Sa likod ng mga Tala

Chapter 6

Ang relasyon nina Katie at Daniel ay patuloy na nagiging sentro ng atensyon ng mga tao sa paligid nila. Habang nagsimula ang kanilang buhay bilang magkasama, hindi rin nila iniiwasan ang mga pagsubok na dala ng pagiging nasa industriya ng showbiz. Ang pagiging bukas sa kanilang relasyon ay hindi naging madali, lalo na at mas maraming tao ang nagnanais na pabagsakin ang kanilang pagmamahalan.

Si Maria, na patuloy na nagmamasid, ay tila hindi pa rin makapaniwala na si Daniel ay nagbigay ng pansin kay Katie. Ang mga galit na galit na pahayag ni Maria sa mga social media posts at sa press interviews ay nagiging sanhi ng tensyon sa pagitan ng mga co-actors at co-actresses sa set.

Hindi rin nakaligtas si Janine sa mga gulong ito. Dahil sa kanyang mga pakana at mga hinala kay Katie, patuloy niyang pinapalaganap ang mga kwento at intriga sa likod ng kamera, na nagiging sanhi ng mga hindi pagkakaunawaan at pagkakasira ng imahe ng kanilang relasyon.

Isang araw, habang nagsimula na naman ang isang malaking taping, si Katie ay naglakad patungo sa set na may kakaibang pakiramdam. Nakaramdam siya ng takot at kaba. Hindi niya alam kung paano pa nila papagtagumpayan ang lahat ng pagsubok na dumating sa kanila.

Habang naglalakad siya patungo sa tent kung saan siya magbibihis, nakita niya si Daniel na nakatayo sa isang sulok, nag-uusap kay Maria. Ang kanilang pag-uusap ay hindi maipaliwanag na may bigat, at kahit malayo si Katie, ramdam niyang may isang hindi magandang nangyayari.

“Si Maria, lagi na lang akong naririyan sa paligid, para siyang laging naghahanap ng pagkakataon,” iniisip ni Katie habang nilapitan ang mga ito.

Nang makita siya ni Daniel, agad siyang nagsalita, ngunit tila hindi masyadong tiwala ang tono ng boses niya. “Katie, pwede ba tayong mag-usap sandali?”

Tumango siya at iniwasan ang mata ni Maria. “Sige,” sagot niya, kahit na sa loob ng kanyang puso ay may kaguluhan.

Naglakad sila papalayo kay Maria, at pagkatapos ng ilang sandali ng katahimikan, nagsimula si Daniel magpaliwanag. “I’m sorry, Katie. Maria… siya ay nag-iipon ng mga kwento laban sa atin. Ang ibig ko lang sana ay ayusin ito ng maayos, pero parang hindi na yata talaga matutuloy.”

“Daniel,” sagot ni Katie, “I can’t keep doing this. Ang dami ng mga intriga, mga balita na hindi naman totoo. Hindi ko alam kung paano natin malalampasan ito.”

Hinawakan ni Daniel ang kanyang kamay. “I know this is hard, pero I’m with you. You and me. We just have to be strong enough to face this together. I want to be with you, Katie. Huwag mong hayaang sirain nila ang gusto natin.”

Katie looked at him, her eyes soft but full of pain. “But I’m scared, Daniel. The more we try to fight this, the more it feels like we’re pushing everyone away.”

“I know, and I hate it too,” Daniel said softly. “But this… what we have… it’s worth fighting for. If we keep letting other people decide for us, we’ll never know if this is real. I don’t want to live with that regret.”

Katie’s heart beat faster at his words. Her inner conflict was clear—her head told her that they were heading for a rough road, but her heart knew that Daniel was right. She couldn’t live with the regret of never trying.

“I want to try, Daniel,” she whispered, her voice steady but full of emotion. “I want this to work. But we can’t let anyone tear us apart.”

Daniel smiled softly, his fingers gently brushing her cheek. “I promise you, we won’t let that happen. We’ll fight for each other. And in the end, it will be worth it.”

Pagbalik nila sa set, hindi nila maiwasang madama ang bigat na dala ng kanilang mga desisyon. Si Maria ay patuloy na nagmamasid sa kanila, at habang nag-uusap sila ni Daniel, ang kanyang mga mata ay puno ng pagtataka at pagdududa. Lahat ng mga tao sa set ay nag-uusap tungkol sa kanila, at ang mga kwento ng kanilang relasyon ay nagsimulang kumalat sa buong industriya.

Isang araw, habang naghahanda sila para sa isang malaking eksena, si Janine ay nilapitan si Katie at nagsalita ng hindi maganda.

“I see what’s going on, Katie,” Janine said, her voice cold and mocking. “You really think Daniel is going to stick with you? I’m telling you, he’s just using you as a stepping stone. He’s never going to choose you over his career.”

Katie’s heart raced as she faced Janine, trying to control her anger. “You have no idea what you’re talking about, Janine. Daniel is nothing like what you think. He’s a good man.”

Janine smiled maliciously. “We’ll see about that, won’t we?”

The tension between the two women was palpable, and it left Katie feeling drained. She couldn’t understand why Janine was so determined to bring her down, but one thing was clear—this wasn’t just a battle for Daniel’s heart. This was a battle for respect, for proving that their love was real.

Despite the external chaos, Katie and Daniel’s relationship began to solidify. As they spent more time together, they learned to trust each other more deeply. They talked about their fears, their pasts, and their dreams for the future. With each passing day, their bond grew stronger.

On one of their rare days off, they took a long walk in the park, enjoying the peacefulness that came with being together away from the prying eyes of the industry.

“You know, despite everything, I still believe in us,” Katie said, looking up at Daniel with a soft smile.

Daniel looked down at her, his eyes filled with tenderness. “I believe in us too, Katie. No matter how many people try to tear us apart, we’ll be okay. Because what we have is real.”

Katie smiled, her heart full of hope. “Then let’s make it work. Together.”