Somehow Last Wednesday

CL

[iMessage]

Engr. Venturanza

July 23, 10:28 p.m.

Andy
Engr?

10:31 p.m.

Andy
Klein?
Where are you?

10:34 p.m.

Andy
I... forgot to ask if you ate dinner. Were you able to eat dinner? Or any snack kaninang nasa biyahe ka?

Andy
I'll order for you if you're hungry

10:41 p.m.

Andy
Klein?

Klein
Buksan mo pinto

~

"Saan ka galing?" Andy asked when she opened the door for him.

But he didn't say anything. He just walked towards the bed, guiding her to sit down and she obliged.

Andy was quietly weighing everything, too. They were unusually quiet, but she was confused when he reached for her leg.

"Klein?" she called, wanting to ask him what he's about to do but she couldn't draw out the words out of her anymore. So she watched.

She watched when his thumbs applied some pressure on her thigh and when it moved in circular motions to relieve the muscle strain she was complaining about.

Andy winced. It hurt a bit but that wasn't her concern anymore. Their silence was overbearing. She knew they were still in a fight, but . . . why was he doing this?

She couldn't see his face especially when his eyes and all of his attention were focused on relieving the knots on her thighs. She didn't even notice the brown paper bag he brought with him until he pulled a pack of menthol patches from it.

"Klein," she called again. "I thought you're mad . . ."

"Oo nga," he answered abruptly without giving her a gaze.

"Then why?"

"Anong why?" he asked.

"This . . . why are you doing this if you're mad at me?"

"Nagtataka ka pa rin? Sinabi ko na nga kanina."

"Okay . . ." Her voice trailed off. She doesn't understand one bit, but she didn't have the courage to ask anymore.

He sighed. Silence hovered and lingered around the walls of the hotel room, but Andy noticed how his movements became gentler.

"Mahal nga kasi kita," he said, almost inaudible when he reached for her other leg after applying some menthol patch on the other one.

"Even when you're mad at me?"

He nodded. "Oo. Mahal pa rin kita."