#NewClassicILIB
Chapter 37
Happy
At exactly 5PM, my phone lit up and vibrated from a message I just received from Isaiah. Blood immediately went up to my cheeks, making it warm and rosy. I tried to stop myself from squealing in happiness and bit my lower lip hard.
From: Isaiah
Waiting for you downstairs in my car. Are you off now?
My heart raced fiercely, once I finished reading his text message. Though I suppressed myself from smiling, the corners of my lips still ticked up a goofy grin.
As I recalled what happened yesterday, it was so hard not to smile, especially when my heart was about to burst in happiness. I didn't want it to end. I was scared that I prayed to the Heavens not to let this happiness overflow into sadness.
After Isaiah pulled me into a hug and said things that made me lose my mind, I didn't know how to react. I kept quiet, while my heart was making noises inside me―probably having a grand celebration. My head felt fuzzy that I couldn't think of anything else. I would always go back to how he held me tight and made me feel so secured.
Isaiah and I were just sitting beside each other. Both of us were out of words. We didn't know what to say. The atmosphere between us was awkward, until my father finally came home from work. We had dinner, but my mind was elsewhere. I couldn't keep up with their conversation. My senses only returned as I got out of the trance when he was about to leave.
"Can you not bring your car to work tomorrow?" Isaiah suddenly spun around to face me, once we reached his car.
"Why?" I still asked even though I probably already knew the reason. I was fishing for answer to make myself feel better than I already was.
"I want to pick you up at work tomorrow," he answered.
With his answer, I was instantly pulled into reverie. I was pleasantly lost in daydreaming about one of my hidden fantasies, which I thought I would never experience.
"As much as I want to take you to work too, I have to run an errand with my mother tomorrow morning," he told me, and there was a hint of regret in his eyes.
"Uhm, hindi ba kita maaabala?" Kahit na gusto kong umoo kaagad, gusto kong makasigurado na hindi ako magiging abala sa kanya.
"Of course, not. I really want to do it," he denied it right away. "And besides, I'm courting you now."
His direct declaration that he was courting me brought heat to my cheeks. The whole conversation with him left me feeling enthusiastic.
Now, as I walked up to his car on the company's driveway, it felt like walking on the cloud of cotton balls. The car's windows were tinted enough that you wouldn't see who's inside it. Ngunit kahit na ganoon ay nag-ingat pa rin ako sa pagpasok. Hindi ko masyadong binuksan ang pintuan at pinagkasya ang aking sarili sa maliit na awang upang makapasok sa loob.
As soon as I got inside, the familiar manly scent of Isaiah enveloped my nose. Our eyes locked as I turned to him. He greeted me with a handsome smile on his face, enough to wash away the fatigue I got from working.
"How's work?" Isaiah casually started a conversation with me, while he changed the gear and stepped on the accelerator.
"Ayos lang," tipid kong sagot, hindi pa rin alam kung paano aakto sa paligid niya. "Medyo stressed lang dahil sa deadlines."
I thought we would only be incharged with the New Classic section or article, but we still had a few more to work on. Halos saluhin na nga lahat ni Lucas dahil sanay siya na maraming gawain, but I told him to give me my share. I wanted to learn and improve my skills during the process, so he gave me a task to write a whole article.
Isaiah nodded his head. The way he pursed his lips while his eyes were on the road, I could tell that he was thinking about something deeply. It seemed like there were words hanging on his lips that he couldn't say.
"Is there something wrong?" I asked him, slightly worried.
Baka mamaya ay mayroong nangyaring hindi ko alam habang nakasubsob ako sa trabaho.
"Hmm... I was just wondering..." He hesitated a bit.
"About?" I probed.
"If you have time to go out with me this Saturday..." he spoke out his mind.
"T-this Saturday?" I stuttered.
"Yes," he said. "I want to take you somewhere."
Is he really asking me out?
I knew he asked me to meet me a few times now, but it felt so different this time. My heart was happily dancing to the rhythm of excitement.
"But if you're busy working on your deadlines, I can wait until your schedule is more flexible," he said, not to pressure me with my decision.
"Ayos lang naman. I'm free on Saturday," agap ko. "Kaya lang ay paano kung may makakita sa 'yo?"
Hindi pa rin maalis sa akin ang kaba.
He gave me a reassuring smile. "I'm taking you somewhere private, so there's nothing to worry about."
Napanguso ako, pinipigilan ang sumisilay na ngiti sa aking mga labi at saka tumango-tango na lamang.
As I waited two days more before Saturday arrived, I felt like time decided to pass by slower than the normal. I slept in late last night, then woke up early in the morning. I couldn't sleep properly, but it didn't show on my face. Rather I looked fresh, energetic, and lively.
Isaiah told me that he'd pick me up after lunch. I was struggling to stretch my patience, while waiting for his arrival. That's why when I finally received his call, I was almost panicking that I lost control of myself.
"Hello?" I answered his call, while taking one last glance on the full-mirror.
I was wearing a white high-collared tank top and denim jumpers. I slipped on the strap of the Kate Spade mini backpack I got from Ate Allison. I let my hair down and like always―I only put pressed powder and tints to color my face a bit.
"I'm here outside your house," he told me. "Should I still come in?"
"Nope, I'm coming out now," I said, while going out of my room.
"Okay. I'll wait."
"Okay."
I ended the call as I rushed down the stairs. My father was in the living room, giving me a teasing gaze as I ran to meet Isaiah.
"Have fun!" he said.
Ngumiti na lamang ako kay daddy. Hindi na ako nakapagpaalam nang maayos dahil sa pagmamadali. Pagkalabas na pagkalabas ko ay namataan ko kaagad ang sasakyan ni Isaiah sa harap ng aming gate. Dali-dali akong sumakay sa kanyang sedan.
"Have you eaten lunch already?" he asked me, once I settled inside.
Nodding my head, I smiled. "I ate with daddy."
He mirrored the smile on my face. "That's good. We'll go now."
We sped away from my house and out of the subdivision. Up to now, I still had no idea where he would take me. However, that was what made it more exciting. I was filled with anticipation.
Just then, we arrived at the basement parking of a high-end condominium tower. Before we went out of the car, Isaiah wore his ballcap down until his eyes couldn't be seen.
"Let's go," he said and casually slipped his hand on mine, leading me to the elevator.
When the lift stopped on the ground floor, there were three people who came inside. I turned to Isaiah, and I saw him bowed his head more to avoid getting recognized by these strangers.
Suddenly, he turned his neck slightly to look back at me. He smiled and renewed the way he held my hand―intertwining our fingers together.
Hindi nagtagal ay nakaakyat na kami sa tamang palapag. May isa pang estrangahero sa loob na kasama namin kaya nag-ingat pa rin si Isaiah palabas habang hawak-hawak pa rin ang aking kamay. Nang bubuksan niya na ang pintuan ng unit ay roon niya lamang ako binitiwan.
He quickly pressed the passcode on his door. He held my hand again, once it was open, then took me inside.
I was greeted by a very neat and tidy living room. The glass display case caught my attention the most. It was filled with all the awards New Classic won and received. The cover photo of their albums were also framed and used as a decoration. And mounted on the wall, beside the display case, was a casual picture of the band.
"Nasaan tayo?" Hindi ko na mapigilan ang magtanong kay Isaiah.
I wasn't sure if it was his personal space because the unit was filled with stuffs about New Classic. All the awards were even here! Imposibleng si Isaiah lahat ang magtago no'n.
"This is our studio," he simply answered and at the same time, he opened a room, which made my jaw drop.
It was as wide as their studio in Top Star's building. Aside from the band instruments, there were also recording booth and computers used to engineer music.
"Before we would always practice at Ike's house or at the company, but we decided to finally have our own studio where we can hangout and make music privately," he explained as I started wandering inside the spacious studio.
As a fan of New Classic, I felt so honored that Isaiah brought me here. It was a once in a lifetime experience as a fan. I had this feeling that I should cherish each and every second I spent here, not to abuse the privilege that I have.
Punong-puno ako ng pagkamangha habang patuloy na inililibot ang aking tingin. When my eyes stopped on Isaiah, I saw him holding an acoustic guitar while smiling at me.
"Do you want me to teach you how to play?"
I smiled wider and nodded my head. "Of course!"
"Sit here." Isaiah pointed on the couch where I should sit.
Mabilis akong tumungo roon para umupo. Hinubad ko ang aking backpack at itinabi sa aking gilid. Lumapit naman si Isaiah at maingat na inilapag ang gitara sa aking hita. Doon ko naisip na talagang mas malaki ang kanyang gitara kaysa sa regalo sa akin ni daddy.
"Do you know any basics?" he asked me.
"Uh, I know some easy major and minor chords..." I replied. "I have a guitar, but it's smaller than this one."
During my free time before, I would try to learn the guitar chords through watching videos online. Hindi nga lang ako nagtatagal dahil agad sumasakit ang aking daliri. I also couldn't learn other chords because my fingers couldn't properly reach it. Kapag sinusubukan ko ay sabog ang tunog na lumalabas.
"What do you want me to teach you?"
"Smile..." My voice was quiet as I answered his question.
The first song that I wanted to learn how to play is the first song he wrote for me. Maybe if I managed to learn it, I could play the guitar for him while he would be the one singing.
Isaiah's brow raised, and there was a slight grin on his lips.
Entranced by his gentle smile, I averted my gaze back on the guitar and started positioning my fingers on the fret board. I tried to recall guitar chords I had learned so far, but I could only remember E minor―the easiest out of all guitar chords.
"This is E minor..." I said as I looked up to Isaiah.
I caught him watching me well. There was a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. His earnest gaze made me feel bashful. And then, suddenly, he went down on one knee.
My heart started beating faster as he drew closer to me. His hand picked up my fingers from the fret. I was drawn to his handsome face, while he carefully placed each of my fingers to the right position. His face was so close to mine that I couldn't look away even if I wanted to.
Seeing him up close, I realized that he had very long lashes. Like being pulled by a magnet, I leaned closer to figure out the color of his eyes. It has a mixture of green, but dominant of brown. I concluded that he has hazel eyes.
Gulat naman ako nang bigla niya akong nilingon. Our lips almost touched that I panicked and scurried to lean my back on the couch.
"S-sorry," I stuttered.
He chuckled huskily. "It's okay."
Napalunok ako sa kaba at saka kinagat ang aking labi. Pinilit ko na lang ang aking sarili na ituon ang buong atensyon sa pag-aaral tumugtog ng gitara.
Isaiah was brimming with passion as he taught me how to play guitar. He would put my fingers on its proper position as he introduced me to the chords needed to play Smile.
May mga chords na nahihirapan ako kaya pinalitan niya 'yon nang mas madaling chord na halos katunog lamang ng talagang gamit. I was grateful that he was patient with me. Because of his patience and dedication to teach me, I was able to learn playing Smile's chorus part.
"Let's try playing it together," he suggested and got another acoustic guitar from the stand.
Kita kong inilabas niya ang guitar pick na binigay ko sa kanya noon. Hindi ko mapigilan ang mapangiti dahil talagang naalala niya pa 'yong gamitin ngayon.
"Are you ready?" He turned to me.
I huffily averted my eyes away from him and held the guitar properly, acting like I had been ready all along.
"Ready," sabi ko na lang.
Muling humalakhak si Isaiah, ngunit agad ding nagseryoso. "Okay―3, 2, 1..."
We started playing our guitar simultaneously. Even though my strumming sounded rougher than his, I was still doing great.
Your tears are so precious
Just to let it fall on the ground
Smile and hope that someday
Things will come around
I lip synced while Isaiah beautifully sang the chorus.
I'm singing for you
Who's crying tonight
Smile for me
Smile tonight
Smile under the moonlight
And shine
When we finished playing, a smile unconsciously appeared on my lips.
"I'm really glad that we have this chance to take a break."
I lifted my gaze back to Isaiah. He was smiling while staring off into distance. He looked at peace and satisfied.
"We were busy running around ever since we debuted," he told me. "We spent three years of our life making music, performing, and doing endorsements. We didn't notice that time was flying so fast. Kahit na malayo na ang narating ng banda, pakiramdam namin ay wala pa ring masyadong nagbago sa buhay namin."
My heart felt heavy as Isaiah started to open up their struggles.
"We enjoy making music and performing. We are grateful for all the blessings we received... But we realized that we had not been paying attention to our private lives and personal growth." He trailed for a few seconds, then turned to me. "If we didn't have this break, I doubt if I'd have the luxury of time to spend it with you like this."
The mood lights in the studio shimmered on his eyes as he stared at me. The tension and worries in my chest had been lifted, and there was this warmth and euphoria which replaced those uneasy feelings.
"I'm really happy, Zendaya," he sincerely said. "Being with you makes me happy."
That moment, I was filled with overwhelming affection as his lips curled up into a smile.