Housemates With Benefits [COMPLETE|PUBLISHED]

Sabrina (67)

'The number you have dialed is either unattended or out of coverage area. Please try your call later.'

As usual.  

Hindi ko alam kung alin sa dalawa ang totoo.  Unattended ba or sadyang out of coverage area.  Or both.  Bumuntonghininga na lang ako, dropped the call, and put my cellphone by the bedside table at muling patagilid na nahiga sa kama.  Tahimik kong pinanood ang mabining pagsayaw ng door curtain sa hangin habang lumilipad ang isip ko sa kung saan.

Magdadalawang-buwan nang palaging ganoon ang naririnig ko sa tuwing tinatawagan ang number ni Oliver.  It is always that no matter what time ako tumawag -- umaga, tanghali, gabi, madaling-araw.  I even tried dialing every hour one day pero nananatili akong bigo.  

I told Rachel about it once.  Na hindi ko na ma-contact ang nobyo ko.  Biniro niya akong nakalimutan na siguro ako ng taong 'yon.  Out of sight, out of mind daw.  I acted like I accepted what she said in the spirit of how it was given, a joke,  but deep inside, kinabahan ako.

My insecurities are clawing at me pero pinipilit kong hindi sila intindihin. I keep on telling myself that Oliver is not that kind of person.  If he could, he would have answered my call or siya na ang naunang tumawag.  He is on his internship.  Who knows, baka pinadala siya sa area na mahirap talaga ang signal.  Marami namang lugar sa Pilipinas na hindi abot ng signal ng kahit na anong telecommunications network.  Halimbawa na lang ang Arena Blanca.  Dead zone ang islang iyon.  There must be a hundred places like that in the Philippines and Oliver must be in one of them for the past two months.

That thought, of dead zones, comforted me and keeps on giving me hope that one of these days, makaka-connect din ang call ko.  I just have to be patient.  And it is not as if Oliver did not warn me that it could go like this.  He did alluded to this on the last time we've been together.

Nagsimula ang internship niya sa last month ng first semester.  Unang dalawang linggo, every two days niya akong binabalikan sa bahay.  Sinasabihan ko pa nga siya noon na weekends na lang siya umuwi dahil nakakapagod ang ginagawa niya pero siya ang mapilit.  Nasa Obsidian Towers lang naman daw siya naka-assign that time at hindi naman ganoon kalayo ang biyahe.

He was then assigned under sa pinsan niyang si Raphael at doon na nagsimulang humaba ang mga araw in between sa pag-uwi niya sa uni.  Hanggang sa hindi na talaga siya nakakabalik sa akin.  Puro tawag na lang at paminsan-minsan na mabibilis na videocall.  Sumasama siya sa pinsan sa pagpunta sa marami nilang mga projects across the country.  And now, I remember him mentioning that Raphael deals with projects in difficult locations.

The first week of the second semester, bigla siyang umuwi nang walang pasabi.  Natutulog na ako nang dumating siya at grabe ang takot ko nang nagising akong may kung sinong akmang tatabi sa akin sa kama.  Kumalma lang ako when I realized that it was my boyfriend after all, looking a little bit more rugged than usual kahit na ang preppy ng haircut niya.  Maybe the reason why I didn't recognize him right away is because he cut his hair.

"What are you doing here?" I asked in a voice hoarse from sleep.

"Visiting my girlfriend, what else?"

He climbed over the bed and under the covers.  Umurong ako on one side of the bed to give him more space and he grinned at me in silent thanks.  Then, he proceeded to remove his clothes one by one, starting with his shirt, as I blinked at him.  

"Love, get on with the program.  Skin-to-skin," he drawled as he threw his boxer briefs over the bed and reached for my pajama dress.  In no time, I was equally naked as him. 

He had me lying next to him, skin-to-skin as he demanded.  Tapos may inaabot siya sa aking maliit na mansanas na noon ko lang napansing bitbit niya.  Natatawa ko iyong tinanggap at kumagat bago binalik sa kanya ang iba para ubusin niya.