Paris
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" I asked. Because I honestly didn't know how I should take it.
Ezzio shrugged. Inilapag niya ang phone sa mesa. "I guess I'll find out later."
Napakunot ang noo ko. Later?
"He wants us to talk over lunch," he said, probably reading the confused expression on my face. My mouth formed a small 'o'. Saka lang ako tuluyang lumapit para lagyan ng kubyertos ang pinggan niya, kasama na rin ang akin.
"Baka na-miss ka lang niya kaya siya bumalik," biro ko. I hadn't met his dad yet, but I could tell he wasn't the affectionate type.
Ezzio laughed a little.
"Come here," he uttered, reaching his hand to me. I looked at him suspiciously when he pulled me close. Ipinulupot niya ang mga braso sa baywang ko habang humawak naman ako sa batok niya, dahilan sa mas pagkakalapit naming dalawa. He looked up to me while I looked down to meet his gaze. Matagal bago siya nagsalita, tila kinakabisa ang mga detalye sa aking mukha.
"I wanna take you out on a date this afternoon."
Ikinagulat ko 'yon. We've never really gotten ourselves into a lot of dates before since he was always busy. Inakala ko ngayong araw na magiging abala rin siya kaya hindi ko inasahan ang pagsabi niya sa mga salitang 'yon.
My face instantly lit up.
"Really?" I said, my voice sounding more excited than I deemed it to be. But as another second passed by, I eyed Ezzio with worry. "But aren't you busy?"
I didn't want to steal his time. Kung may mga importante pa siyang dapat gawin ay ayos lang. Ayaw ko namang unahin niya ako kaysa sa ibang mga prioridad niya. His job tended to take a lot of his time and I understood that.
Natawa ako nang bigyan ako ni Ezzio ng isang sarkastikong tingin. "I only want to hear a simple 'okay', Paris."
I stifled a wide grin by biting my bottom lip.
"Okay," I whispered and stooped down to give him a kiss. Honestly, it was supposed to be just a peck. But he held my face in place and kissed me deeper. The next happenings came by in a blur. We ended up stripping our clothes off and going straight to the bedroom before finally eating our cold breakfast.
Ezzio left just around 10am. I took a bath right after that. Nilinis ko na rin ang kwarto, pati na ang living room at kitchen. Nang naubusan na ng gagawin ay nakaramdam ako ng antok kaya naman minabuti ko na lang na matulog. I felt so tired. I was even supposed to be at El Gusto today but I told Marky I won't be able to go to work. Ikinagulat niya 'yon lalo na dahil hindi naman ako ang tipo na nagl-leave dahil napaka hands-on ko pagdating dito.
Somehow, it reminded me of the days back in college. I was never the type to cut class. Sa lahat ng pagkakataong nag-cut ako, si Ezzio lang ang dahilan. Katulad lang din ngayon. My God. The influence of that moron.
> Be there at 3
Napakunot ang noo ko nang mabasa ang text ni Ezzio. Kakagising ko lang at ang phone agad ang una kong tiningnan.
I looked at the time and was shocked to see it was 2:10 already. I didn't have much time to prepare! I mean, of course I wanted to look good. Pinlano ko na kanina pa na paghahandaan ko ito. Kaya lang, hindi ko naman inasahan na mapapasarap pala ang tulog ko!
I hurriedly stood up and went to the bathroom. Una kong tiningnan ang sarili sa salamin. Napasimangot pa ako. Halatang-halata na kakagising ko lang. My eyes were a little chinky from my long sleep.
I decided to wash my face because of that. Para naman kahit papaano ay magmukha akong fresh. After prepping myself up in the bathroom, I then went to my walk-in closet. Pinili kong suotin ang isang plunging neckline na sundress. It had a simple floral design. Gusto ko sanang kulutin ng kaunti ang buhok ko pero wala na talaga akong oras. Tanging ang pag lagay na lang ng eyebrow pencil, kaunting lipstick at blush on ang kinaya ko.
I was starting to regret sleeping. Ba't kasi hindi ako nag set ng alarm? At ganoon ba talaga ako kapagod para makatulog ng ganoon katagal?
A brief image of me and Ezzio in the bedroom crossed my mind and I immediately felt my cheeks blush. Mabilis akong umiling-iling upang mawala 'yon sa isipan.
What exactly made you that tired, Paris?
The intercom buzzed. Natataranta kong tiningnang muli ang sarili sa salamin. Ugh. I really could've done better with my hair curled. But sadly, I didn't have time to dwell on that matter so I just opted to grab my purse and leave my room.
Ezzio was waiting outside my unit when I opened the door. Ngayon ay simpleng black shirt at faded jeans lang ang suot niya. May suot din siyang black cap sa ulo.
"Ba't ka naka-cap?" tanong ko noong naglalakad na kami papunta sa elevator. Nagkibit balikat lang siya.
"Because I might need it."
Nagsalubong ang kilay ko. "Why? Where are we going?"
Wala akong ideya kung saan niya ako planong dalhin. I forgot to ask him this morning.
Instead of answering, Ezzio just lifted our intertwined hands and kissed the back of mine. And then he gave me a lopsided grin. I rolled my eyes.
"Suit yourself," sarkastiko kong sabi habang papasok kami sa elevator. Hindi ko na lang siya tatanungin kung saan kami pupunta. I like surprises, anyways.
When we got to his car, I busied myself with my phone. Kinontak ko pa si Marky para kamustahin ang mga bagay-bagay roon. Hindi talaga ako sanay na hindi ako ang mismong nandoon. Ayos naman daw lahat, sabi niya kaya hindi na ako nag-alala pa.
Noong wala na akong ibang magawa ay naisipan ko na lang na mag take ng video para sa IG story ko. I first took a video of Ezzio's hand resting on my thigh. And then I moved the camera all the way up to him, who was just silently driving with his eyes focused on the road.
I grinned when a stupid idea popped in my head.
"Daddy," I called. His brows furrowed. Agad siyang napatingin sa'kin.
"What the hell?"
Hindi ko napigilan ang pagtawa ng malakas dahil sa ekpresyong nakita sa mukha niya. Sa sobrang tawa ko ay hindi ko na naipagpatuloy pa ang video. Minabuti ko na lang na i-save na muna 'yon sa gallery.
"What?" I asked innocently when he still took his time to look at me. Pabalik-balik ang tingin niya mula sa akin, pabalik sa daan. Tila hindi siya titigil hangga't hindi ako sumasagot.
I watched him raise one brow up.
"Daddy?" pag-uulit niya sa sinabi ko kanina. Muli akong napatawa. Nang humupa ay nagkibit balikat ako.
"Because I realized we don't have a specific endearment. I didn't know what to call you."
That was just it.
"So you just decided to call me daddy?" he said, chuckling a little like he found it ridiculous. Napataas ang isa kong kilay.
"You've called me baby a few times," I defended. Baby and Daddy. It made sense.
"Yeah, but still."
His reply was too short so I fired a question.
"What should I call you, then?"
When I saw his lips part, different endearments started popping inside my head.
Sweetheart? Too long.
Darling? Too sexy.
Babe? Too basic.
"Just call me Ezzio while we figure something out. Wala rin akong maisip," he said after a while.
"'Daddy' na nga lang kasi!" pang-aasar ko. Seryoso, what if daddy na lang muna ang itawag ko sa kanya habang wala pa kaming napagkakasunduang endearment?
He would definitely freak.
He took his time to look at me, obviously disagreeing with the idea. Matapang ko siyang tinitigan pabalik. However, he let out a smirk as his gaze went back to the road.
"Fine, but you can only call me that in the bedroom."
Oh.
I pursed my lips, my cheeks instantly turning red. I gotta admit, that was a killer comeback. Nang hindi nakasagot ay narinig ko na ang pagtawa niya.
"For the mean time, just call me by my name, Paris. No green stuff," he said and shrugged. "Besides, I do find it hotter than 'daddy'."
Mas lalo lang napakunot ang noo ko, nawala na sa isipan 'yung banat niya kanina.
O...kay?
"You find it hot when people call you Ezzio?"
Ezzio immediately threw me a disgusted glance upon hearing what I just said. Our eyes locked for a couple of seconds, both confused. He was the one who broke the contact first, before laughing. Umiling-iling pa siya. Magtatanong na sana ako kung bakit siya tumatawa nang bigla kong napagtanto ang ibig niyang sabihin doon.
Napatakip na lang ako sa mukha gamit ang dalawang kamay habang tumatawa na rin.
Why am I such a slowpoke when it comes to this?
When my laughter finally subsided, I came up with another thought.
I grabbed my phone and took another video of Ezzio's hand on my thigh again. But this time, I put my hand over his. Napabaling siya sa'kin dahil doon. Matapos ay itinutok ko ang camera sa kanya. I zoomed his face in while he gazed at me with a questioning look. Medyo napatawa pa ako dahil may mga pusong kulay pink na lumulutang sa itaas ng ulo niya. Gawa 'yon ng filter.
"Daddy Ezzio."
I laughed hard. Yeah, I annoyed him still. Tanging irap na lang ang isinagot niya. Inakala niya siguro na titigilan ko ang pagtawag sa kanya ng daddy. Unfortunately for him, I was having so much fun with his reaction.
About an hour passed and we went on with talking about random stuff. Gusto ko sanang umidlip sandali pero nang mapansin ang mga tanawin sa labas ng bintana ay nakalimutan ko na agad 'yon.
I turned my head to him, bewildered.
"We're going to the beach?"
Yes. Beaches. I could see the subtle waves and a bunch of tall coconut trees all the way from here.
Isang mahinang tawa lang ang isinagot niya sa'kin habang ako naman ay ibinalik ang atensyon sa tanawin sa labas. Matagal-tagal na rin simula noong huli kong punta sa dagat. Last summer pa 'yon, kasama sina kuya Max. I couldn't help but grin excitedly. But in a split second, it turned into a frown.
"You should've told me. Edi sana nakapagbaon ako ng spare clothes at damit panligo."
I hated that I was so unprepared today.
"Hindi naman tayo maliligo," aniya na siyang nagpalito sa'kin.
"What do you..." Hindi ko na natapos pa ang sasabihin nang lumiko ang sasakyan sa kanan. Dahil doon ay agad kong nakita ang madaming tao sa unahan. Nakita ko rin ang madaming booths. Somehow, the whole thing looked like an amusement park... but not quite. Ang buong event ay nangyayari sa gilid dagat. At habang palapit kami ng palapit, mas napapagtanto ko kung anong meron.
"A beach fest?" I asked just as the car's engine stopped. Kakapark lang ni Ezzio sa libreng espasyo na nakita niya sa gilid ng daan. Wala kasing maayos na parking lot dito. Ang ibang sasakyan ay nakapark lang din sa gilid.
We hopped out of the car at the same time. Nang maisarado ang pinto ay mangha akong naglakad palapit. I roamed my eyes around the place. There were street vendors, game booths, and a whole bunch of people walking with their friends and families, huge smiles etched on their faces. May nakita pa akong mga taong naglalaro ng beach volleyball sa isang banda, na siyang pinalilibutan ng mga manonood.
I sighed. I had never seen anything like this.
"You don't like it?" I heard Ezzio ask when he stopped by my side. Akala niya siguro ay bumuntong hininga ako dahil sa pagkakadismaya. I looked at him in disbelief.
"Are you kidding me?" Natatawa kong sabi at hinawakan siya sa kamay para hilain. I dragged him into the sea of people in front of us. Una ko siyang dinala sa isang darting booth. Whoever hits the target wins the biggest stuff toy. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't really good at the game. Sobrang layo sa target ang mga arrow na hinahagis ko. Ezzio even made fun of me. Sa huli ay tumigil na lang ako at hinayaan siya na makakuha ng prize. Sa akin din naman pupunta 'yon.
He did won. Hindi nga lang yung pinaka malaking stuffed toy ang nakuha niya. 'Yung medium-sized lang. He handed me the cute pastel blue teddybear and I smiled sweetly at him. Pabiro siyang umirap.
"You suck at dart games."
I scoffed at his mean comment. "Kaya nga sa'yo na lang ako umasa, 'di ba?"
Umiling lang siya at tinuro ang isang booth na may ibang laro rin. "Another one?"
Mabilis akong tumango na parang bata. I had never been this excited. Minsan lang kasi ako makaranas nito. For the past years, all I did was focus on school and work. I barely had the time to have fun.
Eventually, we ended up stopping on every booth we passed by. Kahit 'yung mga larong pustahan, sinalihan namin. Nang mapagod naman ay niyaya ko siyang umupo muna sa isang bench. Ramdam ko na ang pananakit ng paa ko kaya halos mapabuntong hininga ako sa oras na makaupo roon.
"Baka gusto mo ng ice cream?" he said. I looked up to him as he pointed at the small ice cream booth in front of us. He was right. The 4pm sun was still up and I craved to have something cold. Kaya naman binigyan ko siya agad ng isang tango. Hindi ko na sinabi kung anong flavor ang gusto ko dahil alam naman na niya.
I eyed Ezzio's back as he walked to the booth. When he finally stopped at the spot, I noticed the lingering gaze a group of teenage girls gave him. Bumibili rin ng ice cream ang mga babae na 'yon. Habang ang babae naman na pinakamalapit kay Ezzio ay halatang kinikilig. Tinampal niya pa sa balikat ang isang kasama niya nang tuksuhin siya nito.
Napatawa na lang ako ng mahina. I understood them. Because Ezzio was the type that's impossible to ignore. Ang simpleng tindig pa lang niya ay agaw-pansin na. He was tall. And the way his shirt hugged his biceps made him look so much better. More manly. Kaya kahit nakasuot ng cap ay kuhang-kuha pa rin niya ang pansin ng mga kababaihan.
Our eyes met when he turned around, holding two cones of ice cream in his hands. Binigyan niya ako ng isang ngiti. I smiled back. Nang tuluyang makalapit sa'kin ay nahuli ko ang nakakasindak at dismayadong tingin ng mga babae mula roon sa ice cream booth. Napatawa na lang ako ulit.
That's right, ladies. This guy belongs to me.
"What are you laughing at?" he asked when I got the ice cream from him. Mabilis akong nagtago ng ngiti.
"Nothing," I said.
Nagpahinga kami ni Ezzio roon saglit. Nang maubos naman ang ice cream at napawi ang pagod, nagpatuloy kami sa paglilibot. Hindi na rin masyadong mainit dahil lagpas alas singko na. Ezzio decided to turn his cap around so it didn't cover his eyes anymore. 'Yon nga lang, mas nagmukha naman siyang boyish sa ayos niya. I liked it, nevertheless.
We stopped by a booth that draws henna tattoos. Hindi ko pa kasi 'yon naranasan kaya inaya ko si Ezzio na magpalagay kami. He didn't decline. It was all temporary, anyway. Nang makapasok sa booth, tinanong kami noong artist kung anong design ang gusto namin. He even handed us a portfolio full of different tats designs. But I figured we didn't need that. Nagbiro pa si Ezzio na ipalagay raw naming ang pangalan ng isa't-isa. It was a very corny idea. So I thought we'd give it a twist.
"How about a thing or a symbol that reminds us of each other?"
So that's what we did. I went for a small soccer ball. The artist drew it on the back of my shoulder. Wala namang problema 'yon dahil spaghetti straps lang ang dress ko.
Ezzio was tattoed by another artist. Kaya nang matapos ako ay sumunod din siya agad. I had no idea what design he went with. Nang makalabas kami sa booth ay roon ko lang hinawakan ang left arm niya para makita kung ano ang pinalagay niya roon. Uminit pa ang pisngi ko nang makitang suot-suot niya pala ang lumang hemp bracelet.
I searched the parts of his arm to see the tat. Tumigil lang ako nang makita ko na. It was placed above his wrist, just a little to the side— a small Eiffel tower in black ink.
"Really?" I asked, my tone flat. He shrugged, smiling wide.
"It's what pops in my head when I think of your name."
Umiling ako at hindi na 'yon pinatulan pa.
We eventually finished strolling. Eksaktong palubog na ang araw nang dinala ako ni Ezzio sa dalampasigang hindi masyadong matao. We stopped walking to enjoy the view. He hugged me from the back as I watched the sun go down, with the sky glowing in pink, orange, and indigo hues. The calm waters reflected its color. And in his arms, I felt at peace.
"Did you have fun?" tanong niya. I nodded my head.
"Thank you for this," I said, turning my head to him and reaching for his lips. I gave him a quick kiss before returning my eyes at the sunset. He leaned, resting his chin on my shoulder.
"I'm glad."
Silence followed. My mind was blank. Meanwhile, little did I know, his was messy; his heavy thoughts running as deep as ever.
"What if I tell you that I'll be gone for a while?" He asked out of the blue. The way he said it was almost a whisper. I only heard it because he was so close to me. I could even feel his rhythmic breathing.
Mabilis na nawala ang kapayapaang naramdaman ko kanina lang. The question seemed harmless. But the tone of his voice told me something was wrong. I started to think of any possible problems, but I couldn't come up with anything. Because this day had been perfect and I didn't think for a second that it would come to an end sooner than I expected.
"Spill," I ordered. I knew him well enough to notice that what he asked me wasn't just an empty question. For all I knew, it could be something more.
He hugged me tighter, his face buried on the side of my neck. I could feel his contemplation, his hesitance to say the words. On the other hand, I made a silent prayer. I mean, come on. The universe couldn't possibly be this cruel.
"I'm going back to Italy."