How To Tame A Demon

Chapter 39

39 : Sneak

"Here." Travis settled into an empty seat near the back of the bus, gesturing for me to sit beside him.

"Sit here," tinuro niya ang bakanteng upuan sa tabi niya.

I followed, taking the spot next to the window, hoping the fresh air would ease the dizziness I already felt creeping in.

Before the bus even started moving, I could feel the nausea setting in, the familiar queasiness tightening in my stomach.

Mukhang napansin naman iyon ni Travis, so reached behind me and carefully removed the backpack from my shoulders. He placed it on his lap, making sure I was comfortable.

"You okay? Hold this," he said softly, handing me a plastic bag. I took it without protest, too focused on the churning in my stomach to argue.

Inilagay niya ang kanyang bag sa tabi ng akin, binuksan ito at naghanap ng kung ano. Nakita ko siyang may kinukuha sa ilalim ng bag—isang face mask.

Sinundan ko ang bawat galaw niya, nagpapasalamat at nagtataka sa kanyang gagawin.

Travis scooted closer, his presence warm and reassuring. He pulled a tissue from his pocket—one I recognized from the milk tea shop we'd visited earlier—and carefully placed it inside the mask.

Without a word, he turned to me, gently adjusting the mask over my nose and mouth. I reached out to take it from him, but he shook his head, insisting on doing it himself.

Habang inaayos niya ang mask, wala sa aming nagsasalita. Ang katahimikan ay puno ng hindi masambit na pag-aalala at kakaibang aliw.

I couldn’t bring myself to break it, too focused on trying to steady my breath while the world outside blurred with the movement of passing cars.

"Don’t worry," Travis murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "We’ll get there before you know it."

***

"Kasalanan mo ito eh," I mumbled, my voice trembling as I fought back tears.

"Alright, it's my fault! I'm sorry but don't cry!" natatarantang sabi ni Travis habang pilit niyang pinupunasan ang mga luha sa aking mga mata. Napapikit naman ako at sinubukang pigilan ang magwala.

Naglakad nalang sana kami!

Halos isang oras na kasi mula noong sumakay kami ng bus, at hanggang ngayon ay nasa kalagitnaan pa rin kami ng biyahe. Kung alam ko lang na ganito kalala ang traffic, lalo na sa ganitong oras, sana pinilit ko na lang tayong maglakad!

At least then we might already be home, resting peacefully instead of stuck in this moving nightmare.

Kahit na nakakahilo na ang amoy, pinilit ko na lamang umupo ng maayos at huminga ng malalim.

Tinulungan naman akong mag-ayos ni Travis. Malumanay ang pagkakahawak niya, pero tinapunan ko siya ng masamang tingin bago ko ipinikit ang mga mata.

I couldn’t muster the energy to snap at him, afraid it might just make my head spin more. The last thing I wanted was to throw up in front of everyone on the bus. That would be beyond humiliating.

Pero bakit ba kasi ang dami pa rin ng mga tao sa ganitong oras? At bakit ganito kalala ang traffic?!

I leaned my head against the window, trying to calm the storm inside me, but Travis quickly moved my head to his shoulder and murmured.

"Don’t lean on the window. Mas mahihilo ka."

Too exhausted to argue, I nodded slightly and let myself drift into a restless sleep. Hindi ko tuloy maiwasang mainggit sa iba na walang problema sa pagsakay.

Kumakain naman ako ng maayos, kaya bakit ganito katawan ko? Sana kagaya na lang ako ng iba.

This is one of the reasons why I'm not much of a traveler. My body just can’t handle going to different places.

I burrowed deeper into Travis’s shoulder, sighing heavily. But just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard his final words before the darkness took over.

"Sleep well, baby."

***

The bus finally came to a halt, jolting me awake from a deep slumber I didn't even realize I'd fallen into. Travis was already up, his hand gently shaking my shoulder.

"We're here," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the hum of the engine as it wound down. I blinked, trying to shake off the lingering drowsiness, but the haze from earlier still clouded my mind.

"Let's go," he said, taking both our bags as he stood. I tried to protest, but the words died in my throat as I followed him off the bus.

Pagkababa namin, agad akong bumaling sa gilid ng daan, hinahabol ang sarili kong hininga habang pinipilit kong labanan ang pagkahilo. Travis was there, always just a step behind, ready to catch me if I faltered.

"You alright?" he asked, concern lacing his voice as he gently rubbed my back.

"Oo... okay lang ako," sagot ko, pero alam naming pareho na kasinungalingan lang iyon. Hindi ko magawang makatingin sa kanya ng diretso. I was too embarrassed to admit how weak I felt.

He just nodded, not pushing it, but the way his hand lingered on my back made me feel like he understood more than I let on.

Pagdating namin sa bahay, tahimik kaming pumasok, nagsusumikap na huwag gumawa ng ingay. I could hear Travis softly chuckling behind me as I tiptoed across the living room, exaggerating my steps like a cartoon character.

"You’re really serious about not waking her up, huh?" asar niya, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Malamang," I shot back, pero hindi ko mapigilang mapangiti. We made it to the stairs without incident, but as I placed my foot on the first step, the lights in the living room flickered on, and I froze.

"Pwede ka na talagang maging pusa, nak," came my mother’s voice, filled with mock admiration. Dahan-dahan naman akong napalingon sa direksyon niya at ngumiti ng pilit.

"Hi, tita," Travis greeted, ever so polite. My mother smiled, clearly amused by our efforts to sneak in unnoticed.

"G-gising ka pa pala, ma," I stammered, trying to mask my panic. She just shook her head, still smiling as she walked over to us.

"Sa susunod, gumamit kayo ng flashlight. Goodnight na," she said, chuckling softly before shooing us upstairs.

"Goodnight, mama."

Once we were finally in my room, Travis collapsed onto my bed with a sigh. "That was close," he murmured, a lazy grin on his face.

"Stop being mad at me, Avery," he continued, his voice taking on a softer tone. "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to make things harder for you."

I sighed, feeling the last remnants of my irritation melt away.

"Oo na... but you owe me," I muttered, trying to sound stern, but the smile tugging at my lips betrayed me.

He raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "What do you want?"

Bigla namang nakaisip ng kalokohan ang ulo ko at ngumiting aso sa kanya.

"Peram ng phone," I replied, giving him a sly grin as I held out my hand. He stared at me, caught off guard by the request, then laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You're just taking advantage of me," he muttered, but there was no real annoyance in his voice, just a resigned sort of fondness.

I didn't back down, putting on my most innocent expression. "Please?"