Loving Peril

Prologue

"Hon, I'm sorry I'm late."
Julie immediately hug her boyfriend from the back to console him, pakiramdam niya kasi ay pinaghintay niya ito ng matagal. And she didn't mean it that way.

"Hon? Are you okay?"
Julie asked when King doesn't say a thing, or doesn't even bother to utter a word because of her being late.

Ilang segundo pa ang lumipas bago narinig ni Julie ang malalim na paghugot nito ng hininga, bago tuluyang magsalita.

"Masaya ka pa ba?"
tanong nito na ikinatigil ng dalaga, that question caught her off guard. 'Cause the past few months puro na lang pag ooverthink ang nagawa niya, and she's sorry that she had her friends na walang tiwala sa boyfriend niya.

"Julie, masaya ka pa ba sa meron tayo?"
tanong nito habang nakatingin sa kaniyang mukha, unlike kanina she can't see his face dahil nakatalikod ito sakaniya but now...

"Eh ikaw? Did I even make you happy?"
tanong niya rito, and seeing how her man look away ay napayuko na lamang siya.
Happiness, masaya naman talaga sila noon. Not until one of them got to be unfaithful and had doubts, sinubukan naman nila pero nauuwi pa rin siya sa pagdududa.

"Bakit kailangan mong ibalik sakin ang tanong?"
tanong ni King sakaniya na ipinagkibit balikat niya na lang, she's trying to be cool in this talk even if its causing her head ache. Oo masakit na sa ulo ang pag ooverthink niya, pati ang mga kasinungalingan nito pero kasi mahal niya eh kaya hinahayaan niya lang; kaso may hangganan pa rin kasi ang lahat.

"I didn't, magkaiba naman ang tanong mo sa tanong ko."
tugon niya sa kasintahan tsaka siya humakbang palapit sa railings, nasa rooftop kasi sila ng restaurant niya. Halos hindi pa siya tapos sa trabaho kaya ng tumawag ito, ay natagalan pa siyang puntahan.

"You asked me if masaya pa ba ako, while I'm asking you if I even make you happy kung napasaya man lang ba kita. There's that big difference between yours and my question,"
paglilinaw ni Julie sa kasintahan na nawalan na ng imik,

"Just like your feelings for me; if I will ask you if you loved me, you'll probably say yes. But if you'll ask me if I loved you, I'll probably answer I love you every now and then. Kasi minahal kita at minamahal pa rin kita, kahit ang sakit sakit na."
Julie says as she is trying to make some sense within their conversation, yet into someone like King who's often a close minded person the guy will probably won't take it easy.

"Yeah right, pinagdududahan mo na naman ba ko? Why does it always sound that your accusing me into something? At kailan kita sinaktan? I'll never do that to you."
King questioned na palihim na ikinailing ng ulo ni Julie, in order for a relationship to work listening to your partner to understand their side is important. Hindi yung makikinig ka lang para may maikatuwiran ka at madepensahan ang sarili mo.

"Alam mo kung ganito ng ganito rin naman, maghiwalay na lang tayo. "
King firmly stated making Julie look into her boyfriend's eyes, pero napaiwas din agad siya ng tingin ng makita ang kasiguruhan sa mga mata nito. Walang pag aalinlangan o pagdadalawang isip man lang.

Ilang segundo ang lumipas bago tuluyang nabuo ang mga salita sa mga labi ni Julie,
"If that's what you want, let's set each other free and cut the ties we made."
malumanay na tugon ni Julie, tsaka walang lingong likod na humakbang papalayo sa binata.
Hindi man lamang na ito nagsalita pa at hinayaan na lang siyang lumayo.

'Maybe this isn't the right time for them? Or maybe she just took care of him so much na nasakal na ito at ngayon ay nais na ng kalayaan mula sakaniya.
Pero naging sobra nga ba talaga siya?'
Hindi mapigil ni Julie ang samu't saring pangunguwestiyon niya sa sarili, nagtatanong siya pero hindi rin niya mahagilap ang sagot.

Until midnight came, there is Julie outside their village habang nasa loob pa rin ng kotse niya, trying to calm down herself pero sa bawat paghinga niya ay ang pagbabalik ng lumipas na. Like a flashback of how they end up now, habang hawak ang cellphone at nakatingin sa mga larawan nilang magkasama.

"Sinubukan naman natin, ipinilit ko pa nga eh. Sadya nga yata na hindi talaga tayo puwede, I guess this is really our last I'm no longer your Queen and your no longer mine."
aniya habang nakatingin sa mga larawan nila sa cellphone niya, at isa isang binura lahat ng iyon sa gallery niya. Masakit at mahirap para sakaniya ang ibasura lahat ng yon, lalo na pag naaalala niya ang kasiguruhan nito sa kalayaang hinihiling mula sakaniya.
Gusto niyang umiyak ng umiyak pero ayaw makisama ng mga mata niya, ni isang luha walang lumalabas.

"Haa! Haa!"
buong lakas na sigaw ni Julie sa loob ng sasakyan niya, wala namang makakarinig bukod sakaniya dahil soundproof naman ang kotseng gamit niya. And Julie just careless, if she can't cry then atleast she can shout out loud for the pain trying to suffocate her.

Minutes after Julie screamed nonstop, she felt a bit of relief except for the pain in her throat but atleast she's feeling okay unlike earlier.

Then her phone rings, kaya naibaling niya rito ang atensiyon only to see her brother's name on it's screen. She inhaled and exhaled first to compose herself, bago pinindot ang answer button.

["Wanna talk?"]
walang 'Hi o kaya 'Hello yun agad ang bungad na tanong ng kapatid ni Julie mula sa kabilang linya, na bahagya niyang ikinatigil. Something's off...

"Noah, did you just bugged me?"
she asked her brother at narinig naman niya ang pagtikhim nito bago nagsalita, a guilty one.

["I don't, it's just your phone."]
Noah answered in a plain tone, probably trying to hide his guilt.

"Yeah whatever you say,"
tanging sagot na lang ni Julie, at narinig naman niya ang malalim na paghugot nito ng buntong hininga bago nagsalita.

["Don't get me wrong, I just want to know if you'll be okay kaya pinalagyan ko kay Ciera ng bug yang phone mo. And I must say hindi ko talaga gusto ang tabas ng dila at utak ng lalaking yon. He's so irresponsible for you, you don't deserve him."]
paliwanag ni Noah, wala namang naging imik si Julie dahil laging kabutihan lang niya ang gusto ng kapatid niya.

["Okay I'm so sorry sissy for interrupting your privacy, I mean it. Your already at the right age, and I shouldn't be like this but..."]
dugtong ni Noah na hindi naman na din natapos pa when Julie cut him off,

"Thank you, brother. Kahit na mapang asar ka, I'm thankful for having a brother like you. You always want what's best for me, I'm grateful and I'm sorry for being such a stubborn one. I didn't listen to you, and this is what I get."
litanya ni Julie sa kapatid na talagang natahimik,

"Brother? Noah? Are you still there?"
tanong ni Julie ng magdaan na ang halos isang minuto ay wala pa ring nagsasalita mula sa kabilang linya, she even look into the phone's screen at on going pa din naman ang call.

"Hey Noah? I'm ending this call if you don't talk back."
Julie warned at her brother, na parang noon pa lamang natauhan.

["F*ck! You rob my air sissy, how can you be such a sweet talker? Ganyan ba epekto ng pagiging broken, nagiging mabait ka?"]
Noah cussed as he talked, napailing na lang si Julie sa pinagsasabi ng kapatid sakaniya. Noah is the eldest, at minsan lang talaga siya maging ganun sa kapatid. Ang pagiging malambing at sweet ay hindi niya forte, but having Noah on times like this dapat niyang ipagpasalamat 'yon.

And maybe Noah is a bit of manwhore, yet simple words of gratitude will probably make her brother fold. O.A. man sa iba but that's her brother, words of affirmation and efforts are more expensive to him.

Kaya ng mamatay ang tawag nito ay bahagya siyang natawa, as far as she knows Noah is in Spain right now at hindi siya magtataka kung nasa meeting ito ng ganoong mga oras.

And her thought is right when she received a message from Noah,

'I'll call again later sissy after my meeting, you better sleep now first. And don't say like that again in the middle of my meeting, the bros here are looking at me like a madman.'

That's what Noah's message says, and enough to lighten up a bit her mood just imagining how crazy Noah looks like upon hearing her thank you's. She's still lucky aside from Noah, she also have her friends to cheer her up.

And Noah's right kailangan niya din talaga ng tulog dahil may trabaho pa siya, although she can refuse dahil siya naman may ari ng restaurant kung saan siya nagtatrabaho. Yet on the other hand mas okay na rin kung magiging abala siya.
Kaya agad na binuhay ni Julie ang makina ng kotse niya at pinaandar diretso papasok ng village kung nasaan ang bahay niya.

(P.S.Thank you so much for this wonderful book cover MysteriousGleam)