Flickers

Chapter 79

His eyes that was once drowning in grief held a shock though it was momentarily, with a few shadows that has passed between us he retained his old mood.

He jogged towards me, he was holding a plastic bag in his arms and a bottle of coke on the other. As he stood before me I had a clear vision of his face, it was taut and thin and the pursing of his lips reveals his nervousness which also affected me.

"W-Why are you here?"

My fingers stiffened, I wanted to tell him that I wanted to spend Christmas with him just like he did before but I kept forgetting that we're already broken up. It was me that initiated it and yes, it was his doing that made me do that.

I swallowed my pride seeing the slight hint of expectation he thought he has hidden deep in his eyes, I opened my lips and say my honest thoughts today.

"I wanted to see you"

My heart thumped in a fierce manner leaving me almost out of breath as I wait for his reaction.

It was just a simple statement but it was like his eyes were the reflection of a firework flying through the sky, like how the flowers would bloom in spring, that is what I am reminded of when seeing him.

"What?" He asks, I knew he must be thinking that he was going crazy after all I wouldn't do this kind of coaxing.

He would be the one who would always please me and get our relationship to continue. He was the one who would always bow his head down and acknowledge his wrong doings. Pride was nothing in his eyes, I was the only one which matters to him and that made me wanted to return back the favor.

"I said I wanted to see you"

He looks taken aback and was about to say something when the door to his home opened. I immediately blushed from my neck to the tip of my ears seeing his mother who also looks take back before giving us a knowing smile.

"Mom..." Eric trailed off, he have his hand on his neck awkwardly while I stood in the same place, rooted and stiff like a tree.

"Hello po, tita. Merry Christmas po" I greeted her and managed to say those words calmly without stumbling but the beating of my heart still ferociously be thumps in my chest.

(AN: Po is a polite suffix used for the elderlies and also to respect someone)

"Oh it's you, Merry Christmas too! Do you want to come in?" His mother still look a bit enthusiastic but there's some sadness between her brows that wouldn't be able to erase itself in the following months.

"Oh no tita, no thank you. I just wanted to um..." I shouldn't be hesitating now, I should go for it. "I just wanted to ask if it would be alright if Eric could be with me today? We won't be too long" I assured her but she just clapped her hands and nodded.

"Oh you good child, go on, you can accompany him. And you-" she pointed to her son who was still shocking. "How could you let ange come here! Are you still a man huh? Stinky boy" she chastised Eric making me laugh seeing his distorted face.

"It's okay tita"

Eric was still admonished after that by his mother and I was also was still pushed into their home to at least eat lunch with them. I couldn't refuse anymore after seeing the head of the chair being left aside.

Soon, Eric and I step out of his home. Although we walked together there was still a slight distance between us. We rode towards SM Angono after trying to board the jeepney for as long as half an hour due to the heavy flow of traffic and passengers.

"Let's have a game, the person with the most tickets would win and have one wish that the loser would obey, no matter what it is," I said to him and hold his wrist, not minding how fierce my tone is even though I felt my heart tightening from nervousness and my palm being too clammy.

Eric chose the basketball game and I did the same, he was in the upper hand since he knows how to play it. I went to another game and by the end of it, an hour has already passed and I felt my legs weakening and turning to jelly.

I look beside me and was stunned to see the smile that I thought I wouldn't see again from his face. At that time I knew at least for an hour, he forgot the absence of his father as well as our separation.

We counted our tickets on the floor, I relished the cold comfort of the floor I am sitting in.

"I won"

His was 75 while mine was 76, he was short of one piece of ticket that was added to me. I lift my eyes and smiled victoriously before he turned to my side.

"What's your wish then?"

My face was reflected onto that clear eyes of his that were slightly wet from laughing so hard. I blinked the tears away that began to accumulate in my eyes and say.

"For you to be with me again"

***
Chapter 79 is up!

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