TAMED SERIES 3: RAFAEL AVILA

Kabanata 1

Caya

"Your eyebags look horrible," my gay stylist s***h friend commented. His forehead even wrinkled while he's chewing his gum. Naniningkit pa ang mga mata na animo'y ang eyebags ko na ang pinakanakadidiring bagay na nakita niya.

Yes, his pronouns are he and him. He said pronouns were not a huge thing back then. All they cared about was being accepted and respected.

I sighed. "You don't have to remind me, Adi."

Adi. Short for Adolf. He said he doesn't like his first name and he almost threw a fight with his parents when he found out that his name came from the leader of the Nazi Party; Adolf Hitler. He said his parents were horrible for giving him such name.

Well, some parents are really horrible. Kung sa kanya ay sa pangalan siya parang tinarantado, sa akin naman, literal na ginago ako ng sarili kong ina alang-alang sa pera.

Nahilot ko ang sintido ko. "I had a bad dream. Hindi na ako nakabalik sa pagtulog pagkatapos magising so excuse my eyebags."

Kinuha niya ang kanyang Spanish Latte at sandaling uminom bago ulit dinampot ang brush. "Pareho kayo ni Astrid na akala mo may parachute sa ilalim ng mga mata. Diyos ko, parang hindi mga blockbuster queen!"

Hindi na lang ako nagkumento pa. I let him do my make up while I review my script. I'm doing an appearance in Astrid and Crude's latest movie. My new manager suggested that it would be a good way to tell people that I am coming back in showbiz. Only this time, as Caya.

Adi was almost done with my make up when Astrid and our manager went inside the tent. Umiirap sa kawalan si Astrid habang nagtatatalak ang manager namin. Hindi gaya ko, mas malakas ang loob ni Astrid na magtaray kapag naiinis na talaga. It's not like I don't want my reputation to get ruined by a single eyeroll though. I just, well, it feels rude.

"Why does my love life even concern you, Tita? I told you a thousand times that my private life has nothing to do with our contract!" Astrid shouted. Malakas ang loob dahil may kalayuan ang tent sa set.

"Haven't you seen the headlines? Nagkakaroon na ng ispekulasyon ang mga tao na nasisira na ang loveteam ninyo ni Crude dahil diyan sa lalake mo!"

Astrid scoffed. "Wala akong pakialam! Crude doesn't give a damn, too!"

"Well, I give a damn! I am your manager and I have the right to give a damn!" Bumuntonghininga si Tita Cathy. "Look, Astrid. We cannot let this movie flop. Ang laki ng budget nito at kung masisira ang tyansang bumenta dahil lang sa namumuong haka-hakang may lalake ka, pare-pareho tayong mananagot. Don't you get it? So please, at least even for once, set that man aside and prioritize your career. You didn't work hard after he left you just to lose everything for him."

Para bang natauhan si Astrid sa sinabi ni Tita Cathy. She sighed as she sat on a folding chair to massage her temple. "Fine. What do you want me to do?"

Sandaling nag-isip si Tita Cathy. Maya-maya ay tumingin siya sa akin at ang mga mata ay bahagyang nanlaki. "We can make scoops about him being Caya's suitor."

My lips parted. Nagkatinginan kami ni Astrid. Halatang parehong ikinagulat ang sinabi ni Tita Cathy.

"Excuse me, what?" iritableng tanong ni Astrid.

"People know that you and Caya used have been close since the early days of your careers. We can let people know that Captain Guevarra visited the set before because Caya was there. Look, this is for your own good. You want a lowkey relationship, hmm? Keep the spotlight of your faces. Unless wala kang tiwala r'yan sa boyfriend mo, Astrid?" hamon ni Tita Cathy.

Astrid clenched her fists so I knew tita Cathy hit the wrong nerve. Sandali siyang natahimik na tila nag-isip. Maya-maya ay humugot siya ng malalim na hininga bago tumingin sa akin. "Atlantis will set sail for an international voyage. I'll join the cruise so I can spend some time with my boyfriend. If you will agree to help me, I will bring you with me so it would look like I'm being your third wheel."

Napakunot ako ng noo. "Are you sure? But what about your boyfriend? Baka hindi pumayag?"

"Well, he'll agree one way or another." Pumikit siya at hinilot ang kanyang sintido. "I'd rather seek your help than someone else's. There's only a very few people I could trust, Caya."

I sighed. Wala namang kaso sa akin. Makakatulong pa ako sa kanya nang hindi na siya pag-initan ng mga basher at die-hard fan ng Astrude. I also know how things work in show business. A lot of things are fake, but that's how showbiz personalities thrive in this industry. We make everything seem believable.

Ilang taon ko ngang naitago ang pagiging dalawa naming Crystal ng kapatid ko noon. Kung hindi naman nag-trending ang tungkol sa paglilitis kung saan ko ipinagtapat ang totoo, wala naman sanang alam ang mga tao.

I ended up agreeing to help Astrid. A week after the end of our shoot, Astrid and I flew to Singapore for the cruise. Nag-check in muna kami sa isang five-star hotel para hindi na magkumahog kinabukasan.

"Croft will be here by seven PM. We can switch rooms before he arrives," ani Astrid habang hinihilot ang leeg niya.

I nodded while looking at the view outside the glass wall of her suite. Nag-usap kami pagkatapos tungkol sa mga upcoming project at sa balak kong dahan-dahanin lang ang pagtanggap sa mga proyekto.

"That's good for you. Sometimes I regret aiming to make it big. Akala ko noon, gusto ko iyong pwesto mo," aniya saka mapaklang ngumiti. "I didn't realize everything comes with a price. Mas lumalamang na ngayon ang inis ko kaya bilib ako sa'yo dahil nagawa mo pa ring balikan ang industriya pagkatapos ng nangyari. I know your mother sold you to producers just to secure your spot in the industry. It must've been hard to pretend you didn't go through all of that."

Basag akong ngumiti. "Maswerte ka pa rin kay Tita Cathy dahil kahit pakialamera siya sa personal life mo, she never did stuff like that to you."

"Yeah. Parang nanay ko na 'yon kaya lang hindi ko rin maiwasang mairita dahil, well, para ngang nanay. Lahat pinakikialamanan." She checked her phone when it vibrated. "He's here. Can you . . . accompany him? Just in case there are paparazzis downstairs."

"Sure. I don't mind."

She sighed. "Salamat, Caya. This is such a big help. Rinding-rindi na ako kay Tita Cathy."

I smiled. "No big deal. Labas na ako. Is he in the lobby?"

"Yeah, he said nasa couch siya."

"Alam na ba niya ang gagawin?" I asked.

"Yeah, but he said don't touch him. Just act cool." Umismid siya. "Sorry. He's too scared to make me jealous."

Natawa na lamang ako nang mahina bago na tuluyang lumabas ng suite. I walked towards the elevator. Nang bumukas iyon ay sandali pa akong natigilan nang makita ang lalakeng nasa loob at nakasandal sa elevator wall. Parang nagulat din siya nang makita ako.

His defined jaw clenched while his rosy lips pursed out of obvious irritation. Bahagya ring nagsalubong ang masungit na pares ng mga kilay habang ang kulay tsokolateng mga matang nagtatago sa makapal na pilikmata ay tila tumalim noong napagtanto kung sino ako.

I scanned him a bit. The tip of his slightly messy dark hair fell on his forehead, reaching his eyebrows. Para siyang modelo ng suot niyang black button-down polo dahil bumagay ang pagiging masungit ng awra niya ngayon sa kanyang suot.

I felt conscious with his stare after I realized that I've looked at him for too long. Isa pa ay halatang hindi siya natuwang makita ako roon. Mabuti na lamang at siya na rin ang unang nag-iwas ng tingin bago pa ako nakapagdesisyong pumasok.

I swear it feels like he wanted to run outside the elevator before the doors even shut. The atmosphere felt suffocating, too. Pagkapindot ko ng ground floor ay umatras na lamang din ako't pasimple siyang pinasadahan ng tingin.

Attorney Rafael Avila. His reputation was scarred because of his affair with Jaysel. I thought he was jailed. Hindi ko alam na nakalabas din pala kaagad.

Humugot ako ng hininga't sinubukan siyang kausapin. "Uhm, hi? How's Attorney Herrera?"

Gumalaw ang panga niya. I even saw him gave me a side eye for a reason I couldn't tell yet. "Malay ko," masungit niyang sagot.

Napakunot ako ng noo. Bakit parang galit siya sa akin? Was it because of my confession during the trial? I don't hold grudges towards him since hindi niya naman ako ginawaan ng masama pero nakakairitang makitang parang siya pa itong may galit sa akin.

Sinubukan kong pakalmahin ang sarili ko. "I didn't know you already got out of jail--"

"Look, Miss. We're not okay for you to shoot me questions, alright?" iritable niyang sabi. Ang mga mata ay masungit akong tinitigan.

Sakto namang bumukas ang pinto ng elevator sa tenth floor kaya kahit hindi pa naman siya roon bababa ay lumabas na makalayo lang sa akin.

Kumuyom ang aking mga kamao nang pagtinginan ng mga taong papasok ng elevator. Kung pasadahan nila ako ng tingin ay para bang iniisip nilang magjowa kami ni Rafael na nagkaroon ng LQ habang nasa elevator.

Napabuntonghininga na lamang tuloy ako nang muling umandar ang elevator pababa. God, I hope I won't bump into him again. Dahil baka kung sungitan ako ulit ay mapatulan ko na.

Makasalubong na ang lahat huwag lamang ulit ang antipatikong Atty. Avila na iyon . .