Warning: Contains explicit scene/s. Please be advised.
Episode 12:
"How's your day?" Tanong ni Papa habang sabay-sabay kaming nakain ng dinner. Hindi sinasadyang napatingin ako kay Rosendale na katapat ko lamang. Pansin kong nakatingin din siya sa akin. Hindi ko napigilang ituon na lang ang atensyon sa pagkain. Naiinis ako sa kanya na hindi ko alam.
It's been a week since that last kiss and I was glad na sumusunod siya sa usapan. So far, hindi ko na ulit siya nakita pang naglaslas. Sana ay tuluy-tuloy na. Iyon nga lang, I have to sacrifice my lips just to keep her sane. Feeling ko ako ang sunod na map-praning.
"My day went out fine, Pa." Sabi ko at dinugtungan pa iyon ng isang ngiti. Both of my parents smiled at me. Hinawakan pa ni Mama ang kamay ni Papa which I think was so sweet.
"How about you, Ten?" Mama averted her gaze to Rosendale. Kumunot naman ang noo ko sa itanawag niya sa huli. Ten? Saan niya nakuha 'yon? Saan nanggaling yung Ten?
Rosendale stole a glance from me. Mabilis lang iyon na akala mo kisapmata lang pero I was certain that she looked at me for a brief second. Umangat ang kabilang dulo ng labi niya na parang pinipigilang ngumiti bago nilingon si Mama. "My day has been always good this past few days, exactly since last week, Tita."
Halos mabulunan ako sa huling sinabi niya. What the fuck? Anong...anong tinutukoy niya sa part na iyon? Stupid talaga! Hindi pa nakatulong 'tong puso kong walang paalam kung kumabog ng mabilis! Fuck it. I was starting to be a weirdo like her. This was not really good.
It made me remember the kiss that we shared. That was pretty...intense.
Holy hamburgers. Mabilis akong napainom ng tubig habang pinipilit kong pakalmahin ang sarili. Bakit ko ba inaalala iyon? I shouldn't remember it in a very inappropriate way. I just did that para lang makatulong, nothing more and nothing less. Ayoko nga gawin iyon, eh.
That's right, I was just left with no choice.
"Nakakatuwa namang malaman 'yan." Mama beamed happily. "And what's the reason, Ten?"
"Saan ba nanggaling 'yang Ten na iyan, Ma?" I interrupted before Rosendale could even answer. Baka ano pang masabi, eh. Damn this woman! "Ang layo ng Ten sa pangalan niya."
Mama chuckled while deep inside I almost wanted to scream with relief. Shit, gusto ko na lang maglaho ngayon!
"Hay nako, Echo, anak. Mukhang nakalimot ka na talaga." Pa shook his head.
"Huh?" Nagulo naman ang utak so sinabi niya. Nakalimot ako? Saan? I shot Rosendale a question look but she just shrugged her shoulder. I frowned my forehead. "What are you saying, Pa?"
"You're the one who gave that nickname, 'nak." he answered.
Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay. "Wala po akong matandaang tinawag kong Ten si Rosendale."
"Talagang hindi mo maalala, bata ka pa noon, eh."
"What?" Halos manliit ang mata ko sa narinig.
Nagkatawanan ang mga mabait kong magulang. I didn't know if I was going to be irritated or what. Were they playing with me? I glared at Rosendale when I saw her smirking. At ang saya na nila niyan, ah?
"Ma, Pa!" I can't help but rolled my eyes. "Will you please enlighten what's so funny?"
Ilang segundo pa ang lumipas bago sila kumalma. I just sighed. Sometimes I wonder kung kanina sa kanilang dalawa ako nagmana because apparently, mas maikli ang pasensya ko.
"Sweety, you and Rosendale were friends when you're still kids." Papa revealed. I almost choked in my own saliva.
What the fuck? Seryoso?
"Joke po ba 'yan?"
"Unfortunately, no."
Mabilis kong nilingon si Rosendale. "Ikaw alam mo 'yon?"
"Well, of course, yes." She answered like it's not a big deal samantalang ito ako, gulat na gulat sa nalaman. Parang ang hirap paniwalaan.
"What the hell?" I can't help but to blurt it out. Papa squinted his eyes at me and I quickly cleared my throat. "Sorry. I'm just really...shocked."
"You're still so young that time so I can't blame you kung nakalimutan mo na iyon, Echo. Isa pa, Ten's three years older than you kaya siguro natatandaan niya pa."
"Hindi tayo magka-age? Bakit hindi ko alam? Hindi halata sa'yo." Gusto ko sanang idugtong na immature siya pero hinayaan ko na lang.
"You never asked."
"Pero bakit nga Ten?" I asked, ignoring Rosendale's answer.
"Bulol ka kasi noong bata ka pa, 'nak." Mama said, "You pronounce her name as Lo-ten-del. You even said before that it's hard to pronounce so you settled with calling her Ten." she explained. "Basically, naging Ten ang nickname niya dahil sa pagiging bulol mo."
Ramdam ko ang pag-iinit ng pisngi ko. I felt embarrassed with what she said. I suddenly regretted asking.
--
I was at my room right now, chatting Cheddy. She's asking kung may assignment ba. Kasi, eh, hindi marunong makinig sa klase. Hindi rin palasulat ng notes. She always say that she will remember what she heard pero in the end, she will still ask me. My best friend was really troublesome.
I wasn't yet sleepy so I played some music. May pasok pa bukas, I didn't want to sleep late. School life was really exhausting after all. Napapaisip tuloy ako what If I'll be going to work someday, will it be this hard, too? Thinking about the future was a little bit overwhelming. I was taking the course I like and yet when I think about what I wanted to be a few years after, it's still vague. It was making me not want to think about it.
Narinig kong may pumipihit sa doorknob kaya napalingon ako ro'n. I saw Rosendale. I face palmed. Nalimutan ko palang mag-lock. Dang it. I turned off the music and hid my phone. Umayos ako ng pagkakaupo at sinipat siya. I saw her locked the door. She's wearing a really big shirt na aakalain mong naka-panty lang siya. I sighed. "May kailangan ka?"
She didn't answer and sat beside me instead. Hindi pa siya nakuntento at prenteng isinandal niya rin ang likuran sa headboard ng kama. Sumandal na lang din ako. Magkadikit ang mga balikat namin.
"Rosendale, bakit ba nandito ka?" tanong ko ulit. Hindi naman siya sumagot. Tingnan mo 'tong baliw na 'to, nakakainis talaga. "May tanong pala ako."
"Kanina ka pa nagtatanong."
Inirapan ko siya. Eh, hindi naman niya sinasagot! She's really stupid. I composed myself. Calm down, Echo. "Bakit wala ka man lang nasabi sa akin na magkakilala na pala tayo dati pa? Ni hindi mo man lang nabanggit 'yang nickname na 'yan."
"You didn't ask," simpleng sagot niya. Nakaka-stress talagang sumagot itong babaeng 'to. "And one more thing, I know that you already forgot about me so I don't find the need to tell you."
I didn't know if it's just me but I thought her voice sounded sad for a moment when she said those words. I decided to just shrugged it off.
"Uso namang magpakilala, hindi ba?"
"Will you believe me if ever?" she asked, "Given the reputation I have at school?"
Natahimik ako. May point siya. We started at the wrong foot. Kung hindi pa siguro siya tumira dito sa amin, kung hindi ko pa nakita ang side ng personality niya na hindi ko nakikita kapag nasa school kami, malamang hanggang ngayon kung anu-ano pa ring masasama ang iniisip ko patungkol sa kanya. It's not that I changed my opinion about her completely, she's still that suicidal girl I know. But the good thing was, somehow, I was starting to understand her.
Pero I can't change the fact that Rosendale Ibañez was still a walking mystery. Ang dami ko pa ring hindi alam sa kanya at hanggang ngayon, hindi ko pa rin ma-gets ang ilang mga bagay na ginagawa niya. She's just so unpredictable that it's always a struggle to be with her. One second she's okay and the next was not. It's like she's a combination of everything I like and dislike. It's really frustrating.
"Sit on my lap, Echo."
Nag-lag yata utak ko sa narinig. Pinanlisikan ko siya ng mata. "Excuse me?"
Hinawi niya ang bangs pakanan dahilan para masilayan ko na naman ang mga mata niya. Her brown eyes were gazing so deep at me that it made me gulp and I think I even felt my heart skipped a bit because of that. Fuck it, I was starting to get weird. What the heck was this kind of reaction?
"Don't you remember something?" Tanong niya sa akin kasabay ng isang nakakainis na ngisi. "A week already passed." Natigilan ako sa sinabi niya. Nag-sink agad sa akin kung anong gusto niyang ipahiwatig. Halos mahugot ko ang hininga. Ano ba itong pinasok ko? "Now, will you sit on my lap?"
"C-can we just kiss normally? Why do I have to sit on you anyway?"
"What is normal when I am not?" She asked back, trying to annoy me.
Oh, my goodness, ang sarap niyang sapakin! "Are you kidding me?"
"Sit, Echo."
"Ayoko!"
Narinig ko ang malakas na pagbuntong-hininga niya. Muntik pa akong mapatili nang bigla na lang niya akong hinila hanggang sa tuluyan nga akong mapaupo sa lap niya. Kung paano niya nagawa iyon ng mabilis, I didn't fucking know. But this was definitely and fucking embarrassing! Parehas kaming naka-short kaya ramdam ko ang balat niyang nadampi sa akin.
"The fuck, Rosendale!" I hissed. "Nababaliw ka na naman!"
She smiled which I rarely see from her. Somehow, it relaxed me a bit but still, this position was really uncomfortable. We were so close and sitting on her lap was...I can't even expressed it in words!
"I need my antidote now, Echo."
"Hindi ako gamot!"
She grinned. She held my nape gently habang ang isang kamay niya ay nasa baywang ko, caressing it. Inipit niya ang ilang hibla ng buhok ko sa tainga before pulling me in. Napalunok ako. My heart kept drumming so loud inside my ribs. Hindi naman siguro niya ito mararamdaman. Please don't let it be heard. This was fucking insane.
"Close your eyes, Echo, and open your mouth a bit."
"Will you please refrain from saying that?" Inirapan ko siya. "You sounded like a pervert."
"Open your mouth, Echo."
Ang tigas ng ulo! Hindi ko siya susunod. Parang wala lang naman sa kanya iyon.
She then kissed me without hesitation and that's when I slowly closed my eyes. Her kiss still felt soft, it didn't change a bit. She started moving her lips, urging me to follow its rhythm which I did. Kinagat pa niya ang ibabang labi ko bago tuluyang ipasok ang dila niya sa bibig ko. It hurts a little when she bit my lip but it's tolerable. Baka nanggigil lang.
Hindi ko sinasadyang mapaungol nang pinalalim niya ang halik. I never moaned this way in my entire life!
Nakaramdam ako ng hiya dahil doon at sinubukang lumayo pero hindi niya ako hinayaan. She pulled me closer, her hand snaking around my waist. Sobrang dikit na naming dalawa. Pakiramdam ko mapupugto ang hininga ko sa ginagawa niya but I think she didn't mind, she's not even trying to stop just to breathe.
We kissed for I didn't know how long. It's making me warm, hindi ko alam kung komportable ba sa pakiramdam yung init o hindi. I thought the kiss last week was already intense but this one's different. I groaned when she bit my lip again, mas madiin, eh.
Sa tuwing susubukan kong ilayo ang sarili ay palagi niya akong hinahapit palapit. Nasa likuran ko na ang dalawang kamay niya na humahaplos sa akin at niyayakap ako nang mariin. Nagsisimula na akong mangawit sa pwesto ko at makaramdam ng matinding pagkailang. I can't help but gripped her shoulders hard.
I felt something...wet...in between my...thighs. I didn't really understand this kind of reaction. What the heck was this embarrassing feeling?
Hindi ko na kinaya yung pagkailang ko so I tried my best to push her a bit. "T-teka. Rosendale," I protested firmly despite my trembling voice when she tried pulling me close again. "Stop, now."
Parehas kaming malalim ang paghinga. I didn't know if it's just the lightning of my room pero parang nag-darkened ang color ng mata niya.
"Is it too much?" she asked. I felt my cheeks warming up more when she caressed my chin but winced after touching my lips. "May konting blood sa lower lip mo. I think I bit you a little bit hard. Masakit?"
"Mahapdi," sagot ko lang. Nakaramdam ako ng inis nang makita siyang napapangisi. "Will you stop grinning, Rosendale? Sapakin kita."
"Can't help it. I think I'm so bad for finding it cute."
"Baliw ka na." I said in a hissing voice. She just shrugged her shoulders.
Wala na akong maisip na sasabihin. Yung halik pa rin namin ang tumatakbo sa utak ko lalo na yung kawirduhang naramdaman ko.
Umalis na ako sa pagkakaupo sa kanya. Damn it, feeling ko nanlalagkit ako. "Maliligo lang ako. Pagbalik ko dapat wala ka na sa kwarto ko."
_____