Sabi nila, ang gabi ay para sa pahinga, pero para sa akin, ang gabi ay ang tanging oras kung saan pag-aari ko ang sarili ko, malayo sa mga tao, malayo sa pressure ng pag-aaral, at malayo sa mapanghusgang tingin ng lipunan. I’ve always been the type to value my peace. Hindi ako mahilig sa gulo, at lalong hindi ako mahilig sa mga taong hindi alam ang limitasyon nila.
And yet, here I am.
Nakatayo sa gitna ng isang bar. The air inside was thick with the scent of expensive alcohol, flavored vape smoke, and the heavy bass of a remix I couldn't even recognize. Inis na hinahawi ko ang mga taong pawis na pawis habang nagsasayaw sa gitna ng dance floor. My head was throbbing, not because of the music, but because of the sheer stupidity of the person I was looking for.
Nagpalinga-linga ako sa paligid, halos maningkit ang mga mata ko sa makulay ngunit nakakalitong neon lights. Nasaan na ba ang tangang 'yun?
Kaya lang naman ako nandito ngayon sa lugar na hinding-hindi ko pupuntahan sa ganitong oras dahil lang sa isang text. Si Julius kasi, my so-called best friend na dakilang pasaway ay nag-text lang naman na sunduin ko raw siya dahil hindi na niya kayang mag-maneho. Lasing na lasing na raw ang gago.
My father always told me before that I’m one of the most miserable people he’s ever met, and perhaps he’s right. Because instead of being home, wrapped in the comfort of my sheets and dreaming of a life where I don't have to babysit adults, here I am, playing the role of a savior to a fool.
"Nasaan ka na ba, Julius Mariano?" I hissed under my breath.
Argh! That moron!
Magpapakalasing na nga lang, tapos hindi naman pala kayang panindigan! Napakalaking tanga talaga kahit kailan. Imbis na matiwasay na akong natutulog ngayon at nananaginip ng mapayapa, heto ako, nakikipagsiksikan sa mga taong akala mo ay wala nang bukas kung gumiling.
"Kainis, kainis, kainis..."
As I navigated through the crowd, my irritation reached its boiling point. Because I was so busy scanning the VIP booths, I didn't notice the sudden shift in the movement of the people around me. Someone shoved past me, and I instinctively took a sharp step back to regain my balance.
I collided with someone. Matigas ngunit malambot. I felt the warmth of another body against my back, a solid presence that didn't budge an inch.
"Ano ba—" Bubulyawan ko sana ang kung sino mang nakabangga ko. The words were already at the tip of my tongue, sharp and venomous. But the moment I turned around, the air left my lungs.
It was her.
Professor Veronica Saavedra.
Narinig ko may asawa na siya eh, hindi ko lang alam kung ginagamit niya ba yung last name ng asawa niya.
So? Anong pake ko?
She was leaning against a pillar, a glass of dark liquor in her hand. The dim, pulsing neon lights of the bar seemed to frame her face in a way that felt almost ethereal. It was a face I saw three times a week behind a mahogany lectern, but seeing her here, in this den of sin, felt like a glitch in the universe. Her dark eyes were fixed on me. She had this faint, dangerous smirk playing on her lips, as if she was enjoying the sight of me being flustered. She looked... different. Less like the professor who meticulously graded my papers and more like a woman who owned every room she stepped into.
Gosh, she’s gorgeous. She was wearing a deep-V silk black dress that hugged her curves in all the right places, exposing her porcelain-like skin, pero ang pinakanakakaakit sa kaniya ay ang kaniyang mga mata, they were a mesmerizing shade of dark green, parang isang malalim na gubat na punong-puno ng sikreto. May mga maliliit na nunal siya sa mukha na sobrang bagay sa kaniya, isa sa baba ng kaniyang manipis na labi at isa sa ilalim ng kaniyang kanang mata, which made her look even more sophisticated and dominant.
