July 2015
"Chean, let's grab something to eat. I'm starving." Maktol ni Rei pagkatapos na pagkatapos ng huling klase namin ngayong umaga. We have two hours before our next class so I know that she wanted to eat somewhere outside school.
"Sure. Let's just wait a bit for Shiro and Ju. For sure tapos na din klase nila." Sagot ko naman habang inaayos ang mga gamit ko.
"I doubt that Chean can come with us though." Kumunot ang noo ko sa kumento na iyon ni Kristine na ngumuso lang sa pintuan ng classroom namin. And there he is, standing outside our door just like a King he is. His hands on his pocket while looking at me with a serious expression on his face, ignoring the girls trying to approach him.
Awtomatikong bumilis ang tibok ng puso ko nang magtama ang mata namin dalawa. He looked gorgeous as ever. Kahit pa nga na walang bahid ng ngiti ang mga labi nyang iyon. Gaya nga ng sabi ni dalawang to, sobrang lakas na ng tama ko sa lalaking naghihintay ngayon sa labas ng classroom namin at mas lumalala pa daw ako habang tumatagal. They keep on telling me to guard my heart still, because Vaughn might be doing this kind of thing not because he likes me but because he just doesn't want our friendship to end just like that.
"Are you here to snatch my friend again?" Nakasimangot na akusa ni Rei kay Vaughn nang makalabas kami ng classroom. Kung meron man nagbago, iyon ay ang pakikitungo ng kaibigan ko sa kanya. Rei became overprotective to me after that 'meteor garden reenactment' incident but regardless of what happened, Rei still supports me. He got a red mark on Rei but it doesn't mean that she wouldn't want us to be together. As for Kristine and the two guys, they are still the same.
"Alam namin na Hari ka ng ADA, pero hindi ibig sabihin nun pwede mo ng nakawin ng nakawin samin si Chean." Segunda naman ni Kristine na may pagirap irap pa na kala mo naman talaga ay galit kung hindi lang sana sa ngiting nakapaskil sa labi nya.
Tila kinapos ako ng hininga sa matamis na ngiting sumilay sa labi ni Vaughn sa inasal ng mga kaibigan ko bago ako masuyong hinila sa tabi nya. Kinikilig naman na humagikgik ang dalawa sa nasaksihan na tuwang-tuwa sa nagiging progreso ng lovelife ko, kung progreso man na matatawag ang mga nangyayari samin ngayon ni Vaughn.
Since that incident that we had outside his room, he changed his way of approaching me. I can still remember how red his ears were after hugging me tight and saying that he missed me. Iyon din ang tagpong dinatnan ni Jupiter at Shiro na inulan sya ng tukso kaya muli, ay hindi na naman kami nagkaroon ng pagkakataon na mag usap ng kami lang dalawa. After that, things got busy because he is now the new King of ADA, so he handles every important event that the school has.
I thought that we will go back to how we were before, just friends. But to my surprise, he always come and wait for me after all my classes and eat with me during lunch and even dinner after my band's rehearsals or after my radio program in school.
"I'm not snatching her. It is consensual, right Marcielle Anne?" Tulalang tumingin lang ako sa matamis na ngiting nakapaskil sa labi ni Vaughn at tila wala sa sariling tumango na malakas na ikinatawa naman ng mga kaibigan.
"Ay naku! Vaughn Carlo Alcantara III, tigil tigilan mo na ang kakangiti please lang! Yung kaibigan namin sobrang love struck na sayo!" Naiiling na wika ni Kristine kaya naman pinandilatan ko sya ng mata na hindi naman nya binigyang pansin.
I can't keep up with their conversation. I'm occupied with the thought of his warm hand in mine. Tila nanunuot sa buong sistema ko ang init na hatid ng palad nya gaya nung unang beses na magdampi ang mga kamay naming dalawa. It's one of the reasons why a lot people are asking me now if we're dating. Dahil maliban sa madalas naming pagsasabay mag lunch at dinner na hindi naman namin ginagawa noon, napapadalas din ang mga sweet gestures nya gaya na lang ngayon. He's holding my hand firmly as if it was nothing. But still, I'm afraid to ask him about it. I'm afraid to know what's the real score between us. For now, I'm just going with the flow. Ayokong pangunahan muna si tadhana dahil baka maulit lang ang nangyari noon.
"Kayo na ba? Ano bang real score sa inyong dalawa?" Hindi na nakatiis na usisa ni Rei. Saglit na sumulyap ako kay Vaughn pero agad ko din binawi iyon ng makita ko ang blangko nyang ekspresyon.
"Hey." Saway ko kay Rei na hindi naman nagpaawat.
"Look, I'm not the only one asking about it. Some of my classmates in my other subjects were talking about you two lately. Hindi ko alam ang isasagot dahil wala naman kayong nilalabas na statement. That's why I'm asking now. Are you dating?" Rei continues that made me feel uncomfortable somehow specially when Vaughn keep on being silent.
Muli akong sumulyap kay Vaughn na mataman lang din na nakatingin sa akin na tila ba hinihintay akong sagutin ang tanong ni Rei. I bit my lower lip and tried to pull my hand out of his grip but he didn't let me go. His brows knotted as if I'm doing something stupid.
"So?" Rei asked impatiently. Kristine on the other hand is just watching us.
"We're uhm… we're just friends." Pahayag ko bago ipinakita ang kamay naming magkahawak. "You know how clingy I am, right? I do this a lot even with Ju and Shiro so it's not really a big deal. Besides, he's not interested in me right, Ikatlo?" Matamis ang ngiting tanong ko kay Vaughn gamit ang palayaw na binansag ko sa kanya at tanging ako lang ang gumagamit.
"Says who?" Balik tanong nya habang mataman na nakatingin sa akin.
"Huh? What?" Naguguluhan na tanong ko sa kanya.
"Who told you that we're just friends?" He asked me with a serious look on his face that made my friends shriek with excitement.
His hypnotizing eyes, gazed at me warmly making my heart beats rapidly. Awang ang mga labing nakatingin lang ako sa kanya nang sumilay ang isang matamis na ngiti sa mga labi nyang iyon kasabay ng masuyong pagpisil nya sa baba ko.
"Damn! Sana all may love life! Leche! Tara na nga Kris! Dadamoves na din ako kay Adriane." Aya ni Rei kay Kristine na tila ba binibigyan kami ng pagkakataon na magka-sarilinan.
"I never said that I'm not interested in you." Vaughn said in a serious tone.
"You never said that you're interested in me either." Wika ko na pilit tinatago ang kaba sa pagtataray.
Malalim na napabuntong-hininga si Vaughn bago ako masuyong hinila palabas ng Academic building at walang imik na tinahak namin ang daan papunta sa Main building kung saan naroroon ang office nila. Nagtatakang tingin ang ibinato sa amin ng mga kasamahan nyang abala sa pag gawa ng mga reports ng makarating kami sa Main building.
"Can we have this room for a moment?" He asked in a very kingly tone. May pagtataka man ay agad na tumalima ang mga kasamahan nya sa council.
He made me sit on his throne when they're gone. Yes, his throne. The student council's room have seats for designated titles and no one is allowed to sit on those without the permission of the owner. It is one of the ADA rules that we need to follow.
He kneeled before me so our eyes would meet. "Do you mean it?" He asked in a gentle tone while looking at me with his eyes full of anticipation.
"M-mean what?" May lakip na kaba ang boses na tanong ko sa kanya.
"Nung araw na sinabi mong gusto mo ko. Totoo ba yun? O sinabi mo lang yun para guluhin ang buong sistema ko?" Seryoso nyang tanong habang nakatingin ng diretso sa mga mata ko.
"Because you see, since that day. Mula nung sinabi mo sakin ang mga salitang yun, nagulo na yung buong sistema ko. I tried Marcielle Anne. I tried to ignore it. Those sweet gestures you've been showing me. Those signals. I tried because I know, someday, if my hunch is true about your feelings for me, there will be a point that you'll come to hate me. That's why I kept my distance. That's why I choose to ignore those signals. Kaya lang Marcielle... Sinabi mo kasi yung mga salitang yun eh. It changed everything. That's why I'm asking now. Is it true? Do you mean every single word you said that day?" Tila nahihirapang nyang tanong sa akin.
"Why? Does those words bother you so much?"
He cupped my face and smiled sweetly like how I wanted him to be while gazing at me with those loving eyes of him.
"It does...those words make my falling fast under your mercy. Making me admit defeat that I'm bound to be yours." He said before closing the gap between our lips in the sweetest way I know.