On His Roster (Aviación #1) Completed

36

Conflicted

We're heading to the Maldives to celebrate his birthday because it's already February. Only Nathan and Niccolo will be with me today as some of our friends are still on their way back to Dubai.

I got a call from Deuce telling me he was coming to get me. When I got in the car, our friends Nathan and Nicco were sitting in the backseat, grinning.

"Sup!" Nicco greeted excitedly.

Agad naman na may inabot na takeout coffee is Nathan sa akin nang comfortable na akong nakaupo sa harap.

"Did you get enough rest? After the lengthy flight, everyone was exhausted. I quickly pack my bags for our trip with Nicco." bati naman ni Nathan.

"I badly want to sleep." Reklamo ni Nicco at sumandal na sa upuan.

"Same. I'll sleep once we're settled in the plane." sumimsim nalang sa kape at saglit naman na napalingon kay Deuce na ngayon ay seryosong nagmamaneho.

We didn't discuss what happened much; instead, we just carried on with our hectic work schedules and moved on.

I made an effort to remain detached from it, as Dinara had advised me not to get too attached. Men definitely don't think it's all that remarkable because they fuck a lot of women every day. So what makes me unique? Correct? I'm not unique. True, no experience, but that's all there is to it.

"How was your flight, captain?" biro naman ni Nicco kaya nakuha niya ang atensyon ni Deuce. He's busy working on his path to becoming a captain. Kaya rin masyado siyang abala nitong nakaraang mga araw.

Deuce smirked at his friends. "I am just excited to take a break from flying. As much as i hate seeing your faces every day I can only do so much."

"Sorry, you got no choice. You will see our faces inside and outside of work. It is a lifetime commitment for you," Nathan laughed.

"Urgh! I just wish there's a lot of girls—" agad nakatanggap ng sapak si Nicco galing kay Nathan.

"Yoni will be there. Don't worry about it you dickhead!"

Agad na ngumiwi si Nicco na para bang nandidiri sa idea ni Nathan. "Can you stop mentioning that girl?" reklamo niya.

Perhaps there's something off with the way my friend phrased it. It seems as though I instinctively try to hide and avoid getting too near to Deuce, especially now that we are traveling alone and surrounded by friends, where neither of us will be constrained by work restrictions.

Dinara's words dawned on me that I would like to be in a safe distance away from Deuce and be cautious about the way we interact with each other.

When we eventually got settled inside the aircraft, i discovered that my seat was assigned next to Deuce. Tahimik akong naupo roon at inabala nalang ang sariling mga gamit para maging komportabke sa byahe. He has probably figured out by now that I'm acting strangely toward him.

Nakita ko ang panonood niya sa bawat galaw ko na para bang napapisip ng malalim. I heard him sighed while he busied himself with his things and even put his sweater on my lap. Napalingon ako sa kaniya kaya naman ay nasa akin na naman ang kaniyang atensyon.

"You won't stay warm in your garments. Instead, make use of this." he pointed at his sweater that is now on my lap.

I am wearing a white and black striped knitted longsleeves top and a wide legged denim jeans. I chose to keep my face bare so i decided to just cover my tired eyes with my gentle black shades instead.

Hindi nga naman makapal ang suot kong damit dahil sa maldives naman ang punta namin at tiyak na maaraw doon.

"Thanks," gaya ng gusto niya ay sinuot ko nalang ang bigay niyang sweater. Lalamig nga naman mamaya lalo na pag nasa gitna na kami ng byahe.