Love Persist

Kabanata 38 - What further secrets lie veiled, begging to be unearthed?

It had been 3 days since the culmination of the student congress, which also signified that 3 days had passed since Ceci and I had last interacted. Kahit hindi na kami masyadong nag-uusap mula noong nangyari 'yon, nananatiling natural at hindi nagbago ang pakikitungo niya sa akin sa tuwing nasa parehong silid kami. There was no sense of avoidance or discomfort in her behavior towards me. This surprised me, kasi inaasahan kong may kaunting pagka-awkward sa kaniya that might manifest in reserved or evasive behavior, pero wala akong maramdaman na ganoon. It seemed that whatever strain had developed in our relationship, she was able to compartmentalize and keep our interactions cordial and professional, at least within the confines of the classroom. At nagpapasalamat ako sa ability niya to maintain a sense of normalcy and propriety kahit na mayroong underlying or unspoken tension na namamagitan sa amin.

These past few days, I was also trying my best na magreflect sa mga nagawa ko and based sa mga realization ko so far, I had been consumed by sa sarili kong emosyon to the point where I failed to consider the broader implications of my actions. Initially, I had allowed my feelings to take right-of-way over everything else, a decision I later recognized as unwise. Nandoon na iyong feeling na I got excited and I was clouded by my own desire, ngunit hindi iyon sapat para majustify ginawa ko.

Hindi ko na lang masyadong iniisip 'yong mga nangyari to save some shame sa sarili ko. Kahit papaano nakakalimutan ko naman for some time dahil sa sobrang daming ginagawa sa school, lalo na ngayon dahil naghahabol kami ng mga topics.

"Hey, Langit," pukaw sa akin ni Noe na dahilan para lumingon ako sa kaniya. "Parang hindi ko na kayo masyadong nakikitang magkasama ni Ikee. Did something happen ba sa inyong dalawa?"

Ibo and Heidi turned their heads sa direksyon ko, tila curious din sila. Sa palagay ko kanina pa sila atat na atat itanong iyon sa akin at naghihintay lang kung sino ang mauunang magtanong. I also noticed na they were very careful sa mga words nila, I felt like may alam na sila pero ayaw lang akong pangunahan. At least they knew how to approach me sa mga ganitong klaseng situation.

"Did he say something to you?" balik kong tanong.

She shrugged, "I'm not sure if I'm in the right place to discuss it, but if you're curious, I can share what I know."

Of course may alam siya kasi magkaibigan din sila ni Ikee.

"Is something up?"pagsingit ni Heidi.

"There's no reason for me to hide it anymore. Ikee opened his feelings to me recently, but everything's alright now," paglilinaw ko.

Heidi bulged her eyes a bit, while Ibo maintained his neutral expression.

"Okay, thank you for telling us, but when you said 'opened his feelings,' what exactly did you mean by that?" Heidi probed.

Noe rolled her eyes and said, "Come on, you know what it means."

Tinampal ni Heidi ang hita ni Noe, sabay sabing, "Hindi ikaw ang kinakausap ko."

Bago pa man makasabat si Noe, inunahan ko na siya. "Ikee has been harboring feelings for me for a while now, but he finally admitted it. We talked it through and—"

"He confessed to you? Why didn't you tell us sooner?" naguguluhang tanong ni Heidi.

"They probably wanted some privacy to talk through it," Noe said nonchalantly.

"Can you shut up for a second, Noe? I'm trying to understand what's going on here." Binalingan ulit ako ni Heidi at nagpatuloy, "Alright, so Ikee has feelings for you and you guys discussed it. What was the outcome?"

"Don't worry Hyde, we aren't together or anything like that if that's what you're thinking. Ikee and I decided it's best if we stay friends."

Noe shook her head, "I don't know, I think you two would make a cute couple."