A/N:
Hey, dearies! <3 Before anything else, I would just like to plug my self published book, Black Blood Academy: Kill Schneider, the first novel in the series. It's up for preorder until July 10, 2017. Same day din po ang deadline ng payment. Just click the external link to order and see the complete details.
Now do enjoy the chapter! Lemme know what you think. Ciaooo! <3
-HR
***
Ninety Seven
Ang Mahabang Hair Ni Jiagh, Bow
(Jiagh's POV)
Ang charot nung title ng chapter ah.
Anywhoo... it's weekend! Nasa undecorated shop kaming lahat including Aryann na dala si Lia na buhat-buhat naman ni Sis Cris. Si Idol tsaka si B2 eh ina-unload yung mga gamit na nabili namin, mga appliances na gagamitin sa pagluluto. Sets of utensils and plates. Pans and trays.
"You know, we should paint this pink." Suhestyon ni Aryann na palinga-linga at dala-dala yung notebook niya, taking note of things.
Tumango-tango ako, surveying the whole place. "Korak. Dapat nga pink. Kind of kid-friendly."
"Parang yung Strawberry Set sa District Three?" entra ni B2 na buhat-buhat yung isang box na naglalaman ng mga pans at trays. Kasunod niya yung mga taga-buhat ng appliances like stoves and ovens. Diretso yung mga lalaki sa kusina habang nilapag naman ni Lhia yung box sa counter. "You know I think I'd like this place to be like Strawberry Set."
"Not so much. Dapat may originality."
"No I mean... I want the place to be some kind of a refuge for some. Like kapag bwisit tayo sa Strawberry Set tayo pumupunta. Kapag gusto lang nating mag-usap-usap, do'n tayo nauupo habang kumakain. O kapag gusto lang nating tumambay, andu'n lang rin tayo. I want this place to be like that."
Napangiti ako. That's probably the best thing na nagawa ng sweets shop na 'yun sa'min. Di ko nga alam kung bakit kami sinapian ni B2 na magtayo ng sarili naming sweets shop. For all I know gusto lang niyang lumamon eh.
"There! Done na!" anunsyo ni Jhem pagkababa niya ng huling kahon sa counter.
"Di ba may mga nabili tayong ingredients sa cupcake, peke? Try natin 'yung oven!"
Aryann chuckled. "Good idea! Let's bake!"
"Yown! Nasapul mo, Yannie!"
"Yannie? Bagong pet name mo kay Aryann, B2?"
"Haba ng Aryann eh."
Tumawa lang si Aryann, obviously natutuwang may bago siyang pet name. Anyway sinundan namin sina Aryann, Lhia, at Jhem sa kusina habang dala nila yung isang paper bag na apparently eh naglalaman ng mga ingredients para sa cupcake.
Good thing na may kuryente't tubig na 'tong place na 'to. Three months na rin simula nang nabili namin 'tong space pero hanggang ngayon paglilinis palang ang nagagawa namin. Hay buhay.
Pinanood kong mag-prepare ng kung anik-anik si Aryann. When she found chocolate chips nag-decide siyang gumawa rin ng cookies. Ni hindi ko na namalayang inilalagay na niya sa oven yung cupcakes tsaka yung cookie doughs. Lia seems to be enjoying baking too. Mukhang ginagawa na nila 'yan sa bahay nila lagi.
Saglit akong lumabas ng kusina para i-check ang phone ko. Hmm... tatawagan ko ba siya o hindi? Surprise visit na lang ulit? Eh pa'no kung nasa meeting siya?
Hmm...
"Wow!" natawag ng atensyon ko ang sabay na sigaw nina Idol at B2.
Pumasok ulit ako sa loob at nadatnan na naglalagay ng icing sa ibabaw ng cupcake si Aryann. "Then we'll place this in the cooler para lumamig. You can have a bite if you want."
Kumuha agad yung dalawa. I shared a bite with Sis Cris since hindi ko naman mauubos ang isa. And damn it's good. "Woah, Aryann, ang sarap."
"Thank you. Here's the cookies."
I glanced at the wall clock. Past lunch time na. "Uh... mauuna na'ko, girls. I have somewhere to be."
"Oy pumunta ka mamayang gabi." Paalala ni Sis Cris. "Kumpleto tayo. Walang mawawala."
"Yeah, I'll be there. Nga pala, Aryann, do you mind if I take a couple of this cookies?"
"Absolutely not! Kunin mo na, pwede pa naman akong gumawa ng marami. Sandali, kukunin ko lang yung box sa paper bag." Then she went rummaging through the paper bags na dala nina Idol kanina. When she came back she's arranging the white box already. "Which also reminds me, maybe dapat mag-produce rin tayo ng sarili nating box. Makakatulong sa marketing yun di ba?"
"Uh-huh. Swak 'yang suggestion mo. But we still have to think of the shop's name. For the meantime ayusin na muna natin lahat-lahat ng kailangang ayusin."
Ngumiti si Aryann at tumango. Nilagay niya sa box lahat ng cookies sa tray except du'n sa mga cookies na hinakot ni B2 sa kamay niya at kinakain niya sa isang sulok. Lamunista talaga 'tong baboy na 'to.
"There you go." Sabay abot ni Aryann sa'kin ng box.
"Thank you. I'll go ahead, ladies. Oy, B2, tantanan mo 'yang kaka-lamon mo d'yan, nakaka-pimples ang matatamis na bagay."
"Bye, B1, ikamusta mo'ko kay Clyde."
Dafuq.
Dala ang box, sumakay ako sa kotse ko at umalis na mula doon. As per usual, mahaba ang byahe mula District Eight hanggang District Three. Today inabot ako ng dalawa't kalahating oras para marating ang gusali ng Gonzales Inc.
A valet took my keys and parked my car while I went inside the building. I haven't noticed them before. But when an entourage of black suit men stopped from walking dahil lang makakasalubong nila ako tapos niyuko ang mga ulo nila in a sign of greeting gaya ng ginagawa ng mga taga-Emerald kapag mas mataas ang ranggo ng makakasalubong nila kaysa sa kanila.
It's when I realized. Almost everyone in here are doing that simula nang napapadalas ang pag-dalaw ko dito. Hindi ko lang napapansin.
Hoo boy. Intense.
Hinanap ko sa crowd nila si Clyde but he isn't there. So I gave them a brief nod at nilampasan sila. Si pink polish na nasa desk eh nakatayo rin and her head is lowered. Naysss. Ayt, Jiagh, lakad ng mabilis.
When I reached his floor at ang opisina niya, nando'n yung assistant niya na ngumiti lang sa'kin at tumango, signalling na nasa loob ang ipinunta ko dito. I knocked on the door at binuksan iyon saka sumilip.
He's there, sitting quietly on his swivel.
He smiled and stood up habang ako eh pumasok na at isinarado ang pintuan sa likuran ko. Next thing I knew I'm being gathered into a tight hug by a smiling Clyde. He nuzzled my neck while I hugged back.
Naalala ko ang sinabi niya sa park. His favorite place. Napangiti ako.
"Hi."
"Hi. What's that?" bigla niyang tanong nang siguro'y mapansin ang hawak kong kahon that's dangling agaist his back dahil nakayakap ako sa kanya.
I extricated myself from him tapos binigay sa kanya ang kahon. "Here. Cookies."
"Oh. Where from?" he inquired as he took it from me at binuksan para tignan ang laman.
"Galing kasi kami do'n sa space na nabili namin ni B2 na binabalak naming gawing sweets shop. We bought things and placed them there. Naisipang mag-bake ni Aryann, yung patiessiere namin tsaka yung na-hire naming manager."
Kumunot ang noo niya habang nakasubo yung isang cookie sa bibig niya that he fished out from the box. "This is good but... you said Aryann? Aryann as in Yuri's ex?"
Tumaas ang kilay ko. "How did you know Yuri? Tsaka pa'no mo nalamang ex siya ni Yuri?" because as far as I remember hindi naman kasi kasama si Yuri nung nag-swimming kami sa resort ni Clyde no'n.
Natigilan si Clyde. Then he made a move to get back to his swivel habang hatak ang kamay ko kaya napasama ako. "Just... trivial meetings."
I cocked my head to the side and stared at him impassively na parang ipinaparating sa kanyang hindi ako naniniwala. Bumuntong hininga siya then ran his hand through his hair. "He's a friend. Something happened. We just stopped talking."
Stop talking?
Tinitigan ko si Clyde. I could see his emotions swimming in his eyes. Regret. Longing. They must be really close back then. Pero bakit sila humintong mag-usap? Does it have something to do with Yuri's fame? Or is it Clyde's busy schedules?
"Then why don't you just resume talking?"
A sad smile came up from his mouth. "I wish it was that easy, Elaejiagh. But it's not. Let's just drop this. Tell me more stories." Sabay hatak niya sa akin paupo so I landed on his lap sideways.
And because it feels awkward like that, I simply relaxed myself and rest my head against the comfort of his chest. Edi mas madali.
"May anak si Yuri kay Aryann. Three years old."
"Anak? What on earth happened?"
Nag-shrug ako. Clyde's hand came up on my hair and brushed it slowly. "I really don't know. Pero obvious na hindi pinanagutan ni Yuri yung bata. If you just saw the kid, Clyde, she's Yuri's complete replica."
"Imposible. Responsableng tao si Yuri, Elaejiagh. And he adores Aryann too much para hindi panagutan ang anak niya."
"That's exactly what I thought pero wala eh. So we're helping Aryann create a new life for her and her baby. Good thing nand'yan 'yang impending business namin ni B2, may chance siya."
I felt his smile instead of seeing it. "I'll help you with that shop then."
"Really? Ay nga pala," nag-angat ako ng paningin to meet his smiling gaze. "May small celebration party sina Cris at Hans mamayang eight. Dinner. Gusto mong sumama?"
"Celebration? Para sa'n?"
"They are having their first 'blessing' in four years of marriage so they threw a party. Dual celebration dahil kaka-panganak lang ni Keisha, a friend of ours nung college. Member ng Rare Cold ang asawa niya. Frankly, parang feeling ko lahat ng nakapaligid sa'min may baby. What's up will all these babies anyway?"
Clyde chuckled. "Babies are cute, don't you think?"
I glanced up at him. Ngumiti lang siya. "I'll go with you later, Elaejiagh."
ooOoo
Huminto ang kotse sa tapat ng gate nina Sis Nice. Sabay kaming lumabas ng kotse ni Clyde. When he rounded the car to get to me, he eyed me impassively. Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay. "What?"
"Next time hintayin mong ako ang magbukas ng pintuan."
I rolled my eyes. "Kaya ko namang buksan bakit ko pa ipapabukas?"
Umiling lang siya sabay buntong hininga. Nagpalinga-linga siya sa village. "Where's your house?"
Tinuro ko yung bahay sa tapat na katabi ng kay Lhia. "There. The one on the left is Lhia's. Then this one one the right side of Cris's is Jhem's."
"Exactly how I imagined it."
"Huh?"
Bumaling siya sa'kin ng nakangiti. "The four of you... I've always imagined you'll be living in houses na ilang footsteps lang ang layo sa isa't-isa."
Course. Ang imagination ni Clyde.
Binuksan ko ang gate at pumasok na sa loob. Obvious naman sa konting ingay at ilaw sa loob na nag-umpisa na sila. When we stepped in at the doorway, nakita agad kami nina Sis Cris at B2.
"Hey guys!" tawag-pansin ko sa kanila.
They stopped talking at bumaling sa'min ni Clyde. Almost everyone were smiling at us except for Yuri who's scowling openly at Clyde. I frowned. Problema niya?
"Since andito na si Jiagh, let's start our dinner." Anunsyo ni Cris.
The table was already filled with a lot of foods. There's two bottles of champagnes sa gitna. Binati ni Clyde sina Keisha at Sis, one for giving birth to a cute baby boy and one for the upcoming cute baby na ipinapanalangin kong hindi magmana sa tatay.
Utang na loob, h'wag po.
Kanya-kanya kami ng kuha ng upuan. B2 sat on my right while Clyde on my left. Bakante yung upuan sa kaliwa ni Clyde since yung nasa harapan namin ang packed. Magkatabi sina Jhem at Mico, katabi ni Mico si Yuri then Ralph sat beside Yuri at katabi naman ni Ralph si Keisha. Sis Nice and Hans sat on the end of the table. Si Zane yung nasa kabilang dulo.
Tahimik lang kaming kumakain, sometimes a conversation will take place. Hindi masyadong maingay dahil parehong focus sina Zane, B2 at Idol sa kinakain nila. Sila lang naman kasi ang nag-iingay madalas.
"Hey, guys. Am I late?"
Natigilan ako. Obvious namang lahat sila eh na-sorpresa rin. Hans looks sheepish. Bakit nga ba hindi ko naisip na iimbitahan siya ni Hans?
Tumingin ako kay Clyde. He looks nonchalant. Tinutuloy lang niya yung paglalagay ng pagkain sa pinggan ko. Alam kong rinig niya kung kaninong boses 'yon. He expresses openly that he dislikes Blaire. What's up with the nonchalance?
"Hey, dude, congrats with your baby. I brought wine. Non-alcoholic for Cris." Sabay abot ni Blaire kay Hans ng wine.
"Thanks, man. Take a seat, join us."
"Hey, J." Ayan na.
I glanced up and smiled at him. "Hey, B. Take a seat."
He eyed the only chair available beside Clyde. Hoo boy. Nalagot na. "Uh... Lhia? Do you mind if you change your seat?"
"Eh... b-but... but I'm already eating."
"Changing seats won't take too long, would it?"
Padabog na umalis si B2 sa tabi ko dala yung pinggan niya tapos lumipat sa tabi ni Clyde na walang pakialam at kumakain lang. She's glaring at her food habang lunok ng lunok sa malalaking portions.
She's pissed.
"Bunso," Sis Nice commenced softly within the tensed silence of the room. "Dahan-dahan sa pagkain, baka mabilaukan ka d'yan. It's just a seat, come on."
Pabuntong hiningang nag-angat ng ulo si B2 mula sa kinakain niya. She swallowed the last of her food na nasa bibig niya. "Mian-hae..."
"Uh... what does that mean?" dumbfounded na tanong ni Blaire.
At doon ko nakitang nag-smirk si Clyde. "She said she's sorry. It's Korean."
Sumeryoso ang expression ni Blaire and he glared at Clyde. "How'd you know?"
"I'm half." Sabay baling niya ng smug look kay Blaire na parang sinasabi niyang 'Hah! Take that!'
Anuber. Naiipit ako sa gitna.
Hindi siya pinansin ni Blaire. Instead, Blaire placed a spicy pork sa pinggan ko with a tender smile. "You've lost weight simula nang makita kita before I flew to UK. Kumain ka ng marami."
Erm...
"Far as I remember, Elaejiagh doesn't like spicy foods." Paano niya nalaman?
"E... E-he." anak ng tokwa ano ba naman 'tong pinasok ko?
Clyde chuckled, like a teasing chuckle. "Here. Ahh."
Nakita ko na lang may naka-umang nang spoonful ng gelatin sa tapat ng bibig ko. Reluctantly I opened my mouth. Isinubo niya sa'kin yung gelatin. I was munching it when Clyde's fingers tilted my chin and I was greeted by a descending lips.
I heard gasps. Lhia's laugh is the one remarkable. And though masarap mang gumanti ng halik, nasa borderline pa'ko ng katinuan at naalala kong nasa hapag-kainan kami. So nang kumalas si Clyde na nakangisi, I was relieved na hindi ako na-carried away.
Crap. What kind of stunts is he pulling?
Tahimik na nagsalin si Blaire ng wine sa baso na nasa tabi niya then he replaced it with mine. "Here, Jiagh. Wine."
"She'll ask for wine if she wants it." Sabad ni Clyde na umagaw sa sasabihin ko.
Sa puntong 'yon, tumayo si Blaire. "What the hell is your problem?"
Clyde stood too, clearly pissed now. "You. Your existence is my problem. Solve it for me?"
Hala.
Lahat ng nasa table tumingin sa'kin. Yung tingin na parang sinasabi nilang 'Hala ka, teh, anong ginawa mo?' Bakit ako? Wala naman akong ginagawa ah. Nakaupo lang ako dito, payapa akong kumakain. Anong ginawa ko?
"Hihi. Okay lang 'yan, Idol, alam ko 'yang pinagdadaanan mo." sabi ni Jhem na wala akong ka-clue-clue kung anong ibig sabihin.
"I extend my congratulations or commiserations, whatever you prefer." pang-asar na sabi ni Keisha.
I gripped the knife na nasa tabi ko. I saw Zane opening his mouth. Itinaas ko ang knife. "E-Ehe. Sasabihin ko lang namang magpa-gupit ka na, Ate Jiagh. Haba na eh oh."
Leche.