Autumn of May

CHAPTER 21: In Denial

Inimulat ko ang mga mata ko na sobrang sakit ng ulo ko. I saw Abbi sleeping beside me peacefully. Nalasing pala ako ng sobra kagabi and I don't even remember what happened yesterday. Lumabas ako ng silid upang kakain ng hangover soup when someone grab my hand and pull me downstairs. It is Xavier.

I remember, ngayon pala sila aalis dito and finally dun na sila sa kanilang bahay magstastay. Xavier look restless kaya I asked him kung anong problema niya sa buhay. "What do you want Xav?" He bit his lower lip and slightly pull his hair on his head. "Last night... I made a mistake" he said while looking at me nervously. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko ng marinig ko iyon. I cover my mouth with my hands and gasps. O. M. G.

"WHAT THE H*LL???" Medyo napasigaw ang reaksiyon ko kaya Xavier shhhh me. "Did.. Did something happened between you and Abbi?" tanong ko sa kaniya na may halong pagkagulat. Everyone was drank yesterday except Abbi. "Y-yess.." sagot niya na mas lalong nagpagulat sa akin. I suddenly reach Xavier's collar and pull him close to me na parang sinasakal ko siya.

"Panagutan mo ang kaibigan ko Xavier, lagot ka talaga sa akin" sabi ko sa kaniya with authority. How dare he touch my friend na wala naman silang relationship. "What are you saying?" he said while defending himself. I loosen up his collar to let him explain. "What do you mean?" tanong ko ulit sa kaniya. Minsan hindi ko maiintindihan si Xavier, minsan kung makapagsalita direct to the point, minsan naman napakalabo.

"I just.. I just.. kiss her yesterday" he said sabay tingin sa malayo. Napatigil ako sa pagooverreact ko. G*go kiss lang pala. Teka, KISS? Natrigger ako ng marealize ko iyon kaya hinawakan ko ulit siya sa collar. "Seriously?" sabi ko sa kaniya while tightening his collar. He took away my hands to him and said, "Relax, okay? I just wanted to ask you what to do. I'm quite confused and.."

"Are you sure it's a mistake? Do you like my friend? Or it's just alcohol influence? Sabihin mo nga sa akin Xav?" pagkatapos ko siyang tanungin noon ay hindi siya sumagot. Napapansin ko din the way he act towards Abbi and it's too obvious that he somehow like my friend." Whenever I'm around her, it made me happy" sabi niya sa akin. "Oh, you like her. That's it" agad ko namang sabat sa kaniya but he seemed not convinced.

"I never knew what it is to like someone Nikka" he seriously said. Napatawa ako slight, abnormal ba ang lalaking ito? Does he never tried to have a crush on someone? "I mean, Abbi is so sincere and so kind, I don't want to hurt her. Alam kong napakag*go kong tao. I always bring trouble to her" pahabol na sabi ni Xavier sa akin. I reached his shoulder and gently tap it. "There's no perfect man to a woman Xav, but there's always a room for improvement. If you think you're not worthy for her, you should make yourself worthy" advice ko sa kaniya na parang professional sa lovelife eh kahit ako I never tried that kind of lovelife.

"I get it. Thanks Nikka and by the way, don't tell Abbi about what we've talked. I need time to think over it" I just raised my thumb to him as a sign of agreement at sakto namang bumaba si Steve dala dala ang kanilang mga gamit. Nagpaalam na si Steve and Xavier kay Lola at Lolo na lumipat na sa kabilang bahay. Hindi ko nalang ginising si Abbi kasi ang sarap ng tulog niya and also sa kabilang bahay lang naman ang lilipatan nila, magkikita at magkikita parin kami.

Steve and I never talked for a few days already. I also tried my best to avoid him. Our encounter was all enough. Napaupo ako sa sofa at inisip ang sinabi sa akin ni Xavier. I can sense it that she likes Abbi and I saw a lot of changes on him while he's staying with Abbi. He learned a lot. Pero nag-alala ako. Nag alala ako dahil sa karamdaman ni Abbi. If ever Xavier will pursue her, it'll be hard for Abbi. I already called my cardiologist cousin and luckily nandito siya sa isla. I scheduled a meeting with him and Abbi and hopefully Abbi will agree to it.

My attention is directed to Abbi while she is slowly walking downstairs. I see weakness in her eyes and extreme tiredness. Tumayo ako at inalalayan siya. "Are you okay?" tanong ko sa kaniya. She just slowly nodded but I can feel it that she's not okay. "Si Lola at Lolo?" tanong niya sa akin. "They went to the market" sagot ko sa kaniya. She let out a sigh and suddenly fall on the ground. I hold her tight para hindi siya mahulog. "We should go to the hospital Abbi" I suggested to her but she shook her head. "No.. I'm just tired dahil kagabi. Can you give me hot water Niks?" Tinulungan ko siyang umupo sa sofa. Agad akong tumungo sa kusina at kumuha ng mainit na tubig. Bumalik naman kaagad ako sa kaniya at pinainom siya ng mainit na tubig. I turned on the fan para mabigyan siya ng hangin.