Of Thunders, Cigarettes, and Heartbreaks (Sweater Weather Series #1)

Chapter 21

We arrived in Batangas at around 7:30 PM. Hindi naman masyadong nakakapagod para sa 'kin dahil hindi naman ako ang driver, ngunit tumigil pa rin kami sa ilang convenience stores na nadaanan upang magpahinga at bumili ng mga pwedeng kainin at inumin.

My curls were ruined, but I have no right to complain. Inaayos ko na lang iyon sa tuwing tumitigil kami pero dahil nga nakasuot ako ng helmet, nagugulo ulit.

I was fixing my hair when we entered the tapsihan. The ambiance looked cozy, even from the outside. There were fairy lights hanging from the surrounding trees, casting a warm yellow glow over the entire area. Kung hindi ko lang alam na tapsihan ito, baka isipin kong café dahil sa design.

"Saan mo gusto umupo?" tanong ni Sanjo na sinusuklay ang buhok gamit ang mga daliri.

Marami na ring tao sa loob. It looks like the place was already well-known despite having been open for only a week. I looked for a vacant table and noticed that all the tables inside were already occupied.

"Wala na yata sa loob. Dito na lang." Itinuro ko ang isang bakanteng lamesa na malapit sa amin.

We sat on the chair and scanned the menu that was placed on the table. Maraming silog meals na pwedeng pagpilian ngunit dahil tapsilog naman talaga ang pinunta namin dito, iyon na lang ang inorder namin.

The waiters were accomodating. Sila mismo ang lumalapit sa table kapag nagtaas ng kamay ang customer. Sinasabi rin nila kung ilang minuto maghihintay bago dumating ang order.

"Tapsilog lang kakainin mo? May mga dessert sila," Sanjo asked after I placed my order. "Libre ko 'yan. Order ka lang ng mga gusto mo."

"Huh? Huwag na. I can pay naman," I said urgently.

I panicked after hearing the word 'libre'. It's not that I'm not grateful for the offer, I'm just not used to people treating me. Maging sa mga kaibigan ko ay nahihiya ako kaya madalas akong tumanggi lalo na kung kaya ko namang magbayad.

"Ako ang nag-aya sayo rito, edi dapat libre ko," he responded as he glanced back at the menu.

"I came here willingly," I stated.

"Order-in mo lahat ng gusto mo, Kit. Babayaran ko," he said with finality in his voice.

I sighed in defeat. He seemed determined not to back down. Bumalik ang tingin ko sa menu at um-order na lang ng leche flan. It was quite pricey for a dessert, but it was the cheapest option available.

"Padagdag na rin ng watermelon shake," pahabol ni Sanjo bago umalis ang waiter.

Nang kaming dalawa na lang ang maiwan sa table ay namayani ang nakakabinging katahimikan. Nakahalukipkip siya habang nakasandal sa backrest ng upuan. I looked around to avoid his gaze and pretended to admire the setup of the place.

There were some tables occupied by a group of people, ang iba ay magtotropa samantalang ang iba naman ay isang pamilya. But most of the tables were occupied by couples. Kung hindi magkatabi ay magka-holding hands naman.

Tumikhim ako at sumandal sa upuan. Wala na akong nagawa kung hindi tumingin sa kaharap nang mapagtanto na para akong weirdo na patingin-tingin sa mga magkasintahan na naroon.

My eyes met Sanjo's. He remained silent after the waiter left, which I found odd since he was usually talkative. I raised an eyebrow to ask him what his gaze was about.

"Kulot ka talaga since birth?" tanong niya.

I couldn't help but laugh after hearing him ask the most random question. Napahawak ako sa buhok, iginigilid ang mga humaharang sa mata ko, saka ako umiling.