Sinful Attachment

KABANATA 3

“Chase.” Tawag ni Chaos kay Chase na busy sa kaniyang cellphone.

“What?” Taas kilay na tanong ni Chase kay Chaos.

“Magsisimula nanaman kayong dalawa.” Charlotte said, raising her right eyebrow as she looked at them with a knowing expression.

“Hindi ah.” Mabilis na apela ni Chaos habang umiiling iling.

“Sure na ba kasi talaga?” Pagsisimula nanaman ni Danzel sa topic na palaging iniiwasan ni Chase at Chaos.

“Ayan nanaman kayo.” Chase complained, her expression turning serious as she shot a sharp glare at Danzel and Charlotte.

“Nagtatanong lang?” Painosenteng sambit ni Danzel habang tumatawa.

“Pero seryoso Chaos, wala talaga?” Tanong ni Charlotte kay Chaos. While completely ignoring Chase. Even then, Chase continued to glare at both Charlotte and Danzel, her expression still filled with clear annoyance as she stood there without saying a word.

Hindi naman naiinis si Chase dahil sa topic na muling binubuksan ni Charlotte at Danzel. She was getting annoyed because she knew Chaos would answer any second, and she was afraid to hear whatever he might say.

She wasn’t ready, and she had no idea how she would react no matter what his answer would be.

“Meron.” Seryosong sambit ni Chaos.

“Here it goes nothing.” Bulong ni Chase sakanyang sarili bago siya huminga ng malalim.

“Okay Alexa, play the song “Ruin the Friendship by Taylor Swift”.” Tumatawang sambit ni Charlotte, halatang satisfied sa narinig niya kay Chaos.

“Stop joking around motherfcker.” Naiinis na sambit ni Chase sabay hampas kay Chaos na tumatawa.

“Bakit ka ba nagagalit? Nagsasabi lang ako ng totoo. Sinagot ko lang tanong nila.”Chaos said, habang suot pa rin ang smug grin sa mukha niya while looking at Chase. Kalmado ang tono ng kaniyang boses but there is a clear hint of teasing in the way he speaks, halatang inaasar si Chase at hinihintay ang magiging reaction nito.

Chase leaned back slightly and he looks completely unbothered sa tension na nabubuo between him and Chase while his eyes stay locked on Chase as if he is waiting for her next move or what she will do next.

“Seryoso ba talaga?” Excited na sambit ni Danzel.

“I do like her.” Nakangising sambit ni Chaos.

“Stop it, fcker.” Chase spoke with a slight pout on her lips, talagang pasuko na siya because she knew she couldn’t stop or control the nonsense her friends were doing. The more na pinapakita niyang nababadtrip siya ay mas lalo siyang kinatutuwaan ng mga ito. She just accepted the fact that no matter what she said, they would still do whatever they wanted anyway.

“Wala na, hindi na pumalag si Chase.” Sambit ni Danzel sabay akbay kay Chase.

“Stop ragebaiting me, Chaos.” May babala sa boses ni Chase habang seryosong nakatingin kay Chaos.

“I'm not even joking Chase.” Seryosong sambit ni Chaos dahilan para kumabog ang dibdib ni Chase.

Chase didn’t know what to do anymore. This was exactly what she was afraid of, yung malaman kung ano talaga ang totoong nararamdaman ni Chaos para sa kanya. Hindi siya sure kung paano niya iyon tatanggapin or kung paano niya ipa-process lahat ng nangyayari.

So she keeps convincing herself na joke lang lahat, that they are only friends and it will never go beyond that. Paulit-ulit niyang sinasabi sa sarili niya na their actions are purely platonic, just how friends act around each other.

But deep down, Chase is aware. Alam niya. She knows that it is not just friendship anymore.

“Paano nga kung totoong gusto kita?” Chaos asked, raising and lowering his eyebrows while smiling at Chase.

Chaos tone sounded playful, parang nagjo-joke lang siya as usual, but the way he looks at Chase didn’t fully match his teasing voice. Nanatili siyang relax, still wearing that smug on his face, pero hindi umaalis ang kaniyang tingin kay Chase. It's like he’s carefully watching her reaction, hinihintay niya kung tatawanan lang ba ni Chase ito or seseryosohin.

The question hung in the air for a moment, mas mabigat kaysa sa kung paano ito narinig.

“Joke lang yung tanong, tngina ang weird pala marinig.” Pag iiba ni Danzel ng topic dahil mas lalong lumalakas ang tension sa pagitan ng dalawa dahilan para makaramdam sila ni Charlotte ng kaba at awkwardness.

“Ikaw ba Chase?” Paghahamon ni Chaos.

“Do you like me too?” Chaos added, and at that point it was hard to tell if he is still joking or if he is being serious.

“Fck.” Sambit ni Chase sakanyang sarili.

Chaos' smile stayed on his face, but it looks a little different now, less playful than before. He keeps his eyes on Chase, studying her closely, parang sinusubukan niyang basahin kada maliit na reaction na ipapakita ni Chase. The usual teasing energy between them doesn’t feel the same anymore.

There is a quiet tension in the air, like the question shifted the whole moment into something and neither of them can easily laugh off.

Even Charlotte and Danzel can already feel the tension in the air. Their earlier teasing confidence slowly fades, replaced with visible nervousness as they start elbowing each other in the side, silently regretting the mess they just created.

They no longer look amused. Instead, pabalik-balik ang tingin nila sa pagitan ni Chase and Chaos, hindi sigurado kung ano ang gagawin o susunod na sasabihin, clearly realizing na yung biro nila kanina has turned into something far more serious than they expected.

Nang mapansin ni Chase na kinakabahan na sila Charlotte ay agad niyang hinampas ang braso ni Chaos.

“Enough na.” Tumatawang sambit ni Chase habang si Chaos naman ay nakangisi.

“Edi nag backfire sainyo ngayon yang kaolokohan niyo?” Chase said with a smile, puno ng pag mamayabang ang kaniyang boses sa situation na kinalabasan tungkol sa pantitrip nila kaninang dalawa.

She looks at them with a satisfied expression, as if she is enjoying seeing them flustered and unsure kung ano ang susunod na gagawin. The earlier tension didn’t completely disappear, pero unti unti na itong gumagaan dahil nakakaganti na si Chase sa kalokohan kanina.

“Tngina ibang klase rin kayo ‘no. Walang usap usap nag tutugma utak.” Danzel complained as he scratched the back of his head, clearly stressed and unsure of what to say after everything that just happened.

“Connected talaga pusod and brain niyo ‘no?” Nakangusong reklamo ni Charlotte.

“Sabi sainyo tigilan niyo kasi ako.” Masayang sambit ni Chase habang puno ng pagyayabang sa kaniyang boses.

Nanatiling nakangiti naman si Chaos at nakatingin lang sa satisfied na reaction ni Chase dahil sa pag sakay niya sa kalokohang sinenyas ni Chase kanina.

Everything na sinabi ni Chaos in response sa questions nina Charlotte at Danzel was actually true, walang joke doon at all. Pero from Chase’s perspective, akala niya lahat iyon was just for fun kasi siya yung nag-signal kay Chaos kanina na mag-start sagutin ang dalawa as part ng kanilang biruan.

So while Chaos was being honest, Chase had taken it as a joke between them, never expecting that his answers were real all along.

“Kupal ka kasi Danzel e.” Inis na sambit ni Charlotte.

“Ikaw nagsimula.” Danzel started blaming Charlotte, shifting the fault to her instead, which only made things even more ridiculous. Dahil doon, Chase and Chaos both ended up laughing at the same time, hindi na nila napigilan sarili nila.

“Huwag na kayong magsisihan dalawa. Sabi sainyo kasi kakarmahin kayo e.” Napapailing na sambit ni Chase. Talagang satisfied sa nangyayari.

“Last hirit, totoo ba sagot mo o talagang nagkabiruan nalang tayo?” Charlotte asked another question without holding back. Because of that, napasapo si Danzel sa kaniyang noo in frustration, as if pagod na agad siya sa kung ano pa ang susunod na mangyayari.

“Who knows?” Naakangising sambit ni Chaos dahilan para mapatigil si Chase.

“Hoy! Siraulo ka!” Reklamo ni Chase sabay hampas kay Chaos na tumatawa nanaman ngayon.

“Baliw, baliw, baliw.” Tumatawang sambit ni Chase.

“Alam niyo naman na sagot, huwag niyo na itanong.” Chaos suddenly spoke in a serious tone, breaking the playful mood in an instant. After saying it, he simply shrugged his shoulders, acting calm and unbothered as if what he said was nothing out of the ordinary.

“Oo na, tantanan na nga natin ‘to.” Pagsuko ni Danzel habang napapakamot sa kaniyang ulo.

Kahit na alam ni Chase na nagkakabiruan lang, hindi pa rin niya maiwasang kabahan at mapaisip kung totoo nga ba ang sinasabi ni Chaos o sumasabay lang sa utos niya kanina.

For Chase, she already knew deep down that she was starting to like Chaos, and that realization was what scared her the most. It wasn’t something she could easily ignore anymore, no matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise.

Dahil sa takot na iyon, imbes na mag-move forward o hayaan ang sarili niyang mas maramdaman pa, unti-unti siyang umiwas. She starts to step back emotionally, gumagawa siya ng distance sa pagitan nila, nag se-set siya ng boundaries at limitations, kahit na lahat ng nasa kanya ay parang hinihila pa rin papunta kay Chaos.

Magulo para kay Chase, parang she’s stuck between what her heart is feeling at kung ano ang pilit na pinipigilan ng isip niya na huwag mangyari.