Atherelle's POV
Hiding
Ilang minuto ng nag-da-drive si Clarissa pero hindi namin mahanap ang tinutukoy niya. We already reached far away but we didn't see the friends she's talking about. Nawawalan na ako ng pag-asang makita nga ang sinasabi niya pero siya desperada talagang mahanap 'yon.
"We should just go back. Wala na siguro 'yon." I said, already lose hope.
She took a u-turn immediately and I thought she'll drive back way to the apartment but she followed two men walking on the bay walk. Naghanap siya ng pwedeng mahintuan.
"There are his friends," Clarissa said in a relieved tone.
She unbuckled her seatbelt and signaled me to also remove mine. Tinanggal ko nalang din ito at sinundan siya palabas ng kotse. My eyes widened when I saw Lyle and Vince walking together with their usual playful behavior. Nagtatawanan ang dalawa habang may kung anong pinag-uusapan.
When they saw me, natigilan sila sandali at kumaway kaagad nang makabawi. I smiled back at them.
"Y-you know them?" si Clarissa na nagtataka.
"They are my friends here," I answered.
Hindi ko na maisip kung anong gustong iparating ni Clarissa sa ginagawa naming ito. Lyle and Vince are Eztri's friend she's talking about.
"Zed, gabi na, a. Nagala ka?" Vince asked
"Kaka-out lang sa work." Sagot ko. "Anyway, this is my bestfriend, Clarissa." pakilala ko.
They also introduced themselves but Clarissa just nodded in a bored manner, looking so uninterested.
"So, where are your two friends then?" she asked.
"Si Gab ba at si Gasper?" Vince asked back.
"Basta 'yong dalawang medyo magkamukha."
"Umuwi na, e." si Lyle ang sumagot "Bakit nga pala?"
I was about to interrupt to stop Clarissa from telling them what we needed. I don't want them to know especially when one of Gasper and Gaviel I think is Eztri.
"Nagtanong lang." si Clarissa
I bid goodbye to them after the small talk. While Clarissa is driving back to the apartment, nag-iisip ako kung sino ba talaga si Eztri.
Could it be Gasper?
His eyes remind me of Eztri the first time I saw him. But when I stare at it longer, I can exactly tell the difference. Also, Eztri is now in his fourth year of college and Gasper is my classmate, probably not him.
Gaviel.
They have the same voice, the tone, the firmness in it, the accent, everything... especially the eyes.
Could it be him? And what if he isn't? What if he is? Would it change anything? Nah. So why bother finding that stranger I met in mobile legends? Makita ko man siya sa personal o hindi, walang magbabago. Whether Gaviel and Eztri are one, it won't change anything.
Clarissa went home Sunday afternoon. Sa lunes balik na naman ako sa pag-aaral and I observe more Gaviel when we we're together. I already made up my mind that if I will find out that Gaviel is Eztri, I'll just keep it all by myself. I want to set everything aside. But I always found myself staring at Gaviel, thinking if he is the Eztri I met in mobile legends.
"Do you know how to cook?" Gaviel asked.
I look up at him who's currently drinking. I can clearly see his sharp adams apple smoothly move up and down the moment she swallow the water. Pagkatapos niyang uminom ay binalingan niya ako at ibinaba ang bottle ng mineral water na hawak niya. Tinaasan niya ako ng kilay bilang pagtatanong. Maybe he finds me weird lately.
BINABASA MO ANG
Till the Last Game Do Us Part
Romance"He became my home when everything in me fell apart. He adopted my abandoned heart, hugged all my pain, and danced with my flaws like they were his favorite part of them all."
