Between Your Lips and Mine (Cervantes Series)

7

characters are approaching their junior year in college :D if you're younger or years behind their environment, please read responsibly! :) 

012123 #BYLAMwp Chapter 7

Three days before Valentine's, sigurado nang di matutuloy ang girls' date na pinaplano ni Eri. Eri and Sab keep on sighing while they eye Jass and Gracey who are sharing a table a couple of feet away from us. Bati na yata sila. That's good for Gracey kasi mukha siyang tinadyakang kuting kapag malungkot.

"Okay, I have to ask . . . . Ano ba'ng meron kay Jass?"

Hindi ko agad nakuha na para sa akin yung tanong na 'yun. I thought it was a rhetorical question so I just keep on eating my palabok. I just figured out that they are waiting for my response dahil nakatingin sila sa aking lahat as I reach for my glass of iced tea.

I shrug. "I don't know." I don't, at least as of this moment. Ang pangit namang pag-isipan n'un when we were literally just eyeing Jass and his new girl a few seconds ago. At ayaw kong isipin. It doesn't matter to me now.

"Matagal ba kayo?" Eri asks next. Sab shushes her, probably thinking na ayaw kong pag-usapan. Ayaw ko naman talaga, but not in a way that I will get mad at Eri for bringing the conversation to the table. Mas marami lang ibang bagay na mas okay pag-usapan kesa kay Jass.

Besides, Eri sounds genuinely curious, kahit isantabi yung way ng pagsasalita niya na parang inaantok. And after what happened the past few weeks, I think I owe them details.

"Yes?" More than eleven months ng buhay ko ang kinuha ni Jass. Aside from the time, I lent him space in my life, and invested feelings in him which is something I don't usually do.

I'm not saying na sa buong eleven months mahigit ay misarable lang ako . . . but the way he broke up with me—yung timing, yung words niya, yung pumalit sa akin after kahit na wala naman akong personal na galit kay Gracey—cancels out all the previous happy months. Stressed na stressed ako during finals, taos pabalik-balik pa ang sinat ko during the holidays. Then after coming back to school, I had to deal with the other things that fell apart successively.

"One year," sabi ko dahil nakatingin pa rin sina Eri at Sab sa 'kin. I go back to my palabok when I catch Chio na sinisimplehan na yung boiled eggs doon.

Chio gives me a tight-lipped smile bago ibalik yung isusubo pa lang niyang slice ng itlog sa plato ko. Kinain ko na 'yun agad bago pa niya maagaw. Ang dami niyang kinain kanina! Sa energy niya lang yata napupunta lahat ng kinakain niya—wala sa katawan, wala sa utak.

"Hindi mo alam, Chio?" Sab asks.

"Hindi nga," mabilis na sagot nitong katabi ko. "Walang sinasabi si Jass. 'Wag na nga 'yan pag-usapan natin. At bilisan mo na ngang kumain, AJ."

My forehead creases. When I look at Sab at Eri, halos parehas ang reaksiyon nila. Now I'm convinced na may pinag-awayan sina Chio at Jass na labas pa sa kung ano'ng nangyari sa 'min ni Jass. Masyadong mainit ang ulo nitong isa lately.

"Bakit ka galit? Ikaw ba yung ex?" tanong ni Sab at natawa. She and Eri shrieks as they push their chair back when Chio throws his used tissue their way.

"'Tang ina kasi, parang gago amputa." He doesn't flinch when Sab throws back the crumpled tissue paper and it hits him on the face. Now he's staring again at where Jass and Gracey are seated.

"Di pa kayo nag-uusap?" Eri asks. Chio shakes his head, eyes still on Jass and Gracey kaya siniko ko siya para alisin ang tingin doon. Gracey knows we have been staring and is obviously uncomfortable. Panay rin ang dako ng mga mata niya sa 'min kanina pa. I think she wants to share a table, but out of respect to me or dito kay Chio na mainit ang ulo lagi kay Jass, bumukod na lang sila.