Little Miss Invisible (WIP)

49: Sweeping Me Off My Feet

"Ahm," natatarantang inilibot ko ang paningin sa paligid. But it's as if I can't see anything clearly. Ang tanging nakikita ko nang malinaw, as in naka-4K resolution, ay yung malapad na ngiti ni Riley.

Hay, whatever did I do in my past life to deserve such a handsome creature as my boyfriend?

Teka, saan nanggaling yon? Nagpapanic na inayos ko sa mesa ang vase na naglalaman ng bulaklak. Then I gestured toward... toward-- ah hindi ko alam. Basta iwinasiwas ko ang kamay ko sa ere.

"You can sit anywhere, Riley."

Pero nanatili lang siyang nakatayo malapit sa pinto. And he was looking at me like... I don't know. Hindi ko alam kung paano ide-describe ang paraan ng pagtingin niya sa akin. But I know exactly how that look is making me feel--like I'm the most beautiful woman in the world.

What did I just say a while ago? Si Riley yung capo ng buhay ko. Kapag nariyan siya at tinitignan  ako ng ganyan, para talagang kaya kong gawin ang lahat. At kapag nakangiti siya ng ganyan, parang gusto ko na lang din ngumiti na parang tanga. Maya-maya pa ay parang slow motion na pinanood ko ang paglapit niya sa akin. I was mesmerized by the determined look in his eyes. Yun bang parang gumagalaw lang siya para sa iisang purpose lang.

Napigil ko ang hininga ko nang tumigil siya sa tapat ko. My heart almost jumped out of my chest when I felt his palms touch my cheeks. And then suddenly, his lips were in my forehead, and then my nose, and then my eyes. He kissed my whole face until I lost track of where he was kissing me. And finally, I felt his lips touch mine. Magaan lang iyon. Ito siguro yung dinedescribe sa kanta na butterfly kisses.

"Kalai?" Bahagyang inilayo ni Riley ang mukha sa akin. But he was still close enough for me to feel his breath against my lips.

"Hmm?"

"Puwede ba kitang halikan?"

"Ha?" Hindi ba hinahalikan na niya ako kanina? Bakit nagtatanong pa siya kung puwede niya akong halikan?

Lumitaw nanaman iyong magandang ngiti ni Riley. "Was that confusing for you?"

Tumango lang ako. Sometimes it really amazes me how Riley seemed to know exactly what's running through my head.

Tumikhim siya. Pagkatapos ay lumipat ang isang kamay niya sa balikat ko habang ang isa naman ay sa gilid ng bewang ko. "I mean to say, can I kiss you like really kiss you?"

"Riley, hindi ko alam ang ibig mong sabihin."

"Can I just..." Inilapit niya ang mukha sa akin. "Show you what I mean?"

Hindi ko nga naiintindihan ang ibig niyang sabihin. But I think my subconscious understood it. Dahil parang biglang kinilabutan ang buong katawan ko. "O-okay."

The moment I said that, Riley pulled me closer. Kung dati ay siya ang lumalapit sa akin para yakapin ako. Siya din ang yumuyuko para halikan ako. Ngayon ay hindi. He literally pulled my whole body towards him. My toes were the only part of me that's still attached to another object, which is the floor. Ito ba yung meaning ng term sa mga nobela na "sweeping me off my feet"? And then our lips met and I forgot what I was thinking about earlier.

Parang lahat ng senses ko ay na-magnify ng million times. Iyong mahigpit na pagkakayakap niya sa bewang ko, yung magaang paghaplos ng daliri niya sa leeg ko. And most especially, the gentle yet insistent swipe of his tongue against my lips. I think my body forgot how to breathe. Or maybe nagmalfunction ang ilong ko. Because my lips just suddenly parted on their own just so I could breathe again. And Riley took full advantage of that by sliding his tongue inside.

Immediately, I felt a wave of panic. Hindi ko alam ang gagawin ko. Pero ayokong isipin ni Riley na hindi ko gusto ang ginagawa niya. As a matter of fact, I quite like his kiss. But it's overwhelming me and scaring me a little. 

"Breathe, babe," I heard him say before his big hand cupped my face. And then I felt his thumb gently stroking the side of the cheeks.

Unti-unting nabawasan ang panic na nararamdaman ko. Until I was eagerly mimicking the way he was kissing me. Kusang gumalaw ang mga kamay ko para kumapit sa mga balikat niya. And he makes a low, growling noise at the back of his throat. That low sound vibrates through my own body. I like it, but it's scary at the same time. Lalo lang akong kinabahan nang humigpit ang pagkakahawak ni Riley sa leeg at batok ko. Then he angled my head before kissing me hungrily. Oo, hungrily talaga. Hindi naman ako ganoon ka-naive para hindi malaman ang term na iyan in relation to a kiss. But I didn't know exactly how and what it means to kiss or be kissed hungrily before this moment. And as Riley threads his fingers through my hair and tugs me closer, I can feel the wild hammering of my heart. Para ngang lalabas na ang puso ko mula sa ribcage ko.

I was suddenly hit with the realization that what I was feeling a while ago isn't real fear. Yes, I was scared a little bit. Pero dahil lang iyon sa kawalan ko ng experience. I literally don't know what to do or how to kiss. Kaya kinakabahan ako kanina. But now... now, I'm pretty sure that I'm more excited. Oo, tama. Excitement nga itong nararamdaman ko. And there's also something else. Hindi ko mahanap ang tamang salita para doon. Let's just say that something is happening to me. I think I'm becoming addicted to his kiss. It's as if the whole world can fall apart right here right now and I wouldn't care.