Six Months [Book 1: Playboy Series]

Chapter Seven

Hanzel was with us in the next day, pare-pareho kaming nasa billiard area, one of us seems to be uneasy, nilapitan ko si Ericka.

"Are you okay, Eri?" tanong ko sa kanya.

"Huh? Uh, not quite but I'll be fine"

"What's wrong? Kaninang madaling araw ka pa ganyan, may nangyari ba?" tanong ni Clara.

She sighed at saka marahang tumango, oh boy, this doesn't seem good to me.

"What happened?" tanong ni Clarisse.

She closed her eyes tight.

"I'm going home, girls" sambit niya.

"Hu-what?!" sabay-sabay namin tanong sa kanya.

"Last night, my mouth slipped and I told Zeinn those forbidden words"

Halos malaglag ang panga ko sa narinig, I glance at Zeinn, tahimik lang siya habang nagbabasa, he's reading a case I guess, naka-folder na black ang binabasa niya, nakaramdam ako ng kamay sa aking beywang, napaangat ako ng tingin.

"I need to talk to you" Hanzel said.

Tumango ako at saka binitawan ang pole cue, I patted Ericka's shoulder, she softly smiled at me, iginiya ako ni Hanzel sa labas ng bahay, there's also a stream here, nakakita ako ng picnic blanket roon at may pagkain ring nakahain.

"Here, take a seat"

Naupo ako sa picnic blanket, he sat a ruler away from me.

"Bakit? May problema ba?"

"Nothing"

"Ano nga? Hindi ka naman mag-aaya ng ganito dahil lang..." napatingin ako sa kanya sa paghinto ko sa pagsasalita, "gusto mo lang akong makasama"

I smiled crept on to his lips at saka nagbukas ng chips, the stream was calming kaso nga lang nabasag iyong katahimikan ng kagatin niya iyong chips ng pagkalakas-lakas, natawa ako at saka kumain na lang rin.

"So, ano nga?"

"I know what you're thinking"

I glance at him.

"You can't talk it out to Zeinn, he's impenetrable"

"It's only been a month, I never really thought that it could only take a month for someone to fall, and say those three words that fast"

"Even a second would feel like forever with the right person" sambit niya at saka uminom ng bottled juice.

"That's right but, I don't think it's love already, love making do bring to people closer but nevermind that, what I'm trying to say is I don't think that's love, lust or flirt maybe"

Saka ako simpleng ngumiti sa kanya, I kept eating chips, hindi naman iyon bawal sa akin, I took the water from the basket and drink, nakatingin ako sa batis.

"Ericka's going home, huh?" sambit ko.

"Rules are rules"

"So, if I say that to you, then I'll go home?"

"Mm-hmm, as simple as that" sambit niya na parang wala lang.

Hindi naman na ako nagulat na parang wala lang ako sa kanya, I'm not expecting anything, but I felt a hollow space in my stomach, and that strange foreign feeling, it felt the opposite, hindi ko alam kung anong nararamdaman ko.

"My mom would probably able to explain what I'm feeling right now, you're right I am a crazy woman" sabay tawa ko.

Muli akong uminom ng tubig, I continue to eat the chips, natahimik na kami pareho, hanggang sa mahiga siya aking mga hita, I froze ngunit agad ko ring nabawi ang sarili ko, I played with his hair while eating chips, that bipolar feeling, pinagpagan ko ang kamay ko at saka muling uminom ng tubig, every second passed and its seems like hours had passed by, nakapikit ang kanyang mga mata habang hinahaplos ko ang kanyang buhok.