Her Rented Boyfriend

Chapter 5

JEN:

MATAPOS naming magkape, tumuloy kami sa sala. Pasado alasdos na rin ng madaling araw pero heto at gising pa ang diwa ko. Nakakatuwa lang dahil hindi siya nagpapakita ng ibang motibo sa akin ngayon. Kung ibang lalake lang siya, kanina niya pa ako sinunggaban, lalo na't kaming dalawa lang ang nandidito sa suite ko. But him? He's different. He's nice, innocent and gentleman.

I sank into the middle of the sofa, still wearing Hajie’s jacket from the rooftop. It's cedar scent had become a quiet comfort, something warm and solid to hold onto after the party’s chaos. He sat beside me, leaving a polite few inches between us, his hands folded loosely in his lap like he was still unsure how to act around me, even after hours of talking. Kanina ko pa siya pinapakiramdaman. Inaaral ang ugali niya at masaya akong. . . hindi niya ako binibigo. Ibang-iba siya sa mga nakakasalamuha ko na agad-agad, gusto na akong sunggaban. Si Hajie? Tila wala pa itong karanasan at ni hindi ako matitigan nang matagal sa aking mga mata.

Napalingon ako sa kanya na tahimik lang at napapatingala sa kisame. Namamangha at nagniningning ang mga mata sa nakikita. I tilted my head, studying the sharp line of his jaw.

“It's late, if you want, you can stay here tonight instead of going home. I have a guest room upstairs, Hajie,” I said, my voice casual, like I hadn’t turned the offer over in my head since we left the rooftop.

Napalingon ito sa akin na napakurap-kurap pa. Bakas ang gulat sa kanyang mga mata. “O-okay lang ba iyon sa'yo? Kasi. . . tayong dalawa lang ang naririto, alam mo na? Lalake ako, babae ka,” he said, cautious.

Like he was reminding both of us of the line we’d agreed on when I hired him to be my fake boyfriend for the week, no crossing boundaries, no messy feelings.

I smiled, leaning in to nudge his shoulder with mine. Dinig kong napalunok pa siya at hindi kumilos. Nanatili siyang nakaupo at magka-intertwined ang mga palad.

“Of course it’s okay. I trust you, and besides, you’re my boyfriend, aren’t you?” I teased him, the words rolling off easier than I expected.

Hajie’s cheeks flushed darker, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he looked away for a beat before nodding. Napatitig ako sa kanya na hindi makatingin sa mga mata ko at namumula pa rin ang pisngi. Parang batang nahihiya sa kausap.

“S-sige, salamat sa tiwala, JM. Hindi kita bibiguin,” sagot nito na nauutal pa.

Matamis akong napangiti sa kanyang sagot. Tumayo na ako na ikinasunod nito. We headed up to the second floor, the carpet soft under my bare feet, the hallway quiet save for the distant hum of the city. I led him to the guest room at the end of the hall. Huminto ako at nakasunod lang naman ito sa akin. I push the door open to reveal the neatly made bed. Napasilip naman ito sa loob.

“There’s clothes in there, you can borrow, so you can sleep comfortably, Hajie,” I said, leaning against the doorframe.

Pilit siyang ngumiti na kitang nahihiya pa rin sa akin. I really love watching him the way his cheeks blushed. Ang cute niya sa paningin ko na nahihiya siya sa akin. . . kahit boyfriend ko na siya.

“Salamat, JM,” he said, pausing in the doorway to look at me.

I pouted, feigning annoyance. “C’mon, you gotta get used to calling me something else, Hajie.” Wika ko na napaisip kung ano ang magiging endearment nito sa akin.

Napangisi ako na may naisip. “How about. . . love?” I suggested.

Napalunok siya na muling namula ang pisngi. Napangisi ako sa isipan na humakbang palapit sa kanya, at yumapos sa batok niya. Muli siyang napalunok. Lalong namula ang pisngi at hindi masalubong ang mga mata ko!

“Ahem!” he cleared his throat, his ears turning pink. “L-love?” nauutal niyang ulit na tanong.

I grinned, squeezing the back of his neck lightly. “Aha. Love. It's convincing naman lalo na't boyfriend kita, right?” I said.

Gusto kong kastiguhan ang sarili ko sa mga sandaling. Damn, what am I doing?! Kanina pa ako nawawala sa sarili at parang nababaliw sa kanya! First, I offered him to be my rented boyfriend and paid him ten million pesos for six months! I also allowed him to sleep here in my suite and now. . . I want him to call me. . . love!

"Eh. . . hehe, s-sige," nauutal niyang sagot.

Napanguso akong nanatiling nakayapos sa batok niya. Ni hindi siya kumapit sa baywang ko.

"Sige-- what, hmm?" tudyo ko na nakatingala ditong napalunok pa.

"E-- l-love."

Mahina akong natawa. Hindi ko alam pero. . . magaan ko siyang niyakap na natigilan pa at napalunok!

"Pwede na. It's a bit convincing. Kailangan mo lang masanay na love ang tawag mo sa akin. Para hindi ka na nauutal sa susunod, lalo na kapag may iba tayong kasama," saad ko na nanatiling nakayakap dito.

Dinig na dinig ko pa ang malakas na kabog ng dibdib niya at ang paglunok niya na ramdam kong kabado.

"S-sige, love." Halos pabulong niyang sagot.

"Damn, Jen? Kinikilig ka talaga? You forced him to call you that way," kastigo ko sa sarili na kinikilig!

Kumalas na ako bago pa ako makalimot. I smiled and caressed his cheek that makes him swallowed.

"Goodnight. . . love." I said.

Napangiti siya na kita ang kakaibang kinang sa mga mata. "G-goodnight din-- love."

I softly chuckled and pinched his cheek. "Ang cute mo talaga. See you tomorrow, hmm? Don't leave without saying goodbye ha?" I reminded him.

Ngumiti siya na tumango. "Tatandaan ko. Salamat."

AFTER we mumbled soft, awkward goodnights– his shy ‘goodnight, love’ still fizzing warm in my ears. I padded to my bedroom right next to the guest room, the hallway’s dim nightlight casting soft gold on the carpet. It was already 3 a.m, my limbs heavy with exhaustion, but my mind was too light, too buzzing to shut down just yet. Pero kahit pagod ang buong katawan ko at inaantok na ako, alam ko sa sariling masaya ako tonight.

I locked my door out of habit, not fear, weirdly, I didn’t feel an ounce of unease having Hajie, a guy I’d met less than six hours prior, my rented fake boyfriend no less, under my roof. Trust had never come this fast for me, not even with Arman, who’d taken months to earn that kind of trust. Ilang buwan ding nanligaw si Arman sa akin dati. Halos araw-araw na nangungulit, pinapatawa ako at pinapakilig. That's why I thought, he's the one. Because his priority is to makes me happy.

Mapait akong napangiti na maalala ang gagong ex boyfriend ko. Nagsayang lang pala ako ng isang taon sa kanya. Pero mainam na rin na nakipaghiwalay na siya sa akin. Because I have no idea that he's falling for someone else. Fvck him. Akala ko ay kaya niya akong tanggapin at mahalin pero– nagkamali ako.

I turned the shower to scalding hot, stepping under the stream to melt the last of the party. Napailing ako na pilit iwinaglit sa isipan ang pesteng ex ko. Sumasakit na rin ang ulo ko dala ng pagod at puyat. Idagdag pang nakainom ako kanina. As I washed hairspray out of my curls, I found myself smiling, my thoughts drifting right back to Hajie– his flustered stutter when I’d teased him about calling me love, the way he’d draped his jacket over my shoulders without a second thought, the quiet gentleness in his eyes that told me he’d never push, never take advantage of me. It was only our first night, but it felt like he’d carved a deep, soft spot in my chest before I even realized it. Nakakatuwa na makahanap ng isang katulad niya akala ko, hindi na nage-exist sa mundo.

Matapos mag-shower, binalot ko na muna ng towel ang sarili at lumabas ng banyo. Tumuloy ako sa walk-in closet ko and pulled on an oversized hoodie and pants, and went through my lazy night routine. When I flopped onto my bed, I groaned, my body sinking into the soft foam like it was hugging me back. I pulled my thick, fuzzy comforter up to my chin, a soft smile tugging at my lips as the suite’s quiet wrapped around me. For the first time in a week, my mind wasn’t replaying break-up fights or what-ifs. My heart felt light, peaceful, and I drifted off with that smile still on my face, unbothered that a stranger-turned-boyfriend was sleeping just a wall away.

Kahit hindi ko aminin, alam ko sa sarili ko na masaya ako ngayon. Nakakatuwa lang na sa unang beses, matapos ang break-up namin ni Arman, hindi ako naluha na nagpatangay sa antok. Hindi ako gulong-gulo at hindi mabigat ang dibdib.

And that's all because– of Hajie.