Chapter 65: Girlfriend
"Sorry Zee, medyo natagalan ako. Hinanap ko pa yung bago kong ballpen. Nakalimutan ko kasi kung saan ko nailagay."
"Ayos lang... Let's go?" Sabi ko naman.
"Yes, let's go... Kuya, aalis na kami ha?" Pagpapaalam ni Julia kay Dark.
"Take care," Tipid namang sabi ni Dark at mariin akong tinignan. "Zaya, don't do anything ridiculous this time."
I wanted to roll my eyes at him but I stopped myself. "I won't,"
Umalis na kami kaagad mula sa dorm niya at dumiretso na sa first period class namin ngayong hapon.
Noon, di ako nakikining tuwing nagle-lecture ang mga guro dahil iniisip kong mamamatay lang din naman ako dito. But throughout the months that I have stayed here, I've learned something... Kailangan ko pa ding mag-aral.
At ngayon, mas naging matibay ang loob ko na hindi ako mamamatay dito sapagkat kaya kong iligtas ang sarili ko, knowing I have the rarest power. But even though I have the rarest power, it doesn't mean I'm safe. The rarest power wouldn't do the job... Because it's all up to me. My power wouldn't work without me controlling it.
We are at Mrs. Cheng's class. And it's been a while since I last talked to Chad. I haven't seen him these past few days... Pinili ko na lang na magtanong sa katabi ko na sa tingin ko'y malapit kay Chad. Nakita ko kasi silang magkasama noon. As far as I can remember, her name is Jana.
"Umm, Jana? Mahina kong sabi.
She turned to me. "Yes?"
"Malapit kayo ni Chad sa isa't-isa diba?"
"Hindi naman kami gaanong malapit. Magkatabi lang yung dorm namin."
Oh. "A-Ah ganon, ba? Eh nasaan siya ngayon? Ilang araw ko na siyang hindi nakikita."
"Nagmukmuk na naman siguro 'yon. Alam mo na, yung tungkol pa rin kay Mrs. Cheng na tita pala niya."
"Ms. Dawnt and Ms. Fernando, what are you talking about?! Concentrate in the discussion or leave!"
"S-Sorry Prof," Sabi naman ni Jana at umupo ng tuwid at hindi na ako pinansin.
"Sorry 'bout that," Bulong ko kay Jana at umupo na rin ng tuwid at nakinig na.
Believe it or not, hindi ko pa kabisado ang mga pangalan ng mga kaklase ko. May mga natatandaan rin naman ako pero yun yung mga kaklase ko sa maraming subjects. As I have said before, sa kada subject, iba't-iba yung classroom na pinapasukan namin. At iba-iba rin ang mga kaklase. Pero merong mga estudyante na kaklase ko sa apat na subjects o higit pa kaya nakakabisado ko ang pangalan nung mga kaklase kong 'yon.
After an hour, we were dismissed. Dumiretso na kami sa second period class namin which is kay Prof Almira. Siya yung pumalit kay Prof Lona.
Again, the professor lectured. We took down notes... Nga pala, Sabado na bukas, salamat naman. I felt like this week was so long.
After the class, we proceeded to the fourth period class which is kay Mrs. Magallanes. Research. She gave us some paperwork as usual.
*****
Pasalampak akong humiga sa kama ko ng nakarating sa dorm. I feel so tired pero kaya ko pa naman. After a few minutes of resting on my bed, I decided to take a bath.
Nang matapos ay tinuyo ko ang sarili at nagsuot ng damit pantulog. Mauupo na sana ako sa kama ko ng may nahagip na papel sa bedside table. Sandaling kumunot ang nuo ko dahil doon. Agad ko itong kinuha at binasa.
Zaya,
Go to my dorm tomorrow at noon. Don't be late, okay? I'll be waiting for you.
From the one that loves you, Dark.
My heart is beating so fast. Parang sasabog ito. I feel like melting. Hindi ko mapigilang mapangiti. Parang umaabot sa langit ang ngiti ko ngayon.
Pero ano naman kaya ang rason ni Dark kung bakit niya ako papupuntahin sa dorm niya? Ngayon niya lang ginawang imbitahan ako ng may sulat... What is he planning?
Matagal pa bago ako nakatulog dahil bumabagabag sa isip ko yung sulat ni Dark. And I'm not surprised anymore that he was able to enter our dorm. He had a darn key.
*****
I woke up at seven-thirty and right now, I'm combing my hair. I just finished taking a bath and it's past eight already. I don't know pero kahit walang pasok ngayon, maaga akong nagising. Probably because of my body clock at the moment.
I want to go to the library to get some cook books. Para kasing nawalan na ako ng mga ideya kung ano-ano na naman ang mga lulutuin dito sa dorm namin. From Monday to Saturday, bukas ang library and it opens from eight until five. It's probably open by now.
And we're low on foods. Kailangan na namang mag-grocery. Si Julia ang magro-grocery tapos ako yung pupunta sa library. And after I pick a cook book, I will go straight to the grocery store so I can help her out. At sabay kaming aalis ngayon.
"Wala ka ng may naiwan, Zee?" Tanong ni Julia ng nakalabas na kami mula sa dorm at ilo-lock niya na ang pinto.
"Wala na,"
We then parted ways and I went directly to the library while my best friend went to the grocery store.
Nang makarating na ako sa library ay dahan-dahan akong naglakad papasok. May kaba akong nararamdaman. And I know where this came from... The memory of me, stealing the book, came rushing in. Matagal na akong hindi nakapunta dito pero hanggang ngayon, naiisip ko pa rin ang aking nagawa. But I shouldn't be sorry about what I did. Tama lang 'yon. Because if I haven't stole the book, I won't be able to figure out that I have the power.
"Good morning, po..." Sabi ko ng makita si Mrs. Minnea. I made my voice firm as possible.
She just gave me a small smile while she was arranging some books. Right then and there, I can sense something was wrong. Based on how she acts right now, I can sense she's not in a good mood. Ayoko ng kausapin pa siya at tanungin kung bakit ganon siya umasta. She might yell at me for questioning her.
Agad akong humanap ng cook books at hindi ako nahirapan sa paghahanap. There was a lot of cook books. There are so many I can choose from. Hindi ko maabot yung ibang cook books dahil nasa pinakamataas na parte kaya yung mga naaabot ko lang yung kinuha ko.
I found two thick cookbooks. The others were thin so I chose the thick ones so there will be more food recipes.
"Mrs. Minnea, I'll borrow these..." Sabi ko sa librarian.
Wala naman siyang imik at may isinulat lang. What's wrong with her? Bakit ba siya nagkakaganito? But I shouldn't ask her. She might burst her anger at me or anything.
When she turned her back on me, I think it's the cue that I should go. Tapos na siya sa pagsusulat at tinalikuran na niya ako. As I have said, I couldn't talk to her or even ask her if I could already go. She really is not in the mood.
Lumabas na ako at hindi na ako nag-aksaya ng oras doon sa library. I went straight to the grocery store.
Natagalan pa ako sa paghahanap kay Julia dahil ang laki nitong grocery store. I couldn't even contact because we don't use phones here. It took me minutes before I spotted her. She was in the dairy section.
"Ang tagal pa kitang hinanap," Ani ko.
"Eto talaga yung pinaka-naiinisan ko. We really need phones here."
"As if papayag yung demonyitang Selina na 'yon,"
I looked at the cart and there was some fishes, chickens, pork, and veggies. Wala pang mga sweets don kaya pumunta kami sa area kung saan makakakuha non.
We added biscuits to our cart. We then headed to the area where we can get junk food. We added bags of Cheetos and potato chips.
After getting all that we needed, we went to the cashier to pay. As I have said before, hati kami ni Julia sa mga bayarin... And after we paid, we went outside the grocery store and we're on our way to our dorm.
Habang naglalakad kami, namataan ko si Selton. Mukha siyang problemado. He also glanced at me. He was about to approach me but I grabbed Julia's arm and walked faster. I don't want to talk to him right now. A little fear crept up inside me.
"Zaya, are you okay?" Nag-aalalang tanong ni Julia sa akin.
"N-Nothing... Let's just go to our dorm faster. Gutom na ako, eh." I said and I didn't look at her. My gaze was on the street.
And thank goodness she bought my excuse. She didn't ask more questions. I don't want her to see Selton because she might go straight to him and beat him. I don't know Selton's temper but he might hurt Julia too. So it's better this way.
When we finally arrived to our dorm, I helped Julia to place what we bought in the proper places. Nagbasa rin ako sa cook book at tumingin sa mga pwedeng lutuin ngayon.
I then remembered Dark's letter. Nga pala, doon daw ako sa dorm niya kakain ng lunch. How about Julia?
"Juls, doon daw tayo kakain ng lunch sa dorm ng kuya mo?"
Her attention immediately went to me. "What? No. Ikaw lang ang kakain don. He told me about it."
Wait, what? So it means na kami lang na dalawa ang kakain doon sa dorm niya? Bigla namang kumalabog ng malakas ang puso ko. What is he really planning?
"Eh paano ka? Magluluto ka lang ba dito?" I asked her.
"No. Mrs. Kang invited me for lunch today." I saw the joy in her eyes.
I smiled at her. "Meet the mother?"
Natawa naman siya sa sinabi ko. Pero mukhang may naalala siya at nawala yung masaya niyang tawa.
"What's the matter, Julia?"
She held my hands. "Do you remember the time when you were still a newbie here? Do you remember that I told you that me and my brother were lost and that's the reason why we're here in this university now?"
"Yes, why?" I turned serious.
"I lied... Hindi kami n-naligaw."
Nanlaki ang mga mata ko. "Wait, what? Kung hindi kayo naligaw dito, eh sinadya niyo?"
Yumuko siya at binitiwan ang aking mga kamay. "Every night, my brother sneaks out. I was curious of what he's doing... One time, I stayed up late. By twelve-thirty in the midnight, Kuya Dark did it again. Kaya sinundan ko siya."
I was shocked by her confession.
"And then he saw me and got mad at me for following him. I insisted on coming with him and he had no choice... And then the rest was history."
I'm not angry because she lied to me. I'm just shocked. "So Dark had a purpose?"
"Yes, he has. May mga nakalap siyang mga impormasyon tungkol sa unibersidad na ito. Napagtagpi-tagpi ko ang lahat... He planned all of this for a long time. Mula sa pagpasok niya, hanggang sa ngayon na nandito na siya."
I was still in shock. So Dark planned this all? To set everyone free?
Mas humanga ako sa kanya. He is indeed brave. Pumasok siya rito, ipinahamak ang sarili niya, para mailigtas ang lahat ng mga estudyante na nakulong dito sa unibersidad.
I should talk to him about this later.
"Thank you for telling me..." Ani ko.
"You aren't mad at me?"
"No, I'm not." I said with a smile.
And I won't bother asking her why she lied to me. She just probably lied because she didn't know me that well yet when I asked about it. Bago pa lang ako sa DU nung panahong yun.
Napagdesisyunan na naming magluto at pumili kami ng recipe sa isa sa dalawang cook book. Pinili naming lutuin ang putaheng ang mga sangkap ay yung meron kami. Earlier, we bought groceries and thankfully, may mga sangkap kami para makaluto ng Chicken Burrito. We want to take a light breakfast today. It's a fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but we'll eat more food for lunch.
Nagtulungan kami sa pagluluto since ngayon lang kami nagluto nito and thank goodness, it turned out well. We took a bite of the burrito and it tastes really good. I'm proud.
*****
Time check, it's already eleven in the morning. Kapag hinihintay mo yung oras, ang bagal nito. Pero kapag hindi mo naman namalayan, ang bilis.
I changed to a peach flared dress that I haven't worn before. Hindi kasi ako makahanap ng panahon na suotin ito. But now, I just felt like wearing it for the first time today. Hindi ko alam pero parang gusto kong mag-ayos. I don't know why I'm feeling this way. Maybe for Dark to be pleased? I can't help but to chuckle.
I put some tint on my lips, cheeks, and also my eyelids. I'm not fond of lipsticks and I like tints more. At hindi rin ako naglalagay ng makapal na make up on a daily basis. Before, when me and my family will go to a special event, I am always given a makeover and I'm forced by my mother to put on heavy makeup. And the last time I had put on heavy makeup was almost a year ago, at the Masquerade Ball.
When I was already satisfied with my look, I combed my long hair and I just let it flow freely. I don't want to tie it up. I then wore my doll shoes and I also wore a shawl to cover my neck while I'm walking to Dark's dorm.
After settling everything, I went downstairs.
When Julia saw me, she was in awe. Hindi ko alam kung yun ba talaga yung ipinapakita niya pero kasi parang ganon.
"Wow,"
Natawa naman ako sa kanya. "Nothing special,"
"Anong nothing special? Ang ganda-ganda mo kaya! I can see you really prepared for this..." Sa huli niyang sinabi, binigyan niya ako ng ngising parang may binalak.
"Is it not good to prepare?"
"Good? It's great, Zee. Mabuti nga at nag-prepare ka, eh."
Parang may alam siyang hindi ko alam... But I won't ask her about it.
We didn't talk more and I had my exit. Julia is acting so strange like she's hiding something. Kulang na lang ay kaladkarin niya ako palabas ng dorm namin. She wants me to go immediately.
It took me just a few minutes to arrive at Dark's dorm. I can feel the fluttering in my stomach and my heart is beating so fast and loud but I'm doing my best to stand firmly and not wobble.
I knocked and moments after, Dark opened the door with a huge smile plastered on his face. His hair is wet and I assume that he just finished taking a bath. And I can smell fresh mint from him. Bigla namang namula ang pisngi ko dahil sa kahihiyan. Hindi ko nga alam at bakit nahihiya ako sa kanya. Damn it!
"Come in," He said and he widely opened the door for me. Agad naman akong pumasok at isinara niya na ang pinto at ini-lock.
"So why did you tell me to come here? What's your main reason?" Nakangiti kong tanong.
He keeps on staring at me. He assessed me from head to toe then looked directly at my face. Na-insecure tuloy ako sa itsura ko.
"Stop staring at me like that!" Asik ko. Ngumuso naman siya, nagpipigil ng tawa. "I know I look ugly—"
"You look gorgeous," He seriously said, cutting me off.
My smile vanished. I didn't expect that he'll say that. I feel like melting because of the way he stares at me, and also because of what he said. He really has this effect on me, I couldn't just deny it.
Namula na naman ang pisngi ko dahil sa sinabi niya. I covered my face with my palms. Naramdaman ko naman na lumapit siya at pilit niyang kinuha ang mga kamay ko mula sa aking mukha.
He has that amazing smile on his face... The smile I live for and the smile I'd die for.
Iginiya niya ako sa dining area ng dorm niya at nagpatianod naman ako sa kanya.
I was then shocked at what I saw. The corner of my eyes heated up. I'm trying my best to stop the tears from falling from my eyes. There, I saw candles all over the kitchen and the dining table was covered with white and red silk. There's two glasses of wine on the table and there's also food. There's shrimp and stake. The table was neatly and nicely decorated na tila ba pinaghandaan.
"I-Is this for me?" Nauutal kong tanong, hindi na mapigilan ang mga halo-halong emosyon.
"Damn, yes..."
"B-But w-why?"
He gave me a gentle smile. "I want to ask you today,"
Grabe ang kalabog ng puso ko. I can't count my heartbeats. "A-Ask what?"
He held my hands and looked at me intently. "Zaya, I love you, and you know that already... You give color to my colorlessworld. You are my source of happiness. You give me joy. I don't know but I just want to protect you from everything. Everyone who wants to hurt you will go through me first... Miss Zaya Demerine Dawnt, be my girlfriend."
My tears dropped from my eyes. Para akong baliw na tumatawa habang umiiyak.
I can feel Dark's hands are trembling. I am shocked by it. He's trembling because of what might be my decision.
I caressed his hands and held them tight. "Yes, Dark, I will be."
His eyes glowed. "Really? Fuck, really?"
Natatawa ako habang bumubuhos ang mga luha ko. "Yes, I'm sure!"
He hugged me so tight that I couldn't breathe. I didn't complain and just hugged him back.
After a few moments, he let go of me and wiped my tears away. The warmness of his thumb is so perfect. After wiping the tears away, he caressed my cheeks and went closer to me. And I know what he wants to do.
I didn't budge and just looked at his lips. The distance of our lips is just an inch away. Dark looked at my eyes, asking permission. And I just nodded slowly.
After my nod, he went closer, finally reaching my lips.
His lips feel so warm, so nice. He moved his lips and so did I. We moved together... I put my hand on his nape, pulling him more to me so that the kiss we are sharing will be deepened.
At the moment, all that matters is our love for each other and nothing else.
Nabigla ako ng bumaba na sa leeg ko ang mga halik niya. I haven't been kissed on my neck before. Pero hindi ko siya pinigilan sa ginagawa niya.
Will we... do it? We're both in legal age but am I ready?
Bigla siyang tumigil at hinarap ako. Habol-habol naming dalawa ang hininga namin. There was the burning passion in his eyes. "Zaya, I know this is too far. I'm sorry—"
"No!" Nagulat naman ako sa sinabi ko.
"What?"
"I... I'll do it with you," I tried to make my voice firm.
"Don't force yourself on doing this,"
"I'm not, Dark. I'm willing. All that matters now is that I love you," I said while looking at him intently. Then the burning passion in his eyes burned even more.
"Damn it, I love you too." Sabi niya siniil ulit ako ng halik sa labi.
My decision is already made up. I love Dark so much. I will give him my all.
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