Behind Every Pages

Chapter Nine:

Ezra

I don't know how long I've been staring at Lestari's story. When I saw it, I didn't know what to say. Should I reply? I was nervous to talk to her about it.

"'Ayan nanaman siya, kapag kinausap ko naman, hindi na nang se-seen." I just shook my head. I stared at her caption. It was just a simple caption, but it made me nervous. It made me blushed.

Sana kagaya ni Main Lead lang din ang Author para nauulol sa'kin.

"You have no idea," I hid my phone when our professor came in. Kahit yata may nagsasalita sa harapan ay hindi ako makapag focus. After class, lumabas na ako kaagad sa room para dumiretso na pauwi.

I was shocked when someone bumped into me. When I looked, it was Ross. I chuckled when I saw that he's carrying a bouquet of roses. Tingnan mo 'to nagbibinata na.

"Musta nauulol na Author?" nagulat ako nang sabihin niya 'yon. Bakit niya alam 'yon? Masiyado na bang kumalat ang balitang iyon?

"W-what are you talking about, Lover boy?" tinaas niya lang ang dala niya at inamoy pa, hindi pinansin ang pang-aasar ko.

"Uso mag open ng Facebook bro, sikat ka na," Natatawang aniya. I immediately did what he said and was surprised by what I saw. The post made Lestari's IG story into a meme because it was on the group page created by my supporters for my stories.  Her Facebook account was also tagged, and the post had a caption that said:

Lyz WhatawhaT
@Lestari Castellano true the fire, bakit kailangan palaging ma-inlove sa fictional character kung puwedeng sa author na lang?

Hindi ko alam ang mararamdaman ko nang mabasa 'yon, para akong nakaramdam ng hiya. Bakit sa akin? Okay lang naman kung sa characters ko sila magkagusto, huwag na sa akin.

Nakatanggap 'yon ng three thousand likes. I don't think Lestari has seen the post yet because she hasn't replied to it.

"Wow, baka para sa reader ka talaga?" I stopped walking when I heard that. Ross stopped too and looked at me with a puzzled look.

"I-is that bad?" inosente kong tanong. Ross' smile disappeared when it seemed like I took his joke seriously. I got nervous, kaya binawi ko kaagad iyon. "I mean, what's wrong with that?"

"Wala naman, okay lang naman magkagusto sa kung sinong gugustuhin mo. Una na ako, Bro. 'Adito na ang muse ng mga istoryang isusulat ko pa sa hinaharap kasama siya," matalinghaga niyang sabi.

I saw him approach a beautiful woman. She had long, slightly curly hair with bangs. Morena ito at matangkad, Ross' types nga. I was surprised that instead of getting excited about the flowers Ross gave her, she just laughed and punched him in the arm. It seemed like it wasn't a problem for Ross because he laughed and just took the woman's bag before they walked out. Tropa ah?

I looked back at that post and clicked on Lestari's Facebook account. I almost dropped my phone when I saw that she had a profile picture with her face and even more pictures of her in her featured. Hindi ako prepared na makita ang mukha niya.

Hindi ko alam kung ano ang pumasok sa akin nang maisip kong i-chat siya roon. Agad kong pinatay ang phone ko dahil sa kaba. Baka bigla siyang mag-reply. Main account ko kasi ang gamit ko sa pag-chat sa kaniya.

Talaga bang ganoon ko siya ka-gusto para pati totoong pagkatao ko'y malaman niya?

When I got home, I received a reply from her. Sobra akong kinabahan sa reply niya. Halos madapa na ako sa pagmamadaling magbihis bago dumiretso sa higaan para basahin iyon.

Lestari Castellano
?

Para akong nakuryente. Agad kong binaon ang mukha sa unan. It was embarrassing; maybe she thought I was a stranger and had the audacity to call herself my number one fan!

"Why did I even say that?!" I asked dismayed.

Lestari Castellano
Ayaw ko mag asume pero... Ezonme?

I immediately replied yes and introduced myself. It took her a while to reply. I thought our conversation would end there because it seemed like she would just leave me on seen again. Palagi niya kasi iyong ginagawa, siya ang mauunang mag-chat, tapos siya rin ang mang se-seen.

Lestari Castellano
Ikaw ba talaga 'to? Hindi fake account?

No, it's really me, silly.

I jokingly said that she could spread my real name if she wanted to. She immediately refused dahil ayaw niya raw na may kahati.

Lestari Castellano
😭 kinakausap mo ba talaga ako?

Oo nga. Bakit?

Lestari Castellano
wala, ang saya-saya ko, Ezra.

Agad kong nabitawan ang cellphone ko at tinakpan ang mukha ko. She called me by my real name!

I

lang oras din ata kaming nag-usap dahil gabi na at nalipasan na ako ng gutom nang magpaalam itong kakain na sila ng pamilya niya. Nakangiti tuloy akong nagluluto dahil nakatanggap ako ng 'Eatwell' sa kaniya.

Habang kumakain ay binuksan kong muli ang Facebook ko at nainisipang tingnan muna ang Facebook niya, stalker na ba ako nito? Curious lang naman ako.

I clicked on Lestari's Facebook profile, my heart racing with anticipation. As her profile picture loaded, I couldn't help but feel a rush of emotions. There she was, a vision of beauty that took my breath away. Her eyes, a warm captivating brown, seemed to hold a world of stories and secrets. They drew me in. Her smile is so genuine and radiant, It was like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, brightening my mood instantly.

Scrolling through her featured photos, I found myself smiling uncontrollably. Each picture revealed a different side of her charm and grace. In one photo, she was laughing, her eyes shining with happiness. It was as if her laughter echoed through the screen, filling me with a sense of warmth and comfort. Another photo captured her against a backdrop of a stunning sunset, her silhouette outlined by the golden hues of the sky. She looked ethereal, like a goddess bathed in sunlight.

In another photo, she was engrossed in a book, her focused expression adding to her allure. I couldn't help but wonder about the worlds she delved into through those pages, the stories that captured her imagination. Each photo painted a picture of a woman who was not only beautiful on the outside but also had a depth and complexity that intrigued me.

She had one thousand likes, so I was surprised.  When I clicked on it, I was even more surprised that most of the names commenting on her were the names of characters in my stories. It seems like she's close to her fellow supporters. I smiled because of that. I was happy that they were getting along..

Napakunot ang noo ko nang may mabasang isang comment.

Gf ni Nayeon
Ang ganda mo, anakan kita.

I was surprised by that and quickly clicked on her profile to report it. Did she even read it and delete the message? But my annoyance disappeared when I saw that the woman who commented was the one I saw earlier,

"What the f— nililigawan ito ni Ross ah?" I couldn't believe it. I even read that Ross himself commented there and was swarmed by many of his fans. He asked his woman to delete her comment on Lestari's profile.

Ross Sullivan Fuentes
Hey, remove this nga.
Bad dog is not allowed here po.

Gf ni Nayeon
So bawal ka dito? Edi Shoo!
Bff ako, ung bawal e ung manliligaw na ba-busted-in ko.

Ross Sullivan Fuentes
Ang ganda mo kaso ang bad ng lumalabas sa mouth mo, kiss ko 'yan.

Gf ni Nayeon
Iww, idol n'yo 'yan?

I couldn't help but laugh, poor Ross. I was laughing when I saw what love could do to him. The world is indeed small, bestfriend ng nililigawan ng besfriend ko ang secret number one fan ko. Cute.