Dancing with Fire

CHAPTER 26 - Cold Hands and a Warm Heart

CHAPTER 26

"Where's your medic kit?"

"I don't need that." Referring to the box Sandra was holding.

"Magiging malaking peklat yan kapag gumaling." Lecture niya dito. "Sit down, tell me something about the fight."

"You've seen it all. You should be the one telling me kung anong pumasok sa utak mo at naisipan mong sundan ako." Sagot nito ng pabalang sabay upo nito sa tabi ni Sandra.

"How's Adam?" And dabbed his wound with an alcohol.

"Ooowwww!"

Tumawa naman si Sandra. "Sa suntukan ang tapang-tapang, pero sa alcohol halos maiyak na." She snorted.

"Shut up." At bahagya naman itong ngumiti.

A smile so rare. Kailangan bang magkabugbugan muna para lang lumabas ang ngiting ito?

"Si Adam, how is he?"

"He'll be fine." He answered with conviction.

"Are you sure?" She asked again, gaining second thoughts because of what she witnessed a while ago. Hanggang ngayon ay nag-aalala siya kung nakakatayo pa rin ba si Adam.

"He knew the risks firsthand. He would be plainly conscious by this minute."

"Oh-kay." She finds it so hard to believe, but keeping it to herself though. "Lagi bang nagkakaroon ng laban doon?" Dagdag niyang pag-uusisa dito.

Alcide rested back on the sofa. "Depende kung may interesadong makipagbunuan, tsaka palipat-lipat ng venue. It depends on the host."

"Is that a sport, yung parang UFC?" She interestingly asked.

"Worse than that cause there are no rules, but of course nothing below the belt. Always a standardized regulation."

"Eh bakit nyo ginagawa yun? The bloodshed and stuff, don't you people realize kung gaano kadelikado ang ginagawa niyo?" She babbled.

Alcide straightened up. "Dangerous is my form of diversion. Above that, I get paid without even asking for it. It's a double strike." He said. "That's what you call pain and gain."

Sandra said nothing and just pushed the cotton hard on his wound.

"Shit Ness, could you be more gentle!" He jumped.

Sandra eyed him. "Oh, akala ko ba pain and gain?" Pangangasar nito.

"You still haven't explained the side of your story." Returning the watchful gaze.

Nahiya naman si Sandra sa nagawang pagsunod. "Well, because you look suspicious."

"Suspicious? Of what?" Taas-kilay nitong tanong sa dalaga.

"Of your lying. I thought you were selling drugs or something. I was worried." Sabay titig sa chandelier na nakakabit sa ceiling, just above the living room.

Alcide arched a brow, seemingly skeptical. "Really huh."

Sandra folded her arms. "Noong una, I thought you were just hiding your 'mystery girlfriend', I mean, what's the big deal, right? None of my business so I didn't bother asking you. It's called respect of privacy."

"So what happened to that respect of privacy?" He added, staring at her with an unconvinced expression.

She rolled her eyes. "When I noticed those untimely calls and sudden errands, I became wary. Mas lalong tumindi ang suspetsa ko when you're friends always say something like 'you almost killed him, good luck tonight, bleed him dry, bla-bla-bla... I thought you're literally really doing something overboard."