SEE YOU

Chapter 9

Joreign's POV

Kakatapos ko lang magpalit ulit dahil may tagos nga yung suot suot kong pants kanina. Napatingin naman ako don sa plastic na puno nang mga napkin. Nilapitan ko ito at isa isang ini-arrange sa vanity.

"Hoy Joreign sino 'yong lalaki na 'yon kanina ha?" pag iinterview ni Dalta. Wala man lang katok basta binuksan ang pinto sa kuwarto ko. Sabi ko na nga ba at magtatanong 'yan.

"Wala, nakilala ko lang 'yon sa party last time." Lumabas na ako nang kuwarto at bumaba sa salas kung saan naroon din si Cluvin. Nakabuntot naman si Dalta sa akin.

"Yung charity party?"

Ramdam ko ang pagsakit ulit nang puson ko kaya dahan dahan akong umupo sa couch.

"Jo, you should've taken a rest." pagpapayo ni Cluvin pero ngumiti lang ako. Masakit yung puson ko pero sanay na rin ako. This level of pain, i've been dealing with it ever since.

"Hindi, yung isa pang party." pagsagot ko sa tanong ni Dalta. Tumango-tango lang ito sabay alis kaya naiwan kami ni Cluvin sa salas. Napapikit ako pero napamulat rin nang magtanong si Cluvin.

"Was he a friend?" he was texting on his phone not even batting me an eye.

"I'm still thinking about it." I replied. This time siya ang napatingin sa'kin.

"Thinking about it? what do you mean?"

"Ahh, we'll I didn't wanted him to be close to me but I think I owe him one so..." I shrugged. "I guess he is now."

He didn't speak anymore at saktong dumating si Dalta na may dalang hot compress. Iniabot niya ito at agad ko ring inilagay sa puson ko. Ahh thank goodness!

"So ano 'yon manliligaw mo?"

"Hindi."

"May gusto sa'yo?"

"Malay ko."

"Kasosyo mo sa business?"

"Hindi."

"Pogi?"

"Oo." Napatakip ako sa bibig kong walang preno. Pinanlakihan ako ni Dalta nang mata sabay dinuro duro ako.

"'Yan!! d'yan ka magaling ang mag hunting ng pogi. So ano? gusto mo?" tinatanong niya ako nang may halong pag babanta.

Umiling naman ako.

"Porket pogi gusto ko? Hindi pwedeng na pogian lang ako dahil don sa dimples niya?" pag dedepensa ko. Eh totoo naman eh! yung dimples niya ay katulad na katulad nang kay Jungwon! at pogi si Jungwon!

"ABA! ABA! nangangatwiran ka pa? may dimples din naman ako ah? tingnan mo." Inilapit ni Dalta ang pagmumukha niya pero agad ko itong itinaboy. May dimples nga siya eh iisa naman. Walang wala kay Jungwon.

"Aray!" sumasakit nanaman yung puson ko kaya napapikit ako. Tumigil naman agad si Dalta sa pangungulit at napatingin sa amin si Cluvin na kanina lang ay biglang tumahimik.

"Let's go." aniya ni Vin. Tiningnan ko siya at ganon din ang ginawa ni Dalta.

"You have to rest, I'll take you to bed." inoffer ni Vin yung kamay niya kaya naman inabot ko ito. Dahan dahan akong tumayo dahil yung puson ko ay parang hinihiwa nang kutsilyo at pinipigaan at nilalamas ng metal na patalim.

Nag umpisa na akong lumakad pero napahinto ako nung higpitan ni Vin ang pagkakahawak niya sa kamay ko.

He opened his arms signaling me that he wants permission to carry me.

"Ah bahala kayo marami pa akong trabaho kaya ikaw!" Pag-turo ni Dalta kay Vin. "You take care of her." Vin just nodded at looked back at me. Napatitig naman ako sa mala dagat niyang mga mata na para akong hinihigop pailalim. There's this comforting feeling whenever I'm near him.

"I can walk." I said. He nodded, half convinced.

"I can carry you." he says. Mukhang hindi papaawat si Vin kaya naman um-oo na ako. Eto ngayon at buhat buhat na niya ako habang paakyat sa hagdanan. I can smell his fragrant perfume and I feel his warmth against my body. Napalunok naman ako dahil itinaas niya ako dahilan para mapalapit ang mukha ko sa leeg niya. Kitang kita ko ang adams apple niya na tumataas at bumababa dahil sa sunod sunod niya ring paglunok. Napaiwas na lang ako nang tingin.

"Thank you." I thanked him as he gently puts me to bed. Para naman akong istatwa na hindi makahinga nung umupo siya sa tabi ko sabay lagay sa akin nang kumot hanggang beywang. Sinundan ko naman siya nang tingin nang tumayo siya para isara ang kurtina sa mga bintana dahilan para medyo dumilim sa kuwarto.

"Call me if you need anything." he says as he walked near the door step. He stopped and looked back. "I'll leave the door slightly open, if that's fine?" tumango naman ako agad.

Nang tuluyan nang makaalis si Vin ay tumitig lang ako sa kisame hanggang sa hindi ko na namalayan na nakatulog na pala ako.

***

Nagising ako dahil sa tumatamang sikat nang araw sa mukha ko, hinahangin yung kurtina. Tumayo ako at nilapitan ito nang makita kong bahagya palang nakabukas ang bintana. Natanaw ko naman sa baba ang rider na may dala dalang mga supot at si Vin na kakalabas lang na wala man lang suot na pangtaas na damit.

Kinuha ni Vin ang mga supot at nagpaalam na yung rider saka ito umalis. Tanaw ko naman agad na pumasok si Vin at napa talon naman ako palayo sa bintana nung nakita kong tumingin si Vin sa bintana.

"Ha, yung puso ko." para akong bata na nahuli nang nanay niya na gising kahit pa inutusan itong matulog sa tanghali. Buti naman at hindi na ganoong masakit ang puson ko kaya dali dali akong bumalik sa kama at humiga. Maya maya pa ay rinig ko ang pagakyat ni Vin sa hagdanan at ang bahagyang pagtunog nang pinto dahil sa pagbukas ni Vin.

Hindi ko alam kung anong pumasok sa isip ko pero basta na lang akong pumikit habang kagat-kagat ko ang dila ko dahil baka bigla na lang akong tumawa.

I heard a few steps walking towards me pero medyo lumiwanag yung paligid kahit pa nakapikit ako. Siguro ay itinali ni Vin ang kurtina, maya maya pa ay na amoy ko na yung pabango niya. Hindi na ako magkaintindihan dahil bukod sa hindi na ako makapagisip nang maayos ay may mga alaalang nag fflash back sa utak ko. Mga ala alang pilit kong ibinabaon pero kusang bumabalik at ayaw akong tigilan.

"Ikaw lang Sol! Hindi ako papayag!" mga salitang naririnig ko nang paulit ulit sa isipan.

Hindi ko na kinayang magpanggap kaya I just gave in and opened my eyes. Huminga ako nang malalim nang makailang ulit para mapakalma ko yung sarili ko. From my peripheral nakita kong nakaupo si Vin sa sahig habang tahimik na pinagmamasdan ang gitara kong nakasabit sa pader.

Umupo na ako matapos kong kumalma at lumipat naman ang tingin sa akin ni Vin.

"Bad dreams?" he asked.

I just looked down and put my slippers then walked towards him. He looked up at me as I lend my hand.

"Bad dreams." I said as Vin accepted my hand and stood up. Sabay kaming lumabas nang kuwarto at dumiretso sa salas.

"Here, take a seat." he pointed the couch so I sat there. In front of me were foods, na I believe ay inorder ni Vin.

"What's this?" I asked kahit alam ko na ang sagot.

"I don't know what you crave so I just ordered the things you liked, also," Itinaas niya yung phone niya at nakita kong nasa isa itong website. "It says here that when a woman is on her period she likes to crave for something sweet and salty." he continues to scroll down the website while explaining how a woman gets different cravings when on their period. I smiled as I looked at how he carefully explains things from his point of view.

He was wearing a sando now, unlike earlier na topless siya. Though medyo see through yung sando I can still see his well honed muscles underneath at medyo pinagpapawisan pa siya dahil mainit ngayong araw. Napalunok na lang ako nang marealise kong hindi ako sa cellphone niya nakatingin.

Ackk! nanunuyot yung lalamunan ko. Tubig!

"So in the end I picked out everything they offered." pagtapos niya sa mahabang explanation.

"You didn't have to." I said while pouring myself a cup of water.

"But I wanted to." He replied. Ibinaba na niya yung phone at nag tungo sa kitchen. Ako naman ay lumagok nang tubig dahil ramdam ko yung init down there pati na rin ang init ng pisngi ko. Why is he like this?

I smacked my lips and started looking over the foods that he ordered. There were donuts, chocolates, burger, fries, pizza, and may nakita pa akong tteokbeokki! But of course, kahit pa sabihin niyang he ordered all of this for me inantay ko siyang makabalik. Sabay dapat kaming kakain.

"There wasn't enough ingredients so its a bit," he bit his lower lips while staring at me. Is he being seductive? "Still I did my best so, I hope you like it." he says habang may tinatago siyang something sa likuran niya.

He walked towards me and kneeled infront then dahan dahan niyang nilabas ang cake.

It was a deep blue, one layered cake designed with pearls and sea shells. On top there was a dedicated message.

"Thank you." I read aloud. Then I looked at him.

"Thank you for listening to my problems the other night. I wanna thank you for seeing me for me and giving me your trust." He held the cake closer. I felt happy and guilty. Happy because he's thanking me but guilty because he's the one that helped and listened to me more...it's supposed to be about him but the spotlight was on me. Sabi ko I'll get to know him pero it turned out that he got to know me better.

"Can I," he paused for a moment as he clears his throat. His grip was shaking a little and there were bullets of sweat evident on his forehead.

"Can I be your friend?" the thing he said thaw my icy heart.

I never met someone who thanked me just because I listened to his problems and gave him trust. Yes, it was always me...the one who listens and the person they run to when they have problems. It was me who lends my shoulder to persons who are troubled. And with all the people I listened to, he was the first to thank me for that. It's not that I'm asking them to thank me but, I never knew the feeling of being someone that they were grateful for.

People can run to you, cry their hearts out, and fly away like you were just the pit stop of their tangled feelings. But they never run to you when they feel lifted of the burden they once carried.

I want my friends to be heard, to belong and feel known. Even though I was shy, I was always the one to befriend them and not the other way around. I gave them trust, a part of me that was hard to give and just like that, I welcomed them in my life. But never did I thought that I had been hoping to be welcomed too.

Usually kasi, you approach a person. For the first time that you met, you talk to them. After no'n, its like naka automatic na 'yon na magkaibigan na kayo without actually acknowledging it. Him asking me to be his friend is just a simple gesture but why is it so special to my heart?

"Of course. I'd be happy to be your friend." I happily answered.