SA PAG-UGNAY (Soul Ties 2)

Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

"You did not go to work today." sa marahang boses ay winika niya yon.

Nakaupo kami sa table set ng balcony ng kaniyang condo unit. Saktong-saktong nakatapat ang direksyon ng kaniyang balcony sa kanluran kung saan namin inaabangan ang paglubog ng araw.

"Hmm..." I nodded. "I don't think I had to."

Kumpara kasi sa akin ay wala siyang schedule ngayong araw.

She leaned her head against my shoulder as I leaned my head above hers. Our hands were intertwined as we faced the west.

"I know right. You seem busier than you are supposed to be."

"Really?"

I felt that she nodded her head on my shoulder.

"Kaya naman ng mga tauhan mong i-monitor ang lahat ng site para sa'yo pero ikaw mismo ang pumunta sa lahat ng 'yon," she said. "Minsan pa nags-stay ka ng ilang araw o linggo para lang mabantayan nang maayos, kahit hindi mo naman na kailangang gawin 'yon dahil Presidente ka ng kompanya niyo."

She lifted her head and looked at me. She gave me a proud smile.

"You're really hands-on with your work. I really admire that."

I smiled at her, but it did not reach my eyes.

"Because if not," I will die, Taliya. "My father will kill me." I managed to chuckle, but it tasted bitter at the end of my tongue. "He will pressure me to do more until I've gone crazy. So I have no choice but to show I'm the busiest man alive."

Humigpit ang hawak niya sa aking kamay.

"Is this the same issue you had before with him?" she softly asked.

"Nothing changed really," I chuckled bitterly.

High school palang kami ay alam na ng mga kaibigan ko ang tungkol dito. One time I had a mental breakdown in the vicinity of MLA. Taliya caught me crying like an idiot at the corner of the field.

Natawa ako nang maalala 'yon.

Who would've thought that the woman, back in high school, who covered my head with her jacket so she wouldn't see me cry and so I could cry freely, is now my girlfriend—after thirteen years? Unbelievable.

She leaned her head on my shoulder again. I rubbed my cheek on her soft hair comfortably, and suddenly I felt her lips lightly kiss my knuckles.

One kiss, and its warmth flowed through all of my veins. My heart beats crazily, as if it had stopped but then came back to tasted life again.

"You did great today even if you did not go to work..." she whispered. "At least you did the one percent of your one hundred. I think that's more that enough..."

"Really?"

"That one percent means you stayed. You're here with me. You are still holding on to dear life. That one percent means you still hope that things will get better. That one percent means a lot, Kolas..."

She kissed my knuckles again.

"You did great today, love..."

I licked my lower lip when it suddenly dried out.

Chemicals responsible for my moods and emotions are now exploding. I feel so alive. I feel so loved. And it's killing me.

It was the first time someone ever told me that I did great just by mere existing. Most people around me expects me to do more than I could offer. To reach far and achieved more than a number in life.