The Paintbrush Deal

SIDE STORY 02

Kelly's POV

"Bye, Uncle Kelly and Uncle Skyler!" paalam sa 'min ng kambal mula sa bintana ng kotse nila. Kumaway naman kaming dalawa ni Sir Skyler habang lumalayo ang kotse. Tinanaw na lang namin sila hanggang sa lumiko na ang sasakyan sa kalayuan.

"Well, I will be going, too, sir," I said after checking my watch. "Enjoy the rest of your evening!"

"Dito ka na lang kumain ng dinner. Elio's cooking something," sabi ni sir.

"I'd love to, but I can't. May lakad pa po kasi ako with Mico tonight—"

Agad na ngumiti si Sir Skyler. "You should've told me earlier para nakapaghanda ka. It's almost seven. Naabala ka pa tuloy," sabi niya.

"Actually, kahapon pa po nag-aya si Mico. Nang tumawag sa 'kin si Ate Hannah kanina ay sinabihan ko si Mico na maghintay. Besides, kung seryoso talaga siya sa 'kin ay kailangan niyang matutunan na mag-adjust sa schedule ko. I want to test the patience of that jerk," I said.

"Well, have fun, then. Also, be a little bit nicer to Mico, okay? I know I sound like a broken record, but he's dead serious about you. Good night," Sir Skyler said.

"I'm the one who's getting courted, so I'm going to implement my own rules. Good night, sir! Ipaalam niyo na lang po ako kay Elio," sabi ko habang naglalakad palayo sa bahay niya.

Nagtext naman na ako kay Mico kanina na available na ako starting seven in the evening. I don't know what he might've planned to do with me, pero bahala siyang mag-adjust sa katiting na oras na nalalabi sa araw ko. Bumalik ako sa condo ko para maligo at mag-ayos, at by the time na natapos ako ay halos alas-otso na ng gabi.

"Tingnan natin kung ano pa ang magagawa mong mokong ka," bulong ko habang nasa elevator. Nagtext na kanina si Mico na nasa baba na siya. Aakyat pa sana siya pero pinigilan ko na.

I might've deliberately messed up Mico's plans for me today. Kung ginusto ko kasi ay kaya ko namang i-clear ang schedule ko ngayong araw. Kaninang tanghali sana kasi ang plano ni Mico na paglabas namin. Well, I'm not going to make things easy for him. If he wants to earn my full trust, he'll have to put in a ton of effort. Kasalanan naman niya kung bakit ganito ako kahigpit sa trato ko sa kanya.

As expected, nasa labas na nga si Mico. Agad naman siyang ngumiti pagkakita niya sa 'kin.

"Sorry for all the delay," sabi ko. "May mga emergency kasi ako kanina."

I'm not really sorry, obviously.

"Nah. It's okay. I know that you have obligations with Skyler. Besides, we still have time. Tara na," sabi niya sabay bukas ng pinto ng kotse niya.

So he did plan something.

"Uh. . . Okay lang ba if we eat dinner a little later? Medyo late na, but I know a place where we can eat even when it's late. I just want to bring you somewhere tonight first," Mico said while we're on our way.

"It's okay," I said.

"You look great, by the way," he said, eyeing my attire of plain white sweatshirt, black shorts, and sneakers. "I didn't know you like to wear shorts."

"It's hot outside," I replied.

"Why the sweatshirt, though?" Mico asked.

I stared at him flatly. "I thought I look great? I didn't know I'm having a date with the fashion police," I said. "Sana pala pambahay na lang ang isinuot ko."

"Whoa. Sorry. I was just asking. You really look great, to be honest. Besides, I don't mind seeing some of your legs," Mico said with a wink.

"As much as I want to hit you right now, I don't want to die by car crash. Consider yourself lucky for now," I said.

Mico replied with a peace sign.

We arrived at our destination at around thirty minutes past eight. Nasa isang mataong part naman ng city ang lugar. Pagkalabas ko ng kotse ay agad akong tumingala sa building na nasa harapan ko.

"It's their opening day today, so I thought of bringing you here, considering that you love anime and such. Buti na lang open pa sila dahil first day nila ngayon. Let's head inside," Mico said before holding my arm.

Hayun. Medyo nakonsensiya naman ako.

"Base sa nabasa ko sa website nila, they offer pretty much everything and anything related to anime. DVDs. . . Merchandise. . . Toys. . . They even have manga," Mico said as we walked between the shelves. "I'm sorry if I don't know much about these things. I'll try to learn more about them for you."

My lips almost curved into a smile, but I was able to stop myself with a cough.

"You can buy anything you like. My treat," dagdag pa niya.

"You don't have to," sabi ko naman agad. "I can buy myself whatever I want. Hindi mo naman kailangan na gumastos para sa 'kin. These things are all licensed and authentic, so they're going to cost some money."

Mico just smiled at me gently. "We're on a date. Ako ang nag-aya sa 'yo rito. Kung hindi ka bibili, ako ang pipili ng kung ano-ano. Wala akong alam sa ganito, kaya 'wag mo akong sisisihin kung hindi mo gusto ang mapipili ko. We're not going to leave empty-handed, kaya kung ako sa 'yo, pumili ka na lang," sabi niya.

I let out a sigh and raised my hands, signifying my defeat in our argument.

"Good. Everybody wins," Mico said, clasping his hands together.

In the end, pinili ko na lang ang mga gusto ko. Sa tuwing mapapansin kasi ni Mico na may isang bagay akong gusto pero medyo mahal, agad niyang pinapaalala sa 'kin na hindi problema ang pera. He even asked me for anime shows to watch, kaya bumili rin siya ng DVDs para sa kanya. Buti na lang at pumayag din si Mico na bilhan ko siya ng kahit isang set ng DVD man lang. Mico and I were the last ones to leave the store, at pareho na kaming may mga dalang pinamili namin.

"Hungry? It's almost ten in the evening," sabi ni Mico pagtingin niya sa relo niya. "Malapit lang dito ang kakainan natin. Tara na."

Dinala naman niya ako sa isang park na hindi naman kalayuan mula sa pinanggalingan namin.

"I actually made a reservation in a restaurant nearby," Mico said as we're walking towards a barbecue restaurant. "Kaso 'yun nga, hindi nagtugma ang mga schedule natin, so I had to cancel."

Okay. Now I feel really bad.

"I'm so sorry!" I said. "You should've told me that you had a reservation. Promise, babawi talaga ako next time—"

Mico smiled. "Next time? Sure. I'm looking forward to that," he said.

Crap. Napahamak pa.

Hindi na lang ako umimik pa hanggang sa nakaupo na kami. Medyo late na kaya kaunti na lang ang mga tao sa paligid. Tahimik na nga rin dito sa restaurant.

"Sorry kung dito lang kita nadala sa first date natin," sabi niya matapos naming makapag-order. "Ito lang ang alam kong magandang lugar. Babawi rin ako next time."

"It's fine," sabi ko naman agad. "Also, fine dining isn't really my thing. I actually enjoy eating outside late at night. Mas tahimik at hindi magulo. Besides, unlimited ribs is something that fine dining restaurants simply can't offer."

Mico chuckled. "I see. That's a relief. I'm happy that you're enjoying our time together, considering na halos last-minute na lang ang plano ko," sabi niya.

"Also, kagaya ng ipinangako ko sa 'yo, kinausap ko na rin ang mga dati kong nakarelasyon. Some of them agreed to meet me in person. Unfortunately, not all of them were willing to forgive me right away. It's a real pain, but I will keep on doing my best to make amends with them," Mico added, scratching the back of his head as he gave me a weary smile.

Natigilan ako. "Kaya ba may mga pasa ka at namumula ang ilang parte ng mukha mo?" tanong ko. Actually, kanina ko pa sila napansin at kanina pa ako may hinala. Ngayon ko lang nakumpirma ang hinala ko.

"Well. . . yes. Don't worry. I'll be fine," Mico said.

Napayuko na lang ako at hindi na nagsalita pa. Maya-maya pa ay bigla na lang na bumuhos ang mga luha ko. Si Mico naman ay napatalon mula sa upuan niya sa matinding gulat.

"Hey. Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry!" taranta niyang sabi habang nagpupunas ako ng mga luha ko.

"No. . . It's just that. . . I deliberately messed up your plans tonight by showing up late and spending the entire day at Sir Skyler's place. . . Now I feel really bad for what I did. I'm so sorry. . ." I said, wiping my tears away with my hands.

Mico sat beside me and held my hands. "Look, I didn't say those things to make you feel bad about yourself. I'm sorry if you felt that way. Wala kang kasalanan, okay? Besides, I don't care how much time we spend together. The fact that you're here, that you decided to come with me. . . that's enough to make me happy. I only want to be with you. Be it a second, an hour, a day. . . I don't care how long, but I just want to be with you," he said, squeezing my hand gently.

I looked at Mico in the eyes.

"You. . . You don't need to apologize to them anymore," I said. "I can see that you genuinely want to change for me, and I don't want to drag you down because of my immaturity. I'm really sorry for what I did."

My guilt has been welling up inside me steadily since earlier tonight. Matapos kong malaman ang lahat ng ginawa ni Mico para sa 'kin, ay talagang wala na akong napaglagyan ng konsensiya ko. I realized that I didn't even listen to Sir Skyler, that I totally ignored his remarks about Mico's willingness to change. Instead, I allowed my prejudice and immaturity to cloud my judgment. I've been treating Mico unfairly, all because I didn't want to believe that he can also change for the better.

Buti na lang at wala nang masyadong tao sa restaurant kaya wala nang nakapansin sa drama ko. Mico and I were able to eat our late-night barbecue dinner peacefully. By the time na natapos kaming kumain ay magaan na ang atmosphere sa pagitan naming dalawa, unlike earlier tonight. Naupo muna kami sa park matapos naming kumain. It's almost eleven in the evening already.

"Are you sure you don't want to go home yet?" tanong ni Mico habang nakaupo kami sa isang bench.

"Ten minutes," sabi ko naman.

"Okay."

Mico's hand was gently brushing against mine. Maya-maya pa ay naramdaman kong bumalot na ang kamay niya sa kamay ko. Hindi na lang ako umimik nang sinandal na niya ang magkahawak naming mga kamay sa binti niya. Tumingala na lang ako sa langit at nagkunwaring hindi 'yun napapansin.

"Kumusta sina Skyler at Elio?" tanong ni Mico makalipas ang ilang saglit.

"The usual. Away-bati. It's tiring, but they're so fun to watch," I said.

"Aren't you a bit worried? Especially for Elio?" Mico asked quietly.

I paused.

"Actually, yes. Honestly, I think we all are. Good thing that Ate Hannah talked to Sir Skyler. I do hope that she knocked some sense into her brother. With everything that he's been through, I want to see Sir Skyler happy, but I don't want him to find that happiness in the wrong person. . . in an absolutely wrong manner," I said.

"Elio is a good person," Mico said.

"I know that, but he's already broken. I just don't want Sir Skyler to damage him more. I want him to be happy, but I don't want to see him hurting people in his search for happiness," I said.

"What are you going to do, then?" he asked.

I sighed. "I'll figure out something. For now, we need to go home. I need to sleep."

We arrived at my place just a few minutes before midnight. Pagkalabas namin ni Mico mula sa kotse niya ay may pahabol pa siyang sopresa para sa 'kin.

"Really? Flowers?" sabi ko sabay wagayway ng isang bouquet ng mga rosas na kinuha ni Mico mula sa backseat ng kotse.

"Well, ayoko namang malanta 'yan agad kung buong gabi mo 'yang bibitbitin," sagot niya.

"Fine. Whatever. Thanks. Ingat ka sa daan. Good night," paalam ko.

"Uh. . . Can I have one request?" he asked.

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Mico smiled sheepishly. "Can I kiss you? Kahit sa pisngi lang?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes before putting down all the stuff that I was carrying. "I'm tired and sleepy, so let's get this over with," I said before approaching him.

I tilted my face to let Mico kiss me, but as he brushed his lips against my cheek, his hands suddenly grabbed my waist as he pushed me against his car. Before I knew it, Mico was already kissing me hungrily in the lips, his tongue digging into my mouth, tangling into my own. Too shocked to retort, I just closed my eyes and swung my arms around his neck before answering back. We stayed like that for several seconds, Mico pressing his body against me as we exchanged kisses and breath.

Bumalik lang ako sa katinuan nang makaramdam ako ng mga kamay na pumasok sa likod ng shorts ko. I opened my eyes and stared at Mico sternly, my forehead resting against his.

"And may I please ask what your hands are doing on my butt?" I asked him.

Mico smiled sheepishly. "Uh. . . Sorry. Habit."

I pulled away from him. "Ang hirap talaga kapag naka-program na sa sistema mo, ano? Umuwi ka na," sabi ko. "Also, thank you—"

"For the date or the kiss?"

I just frowned at him before heading towards the entrance of the condo building.

"Figure it out for yourself, you hopeless jerk."