DUCANI LEGACY SERIES 11: Kali

Kabanata 10

KALI parked his car in front of the resto where one of his prospects agreed to meet him. The last one he met up with was a total jackass. Puro lamang pagpapalipad-hangin tungkol sa husay nito sa s*x ang ginawa nito sa kanya kaya naman halos manalangin siyang sana ay matino-tino itong bago niyang kikitain.

"Good evening. Table for two. My reservation is under Barren Cabezon," aniya sa staff.

Ngumiti ang babae sa kanya. "Chef Barren himself? Must be an important dinner. This way, Sir."

Napakunot ng noo si Kali. The guy's a chef? Bakit sabi sa bio nito sa dating app ay food vlogger ito?

Hindi na lamang nagtanong si Kali. He'd save his questions for later so he can assess the guy properly.

The staff led him to one of the best seats in the place. Malapit iyon sa pwesto ng bandang tumutugtog ng jazz music.

"Thanks," he said to the staff after he was seated. Nag-order na rin siya ng wine saka niya pinasadahan ng tingin ang lugar.

"Man, this seems better than Dejesa."

Pasimple siyang kumuha ng mga larawan saka iyon ipinadala kay Yvez. Isa sa mga kaibigan nilang magpipinsan. He even teased Yvez but Yvez just blocked him on IG after telling him to never come to Dejesa again.

Napaismid si Kali. "Pikon."

He was smirking at his phone when someone dragged the chair in front of him. Napaangat ng tingin si Kali sa lalakeng naka-chef's uniform pa at may napakatamis na ngiti.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." The guy sighed. "Kitchen's like a beehive right now."

Umayos siya ng upo saka ito inalok. "No need to apologize. Kali. You know why I'm here, right?"

"Yeah. You've mentioned in our chat." Barren's brown monolid eyes slightly squinted as he smiled with lips pursed. "Though I really thought it was just an excuse for you to, you know? Have a good excuse in case our first date wouldn't go well."

Kali scoffed. "No, man. I was telling the truth. I'm only doing this for E. Make sure he ends up with someone I could trust."

"Sounds pretty noble." Barren adjusted to his seat, signaling Kali that he's getting comfortable and interested to engage in a conversation. "Tell me more about this friend of yours. I wanna know why you're playing Cupid just to make sure he would find someone worthy."

"Oh, he's a great guy."

Nawala na sa isip ni Kali ang pag-oobserba nang tuluyan nang napunta ang atensyon niya sa pagkikwento tungkol kay Eldritch. Ni hindi na nga niya gaanong naririnig na nagsasalita si Barren dahil puro na siya ang nagkikwento.

Barren let the waiter pour them a glass of wine. Nang masalinan ang wine glass nito ay sandaling sumimsim.

"He does sound like a good catch." Barren leaned on his chair while staring at Kali. "Are you sure you're not interested in him instead?"

Napahinto si Kali sa akmang pag-inom ng wine. Ang kanyang noo ay nalukot din nang hindi niya napapansin. "Pardon?"

"Don't get me wrong, Kali." Barren moistened his lower lip. "It takes one to know one. You spoke as if you're admiring Eldritch so much, not just because you think he's a great friend."

Napalunok si Kali. "H-Hey, I'm straight."

Barren lifted both of his brows as he heaved a sigh. "That's what I told myself, too until some musician walked into this restaurant and made me realize I was looking for love in the wrong side of the society." Iniangat pa nito sa ere ang goblet nito. "Maybe you should consider knowing yourself a little better. This whole playing Cupid kind of thing might just end up bruising your heart in the end anyway."

Hindi nagawang kumibo ni Kali. His heart and mind battled as he watched Barren drink his wine.

Kali's mind kept telling him that he knows himself better than anyone else. He's a psychologist, right? He studies people. Parang ang sakit sa ego niya kung mismong sarili pala niya ang hindi niya kilala.

Napahugot siya ng hininga saka niya tinungga ang kanyang wine. Hindi pa nakuntento at nagsalin pa sa kanyang baso. Next thing he knew, he was already having a hard time standing up.

"May I use your phone to call someone who can drive for you? As much as I wanna take you home, I cannot leave the resto," ani Barren. Halatang nahihiya sa kanya.

He unlocked his phone then gave it to Barren. "Here," hirap na niyang sabi. "How much is our bill?"

"Don't worry about it," ani Barren.

Umiling-iling siya. "No, no, no. I insist on paying."

Barren sighed. "Alright but tell me who to call first."

Ngumiti siya rito. Ang mga mata ay naniningkit na dala ng kalasingan. "Call E. I trust him with my life."

Barren smirked then shook his head. "Straight ka nga, Kali."

Kali moistened his lower lip. "My bill, please."

Umiling muli si Barren saka na nito ipinakuha ang bill. Tinawagan din nito ang numero ni Eldritch. Barren told Eldritch the exact address. Nang makumpirmang papunta na ito sa restaurant ay saka lamang ibinalik ni Barren ang phone niya.

Kali slouched on his seat as he read the bill. He even made a 'pff' sound after realizing that his bill was only roughly two hundred thousand.

"Mas mura pa rito kaysa sa Dejesa," lasing na niyang sabi.

Napangisi na lamang si Barren. "Do you know Chef Yvez Dejesa?"

Tumango siya. They started talking about Yvez. Nalaman niyang magkakumpitensya pala sa culinary school noon si Yvez. Madalas umanong magbangayan ang dalawa lalo na pagdating sa timpla ng Filipino dishes. Barren even mentioned about his sister secretly working for Yvez.

Nagtatawanan sila nang dumating si Eldritch sa lugar. Halatang nag-aalala ito sa kanya dahil tila hinahabol pa nito ang hininga nang makarating sa kanilang mesa.

"Sir Kali," tawag ni Eldritch.

Barren looked at Eldritch. Napansin kaagad ni Kali na natulala ito kay Eldritch ng ilang segundo bago nito nagawang ngumiti.

"You must be Eldritch." Barren's eyes flickered with interest. "I'm Barren. I was the one who called you."

Nakipagkamay si Eldritch dito. Kali found himself staring at their hands. His eyes slightly squinted and his jaw clenched for a reason he wasn't ready to admit to himself yet. Parang uminit din ang ulo niya noong nagkwentuhan pa ang dalawa. A part of him wanted to be possessive of Eldritch. Kaya nang hindi na niya kinaya pang kontrolin ang emosyong nagpapasikip sa kanyang dibdib ay tuluyan na siyang tumayo.

"Let's go, E. I wanna sleep already," he said in a serious tone.

Tumayo si Eldritch. "Sige, Sir." Ngumiti itong muli kay Barren. "Salamat ulit. Dalaw kami ng kapatid ko sa susunod."

"DM me. I'll reserve the best seat for you," sagot ni Barren saka nito kinuha ang socials ni Eldritch.

Tuluyang napaigting ng panga si Kali. Hindi niya na maintindihan ang nararamdaman niya. Hindi ba ay ito naman ang kanyang plano? Ang ihanap si Eldritch ng pwede nitong i-date? Bakit ngayon ay parang gusto niyang hablutin ang phone ni Barren para i-block doon ang socials ni Eldritch?

He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "E, let's go, please?" may lambing niyang pakiusap.

Tumango ito saka na nagpaalam kay Barren. They went to his car. Nang makuha ang susi ng sasakyan niya ay inalalayan siya nitong sumakay sa shotgun seat.

Kali rubbed his palm on his face while he watches Eldritch walk towards the driver side. Napaigting pa siya ng panga noong makitang kumaway pa ito kay Barren na nasa front door lamang ng resto.

Is he . . . jealous?

Naipikit na lamang ni Kali ang mga mata niya saka siya humugot ng matalim na hininga. Mukhang tama si Barren. Kailangan nga yata niyang mas kilalanin pa ang sarili niya . . .