Journey With You (Completed)

Chapter 13: Burning

Journey With You
Chapter 13: Burning

I rode a cab to the address Noreen sent me. It was some bar in Walking Street and I found Sven staring into space, holding a glass of something that looked like whiskey. Sa dami ng sinabi ni Lloyd kanina tungkol sa mga alak, pamilyar na sa akin ang iilan.

He looked at me but the gaze was loose, as if he's lightheaded from all the drinks he had before I arrived.

"Si Noreen ang tinawagan ko ah?" Tinignan niya ang phone niya, chineck ang call history. "Oh," he showed me the log. "Tapos ikaw ang dumating?"

He's already freaking drunk. Ano na naman ang meron? Ayon sa schedule niya, may meeting siya bukas ng umaga. Why is he trying to get wasted?

"How did it go?" Tanong niya sabay baba ng baso sa mesa. I took the chance to get it and fill it with liquor.

Ininom ko iyon. Pwe. Hindi masarap!

"This tastes like Lloyd's words. Distasteful." I said, placing the glass on the table. "Bakit ka nandito? May meeting ka bukas diba? Tara na, iuuwi na kita."

"Di ka naman marunong mag-drive ah?" Protesta niya. "At hindi mo pa sinasagot ang tanong ko."

"Mag-taxi tayo."

"But my car. I can't leave my car." Aniya.

"Balikan mo nalang bukas. Or do you want me to call someone else? Yung marunong magdrive?" Kinuha ko ang phone niya pero inagaw niya ito.

"Aren't you upset?" He said. His face was dark with what seemed to me as conflicting emotions.

"Akin na yan. Tatawag ako ng kaibigan mo."

"Aren't you upset?" Pag-uulit niya. "Aren't you disapppointed that you had to meet with such a distasteful jerk?"

"Sino bang tinutukoy mong distasteful jerk? Si Lloyd o ikaw?"

He averted his gaze. "Right. I'm not any different. Lloyd and I... pareho lang kaming gago."

From what I see, he's unhappy that I think of him as a jerk, even though he admits that he is indeed a distasteful jerk.

"What's your point now? Na dapat magalit ako sayo kasi hinayaan mo akong makipagdinner kay Lloyd? Ikaw nga ang nagsabi na panagutan ko ang kasalanan ko, hindi ba?" Saad ko.

"I didn't want to send you there." He suddenly confessed.

"Wala na. Tapos na. Saka kahit na ayaw mo, gagawin ko pa rin naman kasi ayaw kong maalis ka sa club dahil sa kasalanan ko."

"You wouldn't do that for me."

"Right. I did that for Atlas. Imagine being in the front page of newspapers. CEO of Atlas becomes the first member removed from Club Hotelier. More than your reputation, there are many other employees that dedicate their lives for the hotel. I can't make it harder for them."

"Didn't take you to be the compassionate type."

"Compassionate ba yon? Ayaw ko lang masisi. Besides, kasalanan ko naman kasi talaga."

"So how did it go?"

I expelled a heavy breath. "Ayun, parang sampung taon ang lumipas sa sobrang inip. Is he even human?! Para siyang robot! Yung robot na naka-program para magsabi ng dalawang bagay lamang: something boring, or something insulting."

"Did he insult you?"

I clenched my teeth. "Is it still considered an insult if I kind of agree with him?"