Hinintay namin si Adam sa labas ng ice cream shop. Pinilit ni Lucian na ihatid na lang ako ngunit tumanggi ako. Ayokong magsimula ng away o gulo dahil kasama ko siya sa ganitong oras ng gabi.
Dumating si Adam. He immediately parked the car and get out of the car. Lumapit siya sa amin at hindi nagsalita nang magkaharap kami. He was just looking at me and I know what that means. Inalis ko sa balikat ko ang coat ni Lucian at inabot sa kanya.
"We'll be going, Lucian. Thank you." I gave him a faint smile then looked at Adam who nodded at me.
Nag umpisa na ako maglakad at hindi na lumingon pa kay Lucian. I feel bad for him. Alam kong gusto niya lang akong tulungan ngunit sa paraan nang pagtingin ni Adam sa kanya kanina ay tila siya pa ang may kasalanan.
Naramdaman ko ang pagsunod ni Adam sa akin. Tinignan ko siyang muli at tinaasan niya lang ako ng kilay. But still, he covered me with his own coat. Buti naman dahil lamig na lamig na ako.
Walang nagsasalita sa amin hanggang makasakay kami ng sasakyan. I was fiddling on my fingers thinking on how to talk to him. Hindi pa iniistart ni Adam ang sasakyan kaya naman nilakasan ko na ang loob ko.
"Uhm, do you have Lucian's contact number?" Agad niya akong tinignan at ngumisi na tila hindi makapaniwala.
"Why? You want to text your little lover?" Nagulat ako na tono ng pananalita niya. He sounded like he was mocking me.
"Excuse me? No! I just want to thank him!" Depensa ko. Aba siyempre iniwan ko siya ng basta basta don eh tinulungan niya lang naman akong magsaya kahit sa konting oras lang.
"No need to do that. Kung hindi dahil sa kanya, hindi mag aalala sila Tita Esme." Sinamaan ko agad siya ng tingin.
"What? So you're blaming him? He was just helping me!" He scoffed.
"Helping you? In what way, Eve? Umalis kayo sa party. Probably siya ang nag offer. So paanong hindi niya kasalanan?" Tila my inis sa bose ni Adam pero pinipigilan niya ang sariling magalit at sigawan ako.
That's the thing with him. He never shouted at me. Even when we're arguing like cat and dog, he never raised his voice at me. Lagi niyang binabantayana ng sariling hindi makapagsalita ng masasakit na salita. Because, growing up he never heard his dad shouting at his mom. He was taught to never raise a voice in front of a woman. Kahit sobrang nakakainis pa sila.
"I never wanted the party, Adam. And he came to my rescue, offering me a breath of fresh air. That's it." I tried explaining calmly. Iba talaga ang epekto niya sa akin. I was shouting at him earlier but he still managed to keep his voice calm.
"It was also our party, Eve. It was also the announcement of-"
"I never wanted this engagement!" I cut him off. Tears are starting to swell on the sides of my eyes. Pinipigilan ko lang na tumulo. Ayokong umiyak.
"Pero hindi mo kailangang umalis ng walang pasabi, Eve. I was also worried. Everyone is." He answered. I sighed.
"I needed time to take it all in. Imagine sa araw ng kapanganakan ko, itatali ako. I would never even know it if they didn't announce it. Akala ko kasi kalokohan lang lahat ng sinasabi nila noon eh." Then a tear fell of my cheeks. I sniffed.
'Sabi ko di ako iiyak eh!'
"Look Adam. I want to achieve my dreams, freely. Yung wala akong ibang iisipin kundi ang pangarap ko. You know that. And thinking that you were also in this surprise they call, pakiramdam ko wala kong ibang matatakbuhan. And when Lucian asked me to go out, I did. For once Adam, I felt so free. For once, hindi ko naisip yung mga nangyari. For once." Mahabang paliwanag ko bago tuluyang umiyak.
YOU ARE READING
IN THE BEGINNING
Romance"Childhood sweethearts", they say. A pair who were deemed to end up with each other. And yet they grow and explore. They meet people. So when things doesn't go according to plan, how would an another story of Adam and Eve be? Because after all, in t...
