The beautiful woman held my hand just below her face to pull me closer. I swear that her ocean-colored eyes are almost twinkling with the way she looks at me.
"Is this her?!" tanong niya kay Isaiah.
Isaiah let out a laugh, "Yes."
Litong-lito ako habang pinagmamasdan silang dalawa. What are they talking about me? I'm sure it is me, but why?
Her eyes teared up, "Oh thank God!"
The woman hugged me tight, and I froze. Not because I am uncomfortable... but because I haven't received this kind of hug in a while.
It's different.
I feel like a child in her arms, ready to cry her worries to a mother.
Then I heard her whisper something to my ear, "I was so afraid that my son would be fine with being alone,"
It's like she's sincerely happy just by seeing me and I don't know why. She doesn't even know me.
I probably look so stupid right now because I do not know how to react. She just said that she's Nikolai's mother!
My mother's boyfriend actually likes me!
"Hi Tita, I'm Gemini Luz." pormal kong pagpapakilala nang sa wakas ay binitiwan niya na ako at kumalma siya nang konti.
"I'm Hana Mijares! And please, don't call me 'Tita', call me 'Mom' instead!" masigla niyang sabi. Even with the slight wrinkles on her face, her vibe is still very youthful. Mas marami pa yata siyang energy kaysa sa akin.
She snapped her fingers, "I knew it! There really is a girl behind this! I knew it!"
Natawa na naman si Isaiah. "Yes, Madame."
"Have you eaten, dear? Let's grab you some breakfast," tanong si akin ni Tita Hana... or Mom. That's going to be hard to get used to because I refer to my mother as "Mommy" which is very close to what Tita wants me to call her.
"I'm good, I just want to check on Nikolai." I gave her a small smile. Isaiah and Nikolai's mother's smiles give off the same loving vibes.
Nakakatunaw. It makes me want to crawl to their arms and let myself cry in their lap, knowing that they'll make me feel better. They just have that kind of vibes.
She gave me directions to Nikolai's room and I followed it. Kumatok ako nang ilang beses pero walang nagpapapasok sa akin kaya pinihit ko na ang doorknob. Dahan-dahan akong sumilip sa loob at kaya naman pala hindi ako marinig ng lalaking 'to ay naka-headphones!
Kahit nakahakbang na ako papasok at naisarado ko na ang pintuan ay nakatutok pa rin siya sa malaki niyang TV, naglalaro siya ng video game. Gosh, he and his love for video games.
"Hoy, Nikolai!" sigaw ko nang makita ko kung gaano kagulo ang kwarto niya. I don't know if it's a guy thing at this point because come on, I grew up with two brothers and I had to put up with this all the time.
He turned to me with wide eyes. He's in his hoodie again but this time paired with only shorts.
Kakatakan ko sana siya dahil mukhang bodega ang kwarto niya sa sobrang kalat pero paano ko magagawa kung parang bata siyang mabilisang lumapit para yakapin ako?
"Hello," I said in a very soft tone, more than I intended it to be. He's taller than me but he's leaning down to level his head on my chest. Kahit ako ay naririnig ko ang tibok ng puso ko.
BINABASA MO ANG
Hiding Behind the Lenses (Arte del Amor #3)
RomanceNichole Malachi, or Nikolai as his friends call him, fell in love at an early age and had his heart broken by her. It hurt him terribly, that he thought nothing could ever bring him down, not anymore, but he was wrong to believe so. He lived through...