Gal
The time went by in a blur. Ni hindi ko namalayan. We met a few people again, too. This time, they're Ike's friends. And the jackass told all of them that we're in a relationship! This challenge is becoming way too real.
Gaya na lang noong nakasalubong namin 'yung friend niyang si Eco with his wife, Rayah. We were at the canned goods section when we met them. Si Eco ang unang nag-approach.
"Ike, pare!"
"Eco!" Ike greeted and the both of them gave each other a bro hug.
"Who are you with? Mag-isa ka lang?" tanong ni Ike. I saw Eco shake his head and a girl came up beside him just on time. He snaked his arm around the girl's waist. Tahimik din siya gaya ko.
"I'm with my wife. You know her," he faced his wife. "Hon, this is Ike. Remember him? Invited siya sa kasal natin noon."
And because I was just looking at them both, I had the chance to observe the two of them. Eco looked pretty cool. Naka-black shirt siya at maong pants. Katulad ni Ike, maganda rin ang katawan niya. Hindi gaanong masculado, 'yung tama lang. His hair is black. Clean cut. Medyo maputi siya at matangos din ang ilong. Kung ikukumpara ang height niya kay Ike ang ay mas matangkad nga lang si Ike.
My eyes focused on his wife and to be honest, she's really pretty. Her skin is like porcelain. Sobrang puti nito. Mahaba rin ang kaniyang light brown na buhok, which I think she probably dyed. Malayong-malayo ito sa collar-length kong buhok na kulay itim. She's a petite girl, too.
Tumango si Rayah.
"Of course I remember him. Halos lahat ng single friends ko ay nagtanong sa'kin kung ano ang name niya!" she said before letting out a laugh. My eyes widened a little.
Oh, really?
Narinig ko ang pagtawa ni Ike.
"No wonder my request box went crazy after your wedding," he joked. I almost snorted, if only I didn't stop myself.
Nagtawanan silang tatlo pero hindi naglaon, dumapo sa akin ang tingin ng mag-asawa. Bago pa man sila makapagsalita ay naramdaman ko na lang bigla ang paghapit ni Ike sa baywang ko.
"By the way, this is my girlfriend, Galeley."
Napalunok ako nang marinig 'yon. Grabe. Wala man lang headstart? I kinda expected that to happen but being caught off guard was still really, really, inevitable.
Mukhang gulat ang mag-asawa sa narinig. I gave them a warm smile.
"Hi," I greeted. Nang makabawi sila sa gulat, they both smiled at me as well. I even saw the grin on Eco's face.
"This is a surprising news, ah! Akala ko talaga tatanda ka na lang kasama ang mga flings mo, Ike!" sabi ni Eco at tumawa. Sana all na lang talaga may flings!
The bitter thoughts in my head were uncontrollable. I couldn't help it. But I joined in with their laughter, nevertheless.
"If you don't mind me asking, since when did you guys got together?"
Rayah's question immediately caught our attention. Agad kaming napatingin sa kanya and she seemed really genuine nang itanong niya 'yon. Suddenly, I couldn't bring myself to let out a single chuckle.
Habang tumatagal, mas napapagtanto ko yata kung gaano kaimportante ang mga meetings at ang pagpaplano sa mga bagay-bagay.
"Uhm..."
Paano namin sasagutin 'to?
Paano? Ano? Sasabihin na lang ba naming, 'Actually kanina lang naging kami. Ang cool, 'no?'.
Ugh, nakakainis!
"1 and a half hour ago."
I stopped upon hearing it.
One and a... what?!
Namimilog ang mga mata ko nang bumaling kay Ike. I expected him to make something up kaya naman hindi ko inasahang sasabihin niya ang totoo.
I fixed my eyes on the couple and they looked taken aback. Akala ko seseryosohin nila 'yung sinabi ni Ike (Which is seryoso naman talaga) but a moment later, the two of them cracked up laughing.
My forehead creased.
"Nakakatawa ka rin talaga minsan, pare!" giit ni Eco nang humupa ang tawa niya. That's when I realized they didn't believe what my boyfriend said. Well, what did I expect? It did sound so stupid.
"But seriously, though. Kailan naging kayo?" Tanong ulit ni Rayah. Nagpasya akong tumahimik na lang dahil hindi ko na alam kung ano pa ang sasabihin sa kanila. E, 'yong sinabi naman talaga ni Ike ang totoo.
Narinig ko ang pagbuntong-hininga ni Ike kaya napatingin ako sa kanya. Mukhang nakuha niya rin na hindi talaga kami pinaniniwalaan nina Eco. And I knew he was about to say something valid.
"Fine. We got together 2 months..." he trailed off na para bang may idadagdag pa siya kaya nagtaka naman ako.
"2 months..?" ani Eco at Rayah. Halatang naghihintay sila sa karugtong.
I stared at Ike and gave him a puzzled look. Was there anything he wanted to add?
I got the answer to my question when he gave me a quick glance before finally saying,
"2 months and 1 and a half hour ago."
Muntikan na talaga akong mabilaukan sa sarili kong laway dahil sa sinabi niya. I had the urge to roll my eyes. Ewan ko kay Ike at kung bakit kailangan niya pa talagang isama ang '1 hour and a half' na 'yon! Pwede namang magsinungaling na lang talaga siya at sabihing 2 months ago naging kami.
So, ayun. Halos mamatay nanaman sa kakatawa sina Eco at ang asawa niya. When we were alone again, I asked Ike about it at ang sagot niya lang ay,
"At least, it was just half a lie."
Half a lie? Edi lie pa rin 'yon! Anong pinagkaiba? But still, hindi ko na pinatulan yung argument niya. Mas-stress lang ako. Bahala na siya doon.
But enough of that. Kalimutan na natin ang nangyari at magpatuloy sa kung ano na ang ginagawa namin ngayon.
"My keys are in my pocket. Pakikuha na lang."
"Ano?"
At the moment, we are currently standing in front of Ike's apartment at ang dami rin ng dala namin. Ike carried most of the stuff we bought especially the heavy ones while ako naman ay puro gulay at prutas lang ang dala. Pati na rin ang isang box ng pizza. At ngayon, inuutusan ako ni Ike na kunin 'yung susi ng apartment niya na nasa bulsa niya! What the?
He sighed.
"Baby, my hands are full. At ang bigat pa nang lahat ng 'to. Kunin mo na lang, please." sagot niya sa malumanay na boses at mukhang nararamdaman kong tumatalab nga naman 'yon.
Dammit.
"Fine! Sa'n banda ba?" naiirita kong sabi. He grinned.
"Dito sa left side."
'Yon nga ang ginawa ko. Ipinasok ko ang kamay ko sa bulsa niya at kinapa 'yon. And trust me, sobrang awkward. Nag-iinit ang mukha ko habang ginagawa ko 'yon. Tapos may matandang lalaki pa talaga na dumaan! Hindi nakatakas sa mga mata niya ang ginagawa ko at talagang napatagal pa ang pasada ng tingin niya sa amin. Kaya naman hindi ko na talaga kinaya. Hiyang-hiya na 'ko, gosh!
"Ike, wala dito!" reklamo ko at tumayo ng maayos. At ang bwisit na lalaki, tumawa lang ng malakas! As in, tawang-tawa! He even threw his head back while laughing.
Hinampas ko siya sa braso.
"Ikaw, tumigil ka, ah! Baka tadyakan kita riyan ng wala sa oras!"
He tried hard to tone down his laugh and when he did, he said, "Baby, nasa right pocket pala 'yung susi."
Mas lalo lang kumunot ang noo ko.
Bwisit na Ike.
"Nakakainis ka!" Naiirita kong sigaw sa kanya. Tumawa nanaman siya ulit.
"Bahala ka, hindi ko na kukunin 'yan!"
Sa lakas ng sigaw ko, sigurado akong medyo naistorbo ko na ang mga taong nakatira sa rooms na malapit sa apartment niya.
I crossed my arms while glaring at him. Tumatawa pa rin siya pero agad 'yong humupa nang naramdaman niyang sobrang naiinis na talaga ako. His expression turned soft as he stared back at me. I pursed my lips and rolled my eyes. And then, I heard him sigh.
"Okay, I'll get it."
Inilapag niya ang plastic bags na hawak-hawak gamit ang isang kamay. He fished out the key with his free hand and inserted it into the keyhole. Naningkit ang mga mata ko.
Puwede naman palang gawin 'yon! Pinahirapan niya pa 'ko.
When the door opened, una akong pumasok. Nahuli si Ike dahil kinuha niya pa ulit 'yong plastic bag na nilapag niya kanina sa sahig.
I stopped on my tracks and examined the whole place. His apartment is pretty simple. The walls are painted white. There are a minimum of furnitures. Just one look and you can tell that it's a guy's place. Siguro kung ako ang nakatira dito, dadagdagan ko 'tong mga furnitures para naman hindi masyadong maluwag tingnan. This apartment could use a makeover.
Nasa living room ako. Beside me is an olive green sofa. A coffee table stood right in the middle. May maliit na cactus plant sa gitna noon. In front of the sofa is a wide flat screen TV. May speakers din, DVD player, PS5 box, at may CD's na naka-pile up.
May single-seater din with the same olive color sa may left corner.
Just a few steps beside the TV is a brown wooden door. I think it leads his room.
I walked to the front at nakita ko agad ang kitchen counter. It looks like it's made up of black marble. May dalawang high chairs ang nandoon. And then there's the sink, the cupboards, and everything.
To my right is the dining table. The table top is a circular dark glass. There are only four chairs.
Tumango-tango ako. Minimalist but at least the place is pretty clean.
"Done checking out your boyfriend's apartment?"
I turned on my back and saw Ike looking at me. I glanced at the kitchen counter behind him at nakita kong nakapatong na roon ang plastic bags na bitbit niya kanina.
He walked closer to me at kinuha ang lahat ng dala ko. Ipinatong niya rin 'yon sa counter. Pagkatapos ay umupo siya sa isang high chair na nakaharap sa akin.
"Gutom ka na?"
His question is like a trigger to me. Bigla kong naramdaman ang gutom dahil sa tanong niya. Well, it's almost lunch time na rin naman.
"Oo, e."
Tumango siya.
"I'll cook. Just go watch TV or something."
"H-hindi na!" I blurted out before I could stop myself. Nakita ko ang pagtaas ng kilay niya.
"Ano?"
For a moment, nagdalawang-isip ako. Ipu-push ko ba 'to, o hindi? I sighed. I-push na nga lang. Total andito naman na.
"Ako na ang magluluto."
Hindi ko nakaligtaan ang pagkagulat at pagkamangha sa mukha niya.
"Marunong ka nang magluto?"
My face reddened.
Ang alam niya kasi, hindi ako marunong. Well, hindi naman talaga ako marunong. Noon. But this time, I know a few recipes. Kahit papaano.
I gave him a cheeky grin.
"Yep! I do now."
Amusement then etched on his face. He leaned back and rested his elbows on the counter behind him. His head tilted to the side. Medyo naniningkit ang mga mata niyang nakatingin sa'kin.
"What food do you know how to cook?"
I crossed arms, showing off a hint pride.
"I know a few."
"Like?"
I frowned.
"Ganoon ba kagrabe ang pagdududa mo na talagang tinatanong mo pa 'yan sa'kin?"
Nakakaasar, ah. Medyo offensive!
He chuckled.
"Kailan ka pa natutong magluto? I remember back then, you can't even make a proper scrambled egg," giit niya at tumawa. I gasped, appalled at what he just said. Naglakad ako palapit sa kanya at nagtira nang tamang distansya sa pagitan namin.
"You're exaggerating things!"
He threw his head back while laughing. Damn. Mas na-appreciate ko tuloy ang perpekto niyang ngipin.
"Totoo kaya," he fired back. "Remember that time when we stayed at my place? Tapos wala tayong lunch and you volunteered to make some scrambled eggs? You ended up burning the whole thing!"
Tumawa nanaman siya nang malakas.
"And we ended up eating canned goods, instead!" dagdag niya pa. My lips parted in sudden realization.
Oh. That.
Nagkibit balikat ako, medyo ngumingiwi. I have no excuse for that.
"That was a long time ago. Hindi ba puwedeng natuto na 'kong magluto over the years?"
Still laughing a bit, he said, "Right. Pero ako pa rin ang magluluto ngayon kaya bumalik ka na lang muna ro'n sa sala."
He stood on his feet, immediately towering over me. Ikinagulat ko pa 'yon dahil tila biglang naibsan ang maliit na distansya sa pagitan naming dalawa.
I shrugged the silly thought off my mind. With great determination, I gazed at him.
"I'm cooking."
Kita kong gagalaw na sana ang mga paa niya para pumunta sa sink pero agad siyang napatigil. He remained in front of me, his brow hiking up. "No, I said I'm cooking."
I gave him an annoyed look.
"Babae ako kaya natural lang na ako ang magluto!"
"Wow, that's very stereotypical of you, Galeley."
I can sense the mockery in his voice and it's really, really starting to make my blood boil.
"Stereotypical na kung stereotypical pero bahala ka. Magluluto ako."
"We're in my kitchen. My kitchen, my rules."
"Well, I'm willing to break your rules, then," I countered. Hindi siya agad sumagot. He just twisted his lips as if he was suppressing a smile.
His dark hooded eyes stared back at me for a moment before asking, "Can we just drop this argument already?"
Napataas ang isa kong kilay. I crossed my arms again. "Only if you bend your rules."
"Which I will never do, so I guess we'll just have to argue about this till sundown," agap niya na lang, halatang walang planong umatras sa walang kwenta naming argumento. He also gave me a look that says, 'I'm-challenging-you'.
Why is he making this hard for me? Bakit ba big deal sa kanya 'to? E, gusto ko lang naman magluto!
Pero bakit ayaw mo ring magpatalo, ha, Galeley Parmiento?
I hated that the voice in my head made sense. Bakit hindi na lang ako pumayag? Sa kanya rin naman ang bahay na 'to. Sa kanya 'tong kusina kaya anong ipinaglalaban ko rito?
My lips protruded as I looked at him seriously while I weighed my decisions.
Once I made up my mind, I looked up to him with my puppy eyes.
"Baby, please? Pumayag ka na."
Heck yeah, I am not backing down.
I saw how his eyes turn gentle, his pupils dilating. Gusto kong ngumisi sa tuwa pero pinigilan ko ang sarili ko. I went on with my cute act.
"Babe," I said softly, naglalambing. I even held his hand, touching it just enough. He bit his lip to hide a smile while looking down at me. Nagtagal ang tingin niya sa mukha ko. His eyes slowly examined the features of my face but they always seem to go right back up, meeting my gaze. Mabilis akong nailang sa mga titig niya.
Shit. Was this a bad idea?
I blinked when he laughed a little. Mukhang aliw na aliw siya. He held up our hands and kissed the back of mine. Lubos ko 'yong ikinagulat.
"Next time mo na 'ko ipagluto, Gal. Next time, okay?"
Pagkatapos ay binitawan niya na ang kamay ko at saka ako tinalikuran. He went to the other side of the counter and busied himself by the sink. I didn't move. I just stared at his back in disbelief. Medyo ang gulo ng utak ko. I feel a little annoyed because my tactic didn't work but most of all, I feel confused.
May next time?