Housemates with Benefits

“Oh God ... Uhhhhh ... Soo goood, baby ...”  Wow. Kabubukas lang ng pinto sa kabila mga five seconds ago pero may umuungol na agad ng ‘baby so good’? Ganoon? Pagkabukas ng pinto, ready to go na? Agad-agad? For real? My housemate is unbelievable! Maybe on their way pauwi rito sa bahay pinag-iinit na nila ang isa’t isa. Sa kotse pa lang, naghahalikan na. Tongues sliding against each other, tangling, sucking. Hands roaming, opening zippers and unsnapping bras. Fingertips tracing muscles made for licking and biting and sucking and— Sabrina! Stop it, you perv! Ugh! Yeah, I know. I should stop obsessing over my housemate’s s*x life. It is unhealthy. Isang taon ko nang alam na hindi ito naka- tutuwa at nakasisira ng bait but what can I do? Ikaw kaya ang araw- araw na makarinig ng s*x noises mula sa kuwarto ng kasama mo sa bahay. Tingnan natin kung hindi ka rin ma-obsess na tulad ko. Sa gabi-gabi na lang kasing nandito ako sa bahay, parang laging pumapasok ng langit ang housemate ko. Parang ang sarap-sarap ng ginagawa niya at nakaeengganyong sumali. Shet talaga! A loud thud hit the wall. If I had a normal housemate, I should be thinking na may nagsasakitan sa kabilang kuwarto. However, I knew that scary sound and the others like it are just part of the bedplay my housemate engages in. Maybe my housemate or his partner is being ridden or pounded against that wall. Sometimes, I am tempted to take a peek at the other room. Just a teeny weeny small peek lang while my housemate is having s*x. Kaya lang, nauunahan ako ng hiya. Hindi naman kasi kami close ng kasama ko sa bahay. We just share the space and I pay rent. Hang- gang doon lang ang ugnayan namin sa isa’t isa. At kahit naging close man kami, ang weird naman yatang panoorin ko siyang maki- paglampungan. Ano, live show lang? Diyos ko! Iniisip ko pa lang na sumilip doon, nalulusaw na ako sa hiya. I have this sneaking suspicion that my housemate is an exhibi- tionist. Palagi kong naaabutang hindi nakasara nang maayos ang pinto ng kuwarto niya. Ewan ko lang kung dahil ba ’yon sa palagi siyang nagmamadali to get it on kaya nakaliligtaan niyang isara iyon nang mabuti o sinasadya niya para matukso akong sumilip. That must be a turn on for him. Ang pinapanood. So eww. Yet, so hot. Yep. I do not know my own mind anymore. And I am laying all the blame for this at my housemate’s feet. Binaliw ako ng mga naririnig kong ginagawa niya sa kabila. Turned me into this ball of perversion I do not recognize. I was not always the pervert that I am now.  Promise, hindi talaga. Nagsimula lang naman akong magkaganito nang lumipat ako sa bahay na ito mag-iisang taon na ang nakararaan. Bago ako napunta rito, I was living in a sane, normal world. I go to sleep without hearing moaned out instructions to go faster and harder. Hindi ako nagigising sa kalagitnaan ng gabi by creaking beds and vibrating walls while something—rather, someone—is being pounded on it. Ang biggest issue lang sa buhay ko last year was finding a new housemate or a new apartment. I was sharing an apartment with a graphic designer student na graduating last year. At the start of the semester, napag-usapan na naming maghanap nang papalit sa kanya once she moves out, but we never got around to looking for one. The next thing we know, my contract for the apartment is expiring in two weeks pero wala pa ring kapalit si Ate. I could not afford the rent on my own lalo na kung magtataas ng renta ang landlord. Ate Housemate helped me draft and post a f*******: ad. That eandeavor just made me realize how unsociable I really am. Tatatlo lang ang nag-comment. Pagkatapos malaman kung magkano ang renta, hindi na nag-communicate ulit. Ate had more success in finding takers but the next hurdle was the interviewing part. She refused to interview the potential candi- dates at naiintindihan ko naman kung bakit. Maging ako rin naman ay tinatamad mag-schedule at makipag-usap sa mga taong noon ko lang nakita. Isa pa, hindi ko naman alam kung ano ang mga dapat itanong to make sure that my next housemate is not a serial killer, akyat-bahay gang member in disguise, or just plain crazy. So finding a new housemate was out and apartment-hunting was on. Nag-check ako ng mga posting sa Union Building. Marami naman sanang ads para sa mga apartment for rent doon pero kung hindi ang mamahal, ang lalayo naman. I was not dead set on finding an apartment na walking distance lang sa school but I refused to spend hours stuck in traffic at makipag-Amazing Race just to get in and out of my house for school. Pati sa mga blocmates ko that I seldom ask for anything, nagpahanap na rin ako. Ang kaso, ang mga alam naman nilang apartments are those that are only open for members of school organizations or sororities. I am a member of neither. I was losing hope na makahanap nang malilipatan. Iniisip ko na ngang mag-dorm na lang and share a room with two or more girls kahit na ayaw ko. Then, one of my classmates in Physics na palagi kong kagrupo, an engineering student, came to my rescue. May coursemate daw siyang naghahanap ng housemate. Baka interesado raw ako. He started showing me pictures of a two-storey house with a two-car garage in front and a medium-sized backyard on his iPad. Sa first floor ng bahay ay ang sala, kusina, laundry room. Sa second floor naman ang dalawang kuwarto. Based on those pictures, if they were true, the house looks a thousand times better than my current one. Hindi man iyon walking distance sa Uni, it was just a jeepney ride away. Its best selling point, however, is the cost of the rent. Mas mura pa ang renta nito kung ikukumpara sa budget ko. Nang magsabi akong interesado sa bahay, nag-alok siyang samahan ako para tingnan iyon pagkatapos ng klase namin. Natigilan ako. Group mate ko siya that semester but beyond that, wala kaming ibang interaksiyon tapos sasamahan niya ako sa bahay na ipinakita niya? Hindi naman sa feelingera ako pero I was cautious. Our university has an Office for Anti-s****l Harassment because, you got it, harassment does happen. At wala akong balak maging biktima kahit sabihin pang cute naman si Kuyang Engineering. Being cute does not mean he is safe. “I don’t know,” alanganin kong sagot sa kanya. Nahulaan naman niya ang tumatakbo sa isip ko noon because he smiled at me, amused. “If it would make you feel better, I can invite my girlfriend to come with us.” My face felt hot and it must be all red. Hindi ko alam kung magso-sorry ba ako or what, so I just stared at him mortified. He just laughed. “So ano, mamaya after class, I’ll call Holly at puntahan natin ’yong bahay?” muli niyang tanong. I do not know who Holly is but I assume she is the girlfriend.  “Are you sure na okay lang? Hindi ba nakaaabala sa ’yo?”  “Nah. Wala naman akong gagawin after class at may sasakyan naman kaya mabilis lang tayo. Para lang makita mo ang bahay first- hand before you make any decisions.” “Won’t you need to inform the owner first?” Sa kaibigan niya raw ang bahay. “Hindi na kailangan. Alam ko naman kung nasaan ang susi at nagpapahanap naman talaga siya ng housemate. May field trip ’yon ngayon kaya wala rin naman siya.” Wala na akong maisip na dahilan para hindi tanggapin ang alok niyang samahan ako. Besides, I really wanted to see the house as soon as possible. I liked the pictures he showed me earlier. Also, I need to find an apartment din naman talaga ora mismo. Ang bilis ng mga araw. I cannot afford to dilly-dally or I will find myself homeless in the middle of a semester. “Sige.” I found myself agreeing to a house tour.  “Great. Tawagan ko lang si Holly.” “Huwag na. Dalawa pa talaga kayong aabalahin ko. Kahit ikaw na lang. Tutal, sabi mo nga, mabilis lang naman tayo.” “Kailangan ko pa ring tawagan si Commander. Para kung may makarating man sa kanyang balita na may pinasakay akong ibang magandang babae sa sasakyan wala na masyadong inquisition,” wika niya sabay kindat sa akin na ikinamula ko ulit. Naman! Why do I blush so easily? Feeling mestiza lang itong balat ko. After class, sinamahan nga niya talaga ako roon sa bahay. The house was inside a newly developed subdivision. Mangilan-ngilan pa lang ang mga bahay roon. The house even looks lonely in its corner. Nang makita ko ang loob, the designer in me fell in love with it. It looks even better than the pictures! I expected a secondhand sala set in the living room and mismatched tables and chairs in the dining area. Instead, the house is carefully arranged, the furnitures tastefully chosen, the kitchen fully-equipped. Parang hindi estudyante lang ang may-ari ng bahay.  Umakyat kami sa second floor to check the available room and I was happy to find na may kama at wardrobe na roon. May study table pa, complete with lamps and a full-length mirror beside it. If I do decide to sign the lease for this place, I am all set. Then comes the bathroom. My jaw literally dropped to the floor when I saw it. Kasya ang isa pang kama roon sa lawak. The shower and the sink are so luxurious. I cannot believe I am talking about it now. “Are you absolutely certain that this place is for rent?” I glanced at Kuya Engineering na tahimik lang nakabuntot sa akin. Mabilis siyang tumango. “Yes.”  My eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You’re not pranking this coursenate? Or me?”  “Nope.” The devilish glint of something in his eyes should have clued me in that something is off. Pero ewan ko ba. I just chalked it up to his amusement over my disbelief. Maybe it was my desperation to find a new place. Maybe it was because I really loved what I saw that I willfully blinded myself to hidden agendas.