Ease
Natigilan ako. Is he even kidding me?
"My mom scarred your family—"
"And my dad scarred yours too," he said, cutting me off. "You think I haven't thought of it over and over while I was trying to reach out to you from the past? I tried my best to draw a line too."
I clenched my jaw and smirked without humor when I remembered him in the club.
"So you showed up in that club to find me?"
"Exactly."
I scoffed and leaned against my seat, my eyes glaring at him—my blood boiled. Gagong 'to.
"My father was a shameless cheater who would bring his woman to our house. Some of them were his big clients, and some, models, while the others were...his co-worker, or the employee in our construction firm. Bata pa kami noon, ganoon na. Umiiyak lagi si Chloe dahil hindi niya naiintindihan pag nahuhuli niyang may ibang kahalikan si dad maliban sa mommy namin."
My shoulder loosened as my anger was now nowhere.
"I grew up hating on him. Distant. He couldn't remember our birthdays or even a cake at least, and would only showered us money, while he thought it was enough obligation as our father. I couldn't tell him to stop since he would punch me or hurt me. Maybe my last straw was your mom since I found out she had a son around my age."
Tahimik akong tumingin sa kandungan ko. Medyo napatid na ngayon ng konsensya.
"And to see her son, who had no idea, laughing like he was raised by a healthy family, while Chloe and I were in that hell of a house, I got insecure. I got mad. You were that unreachable. Fun. Opposite from my miserable life, when in fact, we're just the same, the product of a cheater parent. So I don't understand why your smile seemed so blinding and I couldn't even enjoy life because of my asshole father."
"Then you wanted to crush me? To make my life miserable because you were on the low and you couldn't enjoy your own life? Gusto mong hilain ako pababa dahil nasa ibaba ka?" I laughed sarcastically.
He shrugged. "That's what I thought. But I mistaken my empathy for anger. I developed that emotion where I want you to lean on me because we are both sharing the same battle. I want you to see me as your equal. I want you to...rest on me. To cry on me. I want you to see me as your own...comfort."
Medyo lumambot ang tingin ko at naalala ang pag-iyak ko noon sa harapan niya at kusa niya agad ibinigay sa akin ang gusto ko. So he really likes it when I'm opening up.
"You know that feeling where I want you to fall so bad, but I'd make sure I'll be the one who's catching you, no matter how heavy it would feel, but I'll be there once you were falling apart; that's what I want during those days you were over me," he uttered firmly.
Bumaba ang balikat ko at para akong natutunaw sa kinauupuan ko.
"I tried to reach out to get our attention at least, but you were unreachable, always on top—blinding. You're just that...distant," he pointed out, his serious gaze looking at me deeply.
"And your other plan was to...sleep with me?" Inangatan ko siya ng kilay.
He licked his lips. "The thing is...that was never on my plan. It's my...own choice."
Lumunok ako at nag-iwas ng tingin. Well, I was kind of game too. Wala namang kaso ang lahat ng pinaggagawa niya, o kahit laro lang sa umpisa. Sadyang hindi ko lang masikmura na...may nagawa ang parents namin sa mga pamilya namin. Iyon ang mabigat tanggapin.
"When?" namamaos kong tanong, kuryoso.
"The feelings?" he clarified.
Tumango ako at nag-iiwas ng tingin, magkasalubong ang kilay at tinititigan ang hawak kong inumin.
