Chance Again (Again Series #3)

Kabanata 19

Hindi nag-sink in agad ang confession ni Cleo. Who would have thought? Hindi ko naman naramdaman na interesado siya sa akin.

So, she likes me too?

Nang may mapagtanto nanlaki ang mga mata ko. I hurriedly peeked through the window to see our friends. I knew it! Wala na roon ang tatlo na kanina lang mga lasing na nang iwanan namin.

Nilagpasan ko si Cleo para buksan ang pinto. I froze when they fell on the floor of her room.

Bumuntonghininga si Cleo nang makita ang mga ito.

Agad namang umayos ang tatlo sa pagtayo at nagkunwaring pinapagpagan ang mga damit nila. They look guilty and at the same time, natatawa na nahuli sila at narinig nila ang pinag-usapan namin.

"Tim..." Nagbabantang tawag ni Cleo.

"Ganito kasi, Cleo." Sumesenyas sa kamay si Tim. "Sabi kasi ni Jonary, gagamitin niya lang banyo. And we happen to hear everything, kasi noong una nagsisigawan kayo..."

Ni hindi nag-abalang lumingon si Cleo.

Mukhang galit siya.

Napanguso tuloy ako. Pakiramdam ko damay ako. I mean, bakit kasi hindi siya nag-ingat? I shouldn't sound guilty right now, but I wanted the ground to swallow me now!

"Girls, tara na!" Matumba-tumbang inakay ni Tim sina Kesha at Jonary. She took Cleo's silence as a cue to exit the scenario.

Lalabas na sana ako, pero ganoon kabilis na sinarado ni Cleo ang pintuan ng kuwarto niya.

Nagtataka ko siyang tiningala. "We should go na..."

Again, I felt the same butterflies in my stomach when I realized how tall she was while she cornered me.

Naiilang akong umiwas ng tingin.

By simply towering over me, she's already making me blush.

"Hindi pa ako tapos, Aurora."

I clenched my fist and did my best not to stutter. "I already heard you! But that doesn't mean that it's true—"

Muntik na akong ma-out of balance kung hindi niya lang ako naalalayan sa beywang at naisandal sa pintuan matapos niyang angkinin ang labi ko.

I can almost taste the sweetness and bitterness of the alcohol she drank earlier because of the way she's kissing me, deeper than what she did last time.

Like she's proving how she's hardly into me.

Bumitaw siya sa halik na 'yon at muntik pa akong humabol!

She caught me when she finally opened her eyes.

I swear I was so embarrassed right now!

Ngunit agad napalitan ang emosyon na 'yon nang mariin niyang tingnan ang mukha ko gamit ang singkit niyang mga mata. It was like she's admiring every part of my face.

She rubbed her thumb at the side of my neck gently while looking straight into my eyes, and it gave me chills. Hindi ko na yata kayang tumayo pa.

"C-cleo..." Dumiin ang pagkapit ko sa suot niyang flannel polo.

After that, she crushed her lips to mine again.

That night ended. Sa tagal naming nag-usap lang sa loob ng kuwarto niya, nakalimutan na naming mag-i-sleep over nga pala sina Kesha, Tim at Jonary, kaya paglabas namin para silang kinawawa na nakahiga sa sofa, nilalamig dahil hindi nabigyan ng kumot.

"You seemed inspired lately," ani Coach Beatrice. Just like the mentors that I had, she is fit and pretty, and among all of them, siya lang ang nagtagal sa akin. My grandma likes Coach Beatrice so much.