ezra, actually it was more like iniiwasan ko sya...Oo, iniiwasan ko sya. Ayaw ko na~ huhu.
Ayoko na sya makita, makausap, malilinlang lang din ako. I am being fooled by the chemical reactions inside me.
You're pretty Naalala ko bigla sinabi nya and the way he looked at me earlier, tuloy kinilabutan ako sa loob ng sasakyan, I sat at the back next to kuya Fred, sa harap si Ezra at si Kuya N. Ezra was driving us home.
" Okay ka lang?" Fred asked me.
" Po? Opo okay lang ako " I said as I smiled at him, napatingin ako sa mirror sa harap and I caught Ezra looking at me ,narinig nya siguro si Fred, pero hindi nadin sya tumingin nung nakita nya na nakatingin ako.
-
We got home safely, binati ko lang sila kuya Fred at Klaud, tulog nanaman kasi si kuya Jun at si JS. Diretso na sana ako sa building ni Kuya habang nag uusap sila ni Ezra kaso tinawag ako ni Kuya as I turned my back.
" Bye Gale!" Ezra waved at me from the driver's seat.
" Bye " Sabi ko, nag wave back nadin ako, nakatingin kuya ko saakin at parang may inaabangan sya na sabihin ko. "Have a safe flight " Yun nalang nasabi ko.
Inasar tuloy kami ni Fred, Klaud pati nadin kuya ko. I feel like I'm a part of their plan na pati kuya ko kasama, sya pa nga siguro pasimuno. I scoffed and I turned my back, this time nakadiretso na talaga ako sa floor namin with my Kuya.
-
I got to my room, i threw myself to my bed, contemplating everything that happened.
Am I really stupid? Wise naman ata ginagawa ko...
I decided to call Lisa.
I grabbed my phone na kanina ko pa hindi nahahawakan dahil lowbat sya, nakicharge lang ako kanina sa bahay ni kuya Ezra.
Junior got promoted to level 5, we lost...
Text ni Lisa saakin, i felt a little sad pero kasi, I already saw it coming kaya okay lang saakin.
" Hello " Sabi ko. I put in in speaker kasi tamad na ako magtapat pa ng phone sa tenga ko, parang nawalan nadin ako ng will mag effort plus the pressure that Ezra is putting on me.
" Hmm? Bakit ganyan ang tono mo, nalungkot tuloy ako lalo " Sabi ni Lisa.
" Yung about sa guild? Okay lang...Expected na din yun and, try nalang tayo ulit next time" Sabi ko.
" Kaya nga Noreen, pero you did well naman and we really appreciated all your efforts para mapromote lahat ng member ng team" Sabi ni Lisa.
" Me too, Naappreciate ko din talaga efforts nyo and I'm thankful...pero, iba ang case ko ngayon " Sabi ko.
" Ano yun?" She asked.
" It's about Ezra...he sorta confessed to me " Sabi ko.
" HE DID?!" Sabi ni Lisa, lumakas ang boses nya at alam kong napatayo sya kung saan man sya nakaupo.
" Yeah...pero I rejected him " Sabi ko.
" YOU WHAT? WHY? " Sabi ni Lisa.
" Parang hindi ko kaya kasi...parang hindi ako karapat dapat " Sabi ko.
" What are you talking about? Sira ka! all this time you make scenarios in your head and when it's there...ganun?" She sounded really frustrated and I'm starting to get frustrated too.
" If you could only see the way he looks at me and the way he talks parang mawawala ka sa mata nya tapos, parang kinukuha ka na ng langit...tapos kanina...he looked at me and he told me I was pretty...di pa ako naliligo " Sabi ko.
" Oh my God, Ezekiel Yang told you that? tapos...tapos, irereject mo sya, why is there something wrong with him? Akala ko ba okay sya at mali ang mga accussations sa kanya?" Lisa asked.
" There is...nothing wrong with him. Ako talaga to eh, I think I need some time ..." Sabi ko.
" Fine, tama naman yan. Pag isipan mo muna pero...hehe , ayieeee " Sabi ni Lisa.
" Baliw, sige na salamat Lisa " Sabi ko.
-
Time passed, hindi ko na nabantayan ang oras nag isip ako ng nag isip habang nakatambay ako dito sa kama ko hanggang sa sumakit na ulo ko.
Naligo muna ako bago ako lumabas ng kwarto ko, pinuntahan ko si Kuya, nagluto pala sya. Mag susuggest sana ako na magpadeliver nalang kasi hindi naman ako nagluluto.
" Oh, kuya nagluto ka pala " Sabi ko.
" Oo naman , minsan lang to " Sabi nya.
-
Naghain na ako habang prineprepare nya pa niluluto nya, He cooked buttered vegetables with dried chicken.
" Nga pala reen reen, mag wowork ako ngayong gabi ha kaya baka medyo maingay ako " Sabi ni Kuya.
" That's okay " Sabi ko.
" We'll be going to Korea next week, okay ka ba doon?" He asked.
" Mm. Sobrang okay " Sabi ko.
" That's good " He smiled at me.
-
After eating dinner , I went back to my room. Totoo nga sinabi ni kuya ,maingay nga sya to the point na may sounds ng drill at and stuff, I don't know what he's up to pero ang dami nyang ginagawa.
I went online to check my page, I haven' t posted for a while. I went through my messages and Aries messaged me.
Wag ka malungkot Noreen ha :) We did our best and it was our biggest project ever. Pero wag ka mag alala, there are many opportunities ahead like this one, This is enough to promote you to level 5, sinendan ko din si Lisa. :) Have fun writing!
He sent me a link and I opened it.
" Story writing competition, winner gets his work published nationwide with 50,000 cash prize " Nanlaki mga mata ko habang binasa ko, naexcite ang workers ng brain ko at nangati kamay ko magsulat.
I signed up, thank you Aries :) I replied.
-
I immediately opened the notes on my computer, and I started brainstorming on ideas, I was going insane but I was so excited ang giddy, kinikilig ako just thinking about it! Your work will be published and sold nationwide. Like, how cool is that!
-
Cloud City : The Deadly Princess
I've alway wanted to write a fantasy that is tragic and unique. Cloud city is a city on top of all the kingdoms, doon walang King and Queen, Democratic government where a President rules. The Deadly Princess is name Anika, she witnessed a blood bath and her parents were tortured in front of her when she was fourteen years old. Dahil doon, she learned how to fight and sleep with her eyes open, she's very vigilant and she's skilled with
martial arts and all types of weaponry. She finally comes to age, at 18 she must marry a prince, para sa mga tao sa kingdom nya. The Kingdom of Alestair was the poorest kingdom when it comes to gold but they were rich in natural resources and a lot of leeches want to take it away from them. And because of that the mischieveous must learn how to behave and entertain princes without trying to slit their throats.
-
Hanggang dyan palang naisip ko ngayong gabi, madaling araw nadin. It was around 3 a.m. , medyo napapapikit na din ako but then kuya N knocked on my door.
" Po?" Sabi ko, pahiga palang sana ako sa kama ko and I turned my computer off.
" I have a gift for you " Sabi nya as he opened the door, may tinatago sya sa likod nya. Lumapit ako kay Kuya. " Tada " Sabi nya saakin, pinakita na nya A phone... It was slim and the color was lilac, it was glossy pero ang nanotice ko talaga is the thiness of the phone.
" Ayos pa naman phone ko...pero, WOW!" napataas ang timbre ng boses ko nung hinawakan ko ang phone, It was SO LIIIIIIIGHT. " Phone talaga to?" I asked.
Kuya N nodded, and he was smiling brightly. " Meet the brand new, LIGHT phone Writer series, It ultra mega light and 0.5 inch width, 5. 5 inch LED light - widescreen, 1920 by 1080 pixel resolution, 12 MP and 1GB RAM , It's Android and it's special feature is the Nbattery, Stand by is up to 300hours. It has two batteries that you can activate perfect for busy people like myself, I don't need to bring a powerbank" N just kept on explaining and explaining while I was at awe with the whole phone , It was gorgeous at nakinig nalang ata ako sa part na may extra pang battery. " There's an option there sa settings where you can activate a battery, you can choose kung anong battery ang gusto mo icharge" Sabi nya.
Medyo natanga ako, pero kung iisipin mo, The phone is so freaking light and..." THIS PHONE HAS TWO BATTERIES? HA? HOOW...." Sabi ko. I never thought that a thing would be humanly possible... If possible man yun, Hindi ko iisipin na kuya ko ang makakaimbento neto. " Yes! Galing diba? It's yours " Sabi ni Kuya. " I'm gonna launch it! Sooooo, pack your bags for Korea, okay?" Sabi nya.
" Ah..uhhh, okay...two batteries" Sabiko, natanga pa ako habang ineexplore ang phone, he was so happy he hugged me tight. and he kissed my forehead that I got a feeling na hindi yan sya makakatulog ngayong gabi.
" Goodnight kapatid " Sabi nya saakin habang nakangiti pa din sya palabas ng kwarto ko.
I giggled at the sight of my happy brother, nakakahawa din talaga sya. I felt so lucky to have him as my brother. Ano nalang kaya feeling ni Mom, Dad and Ate. They must be so proud watching over him...But, what about me? It would be so much easier if they were here. I sighed Ezra Yang.
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Author's POV
Noreen transferred her sim card sa bago nyang phone as she lied on her bed, getting ready to fall asleep.
-
The next day arrived, Noreen woke up to a text by Ezra, Goodmorning pretty! I'm going to the airport~ Have a nice day :) Sabi nya, napangiti si Noreen sa nabasa nya, medyo pikit pa mata nya, sinampal nya sarili nya at binasa nya out loud ang text. " It's real" She said smiling as she reread the text again.
Naalala nya tuloy nangyare kahapon, It was something that she'll never forget, meeting Mamang, listening to her stories and Ezra's You're pretty, and the shot to get promoted to level 5. Not to mention, the new product that her brother came up with. " It's so liiiiiiiiight" Sabi nya habang pinaglalaruan ang bago nyang phone.