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Chapter 15
#wrewp
"Is it normal?"
Gabe's eyes squinted as he put his knuckle on his cheek. Si Pancho naman ay tila nag-iisip din. While Lorie raised a brow at me but didn't utter any words. Sumandal ako sa upuan. We occupied a kiosk as we ate our food. Masyado na kasing maraming tao sa cafeteria kaya dito na lang namin piniling kumain. Bumuntong hininga ako.
"Baka gustong makipagkaibigan?" si Pancho.
That was exactly my thought.
Kinwento ko sa kanila ang tungkol sa cookies. Pero hindi ko sinabing si Grant iyon. Sinabi kong . . . myembro ng dance troupe na kinabibilangan ko ang nagbigay sa akin. Hindi ko rin sinabing cookies, ibang pagkain ang sinabi ko. Dahil kung cookies, baka mahalata nila kung sino ang tinutukoy ko.
"O baka gano'n lang talaga siya? Mabait?" sabi ni Lorie.
My face crumpled. Mabait ba si Grant? Siguro. Though I still find him arrogant, it doesn't necessarily mean he can't be kind. Siguro nga ang gano'ng gesture sa kaniya ay normal lang. Lalo na nitong gumawa kami ng written report, sinimulan niya ang part nila Lorie para hindi na raw ito mahirapan pa. So that was him being thoughtful and, well, kind. Maybe he wanted to have friends since it seemed like he didn't have one. I haven't seen him with friends. Ironic that he was popular among people, but didn't have any circle.
Tumango si Gabe. "Normal lang 'yon kung gano'n din siya sa iba. Pero kung hindi, kung sa 'yo lang, kagaya ng sinabi ni Pancho, baka gusto makipagkaibigan. O hindi kaya . . . may gusto sa 'yo."
Umarko ang kilay ko. I sneered. Grantholm likes me? Straight siya, sa pagkakaalam ko. At gano'n din ako. Although despite being straight we could still admire someone from the same gender because heteroromanticism exists. Maaring magkagusto ang isang straight sa kaparehas niya ring straight, in romantical aspect. But he or she might not be sexually attracted to them. Pero kung ang sexual orientation niya naman ay bisexual . . . he or she could be emotionally, sexually, and romantically attracted to both genders.
And in my end, I was certain, that my sexual orientation was only to the opposite gender. And it wasn't a choice. It was a natural part of me. But in his case, I didn't know. He could be anything . . . but seeing him flirt with Lovey, and Sayuri, and even wanting to make a move on Eloris, made it firm to me that the fucker was straight as a board. Kasi kung hindi, edi dapat nakikita ko ring pumuporma siya sa mga lalaki?
"Imposibleng gusto niya ako, pre. He's a dude."
Nagkibit siya ng balikat. "Baka nga gusto lang maging ka-close ka."
Iyon ang naging hinuha ko kalaunan. That Grant just wanted to be closer with me. Wala siyang kaibigan at siguro, ako ang nakikita niyang puwedeng maging kaibigan niya. O kaya naman ay gusto niya talaga magkaroon ng kaibigan. That was proven more when I arrived at the dance troupe for training. Kita kong lumalata ng pagkain ang mga dancers.
It was cookies. The same color, size, and flavor of what Grant gave me.
"Kuya Mat! Kuya made cookies!" salubong ni Emily sa akin.
Inabutan niya ako ng isang piraso. Ngumiti ako at nagpasalamat, bago nilingon si Grant na naglalahad ng tupperware sa mga miyembro. I shot a brow when he glanced at my side. Nagkibit balikat lang ako bago nilapag ang gamit ko sa gilid.
If he made those cookies for them, then it was only normal. It confirmed my hunch that he only wanted to make friends and it was only natural for him to be nice. Sa tagal na namin naging magkaklase, itong bagay na ito ang hindi ko alam sa kaniya. I only have an impression of him and it wasn't that good. Mas lumala noong kinausap ko siya at nakumpirma ko kung gaano siya kayabang. He was well aware how gifted he was in academics.