His Secret Desires

Chapter 3

Mapanuri ang tingin ni Axel sa bagong lalaking pumasok. This man had a noticeable scar crossing his face, but even with the blemish, he still had an...basta hindi nabawasan ang...angas nito...?

He didn't know how to describe it.

From his uniform, it was obvious that he was part of the team that Hunt commanded.

He had a big, almost squinting smile on his pinkish lip as he held a plate of food in his hand. Halos hindi na makita ang mga mata nito sa paraan ng pag ngiti niya.

It was different from Axel's usual encounters with soldiers, who were typically intimidating. Katulad ni Hunt.

Umupo ito sa upuan sa harap niya sabay lapag ng pinggan sa lamesa. With a cheerful greeting, he exclaimed, "Hey! You hungry? Dinalhan kita ng pagkain!"

Axel's eyebrows raised slightly at the man's casual and cheerful demeanor. He wondered why he was acting all friendly.

Dumapo ang mga mata niya sa pagkain na dala nito at naramdaman ni Axel kung paano napahilab ang tiyan niya sa gutom.

Pero wala itong sinabi. He glanced up at the man who had brought the food, his expression still carefully guarded.

Nagtaka ito kung bakit tinititigan lang siya ni Axel. His head tilted in a slight confusion as he glance down to the food and back at Axel.

"Ayaw mong kumain? Pero dinala ko talaga 'to para sa'yo, sabi kasi ni Boss Cassidy puntahan kita. Kaya ito, charan! I brought you something to eat!"

Axel couldn't help but be taken aback by the man's approach. Medyo may tono pa ang pananalita nito na...kakaiba sa pandinig niya.

Hindi pangit o nakakatawa...basta.

He wasn't used to this level of friendly treatment from anyone, let alone someone associated with the enemy.

"Anong pangalan mo?" Tanong nito sa kanya. Pero hindi pa siya nakakasagot nang magsalita nanaman ito ulit. "I'm Keisuke Valdez, twenty-three! My mother is Japanese, and my father is Filipino, that makes me a hapinoy! Hapon na Pinoy. I grew up in Japan and came here in the Philippines when I was twelve. My father was the one who wanted me to take military. You can call me Kei. Ikaw, anong itatawag ko sa'yo?"

Axel's face involuntarily twisted into an expression of faint disbelief. The man in front of him was incredibly loud and cheerful, almost obnoxiously so.

In all his years in the camp, Axel could count on one hand the number of people he had encountered who seemed to have no concept of volume control or a more subdued demeanor.

He didn't know if he should be startled or intrigued by this strange, energetic...hapinoy.

Tinitigan niya ang mukha ng hapon at hindi talaga nawala ang ngiti sa mga labi nito habang hinihintay ang sagot niya.

Then, words tumbled out of Axel's mouth without him even realizing it. "Axel Cooper Carson..."

Kei's reaction was immediate as he exclaimed with genuine enthusiasm, "Wow! You have such a cool name! Nice to meet you, Axel! Again, I'm Keisuke but you can call me Kei."

Natameme si Axel.

Hindi niya alam kung paano sagutin ang lalaki. He had long become numb to any kind of compliment or praise within the confines of the camp, and it was oddly jarring to hear someone express such unabashed admiration for something so basic.

"Well, Axel, kumain ka na. Bago pa lumamig ang pagkain." Alok nito ulit sa pagkain.

Axel looked down at his handcuffed hands, his voice laced with a hint of sarcasm as he responded. "And I suppose you expect me to eat this with my hands tied?"