[ COMPLETED ] • [ EDITED ]
Nadia Valiente's disappearance has always been a mystery to her friend, Marina. By how her alleged suicide took place, up to the position that she was in whilst on that river, soaked to death, felt like an unsealed package...
Oops! Ang larawang ito ay hindi sumusunod sa aming mga alituntunin sa nilalaman. Upang magpatuloy sa pag-publish, subukan itong alisin o mag-upload ng bago.
MARINA
He looks as done as I do.
Aki is staring at me silently with his fingers on his hair. He's trying not to block his sight by those strands of him. Because of that, I can now have a clearer picture of his ruby eyes that are a bit swollen, like as if he just gotten into a quick cry that I didn't even notice since we were together the moment he grabbed my body away from that house.
I sniff, still restraining myself from bursting out in tears, because there's a person here with me and the last thing I want him to know is that I'm weak, so he'll pity me. Aki has all the rights to get mad, to be furious enough to shout at me, and being at a vulnerable state is a reasonable excuse to get away from the chaos that I committed in his chest. And I don't want that.
I want him to yell or scream at me, but instead, I saw his other arm lingering my dirty and dry palm, trying to calm them. He draws a circle on the surface that tickles me a bit, and then a heart, then a circle again, while his eyes are still fixated on me.
Habang ako, tulala't nakatanga rito sa kama at kasalukuyang nakaupo kaharap ang taong nagligtas sa 'kin mula sa kapahamakan.
Finally, Aki decided to break the silence, maybe because he figured that if he didn't, no one would, and we'll just be staring at each other for the next few hours until we fall asleep. "Do you want some soup?" he asks gently while pressing my trembling palm.
I stare at him. And just stare.
Ni wala nga akong ganang ibuka ang bibig ko para magsalita kaya sigurado akong hindi ko rin kakayanin na kumain.
Worry surrounds his expression when he didn't hear any response from me. "Or maybe porridge? Or noodles? Rice? Or, or, or—" he stopped from talking when I press his hand back and give him a small shake of a head before I lay my body down on my bed, still in my uniform.
"I understand that you're devastated, but you have to eat before drinking your meds," he blurts out before scooting near me to catch my eyes.
I didn't answer again. And that made him stand up.
"Sit," he mutters.
Napatingin ako sa kaniya habang nakakunot nang bahagya ang mga kilay.
"I said sit. I'll feed you," pag-uulit niya nang may diin sa tono na lalong nagpakunot sa noo ko.
"I said, I don't want to—"
"I'm not asking you a favor. This is an order and you are obliged to obey."
