Please, Forget me Not

CHAPTER 16

"Khyrss…." Frea tapped my shoulder lightly, waking me up. I groaned and pulled my blanket over my head.

"Hindi ka ba nagugutom? Alas dos na ng hapon at kanina ka pa natutulog diyan." I covered my ears with my pillow. "Kung matutulog ka lang pala, sana hindi ka na sumama. Sayang, ang ganda pa naman no'ng beach,” she said. I didn't answer.

"Hoy, Khyrss Sariah! Bumangon ka na kasi riyan!" Hinila niya 'yong kumot palayo sa akin at hinampas ako ng unan. "Akala mo ba titigilan kita?" Inis ko siyang tiningnan.

"Inaantok pa nga ako! Si Aly muna ang guluhin mo, ‘wag ako." After saying that, I buried my head on my pillow trying to sleep again but Frea was so freaking persistent!

She then started tickling my feet that made me stand up in annoyance!

"Leche kang babae ka!" I threw her my pillow, but it didn't hit her.

Dali-dali siyang lumayo sa akin sa takot na ako ang lumapit sa kan’ya.

"'Wag ka nang mainis diyan, magpasalamat ka nga at ako ang gumising sa'yo. Sabi kasi ni Algid ‘pag siya ang pumunta rito, hindi ka na niya gigisingin at bubuhatin ka na niya diretso sa dagat. Gusto mo ‘yon?" Tinaasan niya ako ng kilay.

"Oh, I was surprised you didn't go with his plan?" I said sarcastically. Knowing Aly, he would really do that to me so I know Frea wasn't lying. Nakapagtataka lang na hindi iyon sinang-ayunan ng baliw na babaeng nasa harap ko ngayon.

"Ang sama naman ng tingin mo sa akin." She playfully put her palms on her chest pretending to be hurt. I rolled my eyes.

"Lumayas ka nga sa harap ko, naiinis ako sa pagmumukha mo, e!" I stood up and headed towards the closet. Alam kong hindi na ako makakatulog ulit dahil sa pesteng babaeng gumising sa akin kaya napagdesisyunan kong maligo na lang bago lumabas ng kwarto namin. Medyo nakakaramdam na rin kasi ako ng gutom dahil umagahan pa lang ang nakain ko. Hindi na kasi ako nakakain ng lunch kanina pagkarating dahil mas ginusto kong magkulong at matulog na lang dahil sa nangyari sa amin ni Zach kanina. I don’t want to see him. Naiinis ako!

After taking a shower, I wore a white maxi dress because I'm not in the mood to swim. I just want to roam around the beach resort and take a lot of photos. I need to gather photographs to prepare a portfolio for my job hunting. Ayaw kong tumambay maghapon sa bahay, ‘no!

I slid my straw bag around me then I grabbed my camera before walking towards the door. Soon as I got out of my room, my hair and dress started to dance as the ocean breeze hit me. I shut my eyes for a few minutes to feel the cool air blowing my face. So relaxing...

I unconsciously smiled thanking Frea in my head for waking me up. Ang sarap sa pakiramdam ng sariwang hangin... After a few minutes, I slowly opened my eyes and to my surprise, it landed in someone's eyes. I saw Zach on his gray board shorts and a plain pink t-shirt staring at me intently from afar. I averted my gaze as I felt how my heart suddenly banged inside my chest upon seeing him and acted like I didn't see him.

I started walking in the opposite direction where he was standing. I just walk slowly, afraid that I might trip on my own feet dahil sa paninitig niya sa aking likuran.

Ano ba Khyrss? calm yourself! You shouldn't be affected by anything about him, okay? I inhaled deeply and continued walking.

Nang makalayo na ako ay doon pa lang kumalma ang sistema ko. I roamed my eyes around and my stomach suddenly growled when my gaze landed on a restaurant. I decided to go there since I haven't had my lunch yet and I'm so freaking hungry na!

Umakyat ako sa kahoy na hagdan para maka-pasok sa restaurant. Para lang kasi siyang kubo na nakaangat sa lupa pero malaki at malawak. Maganda rin ang pagkakadisenyo, bagay na bagay sa lugar. It was a modern nipa hut, and it really has a nice ambiance. You can see the whole beach while you're eating because it was an overlooking restaurant. I made my way to a vacant table. After a few seconds, the waiter approached me and greeted me in his Batangueño accent while smiling brightly at me.

I find his accent cute that's why I smiled at him. After browsing their menu, I decided to try their famous lomi and bulalo with some other sea foods and rice. Yes, I ordered a lot, gutom ako, e. Tsaka nakakatakam din 'yong nakalagay sa menu nila kaya gusto ko tuloy tikman.

Habang hinihintay ang aking order, iginala ko ang paningin ko sa paligid. Kakaunti lang ang mga tao na nakain ngayon siguro dahil alas tres pa lang naman ng hapon. Habang nagmamasid sa paligid, nadaanan ng aking paningin ang grupo ng foreigner at nahuli ng aking mata ang paninitig sa akin no'ng isa. He immediately smiled at me when he saw me looking at him too.

He waved his hands at me, but I just nodded and looked away quickly because I don't want to give him any reason to join me here. I saw it from the way he stared, he was waiting for me to give him a hint or something so that he could start flirting with me, but I refused to feed his satisfaction. I'm only here because I want to eat and he's not my type.

I saw him stand up through the corner of my eyes and he's coming this way. Piece of...

"Hi..." He stopped right in front of me. I looked up at him.

"Are you trying to flirt with me?" I asked directly. He let out a sort of strangled choke. He probably didn't see that coming.

"Maddox."

"What?" My forehead creased.

"My name," he said smiling, his hand stretched in front of me. "And yes, I was trying to flirt with you, until you shot me down, that is." He was also straightforward, huh.

I c****d my brows and forced a smile. I need to do this fast because I can already see from here the waiter that was walking towards me.

But before I could even mutter a single word, someone tapped Maddox's shoulder and occupied the seat across me.

"Dude," Zach said in a warning tone. I just stared at him, shocked by his sudden appearance. Did he follow me here?

Just thinking of that made my heart pound so hard inside my chest.

He then looked at me. "I'm sorry babe, I'm late." He gave me a lopsided smile. I gasped. "...And it seems like someone was hitting on you?" He shifted his gaze from me to Maddox with furrowed brows. The foreigner held his arms up and made his exit.

My gaze followed Maddox until he reached their tables and his friends or whatever started teasing him because of his failed mission. I rolled my eyes before I looked at the guy in front of me who was staring intently and watching my every move.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"I want to eat too." He shrugged like it was a normal thing between us. I was about to snap at him, but the waiter came on the scene. Look who was saved by the bell.

"Can I have your menu too?" He said to the waiter who just finished arranging my food.

Taka namang nagpabalik-balik ang tingin nito sa pagkaing in-order ko at sa akin. I know what he was thinking right now. The food I just ordered can feed three people but it's only mine. I just sent him a half-smile and gestured Zach.

After the waiter excused himself, Zach crossed his arms above the table and started talking to me again. I raised my brow, he really forgot easily huh? I just said to him this morning that I don't want to talk to him but look, he was doing the opposite and he even dared to call me babe!

"I didn't know you eat a lot," he said while looking at my food one by one.

"Well, now you know," I answered nonchalantly while my eyes were fixed to lomi. I tried it and took another spoon because it tastes good. Tumigil ako saglit para kunin ang camera ko. Pagkatapos kunan ng litrato ang mga pagkain ko, nagsimula na akong kumain, completely ignoring Zach's presence. Dahan-dahan lang akong nakain, naco-conscious kasi ako sa tingin niya, ayaw ko namang pagsabihan because I don't want him to think that he has effect on me.

"You're good on ignoring someone's existence, huh?” Hindi ako nagsalita o tinapunan man lang siya ng tingin.

“I guess you're more interested in your food than me," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

I cleaned my mouth using the napkin provided before I looked at him. "And why would I get interested in you?" He gave me an amused smile.

"Naninibago lang ako... you used to be so clingy, cheerful, talkative, you also have a lot of silly punchlines that always made me smile and now that we can already see and talk to each other, all you did was to ignore and give me a cold treatment... and I know it's entirely my fault for ignoring you for the past month." He looked away.

"Look, I'm really sorry for that and I really wanted to make it up to you... Please, just let me and don't try to push me away..." His voice trailed off. I didn't answer even after a few minutes. I just stared at him.

I got lost for words after seeing for the first time the sincerest eyes that I have never seen in my parents, my friends, or even Aly's eyes. The kind of sincerity that will make you forgive someone in a blink of an eye no matter what that person did to you. I have never thought that it was possible for any human being to have that kind of sincerity.

But I just saw it today... reflected in the eyes of a man sitting across me, in the shade of hazel.

Suddenly, all the grudges that I have for him vanished through the air.

I looked away. "But you're an asshole," I muttered, trying to get a hold of myself.

He let out a short laugh. "Okay, I will accept that... only on the part that I ignored you." His gaze fell. "Because I'm not an asshole like what you think of me."

I c****d my brow. "Then what are you?" I said, trying to build a fence after he just knocked down the wall I built between us.

"You're not good at reading people." My forehead creased.

Is he insulting me?

But he smiled... not an annoying kind of smile. It was an assuring smile that he wasn't insulting me.

"Maybe I'm a nice guy, Khyrss."

I snorted. Ayaw magpatalo, Khyrss Sariah? My subconscious said.

"I don't think so. You're so annoying yesterday." His chuckles, smirk, and whatsoever screams cockiness. 

"Yes, you can say and observe a lot about people based on their features or what they do with them. But getting to know someone, for who they really are, takes time," aniya na para bang nabasa kung ano ang nasa isip ko.

"Wow, so deep, huh?" I was about to continue eating when an idea popped into my head. I put down my spoon and crossed my arms over my chest. "Try reading me, then. Since you're such an expert," I sarcastically said and gave him a challenging look.

"If what you're going to say is accurate, then I will give you a chance to make up for what you did to me." Nagulat naman siya dahil sa sinabi ko pero agad ding nakabawi.

"Okay... let's see." He looked at me seriously.

I immediately regretted my decision because I just realized that I permitted him to stare at me and I was already blushing.

"There's something in your eyes like you were longing for something but they appeared to be smiling. You often raise your brow or roll your eyes to express your amusement about something but sometimes it's just a pure expression of your annoyance and irritation. You tend to smile easily whenever you see adorable things or people. And I can see the awe in your face because what I am telling is accurate. Oh, I forgot to mention that you just blushed because you realize that I would be looking in your face to scrutinize you and you kinda regretted it. Now you're thinking if I have some black magic in me. I can see it from the way you creased your forehead and how some muscles in your face twitched." He leaned in, I jerked away.

"And last, but probably the most accurate one was you're still crushing on me despite your grudge against me." He smiled softly as a pink flush crept past my neck.

"Y-you were w-wrong..." I stammered. I can't believe all the things he just said!

"Uh-huh?" He c****d his head, not believing what I said. He was freaking enjoying this!

I didn't bother to make any more excuses or lies because the look on his face says how confident he is. I just glared at him. I should have known from the start that he was such an expert!

"Don't overthink yourself... you're a transparent person that's why I was able to read them from you. Just don't forget what you said... that you'll give me a chance to make up everything for you, and that's effective starting from now. And please be informed that I will be always around every time I have a chance to be with you," He said, giving me a charming smile.

"Oh, damn! You hypnotize me, aren't you?" I blurted out while pointing my index finger at him.

He laughed upon seeing the horror in my face.

"Am I hypnotizing, then?" Natigilan ako dahil sa sinabi niya dahil mukhang iba ang ibig sabihin noon. Tinaasan niya ako ng kilay kaya nag-iwas ako ng tingin.

"No, you weren't," I answered slowly, trying to appear that I wasn't enjoying this little exchange of conversation, but I could already feel my shoulder relaxing with him around.

"Okay," tumatango-tangong sabi niya nang ibalik ko ang aking tingin sa kan'ya. I know he doesn't believe me. His strut and the smile on his face said it all!

"Ugh! You're annoying!" I rolled my eyes at him and continued eating again.

Alas singko na nang makalabas kami sa restaurant kaya naman masarap nang maglakad-lakad sa tabing-dagat dahil hindi na mainit. I was walking slowly while watching my feet hit by the waves coming every now and then. Ang sarap sa pakiramdam na tapakan ang basang buhangin, nakakarelax. Naka-yapak lang ako ngayon at hawak naman ni Zach ang suot kong beach sandals kanina. He snatched it away from me and I didn't bother getting it back. Bahala siyang magbitbit.

"Ouch!" I yelped after I hit my head on Zach's back when he suddenly stopped walking. He turned around immediately.

"Why aren't you looking on your way?" I could hear the suppressed laughter in his voice.

"Bakit ba kasi bigla kang tumigil?" I snapped, rubbing my forehead. His back muscles were so hard! Was he doing workouts? Feeling ko naman hindi kasi sobrang busy niya, e, or maybe he was just good in time management. I think it was the latter because the build of his body wasn't something you can achieve by just making plates all day and all night. You need to work it out.

"Okay, I'm sorry." Natinag ako sa pag-iisip nang magsalita siya. "Let's just walk side by side." Hindi na ako nagprotesta at hinayaan na lang siya sa gusto niya.

We started walking again. Walang nagsasalita sa amin habang binabaybay ang daan pabalik sa suite. Tahimik lang kaming nagmamasid sa paligid but there was no awkwardness between us.

Hinawakan ko ang aking buhok gamit ang kaliwang kamay dahil sa lakas ng hangin na nanggagaling sa dagat. Napatigil naman ako sa paglalakad nang mapansin ang pag-iibang kulay ng langit.

"The sun is about to set," Zach said in a low voice. I nodded, still looking where the ocean touches the sky. I smiled while watching the sun slowly falling behind the horizon, painting the sky shades of orange and red.

Sunsets on the beach never failed to amaze me. I could stand here watching every sunset forever.

"You know what? sunsets are my favorite part of the day." I looked at Zach over my shoulder.

"Why?" I tilted my whole body to face him. I took this chance to scrutinize him.

I noticed how his hair danced whenever the wind touched it, how his shirt hugged his perfect toned body because of the ocean breeze. He has a pair of deep-set hazel eyes. The fern green on the edge contrasted beautifully with the pale yellow or sometimes brownish amber color in the middle and when he smiled, both colors ignited with a glow gleaming him with warmth and gentleness of the amber and the seductive green dancing around its edge, capturing the heart of any woman who will gaze at him. He has long eyelashes partnered with shallow arched thick eyebrows that complement well on his chiseled face that has symmetrical bone structure, cheekbones high and prominent, a roman nose that has a slightly elevated bridge, and a perfectly shaped thin-upper pinkish lip.

Ngayon ko lang siya natitigan nang ganito...

And I just realized that the word handsome is an understatement. It wasn't enough to describe him. No adjectives can be used to describe all those facial features in one word because he is the adjective himself. It seems like God takes his time to carve him perfectly. I'm wondering if he also has flaws like most of us.

"Hey, don't stare at me like that." I immediately got back to my senses right after he said that.

"Oh, sorry... Ano nga ulit yung sasabihin mo? Ay, oo naalala ko na, it was about sunset being your favorite part of the day... What was the reason behind that?" He looked away and tucked his hands in his pocket.

Sh*t, nakakahiya!

"I always feel excited every sunset because finally, after a long tiring day, I can talk to you again.” He shifted his gaze to me again before he continued. “Because sunset in Canada means sunrise here."

I held my breath and tried to gain control of my racing heart. I suddenly felt unfamiliar warmth in me. With him around, everything I felt was unfamiliar to me. He was making me feel things I've never felt before. I wanted to avoid or control myself from feeling those strange things yet at the same time, I felt like I was addicted to something foreign.

I looked away. I closed my eyes feeling the breeze play through my hair. I stretched out my arms and welcomed the air against my body. The ocean breeze together with the sound of the waves as it nears the shore brought peace and calm inside me. It swept away all the negative things I have in my mind. I stayed like that for a few minutes then I slowly opened my eyes and glanced at the man beside me. My heart skipped a beat when I met his gaze. He was watching me with a genuine smile plastered on his face like he was enjoying the view.

And for the first time, I smiled at him too.

I have always loved beach sunsets with the same intensity but today was extra special.

Exceptional...

Because I just watched it with Zach beside me. And I never expected this kind of moment to happen. It felt surreal... and romantic.

I realized right at this moment that what I'm feeling for him wasn't just a simple attraction.

Flashbacks from months of talking to him came into me. Like how his simple messages can sweet away my tiredness, how his voice can brighten up my mood, how I ruined my sleeping time to stay up till dawn just to talk to him, and how I got hurt when he suddenly ignored me.

I wouldn’t feel all of that if I was just attracted to him...

I know it was more than that.