Bewitched

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Sleepless

Yanny

"Psst."

I open my eyes after hearing that sound three times already.

"Ano ba Byron? Wala ka bang balak magpatulog?" I hissed at him.

"Hindi ako makatulog." he whispered.

"Problema ko ba yun?"

I felt him moving on the bed. Isang oras na akong hindi makagawa ng tulog dahil sa kanya. I close my eyes again. Sa totoo lang hindi din ako makagawa ng tulog because I am uncomfortable sleeping with him on the same bed.

"Tulog ka na ba?" I heard Byron whispered.

I grunted. Mukhang balak nya talaga akong idamay sa pagpupuyat nya.

"Hindi pa ako tulog dahil ayaw mo yata akong patulugin."

There was silence after that but I can still hear Byron's steady breathing.

"Was I really your first kiss?" Byron suddenly asks out of nowhere.

"Is this really the right time to talk about that?" I said to him. I really feel uneasy during the interview dahil ayokong isinasapubliko ang pribadong buhay ko. I wasn't also planning on answering that silly question about my first kiss pero I still ended up answering it.

"I'm sorry." Byron suddenly said. I was surprised with what I heard from him.

"Bakit ka naman nagsosorry sa akin?"

"Because I believe that a girl's first kiss should be memorable and I just stole that away from you."

For minute there I don't know what to say to him. He sounds so serious at nagulat ako to know that he has this side in him.

"Pero on the other hand ang swerte mo parin kasi nahalikan ka ng isang tulad ko. It's a dream come true right? Dapat ipagyabang mo yun sa ibang kapwa kwago mo." he said instantly crushing all the good things I was starting think about him.

"Matulog ka na nga Byron." I just said to him. He is starting to get annoying again.

"But I can't." angal nya.

"Pwes magpatulog ka."

"But I'm bored."

I took a deep breath. Mukhang walang balak si Byron na tantanan ako.

"Problem mo na yun." inis kong sagot then I close my eyes again.

"Yanny." Byron called again.

"What?!!!!" I exclaimed.

"Wag ka munang matulog."

"Ano namang gagawin ko? Hintayin hanggang sa makatulog ka? Kantahan ka ng lullaby baby boy?"

"I don't know. Just tell me anything. Magkwento ka." Byron suggested.

"There are no interesting stories I can tell you about my life Byron."

"Tell me something about your mom. You never talk about her."

Suddenly I felt that old pang of pain in my chest whenever I am reminded by my mom. I still feel uneasy talking about that incident.

"She's a very kind woman. She loves to cook like me. Sabi nila nakuha ng mga ate ko yung magaganda nilang mukha from her." I told Byron.

"She died at an early age. What happened to her? Nagkasakit ba sya?"

"No." Mahina kong sagot kay Byron.

"She was shot."

Byron

I wasn't expecting that kind of answer from Yanny. I heard Ferdinand Montecristo's wife died a long time ago but I didn't bother to find out how she died.

"Nineteen years ago my mom was driving us to school when a group of men hijacked our car and kidnapped us." Yanny started to say. I can feel the heaviness in her voice as she tells the story.

"For three days we were held captive by the kidnappers. I was just seven years old back then. We were all scared to death. They were asking for a huge amount of money."

Yanny's voice started to become shaky.

"When my dad is about to give them the ransom money nagkaroon ng engkwentro. There were casualties and my mom was one of them. After that everything changed for me and my sisters. Dad hired bodyguards for us dahil natatakot syang maulit yung nangyari kay mommy sa amin."

There was silence after that. Nagsisisi tuloy ako why I asked that question about her mom. By the sound of her voice alam kong nasasaktan pa rin si Yanny sa mga nangyari.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine. Mabuti na ding alam mo because you're my temporary husband." she said.

Natawa ako sa label na ibinigay nya sa akin.

"Akala ng lahat they knew everything about me." I started to say. "But they don't."

I wanna share something to Yanny. A piece of my life na tulad nya tuwimg binabalikan Ko din ay may kung Anong sakit parin na idinudulot sa damdamin.

I don't know why I am sharing it to her but it felt like the right thing to do.

I felt Yanny moving on the bed. "What do we still don't know about you Mr. Arevalo?" she asks.

I took a deep breath before starting. I never really like talking about it but tonight feels like one of those days wherein talking about it feels right.

"I once fell in love before. She was my college sweetheart. We were suppose to get married after graduating." I told Yanny.

"Talaga? But I thought you said in your interview that you don't believe in love and marriage?"

"I started not believing in them after her."

"Bakit? Anong nangyari?"

I chuckled as I recall that past which I tried to burried for so many years now.

"She left me at the altar." I replied and I heard Yanny's gasp. "After six months I found out that she married someone else in Europe. I never heard from her since then."

"Ang sama naman nya! Why would she do that?!!!!" Yanny exclaimed.

I sighed. "Hindi Ko din alam. But it is all in the past. I am okay now."

Yanny yawned. She must really tired already.

"Maybe you're still waiting for her kaya hindi mo magawang magmahal ulit." Yanny said. Her voice sounds really sleepy.

Hindi agad ako nakasagot. Remembering Helena is something that I've been avoiding for so many years now. Even Tirso doesn't even know about that certain past in my life.

"Maybe." I whispered. Helena's image flashes inside my mind. Seeing on her facebook account wedding pictures of her and that guy Pierre really did hurt me a lot before.

Suddenly the room was too silent.

"Yanny? Are you still awake?" I ask but she didn't replied so I removed the pillows in between us so I can take a look at her.

I smiled as I look at the owl's sleeping face. She even fell asleep with her glasses on. I gently remove it from her face and studied her even more.

"Cute ka naman pala kapag tulog."

She moves a little closer to me.

"Hindi nga ako kwago." she mumbled in her sleep. She must be dreaming.

Dreaming about the silly boy who called her batang kwago on Aly Medrano's seventh birthday.

I chuckled.

Hinawi ko yung buhok nya na when it fell and covered her eyes. I stop and immediately remove my hand on her when I realize that I was smiling.

Tumalikod ako sa kanya then I shook my head.

I must be getting crazy! Why am I smiling awhile ago?!!!

"Antok ka na yata Byron. Tama! Inaantok ka na." I said to myself then I fell asleep.