Never Have I Ever

Thirty-First Shot

Kari

"Do you think I'm enough?" Calix asked with a crack in his voice as he looked up at me, leaving me at a loss for words.

Even if it was only a Thursday night, he came here and knocked on my apartment door. Then when I opened it, I was about to lash out at him as per usual since I was already going to sleep but I was surprised to see him sitting down and leaning by the door frame. He appeared like someone who had the worst day of his life.

And is he enough? What is with that question? It left me perturbed because I couldn't even answer that for myself.

As I kneeled down on the floor to face him, I instantly smelled the hard booze from his mouth as he kept his eyes on me like I was the only thing that he could see right now. Although we drank a lot together, this was the first time that I ever saw him this intoxicated. May nangyari ba sa kanya?

"Calix, why are you drunk?" I asked rather than answer his weird question about his worth. It was an unusual query that I have no idea how to answer. Ano ba naman kasi ang dapat kong sabihin dun?

He didn't respond to me so we stared at each other for a few moments without talking then he suddenly blurted out, "Ah. It was my birthday today." The way he said it was as if he just remembered what this was like it was no big deal.

Birthday niya? If it was his birthday, why does he seem like someone who went to a funeral? His ocean blue eyes looked downcast with a tinge of red on them as if he cried or got really angry at something.

My brows shot up in confusion, "Birthday? Then why are you here–"

"I missed you, Karina," Ano raw? Although I could have easily dismissed this as one of his cheesy lines, I can't seem to do that this time around. His gaze was still on me and even if I wanted to look away, I couldn't take my eyes off of him. With the way he appeared at the moment, he was like someone who had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Ang lakas ng tama siguro nito.

Before I could react, he leaned closer, cupped one side of my cheek and kissed me in a slow and sensual manner. Even if I wasn't able to reciprocate immediately because I was taken aback, he was gliding his tongue over the roof of my mouth, making me groan a little in response. Puta nito, ang sarap talaga humalik.

When we broke the kiss, his gaze seemed out of focus and I could sense that he wasn't in the best emotional state.

"What's wrong? Why are you like this?" I found myself asking in a soothing voice as I cupped both his cheeks. He leaned down on one hand, like a kitten that purred and wanted to be pampered.

"Just a minute please," Ignoring my question, he requested as he closed his eyes and felt the warmth from my hand to his cheek. Is he okay or is he starting to lose it? Mukhang may pinagdadaanan siya. It was odd seeing him like this but I have a feeling that he was going through something so it's best to go along with it for now.

I sighed. Even though I didn't want to ruin this moment for him, it's getting chilly in the hallway so we might catch a cold if we don't stop this. Moreover, my knees were starting to hurt so I told him, "Let's continue this inside." He then opened his eyes to look at me with a weak gaze.

"C'mon, get up. You can do anything you want as long as we're inside," I gave him a chance even if it's not a Friday as I stood and reached out my hand to him. Just for tonight, I'm giving him the full access to do whatever he wants. Minsan lang 'to kaya lubusin na niya.

It must have worked since he got on his two feet abruptly while taking my hand, "Hoy. Be careful," I chastised him in a worried tone and wrapped my arm around his waist when he almost lost his balance. Lasing nga talaga siya.