WINSTON AND RINGO (Montana Series 3 | BXB)

18: Sunflower

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The Merry Pub flashed with colorful lights and thundered with upbeat music. Andres and Bullet were dancing along with our teammates. On the other hand, I was alone while enjoying my glass of beer.

May mga babaeng nagyaya sa'kin upang sumayaw, ngunit tinanggihan ko sila. As I watched my friends, I saw Bullet pulled a girl on the dance floor. They were dancing intimately until Bullet grabbed the girl's neck and pulled into an aggressive kiss. The girl seemed enjoying it while my teammates were cheering them on.

Napailing naman ako habang pinanunuod sila, ngunit biglang may pumasok sa aking isipan. I recalled how I kissed Ringo during my stay at San Miguel. I couldn't stop the flashing smile on my face as I imagined how I touched his face that time. Habang inaalala ang mga naganap noon ay hindi ko maiwasang malungkot.

I hope it will happen again.

Nakailang baso ako ng beer kaya nakaramdam na ako ng pagkahilo. I checked the time and it's already 10PM. I went towards my friends and told them I had to go. Alam na alam nila kung gaano kahigpit si Dad, kaya naman pinayagan na nila akong umuwi.

"Ikaw na ang bahala dyan kay Bullet," bilin ko kay Andres.

"Yes, don't worry," he responded and waved at me.

The surroundings seemed to spin around me, and I struggled to maintain my balance. I took deep breaths and slowly made my way outside Merry Pub. Nang makalabas ako ay kinuha ko ang aking sasakyan sa parking lot. I checked my phone, and as expected, I received ten messages and five missed calls from my mom. I struggled looking at my phone screen, but I managed replying to her and informed her that I'm already on my way home.

I felt dizzy, but I kept my eyes focused on the road. When I turned right, I saw a familar face near Valdivia Resort. Nalagpasan ko siya, ngunit nang mapagtanto ko kung sino 'yon ay mabilis kong inihinto ang aking sasakyan. I rubbed my eyes and returned my gaze. Then, I saw Ringo standing beside a lamp post.

It's late night, and I wondered what he's up to. Nagtataka man, ngunit mabilis akong bumaba sa aking sasakyan. Dahil sa alak ay nakaipon ako ng lakas ng loob na kailangan ko. I walked towards him, and when I reached his position, he bolted me a look.

"Winston," he said, seems surprised by my presence.

"What..." I gulped. "What are you doing here?"

Kumunot ang noo niya. "Nakainom ka ba?"

I didn't bother answering him, instead, I took a moment to watch his face. I moved even closer, and though I reeked in alcohol, I didn't hesitate to have a close contact with him. Naaamoy ko ang magkahalong amoy ng alak at sigarilyo sa aking bibig, ngunit mas nangibabaw ang matamis na pabango ni Ringo.

"Winston, you should go home. Lasing ka na," sambit niya habang iniiwas ang tingin sa'kin.

"Just give me a minute," I said, still keeping my eyes towards him.

As I watched him standing before me, I traced him with my eyes, looking from his forehead down to his lips. Dammit! I miss him so bad!

Hindi na ako nakapagpigil pa at mabilis ko siyang niyakap. Sa liit ng kanyang katawan ay nasakop siya ng aking mga braso. I could feel he was stunned by the abrupt movement of his body. Gusto niyang makawala, ngunit sa higpit ng aking yakap ay nagpauba na lamang siya sa huli.

The sound of our heartbeat filled the silence around us. I wasn't talking, but the emotions I was feeling spoke volumes. Habang dinadama ko ang mainit niyang katawan ay pinagdarasal ko na sana ay bumagal ang oras.