Para akong kriminal na dahan-dahang naglalakad sa tahimik na pasilyo nang makarating ako sa tamang floor ng silid namin. Mahigpit ang hawak ko sa strap ng aking bag at patingkayad na naglalakad, takot na maglikha ng kaunting ingay ang takong ng suot kong boots.
I put some strands of my hair behind my ear. Halos matakpan na ng sleeves ang aking mga kamay nang kumapit ako sa doorframe at sinilip ang classroom. Maaga talaga akong pumunta rito para makausap si Casimir nang maayos.
But I was shocked when I saw no one. Bakante ang buong silid, walang bakas ng kahit sino at nakapatay pa ang aircon. I protruded my lips.
"He's still not here? Akala ko ba maaga siya lagi?" bulong ko, tanging ulo lang ang nakasungaw sa silid.
He must be here. Grabe na ang guilt na nararamdaman ko simula nang magising ako matapos ng gabing iyon. I have to apologize to stop this agonizing feeling. Paano kung nag-away nga sila?
Sa totoo lang, walang katotohanan iyong mga nasabi ko. Naghihinala lang talaga ako at walang balak na ipagsabi kahit kanino. Pero dahil likas na gagong lasing ako, nasabi ko pa kay Casimir at Cohen!
"Where is he? Maybe he's still driving? Kung dito ko siya hihintayin, baka may dumating nang kaklase namin at hindi kami makapag-usap nang maayos. I should wait for him in the parking lot!" Kausap ko sa sarili ko at tumango-tango.
Tama. I have to put an end to this guilt so I can live the rest of my days like usual.
Pumihit ako at halos tumalbog ako nang bumungad sa akin ang matalim na titig ni Casimir. My eyes widened a fraction. Mukhang kanina pa siya nakatayo sa likod ko dahil nakahalukipkip ito!
"E—Escareal!" I said, both surprised and nervous as fuck.
He's standing in front of me, tall and frigid. Nakabukas ang dalawang butones ng suot niyang kulay brown na dress shirt at kitang-kita ang kulay itim na relo dahil nakatupi ang sleeves nito hanggang siko.
I swallowed hard. Matalim ang tingin niya sa akin. He's mad. Iba ang tingin niya ngayon sa mga madalas na inis na tingin niya sa akin. The veins on his forearms corded when he slid his hands inside the pocket of his beige linen pants.
He's surprisingly looked healthy today. Medyo nawala na ang pamumula ng ilalim ng kaniyang mga mata. His hair was styled again, in the same style I saw when we met on the first day of school. Sleek on the right side, while the bangs were hanging on the left side of his forehead.
"Uh..." I looked sideways, and my heart started beating harshly again. "About what happened..."
"What about it?" mariin at halos magyelo ang boses niya nang sabihin iyon.
I shut my eyes for a moment before looking at him straight in the eyes. Bahala na! Kasalanan ko, kaya dapat mag-sorry ako at magpaliwanag! Lasing man o hindi, maling-mali ang ginawa ko! Nanira ako ng tao at nakakatakot na baka pati relasyon, makasira pa ako!
"Look, I was so drunk that night; that's why I kept blabbering nonsense! Actually, none of those claims were true. I hope you didn't take it seriously... kasi... hindi totoo iyon!" dire-diretsong sabi ko, nagkanda utal-utal na.
My eyes widened when his jaw clenched. Halos dumilim na ang titig niya sa akin. Akala ko ay gagaan na ang pakiramdam niya sa sinabi ko. Pero bakit mukhang mas nagalit pa siya?
Stupid girl! Of course, he'd get mad! Nagsinungaling ka! At ngayon, mas napatunayang walang katuturan ang sinabi mo kaya lalo siyang nagalit! Nag-away ba sila? I hope not!
"Which one? Is it Sahri doing something behind me, or Cohen is your everything?" he asked calmly.
Huh?
YOU ARE READING
Zephyr Strings
General Fiction(SPHEROID CHAMBERS #3) Ongoing Moving on from a traumatic episode in the past is never a cakewalk. Each of us encountered a lot of crusades in the past and it's up to us how we'll deal with it to outweigh them. He was pressured. He was devastated...
