Rhythmic Laws (Law School Series 2)

32

Clay always felt like he's hard to love, but I could love him forever by watching him breathe.

When I first saw him, he was playing at the restaurant I was working. Pagod na ako sa trabaho, ilang customers ang ipinaghain namin, at ilang araw na akong walang sapat na tulog. But when he started playing that piano and humming that song, I felt a sudden calm.

Then I realized it was the same rhythm I almost always hear every morning in my apartment.

12 a.m. naririnig ko siyang tumutugtog. Sa tanghali, sinasabayan niya ng pagkanta. At sa mga oras na akala niya ay walang nakikinig sa kaniya, marahan kong binubuksan ang pintuan sa aking balcony para lang marinig siya.

I courted him for months until we became official. I didn't know he's a singer from the Philippines and how famous he is in the music industry.

I love listening to him play music, rants about it, then convince him to continue writing his sophomore album.

Alam ko sa sarili na straight ako. Pero mag kakaiba sa kaniya. O talagang may ginising lang sa akin si Clay na matagal ko nang tinatago

Gustong gusto kong nakikita siyang suot ang shirt ko na maluwag sa kaniya habang wala siyang suot pang-ibaba habang nakadapa siya sa aking kama, nagsusulat ng kanta sa kaniyang journal o 'di kaya ay tumutugtog ng kaniyang gitara.

Clay always understands me. He's always good at that. Hindi ko kailangang ipaliwanag sa kaniya lahat, hindi ko kailangang ipilit na maintindihan niya, nakikinig siya at kapag nagsalita na siya, it's always full of wisdom.

Kahit hindi niya ito alam. Kahit hindi niya makita kung gaano siya kahalaga sa akin.

Our eight year gap wasn't always that borderline between us. Pero kung minsan, nanghihinyang ako sa kaniya.

I have a family now and committed to focus on them. I want him to be part of it. But I think it's a big pressure to him to enter into that deep commitment, especially at his age when he should be exploring more.

But I don't want to see him go. Especially now that my whole family loves him already.

Kaya nagdahan-dahan ako. I bought a new unit for both of us. Binihisan namin ito, binilhan ng mga gamit, at pgkatapos ng kaunting renovation at designs, we moved in.

Clay couldn't hide everything about him. Nakita ko ang mga invites at offers ng iba't ibang company. But what surprised me more is that he's not accepting the same entertainment that raised him before.

"Don't you want to come back?" bulong ko sa kaniyang tenga.

Magkayakap kami sa aming kama, nakabalot ang kumot sa aming katawan, tanging kami lang sa gabing makapagpapahinga kami.

"I don't know if I'm ready," he replied, eyes still close, trying to sleep on it.

"You should, it's a waste of talent and not hearing your music," I said.