Paris
"I don't need your help," sabi ko, inaalis ang pag alalay niya sa'kin nang makababa kami ng kotse.
Matapos nang pagd-drama ko kanina ay napagtanto ko kung gaanong nakakahiya 'yon. And when he realized I couldn't tell him anything more, he finally decided to take me to... wherever. I had no idea. Heto kami ngayon at kararating lang sa kung saan. Surprisingly though, I seemed to not care at all.
I winced and held my temple again as I felt my head pounding. All I wanted to do was to crash on a bed and go to sleep.
"Yes, you do," rinig kong sagot ni Ezzio. Hindi ko siya pinansin at nagpatuloy sa paglalakad nang pagewang-gewang.
Where the heck are we?
I figured we were on a parking lot, judging by the cars parked here. Pero ang tanong, saan ba kami patungo?
"Shit!" sigaw ko nang matalisod sa pavement.
Screw these stilletos!
I heard Ezzio sigh behind me before feeling his hold on my arm.
"I told you," he said. Tuluyan akong umupo sa semento at tiningnan siya. I watched him take my heels off and I couldn't help but secretly admire him in this view. His medium-length hair still hadn't changed. But I could say it suited him better than the last time.
I giggled.
"Ang pogi mo, Martinez."
Napatingin siya sa'kin. Akala ko mananatili na lang siyang seryoso at tahimik. I was caught off guard when the side of his lips rose in amusement.
"Lasing ka nga talaga," sabi niya. "The 'sober' Paris would never say that to me."
I could only purse my lips. Hindi niya na 'yon inalintana. Sa halip ay tinalikuran niya ako at nag-squat. My brows creased in confusion.
"Anong ginagawa mo?"
"I'm giving you a piggyback. Mas matatagalan tayo kung aalalayan pa kitang maglakad."
A what?
I almost laughed at the idea. But I also thought he was right. Masyado na akong pagod at inaantok. Nakakahiya mang gawin 'yon, pero wala na akong pake. Maybe I'd eventually forget about this tomorrow. And so, I wrapped my arms around his neck and he held both my legs before propping up. Hawak-hawak niya ang dalawang heels ko sa isang kamay nang magsimula siyang maglakad. I sleepily rested my head on his shoulder. Nakita kong pumasok kami sa isang lobby pero hindi ko na 'yon ipinagtaka pa. We also got inside an elevator. He managed to push one of the buttons while I was busy inhaling his manly scent, specifically on his neck. Something about it made me feel a bit of a rush inside me. At the same time, it gave me comfort.
I closed my eyes for a while. When I opened them again, I found Ezzio entering his passcode and opening the door. Bumungad sa amin ang living room.
Is this his...?
Before I could come up with my conclusion, he opened another door and it led us to a room. The walls were colored white. Minimal furnitures. Mostly black or grey. At the center was a king sized bed. Marahan niya akong inihiga doon. Agad kong naramdaman ang kalambutan ng kama. He threw the comforter over half my body. I wanted to go straight to sleep but my see-through top wasn't very comfortable to sleep in, so I started taking it off. Kakatayo lang ni Ezzio nang makita niya ang ginagawa ko.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Bahagya akong napatawa sa tono ng pananalita niya. Hindi ko siya pinansin at tuluyan na lang na hinubad ang suot kaya naman ang itim na bralette na lang ang natira. I threw the piece of clothing on the left side of the bed before taking a look at him. Umiwas siya agad ng tingin bago ako tinalikuran.
"I'll get you something to wear," simple niyang sabi bago pumasok sa walk-in closet. I was on the verge of sleeping when he came back. Umupo siya sa gilid ng kama, nakaharap sa akin. May hawak siyang shirt sa isang kamay.
"Get up, Paris," I heard him say but I didn't listen. Gusto ko na lang matulog.
When I didn't budge, I felt him hold both my arms and pulled me up. I groaned, my eyes closed. But I eventually opened them when he started putting the shirt on me. We sat there quietly. Tahimik ko siyang tiningnan gamit ang inaantok na mga mata. He was so close, it rendered me speechless.
Within that short moment, I was able to examine his features. He was pretty much the same. Just... more rugged. His angled jaw looked sharper than ever. And being this close to him made the stubble on his face more visible.
"Done. You can sleep now."
My eyes landed on his lips when he said the words. Napakalambot tingnan nang mga 'yon. I wet my bottom lip with my tongue as a thought came across my mind.
What if I...
I swallowed the lump on my throat. I couldn't shake the thought off.
Paris, this is crazy.
Ezzio seemed to have noticed I was staring for too long because he called out my name.
"Paris-"
Unfortunately, he wasn't able to finish whatever he was about to say because that's when I crashed my lips against his.
I felt him pause while I tried to move, figuring out how to do it right. In the last six years, I'd only kissed two guys. Isa galing sa club kung saan dinala ako ni Marky, ang isa naman ay 'yung lalaking isenet up sa'kin ni Venny. I didn't do quite well on both. And so did on this one.
It was a slow, sloppy kiss. It took a whole minute before logic started to dawn on me and shame started to creep in.
Pinapahiya mo lang ang sarili mo, Villaverde!
I was ready to end it when Ezzio suddenly let out a subtle groan before pushing me on the bed. I gasped. He took that chance to suck on my lip and later entering his tongue to explore my mouth. I was shocked and taken aback. But when I felt his hand on my waist, my arms involuntarily wrapped around his neck as if they had a life of their own.
His other hand was pressed on the wall above me in order to control his weight. My mind was in a haze. His kisses did that. They were hot and hungry. Like it dominated my whole being. And I could only tug on his hair and arch my back when he bit and sucked my lower lip. He sensually licked it as his hands slowly went up from my waist to the side of my breast. His touch was making my imaginations run wild. But when I finally decided to kiss back, that's when he stopped.
He pulled away and sat back on the bed almost immediately; As if what I did woke him up from a dream. As if being that close to me suddenly burned him.
He was heaving fast as he looked at me with his lips slightly parted. Meanwhile, I furrowed my brows, my drunken thoughts unfailingly clouding my mind.
Why did he stop?
Didn't he like it?
Did I do something wrong?
"Fuck," he whispered under his breath, leaning and resting his elbows on his knees. He frustratingly ran his hands through his hair. I could hear him say something over and over again but they sounded incoherent to me. As much as I wanted to ask him about it, drowsiness already took over. My tired lids started to close.
And that was the last thing I remember.
Idinilat ko ang mga mata at napangiwi sa bahagyang pagsakit ng ulo ko. Tahimik ang buong paligid. Naningkit pa ang mga mata ko nang tumama ang sinag ng araw sa akin. I lifted my hands to shield my eyes from the light passing through the balcony's glass door.
'I don't remember having a balcony in my room,' I thought. Nang masusing tiningnan ang buong kwarto ay roon lang ako napabangon ng mabilis, sa wakas ay napagtanto ang isang bagay:
This isn't my room!
Memories from last night came rushing back instantly; Sam picking me up. Getting drunk at the club. Me crying at the parking lot. And in this room... with Ezzio.
Ezzio!
"Oh, my God," I said to myself, jumping out of bed. Itinakip ko ang dalawang kamay sa bibig, hindi makapaniwala sa mga ginawa at sinabi ko kagabi. I should have forgotten all of it by now!
Halos mapasabunot ako sa sarili. Sino bang niloloko ko? I wasn't that drunk to actually forget everything!
Para akong tangang naglalakad nang pabalik-balik habang nanginginig nang kaunti ang mga kamay. Paano kung makita ko siya sa labas? Jusko. Wala ata akong mukhang maipapakita sa kanya ngayon!
I stopped on my tracks when I heard the door open. Agad akong napalingon doon at bahagyang napaatras nang makitang si Ezzio ang pumasok. My heart started to beat fast and my cheeks flushed red. He stopped halfway, too. But it didn't take long when he decided to fully step inside. The door remained open.
Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang magsimula siyang maglakad palapit. I stepped backwards whenever he stepped closer. Napasinghap pa ako nang maramdaman ang side table na dumapat sa likuran ko. I swallowed hard, realizing I could no longer step back.
A small, twisted smile formed on his lips. Tila naaaliw pa siya sa inaakto ko ngayon!
He continued to close the distance between us. I held unto the table behind me because I was already feeling my body grow weak.
What is he doing?
Pigil-hininga akong nakatayo lang doon nang tumigil siya, halos wala nang espasyong natira sa pagitan namin. Nanatili akong nakayuko, hindi gustong salubungin ang mga mata niya. I could tell he was fresh from the shower based on the aftershave seeping through my nose.
Narinig ko siyang tumawa nang mahina. He was really enjoying himself.
"Relax, Paris," He said in a low voice. "I'm only getting my watch."
As if giving me proof, he waved the wristwatch in front of my face, all the while stopping himself from grinning. Ni hindi ko man lang napansin na kinuha niya 'yon mula sa likod ko!
Hindi ako makasagot sa sobrang hiya. Mukhang napansin niya 'yon kaya hindi na rin siya naghintay. He stepped away, now busy wearing the watch on his wrist.
"Breakfast is ready. I'll wait for you outside."
Matapos no'n ay lumabas na siya sa pintuan at isinarado ang pinto. Naiwan ako doong gulat pa rin sa mga ginawa niya. I put my hand on the left side of my chest, feeling my heart beat rapidly.
When I finally calmed myself down, I decided to at least freshen up first. Pumasok ako sa bathroom para magmumog at maghilamos. Tiningnan ko pa ang sarili ko sa salamin, suot-suot ang malaking T-shirt ni Ezzio. I looked stupid, smelling the thing on me. And I hated myself for liking the fact that it smelled like him.
Nang makapag-ipon ng lakas loob para lumabas ng kwarto ay hindi na ako nagpaligoy-ligoy pa. I walked to the dining room, convincing myself not to cower.
So what if it's just me and Ezzio in here?Hindi naman big deal 'yung nangyari kagabi. Magagawa ko rin 'yung kalimutan!
Or, at least, I could act like I'd forgotten all about it.
I gripped the hem of the shirt tightly when I finally saw Ezzio sitting on one the two chairs around the circular table. He wore a simple grey shirt paired with bermuda shorts. Dalawa lang talaga ang upuan sa dining. Halatang hindi siya masyadong nagpapapunta rito ng bisita.
Medyo napakunot pa ang noo ko nang makita ang laptop sa ibabaw ng mesa. Seryoso siyang nakatingin doon habang humihigop mula sa tasa ng kape. Trabaho pa rin ang inaatupag niya kahit breakfast?
Nawala tuloy ang kaba ko. Tahimik akong umupo sa upuang kaharap niya. Ni hindi niya ako liningon.
May pinggan na'ng nakalatag doon para sa akin. I looked at the rest of the food on the table. It was the basics; fried rice, eggs, bacon. May orange juice din. Nagtaka ako kung bakit wala siyang sariling pinggan at tanging kape lang ang iniinom niya. Pero hindi na rin ako nagtanong pa.
Nagsimula akong kumain, hindi nagtatangkang kausapin siya. Mas gusto ko nga ito dahil busy siya, e. Ibig sabihin, hindi kami gaanong makakapag-usap. Lalo na tungkol sa nangyari kagabi.
Of course, I was wrong.
"Remember what you did last night?"
I refrained from eating the moment I heard his question. Kulang na lang ay mapapikit ako sa inis. Alam kong inaasar niya lang ako!
Clear images of what we briefly did on his bed last night crowded my mind and I felt the sudden urge to strangle him to death. I had always hated it when he tease me.
Ramdam ko ang init sa magkabilang pisngi ko. Sigurado akong bakas na ang pamumula ng mga ito. I cleared my throat and drank from the glass of orange juice, in an attempt to show him I wasn't affected. But who was I kidding?
Just one look at him and it gave me away. Tila nabasa niya na sa ekspresyon ko na naaalala ko nga ang mga nangyari. Tuluyan nang nawala ang atensyon niya sa tinatrabaho.
I wanted to wipe off the smirk on his face so bad.
"That's right," tumatango-tango niyang sabi, halatang nanunuya. "You kissed me."
He emphasized the last three words. Gusto kong tumanggi dahil humalik din naman siya sa'kin! Pero kasi, alam naman naming dalawa na ako talaga ang nagsimula ng lahat. Kaya naman hindi ko magawang sumagot.
Guilty as charged, Paris Villaverde.
He drew his breath and slightly tilted his head to the side. Kumunot pa ang noo niya, nagpapanggap na naguguluhan.
"So kissing isn't a big deal for you anymore, huh?" His question made my cheeks heat up more. He bit his lip, stopping a grin from escaping. "Magnanakaw."
Nanlaki ang mga mata ko sa huli niyang sinabi. The accusation was familiar. Way too familiar.
"Will you shut-"
I was cut off by the sudden ring of his phone. Napukaw noon ang atensyon niya. Kinuha niya 'yon, ang dating nang-aasar na ekspresyon ay napalitan ng seryoso.
"Hello? Yes, yes. My secretary has informed me about it."
He then started to talk about things I didn't have any idea about. He looked so busy when he stood up. But before taking a single step, he met my gaze.
"Finish your breakfast," he mouthed. At naiwan ako roon, inis pa rin sa pang-aasar niya. I guess some things never changed.
A part of him was still the same Ezzio from six years ago.