Stolen Glances

Chapter 13

[Jace's POV]

I saw Navy nakaupo sa bench at nasa phone lamang siya naka focus. Alam kung may problema siya kaya hindi muna ako umalis, pinagmasdan ko nablamang siya hanggang sa ilang minuto umiyak na ito nilapitan ko kaagad siya.

Habang nakayuko siya na umiiyak inabutan ko siya nga panyo, tumigil siya at dahan² tumingin sa akin. Hindi nalang ako nagsalita at pinagmasdan kulang siya ng maigi.

Umiyak kalang ilabas mo lahat lahat, nandito lang ako sasamahan kita Celeste"aniya ko

Pinapunas niya kaagad ang mga luha niya,"salamat Jace" aniya niya and she smiled.

Hindi kapa ba uuwi Jace???" Tanong nya kaagad para bang ayaw niyang maynakakakita na umiiyak siya.

Kung uuwi kana uuwi narin ako" I answered.

Sabay na kami ni Celeste palabas ng school at pagkadating namin sa gate nagpa alam na ako sa kanya,

Bye na Jace mag ingat ka, lalabhan ko muna itong panyo ko bago ko I suli" aniya niya and I laughed so loud

Sige na Celeste, mag ingat ka ha" I said with a soft voice.

______________________________________

I didn’t believe in love at first sight.

Not the kind they show in movies where everything slows down, where the world blurs and suddenly there’s just her glowing, perfect, unreal. I used to think it was exaggerated. Fiction. Something made to sell stories.

[FLASHBACK]

Maingay, magulo, lahat abala sa kanya-kanyang buhay sa first day of school nagkikita ulit ang magkakaibigan, may mga bagong estudyante, may mga nagmamadali para hanapin ang classroom nila. It was chaos… the usual kind. Magkasama kami ni Marco ngayon at hinahanap namin si Solenne, our best friend. Yeah, trio kami.

And then I saw Solenne, she was walking beside a girl. They were talking, laughing softly like matagal na talaga silang magkakakilala, habang papalapit sila sa lugar kung nasaan sila, tinitigan ko ang babaeng kasama ni Solenne and she was so cute gorgeous.

Pagkadating namin doon nagpakilala kaagad ako.

Hi, I'm Jace." Bati ko at nagpakilala.

And I'm Marco," sumunod naman ito nagpakilala at sabay abot sa kamay. “Welcome to the group,” Marco joked.“Yeah, wag kang matakot kami nangangagat,” I added and laughing.

Navy" and she smiled.

Habang naglalakad kami papuntang classroom, I found myself staring at her na hindi na maialis ang tingin ko sa kanya.

I don’t know what it was, maybe it was the way she smiled habang may sinasabi si Solenne.

Or the way she listened so attentively, like every word mattered.

Or maybe… it was just her.

Hindi ko na napansin yung mga kasama ko. Hindi ko na narinig yung sinasabi nila because at that moment, it felt like everything slowed down and she was the only thing moving.

That was the first time I saw Navy.

And that was also the first time I knew… na may something

[END OF THE FLASHBACK]

KINABUKASAN

Kabisado kuna ang lahat tungkol sa kaniya...kung saan siya dumadaan tuwing umaga, kung anong oras siya pumapasok sa classroom, at kung saan siya umuupo sa cafeteria.

Hindi ko naman sinasadya… pero parang kusa na lang akong napapatingin.

Like my eyes already knew where to find her.

Minsan, nasa kabilang building ako, tapos bigla ko na lang siyang makikita sa baba, laughing with Solenne and I wouldn't stop watching her from a far.

Hindi ko pinapahalata, syempre I wasn’t that obvious. I’d lean against a wall, pretend to scroll through my phone, but my eyes...

They were always on her, there was something about the way she moved.

Simple lang, walang arte pero bawat galaw niya parang may sariling ritmo.

The way she tucks her hair behind her ear when she’s nervous, the way she tilts her head slightly when she’s listening and the way her eyes soften when she smiles.

I memorized all of it, not because I wanted to.

But because I couldn’t stop.

“bro, nakikinig ka ba?”

Napalingon ako kay Klaus, pero huli na.

“Ha? Oo naman.”

“Talaga? Eh bakit kanina ka pa nakatitig dun?” sabay turo niya.

I followed his gaze and of course… it was her, Navy.

Mabilis akong umiwas ng tingin.

“Wala lang.”

He smirked. “Wala lang daw.” I ignored him because I didn’t want to explain something I didn’t even understand myself.

Hindi ko pinapahalata ang nararamdaman ko sa kanya, not even once. Hindi ko alam kung bakit, maybe because I didn’t want to ruin whatever this was.

Or maybe… I was scared.

Kasi mas madali siyang mahalin mula sa malayo, yeah!

Hindi na ‘to simpleng paghanga, it wasn’t just curiosity anymore.

It was something deeper, something quieter.

Something that stayed, I started looking forward to school.

Not because of classes, not because of friends but because of the chance, just the chance that I might see her even for a second.

May mga araw na hindi ko siya nakikita kasi hindi naman kami same ng course eh sila lang ni Navy. Political Science kinuha ko at Engineering naman kina Solenne, Celeste, and Marco.

And those days felt… off, parang may kulang.

Like something was missing that I couldn’t quite explain.

I’d catch myself scanning the hallway, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

“Hinahanap mo ba siya?”I froze at bulong ko sa sarili ko.

Napatingin ako sa kaibigan ko na si Klaus

“Sinong siya?” he just laughed.

I didn’t answer, because if I did… it would make everything real.

There was one time I saw her sitting alone on a bench.

Tahimik lang siya, o friends, no phone, just… there looking at nothing.

Or maybe… thinking about something.

I wanted to go to her, I really did.

Gusto kong umupo sa tabi niya at tanungin kung okay lang ba siya.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I stayed where I was.

Watching her like I always do.

“Ang creepy mo na, bro,” sabi ng kaibigan ko minsan.

“Hindi ah.”

“Hindi? Eh kanina ka pa nakatingin sa kanya.”

I sighed. “Hindi mo maiintindihan.”

“Try me.”

I looked at her again, she was laughing this time.

And for a moment… everything felt lighter.

“She makes everything feel… okay.”

He went quiet.

“Ah,” he said softly. “Delikado na ‘yan.”

Maybe he was right because the more I watched her…the more I fell.

Hindi ko alam kung kailan nagsimula.

But suddenly, I was noticing the smallest things.

Kung anong kulay ng ballpen niya, kung paano siya maglakad kapag nagmamadali at kung paano siya ngumiti kahit halatang pagod na siya.

Every little detail felt important, like pieces of a story only I was reading.

There was this one rainy afternoon. Everyone was rushing, nagkakagulo sa hallway, naghahanap ng masisilungan.

And then I saw her, wala siyang payong.

She stood there, staring at the rain, unsure of what to do.

“Uy.” tawag ko sa kanya at gulat na gulat naman siyang tumingin sa'kin.

Nakatayo siya ilang metro lang mula sa akin, giniginaw dahil basang-basa ang uniform niya sa gilid kasi mukhang kakalabas lang din niya.

“Wala kang payong?” tanong ko kaagad.

Umiling siya. “Nakalimutan ko."

Tumango lang ako, dahil alam kuna ang sagot nya dahil palagi niyang nakakalimutan ang payong niya.

Dahan² akong lumapit sa kanya at parang bumagal at oras at ang bilis ng t***k ng puso ko.

“Halika,” sabi ko.

Sandali siyang natigilan.

“Ha?”

Inangat ko yung payong ko ng kaunti. “Sabay na tayo. Hanggang gate ka ba?”

“Ah… oo.” naiilang na sabi niya

“Bilisan mo, basa ka na,” sabi ko ulit, na mas mahinahon.

At doon pa lang siya kumilos. Lumapit siya sa kanya, at agad kong naramdaman yung maliit na espasyo sa ilalim ng payong.

Sobrang lapit namin, super closed.

Pero hindi awkward…habang naglalakad kami, maririnig mo yung ulan na bumubuhos sa paligid, parang ang lakas ng mundo pero kami lang yung may sariling maliit na mundo sa ilalim ng payong niya.

Tahimik lang siya kaming dalawa.

“Ang lakas ng ulan,” sabi niya putol sa katahimikan.

“Mm,” sagot ko.

Habang naglalakad kami, Inadjust ko yung payong ng konti para hindi siya mabasa. Nakatingin lang siya sa'kin and I felt awkward kaya umiwas ako ng tingin.

“Okay ka lang?” bigla ko tanong sa kanya na hindi nakatingin sa kanya.

“Ha? Oo, okay lang ako.”Tumango siya ulit.

Tahimik na naman pero sa pagkakataong ‘to, hindi ko maiwasan mag-isip.

“Dito ka sa loob,” sabi ko bigla at

napatingin ako sa kanya.

“Ha?”

“Lumalabas ka sa ulan. Lumalayo ka sa payong.”

Tumingin siya sa sarili niya

Oo nga.

Half of her shoulder basang basa na, dahan-dahan siyang lumapit pa sa akin, hanggang halos magkadikit na yung balikat namin.

“Sorry,” bulong niya.

“Walang problema,” sagot ko agad.

Then silence again.

Pagdaan namin sa hallway na medyo covered, may ibang students na nakatingin sa amin.

May mga nagbubulungan pa.

Hindi ko alam kung bakit, pero parang mas humigpit yung hawak ko sa strap ng bag ko.

“Ang sweet nila oh,” narinig kong bulong ng isang babae sa gilid, nanigas ako.

Sweet?

Ha?

Kami?

Napatingin siya sa akin, pero hindi ako nagreact.

Tumawid kami sa mas malawak na pathway papunta sa gate. Mas malakas yung ulan dito, kaya mas lumapit siya ng kaunti sa akin para masakop ako ng payong.

Yung proximity… sobrang lapit na.

Ramdam ko na yung init ng presence niya kahit malamig yung paligid.

“Jace,” bigla niyang sabi, hindi ko rin alam bakit.

“Mm?”

“Bakit ka… nag-share ng payong?”

Napatingin ako sa kanya saglit tapos ibinalik ko ang tingin sa daan.

“May tao ka pa bang hihintayin na sumabay sa’yo?” tanong ko imbes na sumagot agad.

Umiling siya. “Wala.”

“Then okay lang.”

Tahimik lang kaming naglalakad. Every step, aware ako.

Every movement, aware ako.

Hanggang sa makarating kami sa gate.

Doon, humina na yung ulan ng konti, pero basa pa rin ang paligid.

Huminto kami

“Dito ka na ba?” tanong ko.

Tumingin siya sa labas ng gate.

Oo, pwede na akong umalis dito.

“Oo,” sagot niya, pero hindi ako agad gumalaw.

Inangat niya yung payong ng kaunti para makita ako ng maayos.

“Ingat ka pa uwi,” sabi ko

“Salamat,” sagot niya.

Tumango lang ako tapos akmang aalis na, pero bago pa ako tumalikod, napansin niya yung maliit na pause niya. Parang may gusto pa siyang sabihin.

“Jace,” tawag niya ulit.

Huminto ako.“Mm?”

Nag-atubili siyang sumagot.“Uhm… salamat talaga sa payong ahh.”

Sandali akong tumingin sa kanya tapos...bahagyang tumango.

“Walang anuman, Navy.”Then I turned away.

Naglakad na ako pabalik sa loob ng school and I realized...

I know the way she bites her lip when she’s nervous, I know the way she looks at the sky like she’s searching for something.

And somehow…that felt enough.

Because loving her didn’t mean having her.

It didn’t mean anything had to change.

It just meant… I see her.

In ways no one else does.

And maybe…

That’s my role in her story.

Not the guy she falls for, not the one she notices.

But the one who quietly stays.

Watching, caring and loving her...from a distance.

I didn’t believe in love at first sight.

But if this isn’t it…

Then I don’t know what is.

Because from the moment I saw Navy…

I was already hers.

Even if she would never know.