White Lies and Smiles

30

I woke up in the middle of the night. Bumaba ang tingin ko sa suot ko. I was wearing a dress shirt. Nasa'n ang damit ko? Napabangon agad ako. Nang mapagtanto kong nasa kuwarto ako ni Ethan ay nakahinga ako nang maluwag. Wala sa paligid ang damit ko.

Napabaling ako sa mini-couch. Nando'n si Ethan at mukhang may binabasa. Suot niya ang glasses niya. He was staring at me the whole time! I felt so shy because of that. I rushed to the bathroom to check whether I look good or not. Kumuha na rin ako ng bagong toothbrush at nag-toothbrush na diretso.

"Qamari?" Nanghina ang mga tuhod ko nang marinig ko ang boses ni Ethan. Mabuti nalang at nasa labas siya. Muntik pa 'kong matumba dahil sa panghihina ng mga tuhod ko.

Tinapos ko na ang pag-aayos upang makalabas na. Nang buksan ko ang pinto ay naroon pa rin si Ethan. Hindi niya na hawak ang papel kanina. Ang salamin niya'y nagpadepina ng kaniyang matangos na ilong.

Umakyat ang dugo sa mukha ko nang maalala ang mga pinaggagawa ko kanina! Hindi pa ako no'n sobrang lasing pero bakit?! Gusto kong umiyak sa sobrang kahihiyan. Ethan cleared his throat to get my attention. Nag-angat ulit ako ng tingin sa kaniya.

"Bakit ito ang suot ko?" Baka may nangyari at hindi ko lang maalala!

"Natapunan ka 'ata ng alak kanina. Napansin ko lang nung may ilaw na." Napatango nalang ako. Ano ba, nakakahiya! "Don't worry, I didn't touch you in-"

"Hindi, okay lang!" Nagulat siya sa sinabi ko. "I mean, alam ko naman na wala kang ginawa sa 'kin. Nakauwi na ba si Pia? Baka kung saan na 'yon dinala ni Markus."

"Markus is a good man." Obviously. He's a gentleman. "If you're not comfortable with me, I can sleep in the guest room."

"Bakit sa guest room ka pa, e kuwarto mo 'to? Saka wala naman akong problema sa 'yo. Kumusta pala 'yung kaso?" Nag-angat siya ng tingin sa mga mata ko nang mapansin niya ang titig ko.

"We're going to win the case." Tumango-tango ako. "Do you want to talk about other stuff?"

I looked at his lips. I lost my mind when he licked his lower lip. My heart started to beat faster for no reason. Ethan's lips curved into a smirk. I think he's doing it on purpose! My eyes followed him as he sat on his couch. He raised a brow while looking at me.

He fixed his things and moved them to the center table. I walked towards the couch. I stopped by the side and waited for Ethan to finish. He fixed his glasses before leaning against the backrest and looking at me. He can attract girls with that look.

"What do you want to do? You're so quiet, I guess you don't want to talk."

"Are you doing this on purpose?" His brows shut up in amusement. I knew it!

"Doing 'what' on purpose?" he asked innocently. "I have a question. Your relationship with Atty. Rivas... Was it serious?"

"Y-yes..." I nodded shyly. "Why are you asking? It's the least of your concern."

"I'm just curious. I wanna know if your taste in men has changed." Did it change? Oh God, Qamari, why can't you think properly?! "You should sit down, baby."