"Anong pinagsasabi mo riyan? Ako sinungaling? Hello, honest ako since birth ano! Kaya wag mong dungisan ang maganda kong record! Dahan-dahan sa pananalita, Mr. Eduard" kunot-noo kong paliwanag.
Eduard chuckled weakly at my defensive response, a small smile forming on his face. His eyes were still watery, but the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, betraying a hint of amusement.
"Sorry, sorry," he said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I didn't mean to doubt your honesty"
I crossed my arms defiantly as I continued to defend myself against Eduard's playful accusation.
"Damn right you better be sorry," I retorted, feigning annoyance. "I have a damn good record of honesty, sir, and I'm telling you, these rumors about me are complete bullshit."
Eduard raised an eyebrow, "Rumors?" He asked.
Ay oo nga pala siya nga pala ang may sabi na sinungaling ako. Akala ko kasi may kumakalat na naman na rumor about sakin. Baka nga mamaya kung ano ano na ako sa kwento ng iba eh.
"Oh ano? Ba't dito ka pumunta? Satingin mo siguro I c-comfort kita, ano?" Ani ko.
Ako nga itong kailangan ng comfort eh. Sa daming nangyayare sa buhay ko, halos masalo ko na lahat ng problema eh. Kapag hindi ko na kinaya baka hindi ko na ituloy ang pag p-psychology ko.
He took a step closer to me, his gaze softening.
"I came here because I needed to see you," he admitted, his tone genuine. "And yes, I thought maybe you would comfort me. But I can see you've got a lot on your heart too."
I rolled my eyes at his words. Typical Eduard, always expecting me to come to his rescue. Honestly, nakakamiss din 'yung closeness namin before. But his last sentence caught my attention.
"You know me too well," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Of course I'm weighed down by my own problems. Unlike you, I don't expect others to fix them for me."
Eduard winced slightly at my sarcastic remark. He knew it was unfair of him to come to me for comfort without considering my own struggles. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, a guilty look in his eyes.
"You're right," he said quietly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just dropped in here and expected you to fix everything for me. I guess I just needed someone to talk to, and you were the first one on my mind."
Me? Why me? Matagal na kaming hindi nag uusap and this year lang ulit siya nag paramdan sa'kin.
"Honestly? I'm not sure why I came here either," he admitted. "I guess... I guess I just missed talking to you. We haven't talked much this year, and I guess I just wanted to catch up or something."
Kahit ang bilis niya mag salita hindi parin maalis alis ang lungkot sa kaniyang mukha. Nasaktan talaga siya.
"Eduard," I said, my voice gentler than before. "You're not the only one who's been struggling this year. I've got a lot on my plate, you know. But what's going on with you? Why do you look so miserable-"
At talagang nag tanong pa ulit ako. Kakasabi niya lang kanina na iniwan siya ng girlfriend niya.
"You really want to know?" he asked bitterly. "You want to know why I look so miserable? It's because I got dumped, okay? My girlfriend of two years dumped me, and it's tearing me apart."
Naka dalawang taon pala sila ng girlfriend niya. Hindi halata. Kung titignan naman kasi silang dalawa eh parang dare lang 'yung relationship nila.
"Inom tayo?" Wika ko.
