Disgrace

Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

Nasa restaurant na kami pero nanatili ang utak ko sa nabasang nota at numero na nakasulat sa nakadikit na sticky note sa lunchbox ng kapatid ko. I tried to talk to my brother about it pero tumatawa lang siya!

"Who gave this?"

"I don't know... Hihi!" He had a really big smile plastered on his face.

"Sige na, baby, who gave this to you?" I held both of his shoulders but he was fidgeting so much while chuckling at my face so I changed my question. Binitawan ko rin siya sa aking hawak. "Okay, was it a girl who gave you this, or a boy?"

"Ih! Four don't know... I don't know, Ate... Hihi!"

I sighed, defeated. I gave up kaya dinala ko na lang siya sa kotse. I kept on bugging him when we were in the car, though so he was now irritated with me. The table set up, it ended him sitting in the middle of our parents, away from me.

I know exactly who sent it but I want Four to really tell me if it was from him. It was really obvious by the note alone.

"I was wondering, okay ra ba ato first date?"

It flashed once again on my mind as I stared at my glass that was filled with water. Katatapos lang iyon lagyan ulit ng tubig ni Niko at tingin ko naiinis na siya dahil nadi-disturbo ko siya sa nilalaro niya sa cellphone ko. He installed that app himself, he reasoned out that his phone storage is full and my phone had better quality since it was new.

"I was wondering, okay ra ba ato first date?"

Oh my gosh! That scamp just won't get off my mind! And date? What date? That wasn't a date! It was more like a meeting because I wanted to discuss something but then the tables turned and eventually decided to forget about it.

My face heated at the glimpse of what happened to me that day. Maybe he was intimidating me too much. His presence was making me conscious of my next motion, the reason why every time he smiles or laughs or mad or even a slight emotion he shows makes me nervous and anxious. But I wasn't feeling even a small discomfort around him.

Tinitigan ko ulit ang baso sa kaliwang kamay ko na wala na namang laman. For sure I'm one hundred percent hydrated. It was my fifth glass and probably my last one. Tumingin ako kay Niko na busangot na ang mukha habang mabilis na gumagalaw ang kanyang mga daliri sa cellphone ko. Hindi ko alam na posible pala 'yon.

Niko is using three of his fingers on the right and two on the other. Mabilis pero hindi naman agresibo na darating sa puntong masisira niya ang screen. He was moving his fingers swiftly. Ano ba ang nilalaro niya?

I peeked. Nakita ko roon ang video game na kadalasan kong makikita sa mga live stream sa YouTube. I heard it was almost the end of the season kaya maraming nagpapaligsahan sa pag angat ng mga rank nila or kung ano ang tawag roon.

"May tao roon sa likod ng malaking bato," he said to the phone. He's playing with someone?

Hindi ko narinig ang ingay galing sa laro dahil konektado iyon sa earbuds niya. He 'tsk' before his moves became faster. Whoa, that was cool. I was now enjoying watching my brother play when mom pulled out one of his earbuds. He was instantly pissed but it was gone before everyone noticed it.

"Put the phone down, Niko." It was daddy.

Tumawid na 'ko sa pagkakaupo nang bumaling ako kay Niko. Bumuntong hininga ang kapatid ko at humarap sa akin. He turned off the phone even when I saw that the game was still on.

"Can I borrow your phone later?"

"Sure. No problem."

Wala naman akong gagawin sa cellphone na 'yon. I have homework to do and I have a few pages left to read.