Hello, Yellow Fellow

Chapter 18

Hello, Yellow Fellow
Chapter 18: Welcome Back

"Maki..." I murmured, barely audible as I felt his strong arms steadying me. 

Dahan-dahan niyang ginabayan ang katawan ko sa pagtayo, and I couldn’t help but notice the redness in his eyes—bloodshot, filled with something I couldn't quite place. My heart sank at the sight of him like this, and all the words I wanted to say just evaporated into thin air. His hand gripped mine tightly, and the weight of every step we took was heavy with unspoken emotions. 

Paglabas namin ng venue, nakita ko agad ang pamilyar na kotse niya. He led me straight to it, still holding my hand with a grip so tight it was almost painful. Galit na galit siya—ramdam ko yon sa bawat kilos niya. Pero bakit nga ba? Hindi ba’t ako dapat ang may karapatang magalit? Sa lahat ng panahong hindi siya nagparamdam, ako dapat ang nagtatanim ng sama ng loob.

Pagkapasok namin sa loob ng sasakyan, he finally spoke, his voice low and vibrating with barely-contained anger. "What the fuck are you doing, Elio?" His words cut through the silence, sharp and unforgiving. 

He stared straight ahead, his chest rising and falling rapidly as if he was trying to keep his anger in check. Hindi ako makapagsalita, patuloy lang ako sa pagpupunas ng mga luha gamit ang nanginginig kong kamay. I still can't believe he’s here, beside me, looking so intense.

Reaching over to the side, he grabbed a towel and handed it to me without a word. I took it, using it to wipe my tears, pero the moment his familiar scent hit me, mas lalo lang tumulo ang mga luha ko. Oh gosh, bakit ganito ang reaksyon ko? Bakit ba parang lalo lang ako nababaliw?

"Tsk, you're drunk," he muttered, his tone softer but still tinged with frustration.

"W-why d-do you care?" I managed to ask, my voice cracking as I tried to find strength in my words.

Bigla siyang huminga nang malalim, his fingers tightening around the steering wheel. "Bakit 'di ako mag-aalala? Ano bang iniisip mo, ha? You could've gotten yourself into serious trouble! Again!"

His words stung, and I couldn’t hold back the sobs that escaped my lips. His anger was intense, pero sa likod ng bawat salita, nararamdaman ko rin ang concern niya. Galit man siya, alam kong nag-aalala pa rin siya sa akin.

"Do you have any damn idea how scared I was? Seeing you like that?" His voice cracked slightly, and he turned to face me, his golden eyes softening despite the anger.

"Bakit ka ganyan? Y-you didn’t even communicate with me for two weeks," I shot back, my voice trembling with a mix of frustration and hurt. Kahit masakit, I forced the words out.

Maki sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair as he looked away for a moment. "Elio, look, I was in the States. I had to handle some problems na hindi pwedeng iwan basta-basta. It was fucked up, okay? Every single day was packed, and I barely had time to breathe."

His words were a stab to my heart, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of being ignored. It was like I didn’t exist for him during those two weeks.

"Pero... two weeks, Maki? Not even a single message? You just disappeared!" I looked at him, desperately searching his eyes for an explanation, something that could make sense of the void he left.

He turned back to me, his gaze softening. "I know, Elio. And I’m sorry for that. But part of the reason I didn’t reach out..." he hesitated, choosing his words carefully, "I wanted to see if you’d reach out first."

"I needed to know if you’d... if you’d care enough to contact me. I wasn’t sure where I should stand, and I didn’t want to push you," he added, his eyes locked onto mine, as if trying to convey something deeper.