Daunted By Love

Chapter 9

Daunted By Love

When you're not around I still think about you.

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The gusts of wind outside grew stronger, rattling the windows and causing the curtains to dance wildly. Pagkatapos bumuhos ang malakas na ulan habang nagp-practice kami kanina ay pinauwi na rin kami ni Trish. Hindi na ligtas na manatili pa kami sa labas. Nakabukas ang bintana ng kwarto ko para matanaw kung ano na ang nangyayari sa labas.

It hasn't been long enough but I miss Yuan.

Kamusta kaya sila sa Meraia? A few minutes later raindrops began to tap rhythmically against the glass. The once bright sky had turned a menacing shade of gray, and the air felt charged with electricity. I reached for my phone and typed a message for Yuan.

Caia:

Kamusta kayo diyan?

Kagaya ng dati ay hindi ko na kinakailangan pang maghintay ng matagal para magreply siya.

Yuan:

We're okay, malakas lang talaga yung ulan. Medyo bumabaha na sa daan.

Kahit na magkalayo kami ay ramdam ko ang takot at pangamba. As the typhoon rages on, my thoughts are consumed by worry for Yuan. The relentless downpour and powerful gusts of wind intensify my apprehension. Wherever he may be at this very moment, I pray fervently that he is safe and far away from harm's reach. Oh, how I long to see him, to hold him close.

Nilunok ko ang lahat ng hiya sa katawan ko at tinawagan siya.

"Hello?" I said, rinig ko ang ihip ng hangin sa kabilang linya.

"Cai" Sambit niya.

"Malakas ba ulan diyan?" Tanong ko.

"Oo, diyan ba?"

"Malakas din. Um..." I trailed off, finding a way to prolong our conversation.

"How are you preparing for the storm?" Tanong niya, mukhang napakiramdaman na wala na akong masabi.

"May mga stock naman na kaming foods and water. Nakapagcharge na rin ako ng powerbanks and flashlights. Kayo ba?" Tanong ko pabalik.

"Parehas lang tayo." He chuckled a bit.

"You know for the past few days..." I paused, I couldn't continue what I was going to say.

Parang lagi akong nawawalan ng isip kapag siya na ang kausap ko. As corny as it may sound like, I always wanted to be perfect around Yuan. Parang bawal akong magkamali dahil natatakot akong baka may hindi siya magustuhan sa akin. I've never been this self conscious around someone in my whole entire life before.

"What about it, Cai?" He asked softly.

"Alam mo naman na hindi tayo masiyadong nagpapansinan, I mean, hindi talaga as in. Pwede ko bang malaman kung bakit bigla kang lumayo?" There, I finally said it.

"Gusto mo ba talagang malaman?" Parang nang-aasar niya pang tanong.

"Oo naman! Ilang araw ko na kayang iniisip kung ano yung dahilan. I'm almost going crazy because of you, Sevilla."

"I like that." Sambit niya.

"Like what?"

"That you're going crazy because of me."

Ngumiwi ako. "Baliw ka na ba, Yuan?!"

"I was just testing you if you'll miss me."

I rolled my eyes. "Ang corny mo talaga kahit kailan." Walang gana kong sabi.

"You'll find out soon, Caia. Sa ngayon 'wag na muna. Katulad ni big brother sasabihin ko sa'yo sa takdang panahon. Kunin mo na ang iyong mga gamit. Maaari ka nang magpaalam sa iyong mga kasama, hindi ka na karapat dapat pang manatili sa loob ng bahay ni Kuya. You have just been evicted from the Big Brother's House."

There, I lost control. Hindi ko mapigilan na matawa dahil sa sinabi niya at ang ginawa niyang panggagaya sa boses ni Toni Gonzaga. I cannot believe what I just heard. Naluluha na ako dahil kanina pa ako tawang tawa sa ginawa niya.

"Teka lang kulang, wala 'yung background music ni Moira." Pahabol niya pa.

Maya-maya pa ay narinig ko na sa kabilang linya ang kanta. I can't help but laugh.

"Jace" Rinig kong sabi ng isang babae sa kaniya.

Naputol ang usapan namin dahil tinawag siya ng kapatid niya at may kailangan daw silang gawin. That conversation just made my heart feel like it would want to beat a thousand per minute. I'm just so happy that we're talking again. Nilingon ko ang pintuan ng kwarto ko nang marinig ko itong bumukas. Tumambad sa akin ang bata kong pinsan na si Red. Nasa baba siguro ang mga magulang niyang sila Tito at Tita Mish para mangamusta sa amin at bumisita.

"Hi, Ate Cai!" Masigla niyang bati.

"Hi! You're so big na!" Tumayo ako para yakapin siya.

"I'm going to be mas matangkad to you soon."

I chuckled. "Yes basta kumain ka ng maraming gulay, okay?"

"Eh what if I don't? What will happen, Ate?"

"Then you won't be a healthy boy, gusto mo ba 'yon?" Tanong ko sa kaniya.

"No po. But you know ate, not all vegetables taste masarap kaya hindi ko po sila kinakain lahat." He explained.

He is so cute and he knows how to speak a lot for his age. Lagi kasi siyang kinakausap nila Tito, I think that's one of the reasons why he grew up well-spoken.

"Is that a firefly?" Namilog ang mga mata niya habang itinuturo ang bintana sa kwarto ko.

Mayroon ngang alitaptap sa labas na parang nagpupumilit na makapasok. I had the sudden urge to text Yuan and tell him about the firefly. It's so random but I just felt like doing it. Agad siyang nagreply sa message ko.

Yuan Jace Sevilla:
I saw one too earlier, Cai. Akala mo lugar niyo lang may alitaptap? Sa amin din. 😌

Napangiti ako sa naging reply niya. As days pass by, he's becoming more and more of a joker to me, and no matter how cheesy his jokes may be to anyone they all matter to me because it makes me smile kahit na ako mismo ang nagsasabi na corny siya.

Tinanaw ko ang kalagayan sa labas ng Larania. The rain is still pouring relentlessly. Madilim na rin ang langit at tanging ang mga street lights nalang ang nagsisilbing liwanag sa labas. As a kid, I was always scared of typhoons because they would take people's lives away, but growing up, I realized that I wasn't scared of the typhoon itself or other harmful stuff but with the idea of dying. Death scares me more than anything. When Yuan came to my life, the fear of dying made me even more afraid. Yuan makes me want to live more, forever rather. If living means seeing Yuan despite all the pain and challenges this world throws at me, then I don't ever want to die.

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clemenciana