" Grabe, nag cclean pa din sila ng drains and so far hindi pa rin bumababa yung baha" Lilac said
" Kuya said abot na sa second floor yung baha sa Marikina" She added
"Can I just ask something? So this is Ram right?" Juan asked as he pointed at the frame under the TV.
" Yes"
" So closest mo sya?"
" Y-yes. You could say"
" Hmmm, but you're more comfortable joking with your two elder brothers?"
" Yeah, wala lang. Mas takot lang ako kay kuya Ram coz you know, sundalo. And mas, mainit ulo. Especially when it comes to me" She smiled bitterly.
" What do you mean?"
" He hurts who hurt me"
" Totoo?"
" Figuratively" She bit her lip
" So si Carlo?"
" Muntik nya na patayin hehe"
" Am I safe here?" He asked
" Oo naman, he messaged me nga na mas okay if may kasama ako, basta wag lang ako gagawa ng baby" she laughed
Grabe, I never knew her family set up is so complicated. Juan thought.
" Masyado ka nang madaming nalalaman ha, pag ako may bagong issue na naman, sayo lang galing."
" You think I'll share stuff that I learned about you?" Wish mo lang, sakin lang yun, maagaw ka pa eh. He thought.
" Joke lang" She smiled and sneezed
" Are you feeling well?"
" I just sneezed lang ano ka ba"
" Mamaya may lagnat ka na naman eh"
" I'll take a nap lang okay?" Lilac stood up and went to her bedroom. Juan fell asleep on the couch.
It's almost 8pm when he woke up due to a loud thunder.
He knocked on the bedroom door and peeked, Lilac's covered on a thick comforter, face couldn't be seen.
He came closer and saw Lilac trembling. He quickly grabbed the thermometer on the bedside table and tested for Lilac's temperature. She looks sicker than last night,
Thermometer beeped and shows 41 celcius.
Fuck! He thought.
" Hey, I'll try to bring down your temp ha, would it be okay if punasan kita ng wet towel?"
Lilac nodded, too weak to open her eyes.
Juan started wiping her arms, legs, neck and face. But her temperature isn't going down.
" Ir's too cold" She muttered
" I know, but we have to bring your temp down" He says " Punasan ko chest mo ha"
She nodded weakly.
He unbuttoned her pajama top just right above her chest. Hope this works.
However, after an hour her temperature still isn't going down. Before giving Lilac her medicine, he thought he could make some soup for her to eat something first.
He quickly grabbed his phone and tried to connect with Brie.
"Hi brie" He said
" Oh? Bakit?"
" Si Lilac kasi, she's sick na naman. Her temp is at 41, I tried na punasan sya with wet towel but her temp isn't going down"
" Naku, baka mag convulsions na yan!" Brie panicked
" Oo nga eh, naka jacket, socks and comforter na siya but she still says she's cold eh"
" Alam mo na solusyon jan, parang di med student eh"
" Ha?" He asked as he stirred the pot.
" Body heat" Brie said " Kasi, wala ka namang choice kung hindi mo siya tutulungan, plus, hindi mo siya madadala sa hospital, right? If she says na malamig, hug mo muna. You're wearing a jacket rin naman, so nilalamig ka rin? Right?"
" Seryoso ka ba?"
" Oo ah, my mom does that. Inaakap nya lang ako hanggang sa gumaling ako" She answered
" Pakainin mo muna then make her drink meds then pahinga na kayo, ganyan lang yan si Lilac talaga, but make her drink her gamot lang for 3 days, and she'll be fine"
" Sige sige, salamat Brie"
" Na binyagan ka na ni Lilac ah, hahahahahahahahaha"
" Bakit ka natatawa?" Juan asked about to laugh as well.
" Kasi lahat ng nag oovernight jan kay Lilac, always ends up na nagaalala sakanya kasi may sakit sya" She explained
" Ako, si Aly and one time nung nakituloy si Faye na cousin nya" She laughed again " And now, ikaw naman"
" Don't worry, di naman yan malikot mag sleep" She winked.
He prepared the soup and woke Lilac.
" Hey, eat muna, then drink some med"
" I don't want to eat naaaa" She whined weakly
" Why?"
" Because I don't want to brush my teeth naaaaaa"
" I'll brush it for you, please? Kahit mga 10 sip lang?"
She ended up finishing the little bowl because Juan kept on pushing her. She took her meds and stood up and tried to brush her teeth and washed her face. But she's too weak to even walk straight,
" So uhm" Juan cleared his throat after a quick shower.
" Still cold?" He asked and she nodded. Her face is too red.
" Would you like a hug?" He asked
" You would?"
" Y-yes. O-of course" He stuttered.
" I'm so cold kasi"
" I know, I am too" He almost whispered as he laid beside her and hugged her from behind,
" Is this okay?" He asked
" Uhum, thank you Juan"
" Okay, get some sleep na"
" How long has it been since I've been on bed with someone? When was the last time I hugged someone? Well, one thing's I'm certain about, it never felt like this before." He thought.
Sa totoo lang, mas nauna pa siyang makatulog kay Lilac.
After three hours, a loud thunder roared again. He was awaken by the sound and found Lilac peacefully sleeping, facing him. Her eyes are calmly closed. He tried to check if she's still hot and she is.
Do I hug her ba?
Why do I wish she's still cold pa?
Fuck it.
He slowly puts his arms around her and pulled her even more closer. She's sick naman eh.
When he did pull her closer, Lilac's sleep was slightly interrupted she just didn't open her eyes as she was still too weak. She just groaned slightly sounding like she's about to cry,
" Hmmm?" Juan asked " You okay?" He whispered
" My head hurts so much" She answered back and within seconds, she's fallen back to sleep.
God, I know this is too unfair at maraming nahihirapan, pero okay lang po kayang pa extend pa? Juan thought as he pulled her even more closer, resting his chin on her head,
