sucked in

Chapter 05

"Manong, hintayin niyo po ako," aniko kay Manong Tope.

"Okay, Ma'am," tugon naman niya. I just gave him a smile at lumabas na ng kotse.

The moment I stepped my feet outside, hinampas ako ng malakas na hangin. Ang lamig. Napayakap ako sa aking sarili. Dapat pala nagsuot ako ng jacket.

Lumingon-lingon ako sa paligid, looking for someone. There, I found him sitting on a swing. I took a deep breath before walking near him.

"Aaron," pagtawag ko sa kaniya, kaya napatingala siya. He instantly smiled the moment our eyes met.

"Sit down," aniya habang nakaturo sa bakanteng swing sa tabi niya. Umupo naman ako kaagad doon at tumingala. Ah, the sky is filled with stars, and the moon looks enchanting. I can't help but smile.

Nagulat naman ako nang bigla niyang hubarin ang suot niyang jacket at ipinatong iyon sa mga balikat ko.

"Mukhang nilalamig ka," he said.

"N-No, I'm okay.  It's cold, you should wear it," nahihiyang aniko at ibabalik na sana sa kaniya ang jacket, but he stopped me.

"No, you wear it. I'm not really that cold," he told me.

"Are you sure?" nag-aalalang tanong ko.

"Yeah." He smiled before avoiding my gaze. I heard him take a deep breath. "Mira, you've changed," I heard him mutter. "It almost seems like you're a completely different person."

I don't know what to say. I just sat there, waiting for what he's going to say next.

"You've suddenly become nicer to me." Mahinang tumawa siya. I can sense the bitterness in his laugh. "You used to just ignore me. But now, you even called me late at night to meet up." Bumalik ang tingin niya sa akin. "I think I like you more now. What to do?" 

Hindi ako umimik. I just let silence envelope us for several minutes. Tahimik na nakaupo lang kami habang pinagmamasdan ang langit. 

Nang sa wakas ay mabingi na ako sa katahimikan, lumingon ako sa kaniya. I know that what I'm going to say will hurt him, but I need to do it. This is also for his sake. 

"Uhm, Aaron..." I stood up and went in front of him. Napatingala siya sa akin.

"Hmm?"

I flashed him a smile. "You're a good guy. You're a pure soul," I sincerely said. He laughed nervously. Seems like he was caught off guard by what I said. I don't know why, pero naiiyak ako. I don't even know him that much, but my heart aches for him. "Let's... Let's break up. You deserve so much better. You don't deserve someone like me."

He froze. "Why?" was all he could say.

"You deserve someone who loves you wholeheartedly. Please find someone better than me and be happy. Don't waste your love and your time on me. Please find someone who appreciates every little thing you do." A tear suddenly fell from my eye when I saw the hurt expression on his face. Mukhang hindi niya alam kung anong sasabihin. "Goodbye, Aaron. Please, please, be happy. Thank you for everything... and I'm sorry." I gave him a small smile at tinalikuran na siya.