THE SECLUDED TRAILS OF DECEIT '. ruler of fate series l first book

KABANATA 17

The Secluded Trails of Deceit
‎written by : riyanisity‎

‎
Before he started cooking our dish, Draven unzipped his black jacket, only using his left hand to drag it down while his mouth bit the upper part of it to fully remove his top. As he did that, his eyes were still on the receipe's book, and he was reviewing it seriously. Nang mahubad niya na 'yon ay naiwan na lang ang puting sando na suot niya at maong na pantalon para sa pangbaba.

Only the movie playing on the flat screen and the sound of him chopping the ingredients were all I can hear since then — after he washed his hands and the tools, including the food that he would use.

I crossed my arms and started playing with my red cropped and buttoned-fit long-sleeves. Sinusubukan kong ituon ang buong atensyon ko sa palabas, habang hinihila at iniikot ang tela ng suot kong damit. I even came to the point where I would iron my blue flare jeans with my hands and fix my apricot sleeveless top underneath.

"Gusto mong magpalit ng damit?" I heard him say, breaking the silence that was happening only between us.

My eyes blinked before I looked at him. "Huh?"

He glanced at me for a bit, "Nilalamig ka ba? O 'di ka komportable..? Gusto mong magpalit kahit damit lang pantaas?" tanong niya habang tuloy pa rin sa paghihiwa.

I stood up from my seat and walked towards him. Umupo ako sa stool sa kabilang banda ng island counter kung nasaan siya at ipinatong ang bisig ko sa harapan niya.

Saglit siyang tumingin sa'kin ulit, "Hmm?" tanong niyang muli.

I shook my head and tried tying my hair up with the ponytail around my wrist. "I'm fine."

Hindi kagaya kanina na isang segundong pagbaling lang ang ginagawa niya, ngayon naman ay tumingin na talaga siya sa'kin ng tuluyan, hanggang sa matapos ako.

My head tilted. "What are you looking at?"

His lips pouted before he followed where my head was pointing too. "Alam mo ba—"

"Hindi pa." I said as I rested my forearm on the kitchen counter once again, which cut him off immediately.

"Sabi nila, mahirap daw ang magmahal ng dalawa..." He gulped, licked his lips, and showed me a small smile, when I raised my brow at him, "Buti na lang talaga nag-iisa ka." kibit-balikat niyang bawi.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Whatever."

"Gan'yan ka nang gan'yan..." His eyes squinted playfully, "Dalawang araw na lang kitang mamahalin tingnan mo." pananakot niya.

My brow shut up. "Give it a try then." I pinned my elbow on the counter top and rested the side of my face on my knuckles, "Though, I'm not sure if you can handle that." puno ng sarkastiko kong bulong.

"Luh, hindi sinunod ang script..? Dapat araw-araw pagkatapos ng sinabi ko, eh. Babanat lang naman kasi, hindi pa pinatapos." His eyes blinked repeatedly, looking away as he mumbled that to himself and continued on preparing the ingredients.

After that, I don't know how many minutes have passed by exactly, but I just kept watching him until he was done: from slicing to mixing, until he turned the stove on and took the cooked dish out of the pot. He placed everything neatly in front of me instead of the table a few feet away from the station. Mula sa plato, baso, kutsara, at tinidor, hanggang sa sinandok niyang kanin at ngayon naman ay ulam na rin. He even took a pitcher of cold juice and water out of the fridge.

Mas nilapit niya sa'kin ang sinigang na baboy na niluto niya, "Receipe ni mama ko 'yan." tuwang-tuwa niyang sabi, bago umupo sa bakanteng stool sa tabi ko.