Straight as Guitar Strings

chapter 31 [tag/fil]

PARANG dalawang kurap lang ang dalawang linggo, maraming nangyari after 'that' day. Good thing, Leo and I remained friends. Mas nag-focus lang kami this time sa pag-aaral lalo na 'yong mga requirements na na-miss namin at hindi nai-submit dahil sa mga band rehearsal.

Aral. Banda. Pahinga. Repeat.

It was Saturday today, I have nothing in my mind, no plans and no gala. Walang importanteng gagawin dahil natapos ko na lahat. Pahinga ko talaga today, sana... kaso pagkatapos ko maghilamos ng mukha sa banyo, pagbukas ko ng phone ko ay bumungad sa'kin ang message ni Leo.

He was inviting me to attend the fashion show event that he had been telling me mula nang magkakilala kami. I said, I would try because I wasn't really in the mood to go out, like today I'd prefer staying at home rather spending the day outside.

But he's Leo of course, the irresistible Leo Quintero. Sino ako para humindi sa kanya?

Nagpakipot lang ako nang konti hanggang sa pumayag na rin ako. Sinabi niya kasing minsan lang 'to, kaya 'wag na akong magdalawang-isip. He said this is important to him because this would be his first and maybe last time doing this, and he wanted me to be there, to experience and witness that moment. Damn, he always move me by his words.

Last time na nakita ko ang sarili ko sa salamin ng banyo ay nakahubad akong naliligo and then next time kong tingin sa salamin ng kwarto ko ay nakabihis na ako. Hindi ko namalayan kung gaano ako kabilis gumayak. Kailan pa ako naging mabilis sa pagbibihis ng damit?

I reckoned when it comes to friendship, I shouldn't prolong it needlessly. Who are my friends anyway? Walang friends, friend lang. Sa ngayon, siya lang naman 'yong maituturing kong kaibigan talaga. Does that mean that when it concerns him, I should be just a call away? That whenever he needs me, whenever he cries for help, or whenever he calls me, even if it's just nonsense, I should be there?

I don't know. I kind of believe that this side of me is just exclusively for Leo.

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••

Nandito na ako sa fashion event na sinasabi ni Leo, maraming tao as expected, pogi... madami rin, siyempre hindi makakatakas 'yon sa paningin ko, pero ang hinahanap pa rin ng mga mata ko ay si Leo.

May nakabangga pa nga sa'king lalaki, nag-sorry ako kaagad. Nginitian ko rin pabalik 'yong girls na nginitian ako at binati. Some of them ay nakilala pa nga ako, they're watching my song covers online daw.

I tried to call Leo pero hindi siya sumagot. Baka wala siyang data? Sinendan ko siya ng message describing kung nasaan ako at saka picture kung nasaan ako. Thank God, na-seen niya agad. Nag-heart react siya sa chat ko pero hindi ro'n sa photo. I see, wala nga yata siyang data connection. Ha ha ha! My god, may free WiFi naman 'tong venue bakit hindi siya kumonek?

Minutes later nakita kong papalapit na siya sa'kin. Malayo pa lang siya ay parang bumagal na ang ikot ng mundo ko. Alam kong maraming tao sa lugar na ito, ang kinaibahan lang ay lahat sila mabilis, tanging siya lang ang mabagal.

Nagliliwanag siya sa paningin ko, wala akong ibang makitang malinaw kundi siya. Lumakas ang kabog ng dibdib ko. Ano 'tong nararamdaman ko?

Kaka-coffee ko ba 'to?

I think I like him. Oo. Hindi na 'to epekto nang kung ano man, hindi ito palpitation o puyat. May nafi-feel akong something sa kanya. Butterflies? Sa kanya ko lang 'to naramdaman, pakiramdam na hindi ko naramdaman kahit kailan sa ex-boyfriend kong si Bob.

"Hey... uhm, wonderstruck?" he asked, his deep manly voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Damn, what's with those slow motion effect I was seeing earlier?

I gulped, amazed by his overall look. "Yeah, you're... enchanting."

"Taylor Swift coded, huh?" he smirked, raising one of his brows.

I chuckled; I loved how synchronized our minds were. "Oh my gosh, nakakahiyang tumabi sa'yo. Do I look okay?"

"Yup. Better than me," he said, as he always did, even if I felt like I was trash.

"Convince me," I crossed my arms in front of me.

He took a deep breath, putting one arm on my shoulder as he stood beside me and walked me through the venue that awaited us. "No need."

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••

I really appreciated him, pinag-reserved niya talaga ako ng VIP seat, like I was seating at the front row talaga.

As I waited impatiently for Leo to make his appearance on the runway, my eyes scanned all over the place, searching eagerly for a glimpse of my friend.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Leo Quintero emerged, strutting confidently down the catwalk. I felt my breath caught in my throat as I laid eyes on him, dressed impeccably in a sleek black denim jacket that accentuated his tall, lean frame. His chiseled features were highlighted by the soft glow of these runway lights, and his captivating gaze seemed to pierce through the crowd, drawing everyone's attention to him and I was like lowkey jealous of that.

I wanted to be the only one who has the right to stare at him with want and possession. Oh my fucking gosh, I realized just how deeply I was mesmerized of my fondness for Leo, my heart swelling with an overwhelming admiration and desire.

After the fashion show, we posed for pictures with the official event photographer, with me standing proudly by his side as we smiled for the camera against the backdrop of the venue's elegant decor.

But just as quickly as my heart soared with hope, it plummeted with despair. The joy and excitement I had felt moments before were suddenly overshadowed by a sinking feeling of dread.

"Hi, babe." My confidence crumbled, my happiness shattered, as Colleen appeared out of nowhere, planting a kiss on Leo's cheek and thrusting a Starbucks coffee into her hand. And then, without warning, she turned her attention to me, her eyes flashing with malice as she deliberately spilled the contents of her coffee onto my pristine white shirt.

She claimed it was an accident, that she hadn't seen me standing there. But I knew better. I could see the smug satisfaction dancing in her eyes, the wicked grin tugging at the corners of her lips.

It was clear that this was no accident—it was a deliberate act of sabotage, a cruel and calculated attempt to ruin what should have been one of the happiest moments of my life.

And as I stood there, soaked to the bone and humiliated beyond measure, I couldn't help but wonder—what had I ever done to deserve this?