Eighteen

Chapter 48

I had woken up to the throbbing of my head like it was going to crack any minute now. My eyes were pinched close as I raked and squeezed my hands in my hair in an effort to alleviate the pain to no avail. I started to remember bits of yesterday night. It dawned on me—who had sent me home? Pero hindi ko na iyon gaanong prinoblema dahil ang importante hindi ako nakatulog sa kung saan mang sulok ng bahay ni Hide. Hindi ko rin alam kung kailan nga ba ako nawalan ng malay,

Slowly, I opened my eyes and was dumbfounded when everything around was dark. I tried to move around the bed, causing the hurt in my head to spike. I groaned softly and lay back down, feeling the pillow sink with my head.

Am I still in Hide's house?

I could not see very well; I could also feel that I did not have my contacts on, but I had them on yesterday. The darkness in the room made it hard for me to know where I actually was. My room should not be this dark.

Tiniis ko na lang ang sakit ng ulo at pinilit na tumayo. Nang naramdaman ko ang tela na bumabalot sa katawan ko ngayon, naalintana ako; someone had made me wear an oversized jersey. Not that I was starting to overthink, but I actually snooped in my hand beneath the shirt to check if I had anything other than this. The velvet dress I wore at the party was still intact. I sighed with relief.

Tila bulag ako na nangapa ng direksyon ko. Malabo na nga ang mata ko, dumagdag pa ang dilim. I walked across the room, with my hand filling the role of my eyes. After touching other things that had not felt like a doorknob or a light switch, I finally arrived at door. Pinihit ko iyon, at kapareha lamang ng kwarto na madilim, wala ring ilaw sa napusukan ko.

I was starting to feel anxious. This felt like the classic film scenes where characters of a film got kidnapped. My hand felt for a switch on the wall next to the door, and sighed in relief when I found one and flipped it on. The room instantly went bright, and I felt a sense of security after finally being able to see things after adjusting to light. Hindi naman ganoon kalabo ang mga mata ko para hindi na maaninag ang mga bagay-bagay kaya ganoon na lang ang pagkagulat ko nang bumalandra sa akin ang mga aparador na gawa sa kahoy at mga damit at sapatos na naroon sa kwartong iyon.

And another thing I observed after walking a little farther into the room, everything was designed for a man.

Tumahip ang dibdib ko at kaagad na lumabas mula roon at hinanap ang pinto palabas ng kwarto. Thanks to the scarce light from the closet, I easily found the door out of the room this time. The harsh daylight attacked my eyes right after I opened the door. I had to adjust to the bright sunlight again. When I had, I saw a lot of familiar things before my eyes.

Almost everything was familiar if not for the minor changes in their places. But from the gray couch, glass coffee table, floor mat, glass railings, and especially that gigantic 3d clock stuck to the wall, I knew right away that this was the second floor of Anais' condo. I was right when I walked over the edge of the floor and grasped at the railings, where I saw the same old living room in front of a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city.

Hindi ko alam kung bakit ako narito at paano, pero may kung anong nagsabi sa akin na umalis kaagad ako kaya ayon ang ginawa ko. I hastily went back inside the room and switched the lights on. I collected my things that was on the bedside table and rushed out of the room. Tahimik ako na bumaba sa paikot na hagdan, at mas naghuramentado ang dibdib nang nakarinig ako ng ingay mula sa kusina. I could not see the person who seemed to be cooking.

I mean, who else would be around the area except for me and the owner?

Without making any noise, I nearly ran the distance between the stairs and the door that led outside. It almost felt like relief with a mix of panic as I put on my Converse, and when I finally did, I opened the door and dashed out of the house without looking back.