Softly, you whisper

Eleven

Eleven

Sometimes, I find myself getting caught in between. In between choosing A and B amongst all choices, my coffee hot or cold, choosing to shoot from afar or pass the ball to the nearest teammate...kissing Nori or just stare at her until my eyeballs were sucked out of my sockets. But I always go for the safest answer, not to satisfy my wants but to just be safe from all of my choices.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Nori asked me as we were sitting at the back of my car, where we had a blanket on its floor. She had worn a thick sweater, her hair in a ponytail, showing her perfectly cut bangs. She just looks exactly like the girls in korean dramas.

"Ang ganda mo lang." I said, being honest to what I really think.

She chuckled cutely. "Ang tagal-tagal mong nakatingin kaya. May dumi ba sa mukha ko?" She touched her cheek.

Shaking my head, I said, "Nothing. You're just beautiful."

Her cheeks warmed at my compliment. Mas lalo siyang tumitig sa akin at inilapit ang kaniyang mukha. Her eyes were bulging as if she was scaring me.

I pursed my lips to stop myself from smiling at her cute attempt of looking scary.

"You don't look scary, okay? Stop that!" I said, laughing in between. Mas ginanahan pa siyang papangitin ang mukha at sinamaan ako ng tingin.

She can't scare me like that. Knowing that she's Nori, all she can do is to be cute and pretty at the same time.

She giggled and pushed herself closer to me. She dropped her head softly on my shoulders as she looked up at the night sky.  There were lanterns of stars in the blanket of the night, glittering like diamonds. Ang mga mata ni Nori, her blue and brown eyes, shone like gemstones filled with awe.

Napangiti ako habang nakatitig lang. Who would have thought that I could be closer to her like this? In a matter of seconds, I could be kissing her or just caressing her face.

"Zoe..." she whispered my name in the air.

"Hmm?" I hummed in response as my eyes followed the path that hers took. Tumitig din ako sa libo-libong bituin na nasa ibabaw.

"Thank you for being here."

"You always thank me for being here and there for you. It's my duty now as your boyfriend. You don't need to thank me."

"Kahit na." She moved even closer, almost leaving no space for my sanity to breathe. "I have friends but I couldn't talk to them about my problems. Ikaw, nasasabihan ko sa lahat. Thank you for risking that day just to see me and I'm sorry for acting like a total bitch. I pushed you because I don't want you to get involved with my mess and my family."

She sighed. "Nobody got the courage to know me more. Ikaw lang. My parents were strict so they don't want me to have friends coming over. They don't want me to go out alone. Nakakatakas lang ako because they were working away at naaawa lang ang mga kasama ko sa bahay kaya ako nakakatagal sa labas. They felt pity but they don't really want to understand me at all."

I breathed, inhaling her scent. My arms snaked around her back and settled on her waist. I dropped my head gently on her head that was on my shoulders.

"Zoe, would you still like me if I tell you that Dad's on a illegal and risky business?"

"What? Like drugs?" I chuckled as a joke. "That can't be it, right?"

"Paano kung oo, would you still like me?" She removed her head on my shoulder. Napalayo ako nang kaunti para matingnan siya.

Nori's solemn eyes stared back at me. "Paano kung oo, Zoe? Would you still like me?" she repeated.