In His Kiss

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Hiromaru Stanislaski's Point of View

Life for me is a constant battle. You have to stay fit in order to survive. And here I am barely surviving and holding on. But what matters is I keep going forward, right? Ayon lang naman ang importante. Always look ahead. And now, I must leave.

I hurriedly put all my things inside my suitcase. Wala na akong sinayang na oras at hinagis na lang sa loob ang mga dapat kong dalhin. All I need is my phone, wallet, keys, and some clothes. Fuck! I need my passport, too.

Mabilis kong hinanap ang passport ko sa night stand at hinagis sa loob ng aking suitcase. I need to leave now or I'll fuck this all up.

I've been gone for ten years another year won't hurt. Sanay na akong umalis at mukhang hindi na ako babalik ngayon.

Matapos kong maihatid si Laure sa kanyang apartment ay dumiretso ako pabalik sa penthouse para kunin ang suit case ko. I must go now. I shouldn't waste anymore time.

But whenever I'm trying to focus on what I'm doing, the image of Laure keeps flashing inside my head. And I was reminded of the time we talked inside the car before she went inside her apartment.

Laure caught me off guard when she put her hand on my chest where my beating heart lies.

"Hiro, I just want to let you know that running is both an addiction and enslavement. Hope you have the courage to face whatever you're running from. Maybe not now but soon." Napahinga pa ang dalaga ng malalim. Ramdam ko na nagaalala ito sa akin. Hanggang saan ba ang nabasa niya sa aking phone para magalala ito ng ganito? Laure's hand on my chest is so warm. It was so warm that I almost pulled her into a hug and didn't want her to let go. But she's not mine. I can leave her right at this instant because we both know that we're not committed to staying in whatever relationship we have.

"I'm sorry if you feel like I am being intrusive." She said and fidgeted her fingers. Pinagmasdan ko lang si Laure habang nagiisip ng mga tamang salita na gusto niyang sabihin. Laure is always had been careful of her words. Like she's also afraid of making mistakes. Hindi naman na bago sa akin ito. I am aware that Laure has a lot of worries. Kaya naman hangga't nandito pa ako ay gusto kong iparamdam sa kanya na hindi niya kailangan ikulong ang sarili niya kung ano man ang meron sila ng kanyang kasintahan. Sa tingin ko ay hindi ko na ito magagawa. The only thing that I managed to do in her list was baking.

Even when she said goodbye, Laure was still looking at me with worried eyes.

Fuck the plans I made. I don't think I want to see the end of it. I had to leave now even if that meant I had to leave Laure behind too.

"Are you leaving?"

Napatingin ako kung saan nagmula ang boses na 'yon. It was my cousin Nikos who's holding a brown paper. Who knows what inside.

"Anong ginagawa mo dito, Nikos?" Hindi ko siya pinansin at nagpatuloy lang sa paglalagay ng gamit sa loob ng suitcase. Nang makasigurado na akong wala nang ilalagay sa loob ay sinarhan ko ang zipper. Okay, I'm good to go.

"Change your passcode if you don't want a surprise visitor, dummy. Saan ka pupunta?" Tanong ulit niya. This family really love giving questions as an answer.

"Bakit? Sasama ka ba sa akin?" I made a forced laugh. Tumingin lang si Nikos sa akin nang nakakunot ang noo. Mukhang hindi siya makapaniwala na nakuha ko pang magbiro sa ganitong sitwasyon.

I never lost my cool. Not in front of my cousin. They know me as the easygoing type and it will stay that way.

"Tell me or else you'll not be leaving this room anytime soon." I put my suitcase down and glare at Nikos. I am aware that he's worried about me. I really had a knack for worrying all the people around me. Deep down, I know Laure is worried. Kahit hindi niya ito pinapakita sa akin. Alam kong gusto niyang magtanong sa akin pero mas pinili na lang niyang manahimik. That's why I really like her. She knows where to place.