Little Miss Invisible (WIP)

52: The Difference between Us

SUMILIP ako sa loob ng paper bag na dala ni Kalai. Actually, mas tama yatang sako bag ang itawag dito. It's a big ass bag with lots of scary-looking stuff inside. I don't want to sound like some misogynistic bastard, but some of the things in there graced my sight for the first time today.

"Bakit ang dami mong dinala, babe? Sinabi mo na lang sana sa akin para nasundo kita at hindi ka na nahirapang magbuhat."

"Eh di hindi na surprise 'yon?"

That made me chuckle. Wala paring kupas si Kalai sa pambabara sa akin. Wala na tuloy akong nasabi.

"What?"

Natigil ako sa pagtawa. Hindi ko nga namalayan na tumatawa na pala ako ng mahina. "Ha?"

"Bakit ka tumatawa?"

Nabura ang ngiti ko. Kahit pa malinaw na narinig ko ang tanong ni Kalai, kitang-kita ko naman sa mukha niya yung unspoken question.

"Tinatawanan mo ba ako?" Yan ang nakikita ko sa expression niya. I couldn't help but sigh. Alam ko namang self-conscious si Kalai. Pero dahil mas nag-loosen up na siya these past months, medyo nawala yan sa isip ko.

"Oo, tumatawa ako kasi masaya ako. This is the best morning of my life." Then I watched as a slight pink crept through Kalai's cheeks.

"Okay," was all she said. But I know that my answer pleased her. Kasi mas nagrelax na siya sa pagkakaupo. She even let me pull her head down so she could rest against my shoulder. Pero sandali lang 'yon.

In the next second, nakatayo na siya at inililibot ang paningin sa loob ng bahay. Honestly, I got a little nervous. Tapos naalala ko na halos hindi nga pala ako dito naglalagi. I don't spend time here long enough to mess the place up. Isa pa, walang kagamit-gamit dito. Just the bare essentials. For example, itong comfortable sofa kung saan ako nakaupo habang pinapanood ko si Kalai sa pag-i-inspection niya sa paligid.

"I guess I was right."

"Ha?"

Kalai looked back at me with a slight smile. "I was right to bring my baking materials. Mukhang walang laman itong bahay mo. Well, at least you have an oven."

Napangiti na din ako. "Yung kaibigan kong contractor ang gumawa dito sa bahay. He fitted the kitchen with all the necessary stuff. Anyway, gusto mo ba ng tour?"

"Tour saan?"

"Dito sa bahay ko. How about I show you my room?"

"Okay," mabilis na sagot niya.

Wait. I just wanted to tease her. Malay ko bang hindi niya mage-gets. "Sure kang gusto mong pumunta sa kuwarto ko?"

To my surprise, Kalai suddenly shrugged her shoulders. "Oo, nakita mo na ang kuwarto ko, di ba? I guess it's only fair na makita ko din ang sa'yo. Let's go to your room."

For some reason, I just fixated on the last sentence.

Damn, Riley! Get your head together, man!

So let me get this straight. I'm a guy. There's a beautiful woman in front of me who also happens to be my girlfriend. And she said the words "Let's go to your room." My mind is bound to dive down straight to the gutter.

"Riley? Natahimik ka na diyan."

"Ahm... medyo magulo pa ang kuwarto ko, Kalai. Siguro next time na lang."

"Ah, okay."

The disappointment on her face just proved how different our thoughts were. Malamang si Kalai ay literal na gusto lang makita ang kuwarto ko. Samantalang ako hindi lang yung kuwarto ang gustong ipakita sa kanya.

Woah there! You're getting carried away again, man!

Kinuha ko na lang ang thermos na pinatong ni Kalai sa side table at uminom ng kape. Baka kung ano pa ang iba kong masabi. It's not that I don't want to scare her. Ayoko lang siyang biglain. After all, we're not in a hurry to elevate our relationship to the next level. Sigurado na naman ako eh. I'm gonna marry her one day.

"Ahm... ano nga uli 'yung sinasabi mong ibe-bake mo?"

"I changed my mind."

"Ha?"

"Plano ko sanang magbake ng meat buns for lunch. Pero baka masyadong light yun para sa'yo. You kinda looked like you were hungry a while ago."

Kung hindi lang ako sigurado na tatanungin nanaman ako ni Kalai kung bakit ako tumatawa, malamang humagalpak na ako ng malakas. I was hungry alright. But not in the way she most definitely thought.

"Is it safe to assume that your fridge doesn't contain anything edible at the moment?" Kalai was asking.

Iling lang ang sagot ko. Nagpipigil parin kasi akong matawa.

"Medyo maaga pa naman. Gusto mo pumunta na lang tayo sa grocery para mamili? Then I'll cook lunch."

Tumayo na ako at lumapit sa kanya. And just because I couldn't help myself, hinila ko siya para yakapin. "I think that's the best thing to do, Kalai. Let's get out of the house. Dito ka muna, kukunin ko lang ang wallet ko at susi."

"Okay," she readily agreed with a smile.

Ginantian ko ang ngiti niya. Man, I really love this girl.

****

Happy 2023! ❤❤❤