Chapter 1 - THE MAN NEXT DOOR
1291 Words
They spent half of the morning together, inside her apartment. Joking and teasing each other around.. Ayaw mang aminin ni Clara sa kaniyang sarili pero alam niyang nag enjoy siyang kasama si Ethan.
Bandang alas nwebe ng umaga ay nagpaalam na si Ethan sa kaniya dahil may gagawin pa raw itong trabaho.
Of course she immediately said yes. Hindi naman pwedeng sabihin niyang hindi pwede. She even told Ethan na matutulog na din muna siya buong araw.
But when Ethan left her apartment, hindi siya makatulog..
Hindi dahil maingay ang paligid, o dahil masakit ang ulo niya mula sa alak. It was quieter than usual, actually. Masyadong tahimik. The kind of silence that lets your thoughts get too loud.
Even with the comfort of coffee, flowers, and his stupidly charming smile lingering in her mind, her thoughts refused to settle. Kapag pinipikit niya ang mga mata ay rumaragasa sa isipan niya ang mga pangyayari kagabi, like a film she didn't remember auditioning for and yet somehow got cast in anyway.
Marco's face across the candlelit table.
The polite clink of cutlery.
The way his eyes refused to meet hers.
The bar's dim lights.
The burn of tequila.
Her laughter sounding foreign even to herself.
And then... him.
Ethan.
Standing at her door the next morning like he belonged there. Like he hadn't just walked into her life through the most chaotic night she'd had in months.
Naiinis siya kung paano mag react ang puso niya nang maalala si Ethan.
Napabuntong hininga siya at tumagilid sa kama, pilit hinahatak ang kumot hanggang baba. Her body felt heavy, pagod, pero ang utak niya ay gising na gising. Every small detail felt sharper than it should have been. The faint smell of coffee still lingering in the air, the empty space beside her on the bed, the echo of his voice saying Good morning like it was something normal.
"Stop," inis na bulong niya sa sarili.
"Tama na." asik niya pa sabay sabunot sa sariling buhok. Para siyang baliw kung may makakakita sa kaniyang ibang tao.
By noon, she convinced herself to function like a normal adult.
Naligo. Nagpalit ng maayos at komportableng damit. Nag makeup ng kaunti to hide the sleepless eyes. Work emails on her phone while drying her hair. Pretend her life hadn't cracked open overnight and rearranged itself without her permission.
Sinabi niya sa sarili na distraction lang iyon. A moment. A rebound story she'd laugh about someday.
Pero kahit paulit-ulit niyang sabihin, hindi pa rin mawala ang kakaibang bigat sa dibdib niya.
She was just stepping out of her apartment, adjusting the strap of her bag, when she heard a door open across the hall.
"Morning, neighbor."
Napatigil siya agad sa gulat.
Parang may humila sa kanya pabalik sa eksena kagabi.
She bit her lower lip before slowly turning her head towards his direction.
Ethan leaned against the frame of Apartment 3B, one shoulder resting casually against the door. He was dressed simpleng jeans at naka gray shirt... but there was something effortlessly put together about him. medyo basa pa ang buhok niya, mukhang kakagaling lang sa shower. He looked annoyingly awake for someone who'd spent the night drinking and doing... other things.
"Oh. Hi," she said, hoping her voice sounded steadier than she felt.
Hindi niya alam kung saan siya dapat tumingin, sa mata niya ba, sa ngiti niya, o sa kung gaano ka-komportable nitong tinitigan siya, parang hindi awkward ang lahat ng nangyari sa kanila.
He smiled, slower this time. Softer. Hindi 'yung playful grin niya kagabi. This one felt... careful.
"Heading to work?"
Napakurap kurap siya, as if the question pulled her back to reality.
"Yeah." wala sa sarili niyang sagot at nalunok ang sariling laway nang maramdaman ang pagbilis ng t***k ng puso.
"Marketing firm, right? Near Ortigas?"
Bigla siyang napatigil sa paglalakad nang marinig iyon. Binalingan niya ito.
"That's... right." Bahagya siyang napakunot-noo. "Did I tell you that?"
For a split second... just a split second, parang may dumaan na kakaibang emosyon sa mata niya. Something unreadable. Then Ethan scratched the back of his neck and laughed lightly, parang wala lang.
"Last night. Bar talk. You were complaining about deadlines sa work mo." sagot naman nito.
She searched her memory.
Everything after tequila came in fragments.. blurred faces, half-remembered laughter, emotions louder than words. She didn't remember saying that, but she also couldn't be sure she hadn't.
"Oh," she said, forcing a nod. "Right."
They walked toward the elevator together.
The hallway felt narrower than usual. Or maybe it was just her awareness of him walking beside her. The silence between them wasn't awkward, just... charged. Like something unsaid hovered between each step, brushing against her skin.
"Are you okay?" he asked suddenly. May concern sa mga mata nito.
She glanced at him. "What?"
"Akala ko kasi matutulog ka maghapon, and then suddenly you are here, heading to work. You look like someone who needs sleep."
She huffed a small laugh. "Says the guy who looks suspiciously fine."
"Years of practice," tukso pa nito, then his tone shifted, softened. "Breakups do that to people."
There it was again.
Napahigpit ang kapit niya sa strap ng bag niya.
"I really talked that much that night, huh?"
He stopped walking and faced her fully.
He met her eyes, unflinching. "Enough to know you cared."
Nanikip ang dibdib niya sa narinig.
She looked away first.
The elevator doors opened with a soft ding, saving her from having to say anything else. They stepped inside.. Walang nagsasalita sa kanilang dalawa pagkapasok sa elevator.
For a moment, Clara felt exposed in a way she couldn't explain. Not uncomfortable.. just seen. Too seen. Like he wasn't just looking at her, but understanding her, piecing her together from things she didn't remember giving away.
Para ngang mas kilala pa nito ang sarili niya kumpara sa kaniya eh.
"Well," she said lightly, trying to regain control, "at least now you know I'm a mess."
Ethan shook his head slowly. "No. You're not, you are just human."
The elevator descended in silence.
Ground floor.
As they walked out, she was already preparing to say goodbye when she felt it.. a gentle touch on her wrist.
Not gripping. Not possessive. Just enough to make her pause.
"Hey," he said softly.
Napatingin siya sa kamay nito at pabalik sa gwapo nitong mukha.
"About what I said earlier..." he continued. "I just want you to know that I'm not here to pressure you into anything." pahayag nito.
"I know," she replied quietly.
"I meant it," he added. "Seeing you again. Properly."
Her heart betrayed her with a soft, traitorous thud.
"Coffee?" he asked. "Hindi ngayon agad.. uhmm maybe.. another day.. or just... someday."
She hesitated.
She shouldn't agree and she knew that. Hindi maganda ang rebounds.. masama iyon at delikado. Lalo na kung si Ethan iyon dahil magkapitbahay sila... Dito nagsisimula ang mga komplikasyon sa buhay ng tao.. Sa ganito nagsisimula ang sakit.. This was how people got hurt.
But something about him felt... steady. Hindi nagmamadali. Hindi demanding.
"Someday," she agreed in the end..
His smile widened, satisfied.. but there was something else there too. Something sharper, quickly masked behind warmth.
"Good," he said. "I'll look forward to it." pahayag nito.
Pinanuod niya itong tumalikod at maglakad papalayo sa kaniya bago siya nagpatuloy sa paglalakad papalabas ng building..
Kaya naman, hindi niya napansin ang pagbagal ng mga hakbang ni Ethan sa dulo ng hallway.
She didn't see how he stopped, just for a moment and glanced back at her direction.
She didn't see how his smile faded into something quieter.
Into something Deeper.
Almost reverent.
"Finally, after how many years, baby.. " he murmured under his breath before plastering a triumphant grin in his lips.
- Writer
