Just a Summer Thing

The Past II

"Alling, painom kami!" Boses ito ng binatang lalaki na nanggagaling sa labas.

"Sandali lang naman!" reklamo ni Arlene at mabilis na pinagbuksan ang walang awat na kumakatok.

"May malamig ba kayong-" Hindi natapos ng binata ang kanyang sinasabi nang pumasok siya at napansin ako. "May bisita ka pala, 'di mo sinabi," nahihiyang wika niya.

It's my first time to see him. Boyfriend ba siya ni Arlene? Oh so, she didn't tell me?!

"Di ko na kailangang sabihin sa'yo, wala ka namang ganap sa'min," mabilis na sumbat niya. "Nga pala, Camy, si Echo, pinsan ko," wala sa kagustuhan niyang ipakilala. "Si Camille, best friend ko. Wala kaming malamig na tubig kaya pwede ka nang umalis," dagdag pa niya.

Nag-wave hand ako sa pinsan niya na inakala kong boyfriend niya. He waved back and smiled.

"Sungit mo naman! Sige kahit 'di na malamig, nauuhaw na tropa ko e," kumento nito kay Arlene. Agad niyang tinawag ang kasama niyang naghihintay sa labas.

May kasama pala siya.

"Tara, pre 'wag kang mahiya," lakas-loob pa nitong hinila papasok ang kaibigan habang si Arlene naman ay nagsasalin ng tubig sa babasaging baso.

Tumalikod ako at napahagikhik ng konti.

This is not the first time seeing Arlene being annoyed by someone but I wanna laugh hard. She's so cute crossing her eyebrows and rolling her eyes.

Lumingon ulit ako sa kanila. To my surprised, he is the guy who helped me yesterday!

Napatingin din siya sa'kin saka ngumiti matapos niyang uminom.

I blushed when I felt that jaw-dropping moment. As if it's raining with hearts while my heart beating fast.

But it only lasted for seconds when someone poked my right cheek.

"W-What?" Lutang akong tumugon sabay lingon kay Arlene.

"Ah, Camille si Matt nga pala," pakilala ni Echo sa kanyang kasama.

Oh, kaya pala Matt ang pangalan niya dahil Mattagal ko na siyang hinahanap.

"Pagpasensyahan niyo na 'tong best friend ko, kakarating niya lang dito sa probinsya kaya medyo lutang pa siya," nahihiyang wika ni Arlene kay Echo habang imaakbayan ako at pinipisil ang balikat ko.

"Sige, una na kami. Salamat," masayang paalam ni Matt sa'min. Nahuling lumabas si Echo ngunit bago pa siya tuluyang makalabas ay nakipag-asaran pa kay Arlene with his gesture, eye-to-eye.

I became more interested to Matt so I simply ask questions about him.

According to Arlene, he's ahead of us for about two or three years and halos kakauwi lang din daw ng family niya rito, obviously for a vacation.

Days had passed of haven't seeing each other so I kept asking and asking about him until Arlene noticed it.

"Crush mo 'no?" panunukso niya habang tinutulungan ko siya sa pagbibilad ng mga sitaw para maging binhi dito sa likod ng kanilang bahay.

"How do you say so?" patay-malisya kong tanong nang 'di lumilingon sa kanya.

"Kilala kita 'no at kahit bumaliktad pa ang mundo, wala kang maitatago sa'kin," natatawang tugon niya.

I bit my lower lip given the fact that Arlene found it. Bigla akong nahiya sa kanya.

"Since you know already, what do you think of us?" kinikilig kong tanong.

She pinched my shoulder, "Hindi mo nga alam kung gusto ka rin ng tao tapos may kayo agad?" She was shooking her head unbelievably.

Napanguso ako dahil may point naman siya. Mag-iisang linggo pa lang nang una ko siyang makita and I fell for him already.

Napailing ako sa mga iniisip ko. "You're right, why would I assume that," natatawa kong pag-sang ayon. I focused on what I was doing to finish it as soon as possible.

I was on my way home when street lights suddenly switched off. I was in the middle of the rocky road and I'm scared that something might happen to me in the dark.

Kinuha ko ang phone ko sa pocket ng shorts ko, but it's battery low.

"Kung kailan kailangan kita," inis kong bulalas sa hangin at binalik muli ito sa bulsa.

I looked around but no near houses. Taniman ng sitaw ang parehas na side ng daan. Seems like there's no electricity in the town at this moment.

Napatingin ako sa pinanggagalingan ng ilaw. I can't see clearly who's this pero papalapit siya sa'kin.

No, don't you dare to do filthy things to me!

I reached my phone and was about to throw when he spoke.

"Hey, it's me." Tinapat niya sa mukha niya ang flashlight. Nasilaw siya kaya agad niya rin itong binaling sa ibang direksyon.

Biglang bumilis ang t***k ng puso ko with a thought that he's my knight in shining armor.

"Matt, right?" I smiled when he smiled too.

"Camille?"

I nodded and smiled wider the fact that he still recalls my name.

He offered to escort me going home. I refused once because it might be obvious right? But he insisted so, we shared the light coming from his phone. The moon is bright and the stars are out.

"Where is your home? Ngayon lang kasi kita nakita rito," he opened the topic.

Aww, you don't remember me on the beach? You helped me to give back my things.

"I'm staying at Hooderman's mansion. Me and my family are currently on a vacation," maiksing tugon ko.

I wanna ask him the same but I feel shy. I just keep smiling while enjoying the cold breeze.

"Wow, kayo pala nagmamay-ari no'n? Is it your first time to have a vacation here? Madalas kasi ako sa bahay ng pinsan ko, and sometimes I joke him that there is a ghost there. I thought it's a haunted house. Sa katapat na arko ng mansion niyo, that's where my cousin lives," full of energy in his voice.

He's talking as if we're friends for a long time. His presence is pleasant, a person that is easy to befriend.

"Really?" amazement in my voice. "What a small world." I laughed. "Who thought that I will see you again after our first meeting at the beach," I added.

He looked at me for a while, still walking together. "At the beach? Where? Is it--oh!" He snapped his fingers. "Oo, naalala ko na! Ikaw 'yong kasama ni Mia no'ng malakas ang hangin do'n."

Napatigil ako, "You know Ate Mia?"