"FIRST LOVE"
Haru's PoV:
"My first love... her name is Dylan Kertia."
I was smiling from ear to ear when I reveal that to Dylan. And she really looked so shock. She even shook her head because of disbelief.
"Ang sinungaling mo!" She said.
Tinawanan ko lang siya at niyakap siya. My Dylan is really cute. She's not that boyish anymore. I think I managed to take off her suit of armor.
"I'm not lying, Dylan, I'm deadly serious." I told her with a serious look.
But she just shook her head. "Wag kang sinungaling!"
"Okay let me tell you a story then." Sabi ko na lang.
"About what?" She asked with a furrowed eyebrows.
"About a lad who fell in love with a little girl." I said smiling.
"Make sure you're not making fun of me." She warned.
I chuckled at her. "Then, once a upon time... there was a broken lad who fell in love with a little girl. Just like the fairytales, he fell in love at first sight."
FLASHBACK:
It was another hellish day for me. It's already my dad's death anniversary. But just like last year, I didn't attend it. Instead I escape from our house and went to the nearest beach.
With my hood on, naupo ako dun sa may dalampasigan habang tinitignan na lumubog ang malaking araw. Papalipasin ko muna ang oras bago ako uuwi. Kahapon nakalimutan kong death anniversary na pala ni dad. Hindi ako sumama sa pagdasal sa puntod nila ni mama.
Para kasing hindi dapat ako nandun kasi kasalanan ko. It's all my fault that my parents are been killed. I blame myself for all of it.
I heave a very heavy long sigh as I listened to the sound of the waves. For the first time since my mama and dad died... I felt peaceful.
Sa sobrang paglasap ko sa kapayapaan na yun hindi ko na malayan na may batang babae na pala sa tabi ko. Gaya ko nakatingin din siya sa papalubog na araw. She so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice my stare. She's very beautiful... when I look in her eyes they are so pretty, they look like a setting sun. Her eyes sparkled that made my heart beats faster than it used to be. I can hear it loudly and clearly beating.
Nang mahalatang nakatingin ako sa kanya napabaling agad siya sakin. "You don't mind if I join you here, right?"
"Not at all..." sagot ko sa kanya at nag-iwas na ng tingin.
"Bakit parang ang lungkot mo?" She asked softly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stick my nose pero kasi hindi ko naiwasang mahalata ang likod mo. You really look sad just by looking at your back."
Napatingin naman ako sa batang babae na to, pero sakto lang na kalahati lang ng mukha ko ang nakikita niya.
"You too. You look sad." I pointed out.
"Iniwan kasi kami ng daddy ko last year kasi may kinakasama na siyang iba. Pero hanggang ngayon naririnig ko pa rin ang iyak ni mama sa kwarto ko. Nasasaktan ako kapag naririnig ko yun kaya lumabas muna ako sandali." She explained.
"My mama and dad also left." Simpleng sabi ko.
"Saan sila pumunta?"
Mapakla akong natawa dahil sa tanong ng batang to. "Who knows? They didn't tell me."
"So namimiss mo sila at gusto mong sundan sila?" She asked again.
"Yeah... I want to follow them." I said lifelessly.
"Eh bakit hindi mo ginawa?"
Napailing ako sa kanya. "Everytime I tried to... my brothers won't let me."
I heared her hummed in response then a long silence surrounded us. Ang paghinga lang namin at nagwawalang puso ko lang ang naririnig ko. My heart is being weird today.
"But you know what?" Napabaling agad ako sa kanya ng bigla siyang magsalita at nakatingin din naman siya sakin. "Sadness doesn't last forever."
"Really?"
Tumango naman siya. "Sa ngayon ayos lang naman ang maging malungkot pero wag lang sumobra. Maraming paraan para sumaya ulit. Always think positive. Don't let darkness eats you."
Nakatanga lang ako sa kanya habang sinasabi niya yun. Nang hindi ako nagsalita nginitian niya ako at tumayo.
"Sige aalis na ako baka kasi hinahanap na ako ni mama. Basta live your life. Bye!" Sabi niya.
"Wait!" I grabbed her arm to stop her. "Unamaehua nan desuka?"
Agad namang kumunot ang noo niya. "What? I can't understand you."
"I mean... what's your name?" I asked again.
She smiled at me. "Dylan, Dylan Kertia. I have a boyish name but I'm a girl. Sige, bye na!"
"Wait---"
Hindi ko na siya napigilan dahil tumakbo na siya palayo. But I never told her my name...
I found so much beauty in the dark as I have found a lot of horrors in the light. But today... I think I just found something precious in the light.
Isang buwan din na wala akong tulog dahil sa batang babaeng yun. Everytime I will have my usual nightmares every night her face will suddenly appeared and stop my bad dreams. Pero hindi naman ako pinapatulog ulit. She keeps on haunting my sleep. Kapag hindi ako makatulog napapatingin na lang ako sa buwan lagi.
I never had a decent sleep. Sa tuwing nakikita ko ang mukha niya sa isip ko titibok ng napakabilis ang puso ko. I don't know why I felt thay way, I have no clue. That's why I started hating her. I hate her because she stole my heart. I hate her because she makes my heart beats faster. But the truth is... I hate myself because I loved a girl that will never love me back.
Who will ever love a person with a huge sin?
Pero kasi hindi ko man aminin noon... my heart is longing for her. Kaya napagdesisyonan kong ipahanap siya kay Kaito. At dalawang araw lang ang lumipas nahanap agad niya si Dylan.
And to my surprise. For pete's sakes, she's just turning first year highschool! I'm too old for her and she's too young for me. But I'm really longing for her. She's the only girl who puts a beat in my heart.
Kaya pinuntahan ko agad si Duke sa mansion nila.
"Haru, bakit ka napadalaw? Ayos na ba ang lagay mo?" Nag-aalalang tanong ni Duke.
Duke Finnegan Altamirano is one of my trusted friend. And he's the owner of the Altamirano University. It's one of the most expensive school in the country only wealthy people can afford it.
"I'm fine." I smiled at him.
Hanggang ngayon hindi pa din ako okay. My mama's death is still replaying inside my head. But I don't want to burden Duke about it so I told him I'm fine.
"Mabuti naman kung ganun." Parang nakahinga naman ng mabuti si Duke dun. "So, bakit ka napadalaw?"
"Can you do me a favor, Duke?" Tanong ko.
"Of course!" Agad namang sabi niya.
"Can you enroll me to your school? Grade eleven."
"Bakit? You should enroll to college, man." Sabi ni Duke na kunot ang noo.
"I don't have plans going to college. I already have too much knowledge about business so I think it's not necessary." I explained at him.
"Then why are you enrolling to grade eleven?" Tanong niya.
I averted my gaze. "I'm looking for someone and she will be a student in your school. I want to be near to her."
"She? Her? A girl?" Nakangiting tanong ni Duke na tinanguan ko.
"Will you help me? I will pay millions." Sabi ko.
Duke wave his hand on the air. "Nah! No need. Wag kang mag-alala ipapasok kita. I will tell the principal to treat you like a VIP."
"Thanks, man."
"Anytime, Haru. Pero next time ililibre mo na ako. Ngayon libre pa kasi pambawi ko. I'm sorry I'm not by your side when you needed a friend. Nasa Britain kasi kami nun." Sabi niya.
"It's fine."
And true to Duke's words, he enrolled me in grade eleven. But before the classes started, something unexpected happened.
Our dad's greedy brothers came to our house saying that they should have our father's mansion and all his properties... including my dad's money.
But Riou-niisan didn't agree with it. Because including to dad's will, the five of us will divide the wealth. Pero sobrang sakim talaga ng mga kapatid ni dad hindi sila kinaya nina Riou-niisan at Yusei-niisan. Kaya hindi na natuloy ang balak kong pumasok sa Altamirano University. I helped my brothers instead.
Pagkalipas ng isang taon. Tumigil na din ang mga kapatid ni dad sa pamemeste samin. Everything is under our control. No one dares messing around with the Saijou-Alexandrov brothers. So I thought that... maybe it's time seeing her.
Duke told me that he'll enroll me again. So that's what he did. The good thing is... I still look like an highschooler so they didn't notice that I'm now turning twenty.
Sa first day ko sa Altamirano University dinumog agad ako ng mga estudyante lalo na ang mga babae. But among those crowd of girls I never saw Dylan. Kahit saan ako tumingin hindi ko talaga siya makita kaya minabuti ko na lang munang hanapin ang classroom ko. And there I met Hendrix.
Ilang buwan ang lumipas. Nagpapakahirap pa din akong hanapin siya. Alam ko na ang section niya o saan siya pumupunta pagkatapos ng klase pero hindi ko talaga siya ma-chambahan. I'm always late.
But this time is different. Papasok na ako sa gate ng school ng may nakita akong babaeng naglalakad sa direksyon ko. Naglalakad lang siya at walang pakealam sa mga kalalakihang nakatingin sa kanya.
She has a beauty of a goddess. Her beauty can turn men's heads just to look at her. But she just walked as if she's just passing by with no one.
Hindi ako nakahinga ng dumaan na siya sa gilid ko. Her marshmallow scent invaded my nose. I will never forget that scent. Pero parang nahiya ako sa sarili ko dahil dinaanan lang ako ng babaeng gusto ko. Pakiramdam ko tuloy... I'm still not enough.
Because I am. I'm still not enough. Dapat may ipagmamayabang muna ako sa kanya. Dylan's presence shouts elegance it means she deserves better.
Sa loob ng kalahating buwan nagpanggap akong mabait sa mga taong naiinis sakin. I smiled a lot. I aimed for the top student. I studied even harder. I work harder in our company to gain more money. I took care for my looks so that I'll be handsome everyday. I studied tagalog once more so that I can speak it fluently. Ginawa ko ang lahat para bumagay ako kay Dylan.
But I didn't know that I was losing myself every force smile I make and every 'I'm fine' I said.
One year later... na realize ko na ang medyo useless naman pala ng mga ginawa ko. Because Dylan told me that I should not force myself to smile. That I shouldn't act like I'm okay even though I'm not. In other words... Dylan wants me to express the real me.
That's what make me love her even more.
END OF FLASHBACK:
"Don't you think you made me wait quite too long, Dylan?" I teasingly asked her as I rubbed her cheek with my thumb.
My body went stiff when a tear rolled down from her eyes. She's crying. I panicked immediately but she calmed me down with an embrace.
"That explaines why everytime I look in your eyes I can see the ocean. All this time... it was you. It was really you." Dylan said as she hugged me tightly.
I caressed her hair softly. "You remember me now?"
Tumango naman siya. "At first I already have a hunch that it was you. But today you just confirmed it. You confirmed that the guy I met that day, the guy who made my heart beat for the first time... was you."
Kumawala siya sa yakap at tinitigan ako. Mataman niya akong tinitigan habang sinusuklay ang buhok ko gamit ang mga daliri niya. Kaya hindi ko din mapigilang titigan siya. Geezz... Dylan is really a beauty. I bet Athena the goddess of wisdom and beauty is really jealous of her.
"You're so beautiful." I blurted out that made her smile.
"I am?" She asked with a smile.
"Yes." I nodded and kissed her nose. "So beautiful that everybody will try to steal you away from me."
She chuckled and planted a soft kiss on my lips that made my mouth hang open in shock. But she just laught it off and cupped my cheeks.
"Steal me? But I'm all yours."
She was grinning from ear to ear at my reaction. This kid always beats me up. Napangiti na lang ako at hinalikan din siya sa noo niya, sa pisngi sa ilong at mga labi na ikinatawa niya.
"Stop it! Puno na ng laway ang mukha ko!" Natatawang sabi niya.
"That's great then!" I said.
Her eyebrows furrowed. "Paano naging great yun?"
"If any man will try to kiss you they will smell the scent of my saliva and they will know that you already belong with someone. You belong to me as I belong to you." I explained to her.
"Ganun pala yun?" She snickered.
"Yes!" I cupped her face once more and look at her in the eyes. "So don't ever let any man kiss you. Got it... first love?"
She chuckled and hug my waist. "Crystal clear, first love."
We went home happily with a great memories. That day was a day well spent. I hope that it will always stay like this. Happy, stress free, and peaceful.
🌹💜🌹