The Unfortunate Crush (Published under UKIYOTO PUBLISHING HOUSE)

Chapter 32

The moon dipped behind midnight clouds as the stars winked into nothingness.

Nakabalik na kami sa Eden galing sa falls.

Katulad ng napag-usapan noong isang araw ay gumawa kami ng bonfire. Gusto ko sana na sa dalampasigan kami gumawa ng bonfire pero ay malayo na at mapapagod lang ulit kaming bumalik dito sa Eden gayong kararating lang namin galing sa matagal na byahe. Kaya naman ngayong gabi, pinili kong gawin nalang namin ang bonfire dito sa Eden sa tapat ng ilog.

In the end, pumayag ako sa gusto niyang mangyari. Tutulungan ko siyang makaalala.

Nagsimula ang kwentuhan. Sinimulan ko sa araw na kung kailan nagkaroon ng asksidente. Rett was so attentive.

"Why did you pretend that you have an amnesia anyway?" Tanong niya at halos mabilaukan ako sa kinakain kong orange.

Napapikit ako.

Ang balak ko ay huwag ng ikuwento pa ang dahilan ng pangyayaring 'yun but I guess if he really wants to know everything then I should not keep a single thing from him.

Huminga muna ako ng malalim bago ko sagutin ang kanyang tanong. "You see, before we crash-landed here, during the turbulence, I confessed my feelings to you. Noong mga oras na 'yun, natakot ako sa katotohanang baka mamatay na ako at hindi ko pa nasasabi ang totoong nararamdaman ko sa'yo.Kaya naman umamin ako ng pagtingin ko sa'yo." Ngumiti ako at nag-iwas ng tingin.

"But then, who would have thought that I'd survive? Hindi ko kinaya ang hiya and that's when I've decided to lie and pretend that I have amnesia to not make things awkward." Natawa ako ng marahan.

Nagtama ang tingin namin ni Rett. Punong-puno ng emosyon ang mga mata nito.

I continued to talk.

"There was a time when you were catching me if I was lying because you don't believe that I lost my memory...That was funny. But I guess you really know me that much. You really know when I'm lying. Kaya naman hinuhuli mo ako nu'n. Ipinakita mo nalang bigla sa akin ang litrato na inedit ko sa opisina kung saan magkasama tayong dalawa. We were so sweet in that photo the way I wanted it to be. I don't even know how you got that photo! Ipinakita mo na lang sa akin at sinabi mong may relasyon tayo at 'yun ang pruweba mo!" I laughed and he chuckled a bit too. "I knew then that you were only trying to get a reaction from me! Nauwi iyon sa asaran hanggang sa nagpaalam ka para manguha ng punongkahoy."

"Pero nangyari nga ang hindi inaasahan. Hindi ka agad nakabalik sa kweba noong gabing iyon. I had to search for you and... and there near the cliff, I saw you lying on the ground. You were burning hot then because of being soaked from the rain. Pagkagising mo, wala ka ng maalala."

Narinig ko ang pagsinghap niya.

Nakayuko na ito na tila ba nahihirapang iproseso ang lahat.

Nagpatuloy ako.

"Noong una, akala ko nagbibiro ka lang na may amnesia ka o 'di kaya'y nagpapanggap ka lang para mahuli ako that's why I played along. So when you asked me who I was, I proclaimed that I'm your girlfriend since that's what you claimed before you lost your memory."

Natigilan ito.

"You asked me where we got our names; Adam and Eve. The truth is, since you thought that we both lost our memory, you suggested for the both of us to start all over with a clean slate. It's for us to better know each other. It's as if we're strangers trying to know each other all over again. That's how you meant by clean slate. And by clean slate, it also means getting new names."

"Since we called this place Eden, we decided to call each other Adam and Eve. Iyon ang dahilan kung bakit tayo may tawagan na ganoon... Ang sabi mo kasi ay hindi ka familiar sa pangalang Everett at Antonia. Kaya naman, iyon ang gusto mong maging tawagan natin."