decoding the boys ✔️

17 - so wrong || edited, uncut ver

It really felt good to be back. Even though I miss the ambiance of Tagaytay, iba pa rin talaga ang comfort kapag nasa bahay na.

Plus, naipahinga ko na rin finally yung swollen ankle ko kaya okay na ako. Mabilis lang ang naging recovery dahil pina-check-up ako ni Kuya Andrei habang si Kuya Jacob naman ang naging extra attentive sa bawat kailangan ko.

Now, I could freely move around again.

Early in the morning, I went out to bike around the neighborhood. Casual stroll lang, to clear my thoughts as well.

Hindi kasi mawala sa isip ko ang mga nangyari do'n sa Youth Camp. Lalo na yung huling gabi. Kahit ano kasing gawin ko, lagi kong naririnig sa isip ko ang mga sinabi niya, and they bothered me even though I'd loathed to admit it to anyone.

Habang pauwi ako, naramdaman ko ang vibration ng phone ko.

Napakunot ang noo ko nang mabasang unregistered lang pala 'yon. Huh? Sino naman kaya ang magte-text sa 'kin nang ganito kaaga?

A pretty girl like you must know this famous and handsome guy's digits, Jamie V ;)

Napatitig ako sa screen. Jamie V? Isa lang ang tumatawag sa 'kin no'n.

Hoshet. Angelo?

Me:
Haha. Hey, you. How did you get my number?

I saved his number and laughed when I saw the name I registered on top of the screen.

Tazmanian Devil:
I got my ways ofc.

Napangisi ako. Bagay na bagay sa kanya yung nickname. Both a hurricane and a devil.

During the three days na nakakulong ako sa bahay, in-add ako ni Angelo sa Facebook. Nagkausap kami doon, saglit na saglit lang, at wala pang kwenta yung naging usapan. He also followed me on Twitter and IG kaya kahit papano, updated ako sa endeavors niya.

Naturally, I followed him back.

Hindi nga ako nagkamali sa hinala ko. Angelo is really adventurous. Obvious sa IG posts niya. From sky-diving to trekking to other sports. Grabe. Busy talaga siya kung busy. At in fairness, magaling din siyang kumuha ng photos.

And another thing to be impressed about was yung pagte-text niya sa 'kin ngayon. Akala ko kasi hanggang social apps na lang kami, because them Notorious Charmers don't really stay. They're just in for the entertainment, the moment, kaya bibihira yung mag-eeffort sila na bumuo ng stable communication. Minsan kasi, active lang ang mga 'yan kapag nandyan ka. Kapag wala ka, wala na rin sila. Kumbaga, napapanahon din ang mga 'yan. Pag trip nila o trip ka nila, do'n lang 'yan kikilos.

Though not all charmers are like that. Iba-iba din kasi talaga sila ng diskarte.

I knew I was safe with Angelo, though, so I did not think of his actions that much anymore.

When I reached our parking space, saktong pauwi na rin sina Kuya Andrei at Kuya Jacob. I could only guess they were returning from a basketball session base sa hitsura nila at mabilis na paghinga.

Unang bumungad sa 'kin ang pawis at mamula-mula nilang mga pisngi. Even from afar, I could already see how ripped my brothers had become. Nakasuot ng wife-beater si Kuya Andrei habang si Kuya Jacob naman nakahubad na ang jersey top. Syempre, nakabalandra ang abs niya.

I marveled at how different these two looked.

Under the morning sun, mas kapansin-pansin ang kaputian ni Kuya Andrei. A true mestizo, so no wonder those girls dig him. But that of course in no way lessened Kuya Jacob's charm. His tanned skin and unruly hair gave him that bad boy vibes. Isali mo pa yung ear cuff na nasa kaliwang tainga niya na kahit kailan hindi niya hinubad simula nang mag-second year. I wonder why.