Midnight Momento (Astalièr Series I)

MDT 4

Chapter 4

"We'll ride together?!" I muttered under my breath like it was the most ridiculous idea in the world.

He stopped massaging the horse and darted his offended eyes on me. I was taken aback by it, doon ko lang rin napagtanto ang lapit naming dalawa kaya umatras ako ng konti. I gulped and tried to sound nicer.

"I-I mean... we'll ride together?" I said again in a calm tone.

He nodded a little bit before he brought back his eyes on his horse. "Exactly," aniya.

"Why?" I asked in disbelief.

Being this close with him, meeting his eyes and talking like this in front of him is already taking too much of my energy and sanity. Ano pa pag magkatabi kami sa kabayo?! I am not ready for this!

His presence is already too much for me, him being close to me is unimaginable.

Tuluyan na nitong binitawan ang kabayo para harapin ako ng mabuti. "Sa'yo nang galing hindi ka marunong sumakay sa malaking kabayo. I am considering this because of your safety, Miss Monteves." paglilinaw niya sa malalim na boses.

Luminga-linga ako sa mga kabayo. "Wala bang medyo maliit?"

"May nakikita ka ba?" balik niya.

Nalukot ang mukha ko sa katotohanang wala, walang maliit na kabayo.

"Bakit kasi kailangan pang mag kabayo? Lakarin na lang natin." katwiran ko.

He laughed immediately with my idea, I was caught off guard because this is the first time I saw him laugh. I never thought this man is capable of laughing, he looked up and closed his eyes. Showing his white set of teeth and his prominent jaw bone.

His sight sent a foreign feeling in me.

"W-What's funny?" I still manage to utter a question. My brows furrowed.

He already stopped laughing and faced me, he licked his lips. "You haven't roamed around your former land have you? Kung lalakarin natin ang buong hacienda, madaling araw na tayo makakauwi."

Natigilan ako at nag init ang pisngi. The land is that big?

"O-Oh... sorry. Hindi ko alam." nahihiya kong tugon.

He chuckled at me. "It's okay, I didn't expect you to know everything about your family's former hacienda." Umatras ito sa may gilid at tinignan ako. "Mamili ka." utos niya.

"Saan ba ang kabayo mo dito? Ang lagi mong ginagamit?" tanong ko.

Itinuro niya ang itim at pinakamalaking kabayo, ang nilapitan niya kanina. "Duncan." sagot niya.

"That's his name?"

"Yeah... so you chose him?"

I wet my lips and plucked it before nodding. "S-Sige, siya na lang. He looks... safe."

"You're safe with every horse here, as long as you ride with me." sagot niya pa.

I mentally rolled my eyes.

"Fine, oo na." pagpayag ko.

Bumalik na kami sa mansyon para kumain ng pananghalian. Mabuti na lang talaga dahil niyayaya niya sila Aling Anita na kumain kasama kami, hindi ko na alam ang pwede pa naming pag usapan kung maiiwan na naman kaming dalawa.

Nasita niya pa ang suot ko, at mag jeans daw ako dahil mahihirapan ako sa bistida ko. Tama naman siya, kaya matapos kaming kumain ay umakyat muna ako para magpalit. Good thing I decided to bring some casual clothes. These past few years I was used to wearing formal ones everyday at work.