Perfect Fake Lovers

Chapter 17

#NewClassicPFL

Chapter 17
Years

Resting my chin on top of the back of my hand, I stared at Sic's recently sent message on my phone.

From: Sic
Are you done getting ready? I'm on my way to your house but just take your time if you're still not done. See you.

It might seem casual, but I kept reading it over and over again even though I had already memorized every word and the punctuation marks he used. There was just something about it which made me feel loved and special.

That one message showed me how considerate he could be by asking about me, continued with giving an update about his whereabouts and being patient, and ended with a sweet simple phrase. It showed how much he cared about me and what I think about him.

With a dreamy sigh, although I was already wearing makeup, I put my head down on the vanity mirror while staring at my phone. Every time it would dim as it was about to automatically lock itself, I would press on the screen right away.

Although I tried to hold myself back, my mind kept revisiting that memory from the other day. I was still in awe of how much he could affect my emotions without trying so hard. He just said all those comforting words, and like I was hypnotized, everything felt okay and he was all I could ever think about.

Pero bukod doon ay mayroon pang gumugulo sa isipan ko. Ang sabi niya sa akin ay kakalimutan na namin ang agreement sa pagitan naming dalawa.

Does that mean what we have right now is finally true and real? Is he really my real boyfriend now?

I bit my lower lip as I was thinking about that possibility. But when I realized where my thoughts were heading towards, I quickly snapped out, sat up straight, and shook my head.

"No, no, no..." I said to myself and lightly tapped on my cheeks a few times. "Stop that, Lavi! Magtigil ka! He's not your type!"

"Natatakot na ako sa 'yo..."

Nanlaki ang aking mga mata at mabilis na napalingon kay Ritchelle. She was standing by the door, looking at me with a weird expression on her face.

"Kanina ka pa ba nandyan?" tanong ko, hindi ko alam kung bakit ako kabado.

"Kakapasok ko lang at naabutan kitang kinakausap mo ang sarili mo," sabi niya. "Nandoon na si Sic sa baba."

"He is?" Binalik ko ang tingin sa cellphone upang tingnan kung mayroon siyang bagong mensahe ngunit wala naman akong tanggap. "Hindi siya nagtext sa akin na nandito na siya."

Sumandal si Ritchelle sa pintuan at humalukipkip. "Ang sabi niya sa akin ay hindi niya sinabi sa 'yo dahil hindi ka raw nagreply sa kanya kanina. Baka raw nag-aayos ka pa," sabi niya at saka lumapit sa akin. "As far as I know, kanina ka pa tapos mag-ayos. Hindi ko alam kung excited ka lang ba talaga o ano."

Ngumuso ako saka ibinaba ang cellphone pabalik sa ibabaw ng vanity. Hindi nga ako nakapagreply kay Sic dahil hindi ko rin alam kung ano ang sasabihin ko.

"Umamin ka nga sa akin, Lavi..." Naningkit ang mga mata sa akin ni Ritchelle nang nag-angat akong muli ng tingin sa kanya. "Are you falling for Sic?"

My eyes went wide open. There was a loud thump inside my chest. Halos maubo-ubo na parang nasamid sa hangin dahil sa tanong niya sa akin.

Nagtaas siya ng kilay nang nakita ang aking reaksyon. Umupo siya sa aking kama habang diretsong nakatingin. "Hindi mo na kailangang sumagot," sabi niya. "Alam ko na."

"What do you know" I rolled my eyes at her and faced the vanity mirror. "I don't like him, okay? I just came from a bad heartbreak. Wala sa isip kong magkagusto ulit sa lalaki lalo na sa kakakilala ko pa lang."