That Summer Night of August

Kabanata 37

Nagpaalam na sina Lawrence at Veronica na umuwi dahil may pasok pa kinabukasan. Sasabihan nalang din daw nila ang mga prof namin na hindi ako makakapasok. Habang si Gabriel ay nagpaiwan dito sa hospital. When he woke up a while ago, I noticed his eyes immediately looked at me.

I told them not to skip class just because I'm here. They were against going home, but they eventually gave up. Habang nagpaalam sina Lawrence at Veronica, ramdam ko ang pagod sa kanilang mga mukha. Alam kong hirap din sila sa sitwasyon ko, kaya nagpapasalamat ako sa kanila. "Thank you... for taking care of me," sabi ko habang pinipilit ngumiti.

"No worries, Dee. I told you, we're always here for you. Magpagaling ka lang," sabi ni Lawrence. "Don't worry about our professors," dagdag ni Veronica bago sila tuluyang umalis.

Pagkaalis nila, napansin kong si Gabriel ay nanatiling tahimik sa gilid ng kama ko. Nang magising siya kanina, ang unang ginawa niya ay tingnan ako. Gusto kong magsalita, magpasalamat, o kahit anong sabihin, pero parang naubusan ako ng mga salita.

He sat back down, his eyes never leaving me. I could see the worry etched on his face. I wanted to reach out and hold his hand, to let him know that his presence meant the world to me, but the words just wouldn't come.

Timothy went outside to wait for Kuya Robert and Tita at the lobby. While me and Gabriel were left in the room. The silence between us was deafening.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I asked, breaking the silence. My voice was barely audible.

Gabriel's eyes met mine, and the intensity of his gaze showed how deeply affected he was. For a moment, he was silent, struggling to find the right words. "I didn't know how to tell you," he finally said his was voice barely above a whisper. "I was afraid. I didn't want to burden you with something from the past, especially when you were dealing with so much already."

I felt a lump form in my throat, the weight of his secrecy pressing down on me. "But why keep it a secret at all? I've been trying to piece together fragments of my past, and now that I remember, it feels like you've been hiding a part of yourself from me."

Gabriel's face fell, a pained expression crossing his features. "I didn't want to complicate things. I was scared that if you knew, it would change how you felt about me. I thought it was better to wait until you were ready."

The hurt in his voice was genuine, and it made my heart ache even more. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my emotions. "I needed to know, Gabriel. I needed to understand who you were to me. The memories of you as a child, the promise you made—it's all been such a big part of trying to understand myself. And now, finding out that you were hiding it from me... it's just overwhelming."

Gabriel's eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry, Dee. I never meant to hurt you. I thought I was protecting you, but I see now that I was only making things worse."

I reached out, my hand finding his. His touch was warm, and it provided a small comfort amidst the emotional confrontation. "I'm glad you found me again, love," I said softly, the sincerity in my voice clear. "Even with the hurt, I'm glad that you're here and that we're talking about it."

Gabriel squeezed my hand, his voice choked with emotion. "I've been waiting for this moment, hoping that we could find a way through it. I never wanted to lose you."

Napalingon kaming dalawa sa pinto nang bumukas iyon. Unang pumasok si Tim at sumunod sina Kuya Robert at Dra. Martinez. It's already been 2 years since the last time I saw her. She smiled at me, the same as the first time I stepped into her clinic. My psychiatrist has always been gentle with me.

But what I didn't expect to enter the room was my Dad. He was with Tita Tiffany. I could feel my heart about to burst. I quickly pulled my hands away from Gabriel's touch. Why is he here? Does he know about it? Did he saw my hands holding Gabriel's?