Till the Last Game Do Us Part

Chapter 4

Atherelle's POV

Love

He sent a photo of the same city I am watching right now, and I don't know what to feel. My heartbeat pump more loudly than it's the normal pump. 

Eztri:
We're just near to each other.

Paulit-ulit kong pinanood ang si-nend niyang picture bago ako tumayo at nagtungo sa railings ng veranda. I roam my eyes around the place hoping to see someone, but I don't see any sign of a person looking at me from a far. Nang wala talaga ay bumalik ako sa pagkakaupo. Sinikop ko ang buhok ko at inipon sa kanang balikat bago nag type ng message sakaniya. He is still online, and I saw three dots moving, signaled that he's typing a message.

Erelle:
Have you currently taken the photo?

I was tapping the table using my fingers like I am playing the piano. The three dots didn't stop moving and I can't wait any longer. I want to know if it's current or not. But he suddenly called which made me panic. I cleared my throat before I decided to accept the call but before I could finally press enter, the call ended. 

Eztri:
I will show you that it's legit. Don't worry there's no need to show your face. 

I can feel the coldness of my palm, so I rub it together to keep it warm and cozy. Seriously, why am I nervous? It's just a call and nothing else.

The silence eats the whole place the moment I answered the call. I don't know but I feel awkward and nervous at the same time. I suddenly became conscious of my voice. It was different when we were playing. May ibang pagkakaabalahan kami roon pero ngayon wala at naka focus lang kami sa boses ng isa't isa.

"Anyway..."

[I will turn--]

Magkasabay kaming nagsalita kaya natawa kami dahil doon.

[Don't feel awkward. We'll make ourselves comfortable with each other] aniya

"Sorry. Can't help it. It's my first time talking to, uh... stranger this way" I hesitated to say the word stranger. "And I don't know how to start a conversation, so kinda awkward."

[It's okay. Ipapakita ko lang naman ang tanawing tinitingnan ko ngayon]

He shared a video, so I diverted my attention to it for a while. Sa paraan ng pagtapat nito sa camera ay parang nasa gilid ko lang siya. Hindi man ganoon kalapit ay hindi rin ganoon kalayo.  Napatingin ako sa bandang may bundok. Para sa akin, sobrang layo nito kung nasaan ako pero kapag kukuhanan ko ng video ay parang ang lapit lang nito. I have this feeling that he is just near that mountain. 

"No, we're not that near," I spoke

[Yeah, but at least we were watching the same view at the time]

I was watching the screen of my phone closely. Sobrang ganda tingnan ng mga ilaw na kinuhanan niya ng video. I then look at the view in front of me and back to the screen of my phone again.

"Awesome," I uttered and stifled a slight smile.

I don't know why I'd like the thought of us watching the same view together. 

[So, you're fond of watching city lights?] he asked

"Oo. I don't appreciate things like this before. But because of life struggles, I suddenly discovered this. It's been years since I thought I could ever find a better place to look at. Little did I know that the comfort I've been looking for is just around me." I chuckled 

[There are lots of better places to look at. You just chain yourself off thinking that there isn't.]

"I don't know either. Life has been so hard on me." dinaan ko sa tawa ang pagkakasabi ko pero bigla nalang parang gusto ko maiyak.