Our Song

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Love

I'd like to think that maybe I was just drunk but I drink too little of alcohol a while ago to be already drunk... And although I can also taste some alcoholic drink on Wesley's mouth as he kissed me I knew he wasn't drunk yet, too... Yet we were drunk differently... We became drunk of each other's soft and still familiar lips...

***

"Can we talk?"

I remained looking at Justin. I didn't expect that he will come to me one day and ask this... Unti-unti akong tumango. He sat down on the chair next to me. Nasa recording room lang ako gaya ng madalas. I was waiting for Wesley when Justin came in first. "I'd like to apologize for everything I said to you, Aryanne..." he said that shocked me a bit.

I didn't know what to say or how to react immediately. He continued. "Wesley and I talked... And I realized that I only took one side all this time. I forgot to think of how you probably went through all those years, too... I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Aryanne."

I remained looking at him.

He sighed a bit. "I remember how you cried that day when Wesley left you for Europe... I knew you were hurt. Pero parang nawala iyon sa isip after everything that had happened. I was there, Aryanne... Ako ang nakasama ni Wesley sa England. I've witnessed everything he went through. All his hardships... And how broken he was after what happened between you two..."

Unti-unti akong tumango sa pag-iintindi. I get him. Hindi ko sasabihing ayos lang iyong ginawa o mga sinabi niya sa akin... But I understand. He was the person who's been with Wesley all this time. Magkaibigan sila at kung ako rin siguro... "Naiintindihan ko..." I said slowly.

"Thank you, Justin... For being with Wesley all those times. Thank you for looking after him."

His forehead just creased a bit.

I smiled faintly. Until Wesley arrived at nabaling na sa kaniya ang tingin at ngiti ko. A handsome smile also appeared on his lips when he saw me sitting there and was waiting for him.

***

"Binyag pala ng anak nina Jhila at Jacob." I told Wesley.

Nagkaroon kami ng usapan na uuwi sa amin sa linggo. Saktong binyag din iyon ng second child na nina Jhila at naimbitahan din kami ni Wesley so we might just attend, too.

Bumaling sa akin si Wesley mula sa gitara niya. I remember the guitar I gave him before. I'm not sure if he kept it... Dinala niya iyon noong nagpunta siyang England. "They ended up together?"

Napangiti ako ng malapad sa reaction ni Wesley dahil ako man ay hindi pa rin gaanong makapaniwala na silang dalawa ang nagkatuluyan. And maybe I just didn't see it before. Hindi namin iyon nakita noon kaya hindi rin namin inasahan. Pagkatapos mag-college ay nagpakasal sina Jacob at Jhila. Ang nalaman namin ay buntis na rin noon si Jhila sa anak nila ni Jacob. Ngayon nga ay dalawa na ang anak nila. Lalaki iyong panganay at babae naman ang bunso na baby pa ngayon. They remained in our province and just lived simply there...

Hindi na kami nag-uusap noon ni Jhila pero nang magkita kami sa amin kapag dinadalaw ko si Tita Joyce at nakapag-usap kami at nalaman kong may sariling pamilya na nga siya.

"I didn't expect it, too..." ngiti ko habang nagkakatinginan kami ni Wesley.

Tinabi niya ang gitara niya. Inabot niya ang kamay ko and then he made me sit on his lap. I chuckled and looked at the door of the recording room na na locked naman namin. Kaming dalawa lang din ni Wesley ang nandoon.