WINSTON AND RINGO (Montana Series 3 | BXB)

08: Hyacinth

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I ran towards Ringo and pulled him down the pulpit. Sa lakas ng pwersa ng aking paghila ay napayakap siya sa'kin nang siya'y makababa. I could feel my pulse quickening as his palm pressed my chest. My heart was thudding rapidly against his fingers. When we realized how intimate we were, we slowly distanced ourselves from each other.

Ringo raised his head to look at me. "What happened?" he asked, which confused me.

My eyebrows met with puzzlement. "What? Don't you remember? You're trying to jump in the water," I reminded him.

Napahawak naman siya sa kanyang ulo at napalingon sa dagat. "I'm sorry. I'm probably sleepwalking again," he said.

"Sleepwalking?" I repeated.

"Yes," he answered, scratching his head. "I tend to sleepwalk all the time. Dala siguro ng pagod kaya ganito."

I directed my eyes at him. "Are you sure?"

He offered me a reassuring smile. "Yes, Winston. Ang totoo nyan ay noong maliit pa ako, nilo-lock pa ni Papa ang kwarto ko bago matulog para maiwasan na mangyari 'to."

"You should have told me," I said, calm but slightly annoyed. "Paano kung tuluyan kang tumalon at wala ako?"

"Dumating ka naman hindi ba?" nakangiti niyang sabi. "Don't worry, next time, I'll tie a knot on my feet before sleeping."

He did little chuckles, and I knew he was trying his best to make me feel calm. Despite of my mildy annoyance, I managed smiling because I didn't want to waste his effort for calming me up. Matapos kaming mag-usap ay niyaya ko na siya sa loob upang ipagpatuloy ang aming pagtulog.

While lying on the bed, I couldn't help but to occasionally glance at Ringo. Nagaalala ako na baka kapag nakatulog ako ay mawala na naman siya sa tabi ko. I would be dead if something happened to him. Siguradong hindi ako mapapatawad ng Papa at Kuya niya.

"We can tie my feet if you want," Ringo suggested and turned his head to me.

"What?" I reacted.

"You look anxious," he said. "Are you worried that I might start sleepwalking again?"

Nagpakawala naman ako ng mabigat na paghinga. "Hindi ko maiwasan. Baka kasi pag-gising ko, wala ka na sa tabi ko at may nangyari ng hindi maganda."

Ngumiti naman siya na nagbigay sa'kin ng pagtataka. "Salamat, Winston. I could feel your concern, but don't worry, hindi ako mawawala sa tabi mo."

Magsasalita na sana ko, ngunit dahan-dahan na niyang ipinikit ang kanyang mga mata. Pinilit niyang matulog. Lumipas ang ilang minuto at nakarinig ako ng hilik. He was already sleeping peacefully. Payapa na ang kanyang mukha habang nakapikit, ngunit hindi pa rin ako mapakali.

I wanted to sleep, but I needed an assurance that he's not going anywhere. I wasn't comfortable having a closer contact with anyone, but I had no other choice. Kailangan kong makasiguro na ligtas siya habang natutulog ako.

Nagdesisyon akong lumapit sa kanya at dahan-dahan na inilaan ang aking braso papunta sa kanyang ulo. After making my bicep as his pillow, I placed his palm to my chest and I gently cuffed his wrist with my hand. My actions sent me thousands of cracking nerves, and my heart felt like it would burst right through my chest. Kabado man ngunit pinilit kong kumalma.

This is the only way for me to secure his safety. Nothing more, nothing less.

I could feel the warm air from his mouth and nose crossing into my chest. I almost lost the capacity to breathe, making the beads of sweat from my forehead doubled. I gave my all in controlling my pulse, because I didn't want to wake him up. Niyakap ko siya upang hindi na ako magalala pa, ngunit lalo naman akong hindi mapakali.