Mysterious Heart (Tagalog/Filipino)

Crown 3 ♚ WARMTH

DRACO led me to a vacant room upstairs after shrugging off his wet coat and left it lying outside his door. Wala na ang bagyo at kaunti na lang ang ulan nang makarating kami ng bahay niya.

Tumigil siya sa isang pintuan na katabi lang ng kuwartong pinasukan niya kaninang umaga. It must be his room, I thought. Walang imik niyang binuksan ang pintuan at tumayo sa gilid para padaanin ako.

I'm still cold and shivering inside the blanket, but thankfully, my body isn't that freezing stiff anymore. Kung nagtagal pa siguro ako sa kotse ko kanina, baka kulay asul at kasinglamig na ng yelo ang balat ko dahil sa bagyo.

Tiningnan ko si Draco habang naghahanap siya ng damit sa isang lumang cabinet. He’s awfully silent throughout the whole drive. But it was okay, I think, because I was out the whole drive too. I doze and wake up. I doze again and wake up.

But then, at one time, I think I saw Draco pulling my blanket up to cover my exposed shoulder and then he would touch my forehead and my neck to feel my body temperature. I can remember the feeling of his warm hand...

"Achoo!" I sneezed and rubbed my nose with the blanket. It smelled like old woods, but nice.

God, I wish I won't run a fever tonight.

Napansin kong sandaling tumigil si Draco sa ginagawa at nilingon ako, his brows were in knot. If I don't know him much, I'd think he's concerned. But I'm starting to recognize that it's his irritated face.

Inirapan ko siya habang pinipigilan kong magbahing. Kahit na tinulungan niya ako at pinatuloy rito sa bahay niya, it's still his damn fault I am feeling so traumatized.

Maya-maya ay tumayo na siya. "This should fit you," aniya at may mga damit siyang itinapon sa kama sa likod ko. It's a cotton shirt and a pair of shorts. May mga medyas din, tuwalya at extrang kumot.

I sat at the edge of the bed and eyed him suspiciously. "Paano mo nalaman na nandoon ako?"

"I don't. Tinawagan lang ako ng isang tauhan ko dahil nakita niya ang kotse mo."

Oh, so he didn't know I ran out of gas. At ang tauhan niya pala ang kailangan kong pasalamatan kung ganoon.

This man never really ceased to amaze me.

He hovered near the door. Parang may gusto pa siyang sabihin sa akin pero sa hindi ko malamang dahilan, nanatili lang siyang nakatingin sa akin habang nakakunot ang noo.

I smirked. "I don't really want to thank you because it's your fault I was freezing to death but since I have a decency and upbringing—"

"Hindi kita tinulungan kaya 'wag mo nang ituloy," mabilis na putol niya sa akin. "Kung papipiliin ako, mas gusto ko pa ring wala ka dito."

Naningkit ang mga mata ko sa sobrang inis sa lalaking 'to. I feel so irritated it’s warming my whole body. "You seriously have a social problem, you know that?"

Bakit kailangan pa niyang ipamukha na labas sa ilong ang pagtulong niya sa'kin? Can't he just leave it at that? That for once I owed him my life?

But then, I really don't want to owe him anything—especially my life. He's a mean jerk and he's heartless. He doesn't deserve my gratitude.

"Magbhis ka na, bago ka pa mangatog sa lamig diyan," aniya na para bang wala akong sinabi. Tapos ay lumabas siya ng kuwarto. "Iwan mo lang sa labas ng pintuan ang basang damit mo. Magluluto lang ako ng makakain."

"No, thanks!" I mumbled, rolling my eyes. I don't feel like eating with him. Baka maitapon ko lang sa kanya ang mga pagkain or worse, baka mabilaukan pa ako sa sobrang inis.

Natigilan siya sa pagsara ng pintuan at binalingan ako. "I was talking about my own food." With that, Draco closed the door.

Really. How nasty can he get?

I let out an aggravated breath and stood, running my eyes around the room. It's not that big as my room but it had enough space for a single four poster bed, antique cabinet, a single couch, small table and a mantel. Walang TV, walang kahit anong multimedia gadget. Not even a radio. And the light...

Tiningala ko ang fluorescent light and I wondered when was the last time he bothered to change it. Parang bibigay na ang ilaw niya anumang oras.

Seriously, is this really a guest room?

Ni-lock ko na lang ang pintuan at nagsimulang magbihis. Kinuha ko ang mga pinahiram niyang damit at pumasok sa banyo. I took a quick bath, pagkatapos ay doon ko na naisip na patuyuin ang mga damit ko. There's no way I'm gonna let him touch my bra and my undies. Wala pang nakakahawak no'n. Besides, I don't want to think about him every time I wear my undergarments. That's so...

I shuddered. It would be like he’d be touching my female parts! At dalagang Pilipina ako. My mom didn't bring me up so some jerk can touch and wash my undergarments.

Surprisingly, the water was lukewarm, kaya medyo nawala ang pangangatog ko at nabawasan ang panlalamig ko. Pati ang pagbabahing ko nawala. I just hope the weather will be all sunny tomorrow.

Hindi ko alam kung kaninong damit itong pinahiram niya sa 'kin, but the shirt was very big for me the neckline was ready to fall off from my shoulder. Kinailangan ko pang tupiin sa beywang ang shorts para hindi magmukhang square pants. But I'm not going to complain. Buti nga at may pinahiram pa ang masungit na lalaking iyon sa 'kin.

The bed looked almost inviting kaya sumampa ako doon para magpahinga. I feel like my body is full of bruises. This must be fatigue from the cold.

I cringed when my head hit the pillow. Basa pa ang buhok ko galing sa banyo and there's nothing I want more than a hair blower at this moment. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something crawling on the ceiling. Kahit hindi gaano maliwanag ang ilaw, I could see it's a lizard. Maybe there's a rat, cockroaches and all sorts of insects in this house.

I don't understand Kuya Duke. Why would he want this parcel of land and this crumbling old castle? I don't see how this can be an asset. Gagastos lang siya ng pera kung ire-renovate niya itong bahay ni Draco.

Right, he never really had a problem about the money. He's the one running our Empire after all. But still... mas gugustuhin ko pang ibigay niya sa isang charity ang pera kesa gastusan itong bahay na 'to. And if I didn't know better, Draco likes it this way. Why else would he be living here not caring about the whole mess?

I was checking out the structure of the room when I smelled the scent of fried onions inside my room. Ang bango! Bahagya akong napabalikwas sa kama para amuyin iyon. And then, when I remembered Draco and his words, my appetite sank.

He's testing me. The distasteful maggot was torturing me.

Well, kung iniisip niya na babawiin ko ang sinabi ko kanina, mangisay siya! Hindi ako bababa at hindi ako kakain nang kahit ano galing sa kamay niya.

Nagtalukbong ako ng kumot at pilit na hindi huminga. But it wasn't until I was covering my nose with the unused blanket that I was able to drive off the mouth-watering smell.

A LITTLE while later, my eyes opened and I instantly realized I fell asleep. Mabilis akong bumangon habang kinukusot ang mata ko. I feel strange. Parang may iba.

Naramdaman kong kumakalam ang sikmura ko at napahawak ako sa tiyan ko nang kumalam ulit iyon nang mas malakas. I'm so hungry.

Inaantok pa ako habang iginagala ko ang mga mata ko. Nasa bahay pa ako ni Draco, 'di ba? And I'm pretty sure I didn't change room because it's still the same bed and same cabinet, same couch, table, and... the mantel.

Nagulat ako nang makita ko ang umaalab na apoy doon. Napansin ko ring patay na ang ilaw at tanging ang apoy lang ang nagsisilbing liwanag ng buong kuwarto.

Draco... he must've stoked the fire while I'm sleeping.

Nakunot ang noo ko. Is this his way of saying sorry? Or what? At paano siya nakapasok? I'm sure I locked the door.

Of course. Keys. Bahay niya 'to kaya malamang may susi siya ng kuwarto. But still, he shouldn't make it a habit to just barge into someone's room, especially if it's a lady's room. Paano kung nakatuwalya lang ako?

Strands of my hair rolled down my shoulders and I noticed they’re already dry. Must've been the heat of the flame. Kahit papaano, nakatulong iyon para mainitan ako.

Ano'ng oras na ba? God, I must really had a deep sleep for not sensing him walking around here.

Hindi ko na matagalan nang nagparamdam ulit ang tiyan ko. Sometimes I curse my appetite for being so insatiable but then, I love food. How can anyone hate food?

I shoved the blanket away and stood up. Inayos ko pa ang damit ko dahil kita na ang isang balikat ko sa sobrang laki nito. Natigilan ako sa paglalakad nang mapansin ko ang bag ko sa dulo ng kama.

Wait... I didn't notice if Draco brought it with us and I was too cold to care. But not enough excuse. Dapat dinala ko pa rin ang mga gamit ko. Goodness! My phone was everything to me!

So freaking stupid of me.

Hinanap ko kaagad ang cell phone ko at ang powerbank ko. Pero tumaas ang kilay ko nang makita kong fully charged na pala iyon. Did Draco do this too? Ugali din ba niya ang pakialaman ang gamit ng ibang tao?

But at least he was considerate enough to charge my phone while I'm sleeping... Iyon na lang ang inisip ko para hindi ako tuluyang mainis sa kanya.

Alas diyes na pala ng gabi. I think I've slept for 5 straight hours. Tahimik na sa labas at parang tumila na ang ulan. But I could still smell the redolence of the storm.

After checking the list of missed calls and messages from my freaked-out brothers and friends, lumabas ako ng kuwarto at bumaba sa kusina. It was dark, especially in the hall. It only has a single bulb that barely lit the entire hall.

It looked so medieval, really. And somehow, I don't believe even for one bit that Draco don't earn enough money to buy a single light bulb. And what's the use of having that giant chandelier?

Agad kong nakita ang mga pagkain sa mesa na natatakpan ng food cover nang makarating ako sa kusina. I saw stirred fry beef, rice and a variety of fruits at mukhang katakamtakam lahat ng iyon. I grabbed a clean plate and started to eat.

I almost groaned out loud when the soft texture of the steak touched my tongue. Natikman ko na ang mga best recipe ni Ate Kyra, lalo na at expertise niya ang French cuisine. But this steak is... damn! Did Draco really cook this? Stir fry lang naman ang ginawa ni Draco. Nothing special. But it tasted superb!

The way it melts in my tongue, the spices mixing altogether... it's so freaking good!

Mabuti na lang at naisipan kong hindi bumaba kanina. I'd be embarrassing myself in front of him if I tasted this stuff, at ayokong mangyari iyon. He can shove up his ass to his face and I still won't be complimenting his steak.

Sa sobrang gutom ko, nakailang sandok na ako ng kanin. I'm sure I'll be regretting eating this much but I am very hungry right now. Magsu-swimming na lang ako pagbalik ko ng mansyon. Maybe I can do 30 laps or more.

Saka ko napansin ang pagiging tahimik ng buong bahay nang matapos na akong kumain. It's really hard to concentrate when your stomach is empty. Siguro ay tulog na si Draco at ang aso niya. Does Zeus sleep in his bedroom? O baka may dog house siya sa labas?

Feeling so full and satisfied, I went back to my room. The warmth of the fire surrounded me instantly and it felt great. It's as if it was welcoming me, comforting me—things Draco hadn't done since I set foot here this afternoon. He's been entirely cold-hearted and mean to me.

Hindi ko tuloy maiwasang isipin na kahit ano pang gaspang ang pinapakitang ugali ni Draco, he can really be a thoughtful guy if he cares enough.

Naisip kong tawagan sina kuya para ipaalam na ayos lang ako, that's when I heard crunches oustside the window. Sinilip ko iyon at nakita ko ang anino ng isang tao kasunod ang isang dambuhalang aso. I knew it was Draco at Zeus. Saan kaya sila galing? What were they doing outside at this time of the night?

Pinanood ko silang dalawa na maglakad papuntang bahay. As if he sensed me looking, tumigil siyang maglakad at tumingala sa bintana ko.

I felt like I'm struck with an invisible arrow, reining me not to move, not to breath. It was silly, I know, because he couldn't really see me in the dark standing behind this heavy curtain and I couldn't see his face clearly, but I could feel his eyes looking right at me. Ganoon na lang kabilis ang t***k ng puso ko.

He looked away quickly and moved along. Maya-maya ay narinig kong bumukas ang pintuan sa ibaba at maingat na sumarado. I quickly dived in my duvet when I heard his cowboy boots thumping loudly against the wood of his staircase.

I don't really know what I'm doing. Pwede ko naman siyang harapin at sungit-sungitan din katulad ng inaasal niya sa 'kin. Pero hindi ko alam... I feel weird.

My eyes travelled to the fire, its flame casting a shadow dancing around the room. Maybe it's because of that why I'm feeling silly all of a sudden. And my charged phone. And the food. And the fact that I'm here and not swimming in a flood.

It's just his guilt, Serena. Don't be fooled by his false kindness. It's just a façade.

Hindi tumigil ang mabibigat na yabag ng mga paa niya hanggang sa makita ko ang anino sa labas ng pintuan ko.

My breath was arrested. He’s standing right behind my door and I waited breathlessly for the knock to come. Or the deep rumble of his voice.

But then, I saw his shadow retreating backwards and soon, it’s gone. Seconds later, a door thudded heavily and everything fell silent, except for the sound of the crackling fire woods and the pitter-patter tapping of my heart.