Hinahanap - Hanap Ko Siya

Chapter 4

Bzzz.... Bzzz.... Bzzz.... Bzzz....

Bamboo was jolted awake by the vibration of his mobile phone, which he left lying by his hip on the bed when he fell asleep.

He squinted his eyes from the sunlight that came peeping through the blinds on the window, heaved a sigh and picked up his phone.

1 Message

Pancho
Bambs, wake up, it's already 5:30 a.m. C u downstairs.

He read the message as he carefully cranned his neck and slowly got up from the bed. He shook his head and yawned. He slept for like, 3-4 hours only, but he knows he need to get going if they don't want to be late for their flight back home.

He sat for a little while on the edge of the bed and silently contemplated the events of yesterday.

The show was a success, and he's very happy about that. He is also excited for the up - coming ones still lined up on his schedule. But despite the welcoming pressence of his hectic career, he still couldn't shake off this certain feeling. Like some sort of melancholy. This sadness that no one knows except maybe, Pancho.

His mind drifted once again to her lovely face. He admits, his dream was full of her memories. He often dream about her, nowadays.

He sighed heavily as went in the bathroom. While dressing up, he picked up his phone and checked his Twitter account. And as usual, sabog nanaman notifications niya, haha. Natawa nalamang siya. He scanned through news and updates at natigilan siya ng bumulagta sa kanya ang photo ni Sarah kasama ang boyfriend niyang si Matteo na spotted sa Ed Sheeran concert na ginanap sa Pinas nuong kasalukuyan siyang bumabyahe patungong Singapore para sariling show.

Dagsa - dagsa ang mga retweets ng kanilang picture, kung kaya't isinara nalamang niya ang phone niya. Nasasaktan siya. Masakit parin makita silang dalawang magkasama, kahit na alam naman niyang wala siyang karapatan magselos dito.

Dali - dali niyng inimpake ang mga gamit at nagmadaling bumaba sa may hotel reception area. Nakita niya si Pancho ay naroon na, naghihintay.

"O, you ready, bro?", tanong sa kanya nito.

"Yeah", was his short response.

Ng makasakay na sila ng van ni Pancho patungong Singapore airport, di parin maiwasan ni Bamboo ang magbalik sa nakaraan nila ni Sarah.

Flashback year 2012:

Nakatanggap si Bamboo ng invitation na makapag guest sa Sarah G Live, na ibinalita sa kanya mismo ni Pancho.

Aminado siya sa sarili na namiss din naman niya talaga si Sarah since the latter left Asap last February that year. It's only been two months since he last saw her, but to him, it seemed like eternity.

He was full of excitement and anticipation on the day of their rehersal for their song number of Rumor Has It. He shaved his head and he made damn sure he smelled great that day, haha. He was planning on asking her out for a snack afterwards.

While dressing up, though, natigilan siya when he noticed the plain gold band on his left finger. He looked at his reflection and sighed. 'What the hell am I doing?', he asked himself. 'I'm not officially divorced yet, and yet I act as if I have all the right to court a very young girl'.

"Shame on you, man", he told himself, loudly, "shame on you."

When he got to the studio, he saw her immediately. She looked so fresh and sweet, and very, very young, without any make up or accessories on.

She ran a bit to where he stood and stopped right in front of him. With a huge smile on her angelic face, she stepped a little closer to him, encircled her arms around his waist and hugged him. Bamboo was too stunned to move, but he must admit, kinilig siya doon. 'Damn!', he thought to himself.

"Namiss po kita, sir Bamboo!", bati ni Sarah sa kanya, still smiling.

He gave a concious little laugh. "Hey, i missed you, too, Sarah", he replied with a smile, showing his deep dimples.

Sarah let go of him and stepped back a little but he held onto her left hand, while they walked across a corrider and into the rehersal studio. God, it's a good thing he was able to make sure that he smelled really good that day, haha! Who would've thought that Sarah will greet him with a hug, right?

Flashforward present:

Bamboo is gazing out the window while on the drive to the airport. He smiled in recollection as he remembered taking Sarah out to have coffee at a nearby Starbucks cafe after their rehersal.

They talked about anything under the sun and he was actually surprised to have learned that they have a lot of things in common, aside for the love of music.

And of course, their performance was a blast. It was an excellent duet and their collaboration was superb. So naturally, nasundan pa ito ng mararami pa nilang pinagsaluhang duets.

But that was around the time when things weren't complicated, yet. They were comfortable with each other, and it was the start of good friendship, with a promise of something more.