Chapter 27
1268 Words
“Do you seriously like me?!”
“Yeah.”
“…Why do you look so calm about it?!”
“Because I’ve liked you for a while now.”
“Wait, WH—what? Since when?!”
“Since that time you threw a stapler at me and blamed it on Kaye.”
“…You’re kidding.”
“I’m dead serious.”
I stared at him.
He stared back.
“…Okay,” I whispered. “But how do I know you’re not just confused?”
“Then let me prove it,” he said, holding up his phone. “If you say you don’t like me, I’ll book my flight back right now.”
I blinked.
My heart dropped.
“I… I…”
He waited.
Shit.
“...I like you, okay?! There! Happy?!”
He grinned.
“Ecstatic,” he whispered.
But the asshole just continued fiddling with his phone.
"Anong ginagawa mo?" I snapped, ready to snatch the phone from his greasy, good-looking fingers.
He lifted it up, smug, and opened his Messenger inbox—but not the normal one. The other inbox.
And he began. To. Scroll.
My mouth dropped. Putangina. ANO 'TO, SLIDE SHOW NG MGA EX NIYA?
Dozens. Dozens of girls.
Mga “hey Andrè 🥺”
Mga “Wanna catch up? ;)”
May “Miss ka na ng baby mo 😘” pa, PUTANGINA, MAY PA-BABY?
I was mortified. Speechless. Convinced the universe was doing this to punish me for every time I asked for an extension sa prof ko na may sakit.
"I'm not confused,” he said, scrolling like a man with a mission. “If anything, I'm enlightened."
SHIT.
"What is happening right now?" I whispered. More to myself than to him.
He looked at me and sighed. "I know you think I'm a ‘man-slut’—as you so gracefully called me before..."
"Because you are?" I replied defensively, crossing my arms.
He nodded, unfazed. "Sure. And I won’t deny the past. But may nagawa ba akong kahalayan these past few months?"
“Wala…” I mumbled.
“Exactly.”
"Pero kasi busy tayo sa school—"
"Please,” he cut in, rolling his eyes. “May time nga ako mag-gym araw-araw. Kung gusto ko talagang lumandi, I would’ve found time. Don’t flatter yourself.”
A moment of silence.
Then he added, “Okay fine, a little flattered.”
I wanted to choke on air.
“You don’t like me,” he said plainly.
“Why do you think that?” I asked, voice trembling a little.
“Because.”
“Because...?”
“Because I’m me.” he said, with exaggerated jazz hands and mock drama.
"Is that an insult or a compliment?"
I stood up, naglakad palayo sa kanya. Nagpaikot-ikot ako sa sala. Para akong ewan. Para akong auditioning for a telenovela called Maalala Mo Kaya: The Idiot Who Caught Feelings.
“Maricon,” he said seriously. “I like you. Do you like me? That’s all I need to know right now.”
Naglakad-lakad pa rin ako. Pabalik-balik like a lost Sims character. I didn’t want to face him. Because what if he was serious? And what if he wasn’t?
Finally, I stopped. “Why do you like me?”
He paused.
And then had the audacity to say, “Honestly? I don’t know.”
"Wow. Good answer," I deadpanned.
He laughed.
Then he stood up, and now we were face-to-face.
I tilted my chin up to glare at him. This stupid, gorgeous, emotionally confusing man.
"You want an honest answer?"
I nodded slowly.
“You’re not the prettiest girl I know.”
Tangina. MAY KICKOUT BUTTON BA SA BAHAY KO?!
"Your body’s... okay."
Naka-dalawa na siya. Pwede ko na ba siyang i-report sa HR kahit wala kami sa opisina?
“You’re not the smartest—definitely not the kindest.”
I clenched my jaw. “What exactly are you trying to say, Ladezma?!?”
He grinned. “My point is, I don’t care about any of that. I just... want to be around you all the f*****g time. And when I realized that, it scared me.”
My throat closed up.
"It scared me how dependent I was letting myself be. When you’re not around, I keep looking for you. When you’re sad, I wanna be the one who cheers you up. When school is kicking your ass, I want to tutor you—not because I love academics—but because I love you getting what you deserve.”
Lord, ano ‘to? Fanfic na ba ‘to? Or ako na talaga si Maricon Santiago sa w*****d?
“You know how scared that made me feel? I’m not selfless, Maricon! I mean, I’m not Satan, but I’m not some martyr either. Pero sa’yo? I want to give you everything. Lahat. Kahit hindi ko pa ma-explain why."
Tangina naman. Ang sakit, ang saya, ang gulo.
"When you started dating Pablo, I wanted to throw my phone at the wall. But I told myself, ‘Whatever makes Maricon happy.’ Even if it killed me.”
I blinked. Several times.
“Oh my god.”
“So... do you like me, Maricon? If you don’t, I’ll catch another flight. I’ll see you in two months. Ayusin natin ‘to. Friends pa rin naman tayo, ‘di ba?”
I covered my face.
But he removed my hands and cupped my face gently. PUTANGINA MAY CHEEK HOLDING?!
“Maricon?”
“I…” I croaked. “I like you. I don’t know. It’s weird.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to feel pressured.”
I nodded. “Yeah. I mean… I wanna be around you too. But this is just so weird. You’re my friend!”
A smile tugged at his lips. “Well... you can just add the word boy in front of friend.”
Hinampas ko siya sa balikat. “Seryoso ka nga.”
He removed his hands and pulled me into a hug.
And it was warm. And steady. And the only hug in the world I didn’t want to end.
I buried my face in his shoulder.
“Will you still catch another flight?” I asked softly.
“No.”
“Why? ‘Di ba magagalit nanay mo?”
“She’s busy. Besides, I was already prepared to ditch my flight. I kept waiting for you to talk. I kinda knew this was where we were headed.”
Kumalas ako sa yakap at tiningala siya. “Talaga?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know… I can just read your crazy head.”
“Bakit ‘di mo ako tinanong agad?”
“Because I knew you’ll talk when you’re ready. If I forced you, you’d probably throw your cat at me or something.”
I chuckled. “Kilalang-kilala mo talaga ako.”
He smiled. “So... what happens now?”
I shrugged. “Ikaw. Anong usually ginagawa niyo ng mga dini-date mo?”
He raised his brow. “You sure you wanna know?”
Nanlaki ang mga mata ko. “Ugh! Walanghiya ka talaga, Ladezma!”
Tumawa siya habang binubugbog ko siya ng throw pillow.
“Hey! I didn’t say anything! For now, I’ll settle for holding your hand. Okay?”
I paused.
“You’re okay with just that?”
“Well, if you wanna do more... I mean, who am I to complain?”
Kinurot ko siya sa tagiliran. “In your dreams, Ladezma.”
He smirked, all cocky and annoying and mine.
“Oh, Maricon Santiago... you are the star of my dreams.”
- Writer
