Until The Last Wave

32

"I love this place!"

Malapad 'yung ngisi ni Val habang nakatayo siya sa may balkonahe ng kwartong napili niya. She was closing her eyes while smiling na para bang nilalanghap niya 'yung preskong hangin ng Villarreal.

Tumayo ako sa tabi niya at pinanood naming pareho 'yung mga alon sa harap namin. Galing ng Hong Kong si Val dahil sa month-long business trip niya at naisipan niyang mag-stay rito sa resort ng isang linggo para magpahinga. After that, she said that she'll go back to Manila to start working.

Nagkumustahan muna kaming dalawa ng ilang minuto bago kami nagpasya na kumain ng lunch. Today is Sunday at day off ko kaya wala akong aasikasuhin sa resort. Maayos naman na 'yung lagay ni Papa kaya sa tuwing 'di ako naka-duty ay siya 'yung hands on sa operation ng resort.

We had lunch by the bay. Pagkatapos mag-lunch ay bumalik si Val sa kwarto niya at siyempre, sumama ako kasi wala naman akong gagawin. Tumambay kami sa balcony. Habang ako ay nagbabasa, siya naman ay nakaharap sa laptop niya at seryoso ang tingin.

Hindi ko na siya inistorbo kasi alam ko naman kung ano ang gagawin niya. She's about to write. Ibinalik ko na lang ang atensyon ko sa binabasa ko para 'di siya ma-bother. She actually hates it when I watch her work. 'Di raw siya makapag-focus.

We were both silently minding our own businesses until I decided to put my book down. She's too focused on writing so I tried my best not to make any noise. I laid my head on the table and silently watched her.

She always has been pretty but her face is different when she writes. Her forehead is slightly creased while she's intently looking at the screen of her laptop... and I think that's really pretty. I wonder how many thoughts are going on inside her head. She probably has millions.

Napangiti ako habang pinapanood ko siya. It was something I never thought I would do while looking at her. Although I felt weird while smiling, I still didn't stop. I only stopped when she told me to. Creepy raw kasi sabi niya. Bumalik na lang tuloy ako sa pagbabasa.

I spent the day touring Val inside the resort. Surprisingly, 'di ko nakita si Calib ngayong araw. Hindi ko alam kung may sakit ba siya kaya wala siya o ano pero ayos na rin siguro na wala siya kasi ayoko siyang makita.

Isang linggo na mula noong mag-usap kami sa parking area at mula no'n ay 'di na kami nag-usap pa ulit. Nagkikita naman kami sa resort 'pag weekdays at kinakausap niya ako pero 'di ko siya sinasagot. Lumalapit siya pero lumalayo ako kasi ayokong malapit ako sa kanya. I just don't like being close to him.

The following day, I went to work early in the morning because I'm planning to eat breakfast with Val. She was already done preparing when I arrived so we immediately went down to eat. I was reading something in the newspaper when she told me her plans for the day.

"I wanna try surfing today," sabi niya. "It's sunny and it's perfect for surfing."

I looked at her. "But I'll be busy today. Wala kang kasama."

"I'll be fine, Liege," aniya.