Celine
Kanina ko pa tinitigan si Aya pero umiiwas ito ng tingin sa akin.
Nahabol ko siya kanina sa bukana pero tumigil ito at itinaas ang kamay.
"Stop. Stop talking to me for now, Celine. Wag nating sirain ang gabing ito."
Aya called me Celine. Not C. Galit talaga ito sa akin.
And she turned her back on me and started laughing and talking with everyone as if nothing happened.
Naramdaman ko ang paghawak ni Miko sa kamay ko sa ilalim ng table pero marahan akong bumitaw. Nakakunot ang noong tinignan niya ako pero di ko siya makuhang titigan.
Nanlalamig yung mga kamay ko. I bit my lower lip.
"Do you want me to go and talk to Aya?" Mahinang sabi nito.
Umiling ako, tumayo at lumayo dito. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think.
Ang kapal ng mukha ko. I was a coward to face her. I looked at everybody around me and no one seemed to notice.
Except for Vito. His eyes were questioning. Pero umiwas ako.
Kami ba ang makakasira sa grupo?
Huminga ako ng malalim. Aya couldn't even look me in the eyes. Ano pa ba ang ineexpect ko?
I betrayed her. Naiiyak na pinunasan ko ang luha sa gilid ng mga mata ko.
"Okay ka lang ba?" Tanong sa akin ni Sadie. Pinilit kong ngumiti. Ayokong kami ang makasira sa grupo. I wanted this to be Brent's and Annie's last happy moment with the group. Pa-send off ba.
But my heart... was breaking inside. I looked across the room and saw Miko. And I bit my lower lip. Kaya ko bang i-give up si Miko for Aya?
***
Miko
Miko looked across the room. Celine was laughing at something Vito said. She looked okay but he knew the signs already. Every time her smile fades, her eyes looked brokenhearted. At nag-aalala siya.
Celine loved being with her friends. Para na itong magkapatid. At hindi niya ito masisisi.
Lumayo ito sa kanya kanina. And it hurt when she let go of his hand. He could feel her withrawing from him. At nag-aalala siya. Natatakot.
He was a bastard for hurting Aya. If he had really hurt her. But he was more worried for Celine.
At sa tumatakbo sa utak nito.
Lumapit sa kanya si Aya. "Hey."
"Hey." Sabi niya dito ng umupo ito sa stool katabi niya. Napatingin agad siya kay Celine at dumistansya ng kaunti kay Aya.
Damn.
He didn't want her to think of other ideas. But he wanted to talk to Aya.
Celine didn't take shit. Alam niya iyon. At napatunayan niya iyon. She could just ditch him anytime. Napahugot siya ng hininga sa isiping iyon.
"What you saw earlier..."
"Do you like Celine?"
"I..." Napalunok siya. "Aya, I'm sorry."
Tumawa ito. "Why sorry?" Walang humor ang tawa at ngiti nito sa kanya ngayon. Hinawakan nito ang braso niya at gusto niyang lumayo pero biglang naghiyawan sina Deli. Napalingon siya sa mga matang nakatingin sa kanila.
Aya smiled provocatively but her eyes were lethal. And he looked around to see Celine.
"Show's over. I need to talk to this guy." Nakangiting sabi ni Aya. Nagtawanan ang mga ito. "Mauna na kayo sa Lanai." Sabi nito sa kanilang lahat.
BINABASA MO ANG
Nice to meet you, Celine
Romansa"He likes Aya. I like him. And I was never going to tell him. Until that one fateful night." Celine or C for her friends, knows Miko for as long as she can remember. As long as she can remember him crushing on her bestfriend... as long as she can re...
