Paris
"He said that?!"
I winced at how loud Venny's voice was. She even slammed both her hands on the dining table. We were at her place. Niyaya niya kasi akong magdinner. Good thing she wasn't busy. Patapos na raw siya sa pag-aayos sa bahay ni Z at sa susunod pa magsisimula ang iba niyang projects. Meanwhile, I wasn't that busy, too. Kinuha ko na rin 'to bilang oportunidad para sabihin kay Venny ang mga sinabi ni Ezzio sa'kin. At heto na nga't halatang hindi siya makapaniwala.
"So..." she leaned forward with her eyes fixed on me. "He's courting you now?"
Hearing the words from her still urged a part of me to be surprised; the same thing I felt that night. Tumango ako, hindi alam kung ano ang idadagdag. Venny opened her mouth but took a few seconds to finally speak.
"Magre-retire na raw si Rapunzel. Nahiya na siya sa'yo."
Halos maihagis ko sa kanya ang baso ng tubig dahil doon. Akala ko kung anong sasabihin! Kalokohan lang pala! Meanwhile, she burst into laughter as I gave her an annoyed look. Pero kahit medyo asar ay hindi naman ako nagsisi na sinabi ko sa kanya. She's one of the people I trust wholeheartedly. Siya pa nga ang kauna-unahang tao na sinabihan ko tungkol dito.
Ibinalik ko ang atensyon sa pagkain. S'yempre, ako ang nagluto nito. Let's just say Venny's not that into cooking.
"How's that working out for the two of you?" Napakunot ang noo ko sa tanong niya. "I mean, what changed?"
I pursed my lips upon getting what she was trying to say. What changed?
Umiling ako.
"Wala naman masyado. Well, it's only been a couple of days."
That was an understatement. A lot had changed. From the way he talked to me to the way he acted around me. Eversince he started courting me, he'd been... more. More comfortable. More open. And it made me feel like I was with the same Ezzio from college again. He'd been sending me some simple Good Morning texts. No matter how busy he was, he still managed to bring me flowers. Marky freaked out the first time around. And, no matter how tired he was from work, he still carried on with calling me to say goodnight.
Napakagat ako sa pang-ibabang labi nang maalala ang nangyari kagabi. I stopped myself from smiling. Ezzio also happened to come by late last night with some food. Nagulat pa ako dahil hindi man lang siya nagsabi. But it turned out great. We spent some time watching a movie on the couch. And I just felt really peaceful sitting beside him.
"Liar," Venny accused so I instantly looked back at her. Nakasimangot siya at naniningkit pa ang mga mata. "You're blushing."
Crap.
"H-Hindi naman!" I stuttered. Pero alam kong hindi niya ako pinaniniwalaan. Sino ba naman kasing niloloko ko? E, kahit ako nga mismo ay ramdam ang pamumula ng magkabilang pisngi!
Venny just rolled her eyes as if telling me, 'Yeah, right' before going back to her food. She put a slice of potato in her mouth with her fork.
"Bakit hindi mo na lang siya sagutin agad?" kunot-noo niyang tanong matapos lunukin ang kinakain. I stopped eating. "You've been waiting for this for a long time. Ano pa bang hinihintay mo?"
Napatulala ako sandali. That didn't occur to me until I heard her say it. Oo nga naman. Heto't si Ezzio na ang mismong nanliligaw sa'kin at tanging ang sagot ko na lang ang hinihintay niya kaya ba't ko pa 'yon pinapatagal? This was everything I wanted and saying yes would finally make me be with Ezzio. Officially.
Kaya lang...
"I'm waiting for the perfect moment."
It's only been days. He'd been so busy with work. We'd barely even had a proper date. Pakiramdam ko napaka-wrong timing kung sakaling um-oo na ako ngayon.
Venny gave me a very confused and an 'Are-you-kidding-me?' kind of look. Clearly, she found it ridiculous. But she eventually shrugged in defeat.
"Fine, whatever. Masyado akong stressed out para i-judge ka pa," pagod niyang sabi. That urged me to furrow my brows.
"Stressed out saan?"
Sandaling nanlaki ang mga mata niya.
"Wala," she said fast, avoiding my gaze. Naningkit ang mga mata ko. I looked at her in suspicion. Pero hindi na rin ako nagsalita pa.
We spent the next few minutes just talking about random stuff. We finished our dinner that way. Matapos ay uminom kami ng kaunting wine habang nanonood ng isang chic-flick movie. After that, I went home. I expected myself to sleep right away. But Venny's question lingered through my mind. Bahagya tuloy akong nalito.
Should I really say yes already?
Luckily, I managed to fall asleep. By the time Ezzio called, I was already off to dreamland. Kaya hindi ko na nasagot ang tawag niya. Basta ay nakita ko na lang ang isang missed call at dalawang text kinaumagahan. The first text said a simple 'goodnight' while the other was 'Good morning'. Ganoon lang. No additional characters. Not a single emoji. Just two simple greetings. But it made me smile, anyway.
I made my way to work right after prepping up. It was a busy day for me. Marami akong ginawang orders at marami-rami rin ang customers. That's why when the shop cleared up around 5pm, I told Marky we'd close up early. Na-excite ang bakla. Apparently, monthsary pala nila ng jowa niya. Masaya siya dahil mas mapapaaga siya ng uwi at mas makakapaghanda.
"Sana all na lang," sagot ko sa kanya. He rolled his eyes in an exaggerated way.
"Anong sana all? Kung um-oo ka na lang kasi sa manliligaw mo, 'no!"
Natahimik ako. Again with that thing. Naisip ko nanaman tuloy.
I didn't give Marky a reply. Instead, I busied myself with finishing the inventory. 'Di nagtagal ay nagpaalam na siya sa'kin. Nang matapos naman ako at nagsiuwian na ang staffs, doon pa lang ako umalis. Pero imbes na umuwi ay dumiretso ako sa mall. 6pm pa lang naman. And besides, I just wanted take my mind off of saying yes to Ezzio for a while. I knew very well that if I went home, I would have ended up thinking about it 'til I fall asleep.
I needed a distraction. Shopping seemed to be the perfect thing to do.
I went inside a boutique to buy some clothes. Inabala ko ang sarili ko sa pamimili. I jumped from one booth to another. I even got myself a couple of nighties even though I already had lots of them. May iba pa nga na hindi ko pa nagagamit. Pero ayos lang. Matagal-tagal na rin kasi akong hindi nakakapag-shopping. I guess I became too busy 'pursuing' Ezzio for almost a whole month. Although, pahintu-hinto 'yon dahil nga pinapatigil niya ako.
I got tired of walking, eventually. Ramdam ko na ang pananakit ng mga paa ko. And so, I decided to sit on a random bench here in the mall. Napabuntong hininga pa ako nang makaupo. This felt great.
Kakatapos ko lang ilapag ang shopping bags nang marinig ko ang notification sound ng phone ko. I got it out of my bag and saw Ezzio's name on the screen. Tinext niya kasi ako kanina. He asked me where I was. I gave him a reply. Ngayon lang siya sumagot.
> Have dinner with me? Text me when you're done. I'll pick you up.
I stifled a smile before replying 'okay'. Itetext ko rin siya mayamaya. Magpapahinga muna ako rito sandali. My feet were killing me.
"Paris?"
Awtomatiko akong napatigil nang marinig 'yon. I lifted my head up and turned to the direction of the person. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko sa nakita.
Oh, my God. Si...
"I'm sorry, do you still remember me?" He asked while chuckling and taking a step forward. I opened my mouth to speak but not a word came out. Napagtanto kong ganitong-ganito rin ang reaksyon ko sa unang pagkikita namin noon.
He stood there waiting for me to answer. Ngunit nang makita na mukhang wala akong balak sumagot ay nawala ang ngiti sa labi niya. His face became apologetic.
"I freaked you out. Right." Tumango-tango niyang sabi. And then he bit his lip and awkwardly pointed his thumb to his left. "You know, I'll just go-"
"No, King. Wait!" I stopped him before he could do what he just said. He looked surprised while I gave him a shy smile. "O-Of course, I remember you."
Paanong hindi ko siya maaalala? I spent most of my college years crushing over him, for pete's sake!
Napangiti tuloy ako ng malapad nang maalala ang lahat nang 'yon. He smiled back as I patted the remaining space beside me, inviting him to sit. He did.
"Wow. Paris Villaverde in the flesh," biro niya. He had this fake astonished look on his face and I couldn't help but laugh. After all these years, King Largo still had his charms. In fact, it seemed to overflow now that he was this professional handsome man in front of me. His chinky eyes were still the same. But he became taller and leaner. Plus, he looked good in his olive green button-down shirt, folded up to his elbows. Mas nadepina nito ang maputi niyang balat. He looked so much like those guys in K-Dramas.
"You look great!" he exclaimed. It shocked me that we were actually thinking the exact same thing about each other.
Napatawa ako. "Not as great as you, Mr. News Anchor."
Yep. King reached his dreams. He was now a news anchor in one of the most famous stations on TV. Doon ko lang talaga siya nakikita over the years. I'd never met him in person. Except when I graduated from college and... well, today. Bakit ba parang ang dami kong nakakasalamuhang tao from college ngayong buwan?
"Nah," he said chuckling and tilting his head to the side. "Anyways, kamusta? The last time I saw you was just after you graduated from LMU, right?"
For a second, I marveled at the thought that he didn't let us dwell on him being a news anchor too much. Napaka-humble niya talagang tao.
"Yeah," I nodded and took a breath. "Well, I'm good. Ikaw ba?"
A happy smile formed on his lips. "Never been better," matapos ay dumapo ang tingin niya sa mga pinamili ko. He jokingly raised both his brows. "Let me guess... shopping?"
I laughed at him for stating the obvious. Halatang nagbibiro siya. "That's right."
"With... your boyfriend?"
Curiosity was laced in his voice. Napatigil pa ako sa tanong niya. I looked back at him and we ended up staring at each other for a few seconds. Ako ang unang umimik.
"No," I said, shaking my head. Well, something's going on between me and Ezzio but we weren't exactly together... yet.
"H-How about you?" I asked back. I had never heard of him in years. "Happily married?"
My conclusion urged him to chuckle again. He shook his head and said a hard, "Geez, no."
Napaawang ng kaunti ang bibig ko habang bahagyang tumatango. Glad to know he was just like me. I mean, a lot had changed with the others- Ray, Sam, Anda.
Bago pa man ako makasagot ay nagsalita siya ulit. "But," he checked his wristwatch and talked slower. "I do have a date to catch up on, so..."
He looked back at me apologetically. "I better get going. My girl's probably on her way to the movies already."
I nodded fast, both in understanding and in shock. "S-Sure, sure! Ayos lang."
Tumayo si King at humarap sa'kin. "I would really like to talk more, but-"
"It's fine, King," I cut him off. Ngumiti ako sa kanya. It was a genuine smile. "It was good to see you again."
His lips parted as he stared at me for a second before smiling back. "And it was nice bumping into you, Paris."
Huminga siya ng malalim habang nakapamulsa. "Until next time?"
Tumango ako bilang sagot. He just raised both his brows and pressed his lips together. After that, he finally turned his back on me. Tiningnan ko siyang naglakad palayo hanggang sa mawala siya sa paningin ko.
So, King Largo now has a girlfriend.
I waited for the thought to bring me any negative emotions. But instead, I felt none. If anything, I felt happy. For him. Napangiti ako.
Nang hindi ko na siya nakita ay doon ko lang naalala na itext si Ezzio. I hurriedly texted him to pick me up and he said he'd be outside in 10 minutes. Malapit lang din kasi ang kumpanya nila sa mall na 'to.
Wala pang sampung minuto ay may sasakyan nang pumarada sa harap ko. I wasn't surprised he saw me immediately because I was just waiting right outside the mall's entrance, anyway.
Palapit pa lang ako ay lumabas na si Ezzio mula sa kotse niya. I felt my heart skip a beat just by the sight of him.
Paris, you really have it bad.
He wore a dark grey button-down shirt, this time. And his manly scent instantly seeped through my nose when he leaned down a little to get the shopping bags from both my hands.
"Had fun buying these?" he jokingly said when he peeped into one of the bags. Specifically, the one with the nighties and lingeries in it. Bahagya tuloy akong nainis sa kanya kaya inis ko siyang tinampal sa dibdib bago naglakad patungo sa sasakyan. I just heard him chuckle before catching up on me. Mabilis siyang nakaabot at pinagbuksan ako ng pinto.
My cheeks slightly reddened at the gesture as I hopped in. Sumunod naman siya. He reached at the back to put the bags in there. Pagkatapos noon ay nagsimula na siyang mag drive.
"Hindi ka masyadong busy sa work?"
Kasi nga, usually, gabing-gabi na siya nakakauwi. Kaya himala na niyaya niya pa akong mag dinner ngayon.
I saw him shrug.
"Sakto lang."
The tone in his voice told me otherwise. Napabuntong hininga na lang ako.
God, Martinez.
I decided to change the topic, instead. I was sure he wasn't in the mood to talk about it. Kaya ayon. We ended up talking about movies and different places until he stopped the car in front of a fancy restaurant. I didn't know we were going here because I didn't really ask him where he was taking me for dinner.
He opened the door for me as we went inside. The lights were slightly dimmed. And the ambiance of the whole resto was very elegant and romantic. Hindi ko tuloy mapigilang kabahan ng kaunti. This wasn't a date, right?
Ezzio said something to a woman just standing by a somekind of entrance and the woman led us further to... a VIP room; where there was just one table for two.
Napatigil ako sa harap ng mga 'yon. I grew even shocker when Ezzio suddenly handed me a bouquet of flowers from behind. Napayuko ako roon.
"W-What's all this?" I couldn't help but ask. I heard him take a deep breath.
"Nothing. Just an old-school move to get a girl."
The way he whispered on my ear sent shivers down my spine. Matapos ay pareho kaming humakbang palapit sa table. He pulled the seat for me and I sat down. Umupo naman siya sa upuang kaharap ko. Kinuha niya ang menu. I did the same.
Halos manlaki ang mga mata ko nang makita ang presyo ng mga pagkain doon. The prices were killers! Mas mabuti pa'ng pumunta na lang kami sa fastfood!
"Come on, Paris," I heard Ezzio say. "Pick."
I rolled my eyes. Like always, he saw right through me. Sinubukan ko ulit pumili pero nalulula lang ako sa presyo ng mga 'yon. My gaze drifted back to Ezzio and I saw him staring at me with a ghost of a smile on his lips.
"How about you pick for me?" I suggested. Mas mabuti nang siya na lang ang pumili para sa'kin. I'd feel less guilty.
Hindi na siya umalma pa. Tinawag niya ang waiter at sinabi ang orders. Hindi man lang niya tiningnan ulit ang menu. Naningkit tuloy ang mga mata ko.
Regular ba siya rito?
We spent the next few minutes just talking while sipping some champagne. Nag-usap lang kami hanggap sa dumating ang pagkain. He got some lamb chops while I got a glazed beef tenderloine. My stomach immediately churned upon its fragrance. Nakakatakam!
We dug in. S'yempre, nag-usap kami habang kumakain. Natawa pa ako nang ikwento niya ang mga kalokohan nila ni Ray since high school. I was laughing a bit to much. He was, too. And while looking at him like that, a thought came into my mind. I wondered,
'How come I was doing this with him?'
I could still clearly remember how much he pushed me away. Ramdam ko pa ang galit niya noon para sa'kin. Kaya paanong... tila nawala na lang bigla?
Unti-unting napawi ang ngiti ko. For a moment, I felt scared. Not because of the possibility that this was all just an act, but because of the fact that I was having such doubts.
"Ezzio, what made you change your mind?"
The question popped out of nowhere. It made him stop.
"What do you mean?" he said a couple of seconds later. I bit my lip. I hated the way the atmosphere changed from light, to this unmistakably heavy one. But I just had to ask.
"You didn't... trust me. Right?" mahina kong sabi. "So why did you suddenly give in?"
It was all just so drastic. One moment, he was shutting me out. The next, he was courting me. I didn't dare to look away from his gaze. I wanted to figure him out. If there was some sort of catch, I wanted to know.
A long deafening silence stretched between us. I was starting to regret bringing it up when he gave me a small smile.
"You remember what you said when you got drunk?" the memory instantly flashed through me. I almost cringed. Napansin niya 'yon kaya medyo napatawa siya. "You told me you were sorry. With tears in your eyes."
Umiwas ako ng tingin, naaalala ang gabing 'yon. I was that drunk?
"Then you told me it's always been me. I didn't completely believe it, of course." Tumigil siya ng iilang segundo bago nagpatuloy. "But that's just all it took for me to give in. Because I thought, that was the most sincere you've ever been."
My eyes drifted back to his. The gentle look on his face made me hold my breath.
"Yes, the doubts are still there, Paris. I still have this voice inside my head telling me that I'm just going to make a fool out of myself again," he paused, not taking his eyes away from me. "But fuck all that, right?"
My eyes slightly widened at his choice of word. But it sure didn't make him any less attractive. Most especially now.
I watched as one side of his lips moved upward. He shrugged.
"Anyways, if my doubts are proven right, then I'll just simply think of it as my karma."
Namamangha akong tumitig sa kanya. I knew I needed an explanation but I never thought he could make me feel his sincerity with every single sentence. I couldn't believe he just said all that.
Was this the perfect time to say yes?
I felt my heart race fast. The thought of what I was about to do exhilirated me...
But then I thought about King and I felt like I didn't want to say yes without being completely honest with him about what happened today.
"I met King today at the mall."
Ugh.
I winced as his lips parted and the gentle look he had on his face disappeared.
I knowwwww. I ruined the moment!
"I mean, I didn't meet him intentionally." I explained. "W-We just happened to bump... into each other."
Unti-unting humina ang boses ko nang makita ang ekspresyon niya. He looked somewhat annoyed. Magkasalubong na ang dalawang kilay at medyo naniningkit ang mga mata.
"P-promise, hindi talaga sinasadyang nagkita kami!"
He still didn't answer. Hindi ko na tuloy mapigilang mainis sa sarili ko.
Great! Now I have to deal with a jealous Ezzio!
Nang hindi ko na alam kung ano pa ang dapat sabihin, tiningnan ko na lang siya pabalik. I gazed at him guiltily, which I didn't get because we weren't exactly lovers!
Sumandal siya sa sandalan ng upuan. He was incredibly silent while biting his inner cheek as if trying to decide what he should say. A minute later and he sighed.
"Did you guys talk?"
Napakunot ang noo ko, hindi alam kung bakit sa dinami-raming tanong, 'yon ang unang lumabas sa bibig niya. But I nodded, still.
"What did it feel like?"
My lips protruded. I didn't know where he was going with this but I just answered him. Binalikan ko ang pag-uusap namin ni King kanina. I averted my gaze. Seryoso akong nagsalita.
"It felt like... I was talking to a long-lost friend. Like I had all these memories about him in my head and then I finally got to see him again for real," Napanguso ako ng kaunti at unti-unting napangiti. "It felt nice."
A moment of silence passed before I drew myself out of my trance. Ibinalik ko ang tingin kay Ezzio. He looked at me seriously. The glint on his eyes wasn't that dark anymore. Matapos ay tumango siya.
"In that case, I have nothing to worry about."
Napangiti ako ng malapad. I liked the way he turned out to be like this. I could tell his views changed and he had more self-control than before. I guess, along the years, he matured.
We started talking about random things after that. And by the time dessert came, I had already forgotten about the doubts... including my plan to say yes. Napagtanto ko lang 'yon nang makauwi ako. But I decided not to make a big deal out of it. Next time na lang siguro.
Bold of me to think that. Because what I didn't know was the 'next time' I was talking about came sooner than I expected.
"Ezzio," I whispered, surprised to see him standing at my doorstep at eleven in the evening.
He just gave me a tired smile. I noticed he was still in his suit. Agad akong pumagilid.
"Come in," I invited. He didn't hesitate. Pumasok siya at naglakad papunta sa living room. I didn't even mind how he acted like he owned the place because I knew he was too tired to be all nice and polite.
Sinundan ko siya. Once he reached there, he lazily sat on the couch and rested his body on the backrest while tilting his head back. Nakatingin siya sa kisame. Habang ako naman ay tumigil ilang hakbang mula sa harap niya.
"Dito ka na halos umuuwi, ah?" I tried to joke. Of course, I was exaggerating. Ilang segundo bago siya sumagot.
"I like it here."
Even his voice sounded exhausted. Paminsan-minsan din ay ipinipikit niya ang mga mata.
"Kakaayos lang ng bahay mo," puna ko, ipinagku-krus ang mga braso. I was trying to initiate a playful conversation.
"But your condo's much better," he replied simply. I chuckled.
"Are you saying Venny's designs are ugly?"
Muli akong naghintay hanggang sa marinig ko ulit ang boses niya.
"No," he uttered in silence. "I'm saying your condo's much better because you're here."
My heart warmed up. I couldn't answer. Instead, I just looked at him in sympathy for a sec. This whole 'pressure' thing to fix the problem in their company clearly wasn't doing him good.
Bumuntong hininga ako bago tuluyang lumapit sa kanya. He felt me do that so he sat properly. Naghintay siya hanggang sa makalapit ako. When I finally did, he grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me even closer until I stood between his legs. And that's when he wrapped his arms around my waist, while he buried his face on my stomach. Mas nakaramdam lang ako ng awa para sa kanya.
I gently held his head, my fingers brushing through his hair.
"Tired?" I asked.
"Yeah," his muffled voice responded. I could sense the tiredness from it. And it just made me care for him more. I wanted to take care of him. I wanted to be the one beside him on his tiring days like this. I wanted to be the hand that he holds whenever he feels alone. I wanted to be the person who would continue to believe and have faith in him when nobody else in the world does.
It's been a long time coming. Six years ago, I hated him and soon learned to like him but chose to deny my feelings. And six years later, the feeling didn't go away. Instead, it grew stronger. So strong that I never want to deny it ever again because God, I wanted him so much. Too much.
"I love you," the words fell out before I even realized it. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko. My heart started to beat fast as I felt his shoulders freeze. Napapikit na lang ako ng mariin.
What the hell, Paris?
Dumoble ang kaba ko nang maramdaman siyang gumalaw. His hold on my waist loosened and he moved his face away. Dahan-dahan siyang tumayo. It didn't take long for him to tower over me. Tumingala ako sa kanya. The darkness in the room did little to hide the surprise on his face.
"What did you say?" he murmured. For a split second, I felt scared. Scared of the 3 strong words I was about to say. But I thought, why would I be scared of saying something I was sure of?
And so I bit my lip and gathered all my courage to reach out for him and hold his cheeks. There was no turning back now.
"I love you, Ezzio. Let's make this official."