His Ephemeral Signs

Chapter 05

05 : Distance

JULIAN

I tried to shake off the encounter with Austin habang patuloy akong naglalakad, pero hindi ko maiwasan. Weird, to be honest. Hindi ako dapat nag-iisip ng ganito tungkol sa kanya, but the memory stayed with me, like an itch I couldn’t scratch.

Huminga ako nang malalim, trying to clear my head, but before I could even compose myself, naramdaman kong may dumidikit ulit sa tabi ko. And it was...

Austin.

He appeared so casually beside me, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. His presence was too much at the moment—overwhelming. And yet, parang wala lang sa kanya.

"Wow, we meet again," he started talking like we were old friends. Sandali naman akong natigilan sa biglang pagsulpot niya pero kalaunan ay napatango ng marahan. I was trying to keep up, but my mind was too scattered. Lahat ng sinasabi niya tunog malayo, like background noise I couldn’t focus on.

Ngunit sa isang iglap ay napatigil ako nang aksidenteng dumako ang aking paningin sa isang direksyon. I saw him—Damien.

Nakatayo siya sa dulo ng hallway, staring straight at us. Agad kong naramdaman ang bigat sa dibdib ko, parang lumulubog ang puso ko sa kaba. Damien’s gaze was sharp, his face a mix of emotions I couldn’t fully read. Pero alam ko kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng mga tingin na ‘yun.

Nagsimula akong bumalik sa mga alaalang matagal ko nang iniiwasan. The silences between us. The distance growing wider and wider. Muli akong kinain ng mga tanong—ano na namang mali? Was it because of Austin?

Alam ko na hindi lang ‘yon ang dahilan, but maybe... something about seeing us together, seemed to push Damien over the edge. Kita ko ang pag-aalinlangan sa mukha niya, pero may iba pang naroon, something deeper na hindi ko mabasa nang buo.

I wanted to say something, to break the tension. Pero wala akong nasabi. We passed by Damien without a word. Pakiramdam ko ay sinakal ako ng tingin niya, his eyes burning into my back as we walked. I could feel it—yung... galit? Or maybe it was something else entirely. Pero isang bagay ang sigurado: hindi lang ito tungkol kay Austin.

Austin, on the other hand, was oblivious. He kept talking, carefree and unaware of the storm brewing behind us.

Pagdating ng uwian, I was mentally and emotionally drained. Ang gusto ko lang ay makauwi, layuan ang gulong ito, kahit sandali lang. Pero gaya ng dati, Damien found me before I could make my escape. Alam kong darating ito, this inevitable confrontation, pero that didn’t make it any easier.

"Julian, we need to talk," Damien’s voice cut through the noise, calm but firm. There was a seriousness in his tone na hindi ko kayang baliwalain.

Suminghap ako, trying to steady myself. "Tungkol saan?" I asked, kahit alam ko na. His eyes flickered slightly, like he was preparing himself for what he was about to say.

"Austin... you shouldn’t be spending time with him."

"Huh? Bakit naman?" My arms crossed over my chest, already on the defensive. "May problema ka ba kay Austin?"

Damien’s jaw clenched, but he kept his voice steady. "He’s not... good for you, Julian."

"Ang bilis mo naman mag-judge," I shot back, anger rising in my voice.