Dangerous Addiction (BxB, 2022 COMPLETED)

Kabanata 57

KABANATA 57

NOONG BUMALIK SI LEON mula sa banyo, mapait siyang ngumiti nang makitang wala na sa kahit saang sulok ng kwarto si Keith. Siguro umalis na, pinuntahan ang fiancée at inayos ang kasal ng mga ito. Why should he care? Tapos naman na sila ni Keith kanina’t alam niyang malabo silang dalawa simula’t sapul.

“This is the third time,” he whispered to himself.

Noong lumabas si Leon mula sa hotel room na ni-rent nila ni Keith kagabi, bumuntong hininga siya’t nadismaya nang malamang bayad na ang kwarto. Iyong kasama na raw niya ang nagbayad, and by that... They meant Keith, no? Wala siyang pakialam kung disente ba ito o ano. Ang alam lang ni Leon, mas magaling ito sa kanyang manggago.

Thankfully, Leon knew that Keith was up for revenge, to be honest.

What Leon doesn’ understand was that... All he did ever since he met Keith was to love him. Was that too hard to ask? Kahit one-sided lang basta maayos sana ang rejection sa kanya at hindi sila naging involved noon, hindi naman siya magiging ganito. But the moment he realized that he harboured feelings towards Keith, he didn’t know that he signed up for something worse.

Siya mismo, alam naman niyang tough ride na ma-in love sa kapwa lalaki. Alam niya dahil noong kumalat ang balita na si Ridge at Zamiel pala noong Senior High School sila e ang daming umusbong na tsismis. Halos lahat, iniinsulto ang mga kaibigan niya dahil bakit daw ganoon? Bakit daw sa lalaki pa? Gwapo pareho ang mga kaibigan niya at maraming babae ang humahanga sa mga ito kaya bakit daw ang isa’t isa pa ang nagustuhan? There is an explanation of why they’re bounded together but... He wasn’t one to interfere with their business.

Kaya nga hindi niya masabi kahit kanino, kahit sa sariling mga kaibigan niya, na gusto niya si Keith noon. Pero alam niyang may pakiramdam ng mga ito na mayroon nga siyang nararamdaman para sa binata. Ilang beses siyang inasar ng mga ito noon hanggang sa nabigla silang isang araw, nagbago ang tingin niya kay Keith.

Right. How could he go extremely in love the other day and wake up abhorring Keith’s very existence the next day? It doesn’t add up.

The thing is... His and Keith’s didn't go well just like how Ridge and Zamiel had it easy back then.

It all started when he was eighteen. Still young and naive. He’s already crushing hard at Keith at sixteen but he wasn’t one to realize it until the latter slapped him with a possibility— eighteen years old siya nang talagang bumilis mag-unfold ang mga posibilidad at potensyal sa relasyon nila ni Keith.

“Mahal kita, Leon.” It was a drunk confession but when Leon heard those words from Leon’s lips, he instantly believed it. Hinalikan pa siya nito sa labi at pangalan lang niya ang binabanggit hanggang sa makatulog ito. He even chanted that he loved him for so many times, and Leon believed every word because he thought that these are Keith’s genuine and inner thoughts.

He was drunk and drunk people could get really honest with their feelings.

Sabi ng iba, kapag lasing ang tao... Roon daw lumalabas ang totoong tumatakbo sa isipan nila. Kaya pinanghawakan niya ang pag-amin ni Keith kahit na kinabukasan, wala itong maalala.

The thing is... It was his first mistake. He believed that drunken confession and where did it get him? Nothing. He just ended up hating himself and lashing out on Keith for years.

“Leon, girlfriend ko nga pala. Samara, si Leon. Kapatid ‘yan ni Nards,” pakilala ni Keith sa kanilang dalawa ng dalagang kasama nitong bumisita sa bahay nila.

Napasinghap si Leon at napapantastikuhang tinitigan si Keith. Noong mga panahong iyon, wala nang ibang maisip si Leon kung hindi masakit palang dito siya nahulog. King ina. Nasaan ang pag-amin nito? Bakit siya hinalikan nang lasing ito?