Moth to a Flame

Quindici| Limit

AVIATRICE

"He's just broken. I think I can fix him." I shake my head upon hearing Kassidy's hopeful chatter. I wonder who she was talking about this time.

"Ay, girl! I bet he had other women trying to fix him! Ano ka part ng construction crew niya?" Ismid ni Arianne habang sumisimsim ng alak.

Samantalang si Fejia naman ay napailing na lang din. "There's no point convincing her. Hindi niyo pa ba nahahalata na red flag enjoyer ang isang 'yan? She has obsession with fixing broken men." Sabay-sabay kaming napairap dahil totoo naman ang sinabi niya.

"Shut up, Fejia! Akala ko ba kaibigan kita?!" Nagsimula silang mag-asaran sa harapan ko pero hindi na ako nakinig sa kanila.

The room was filled with the sound of clinking glasses and low murmurs as I raised the drink to my lips. I could feel the warmth of the liquor as it flowed down my throat, gradually starting to intoxicate me.

Today, I returned to Manila to visit Anna's tomb. It was her death anniversary. As memories of us happily spending our time together surged in my mind, I couldn't find forgiveness for myself after letting her die like that in front of me. The weight of my self-blame was heavy, and all I could do was drink and curse myself at how powerless I was at that time.

"Avi? Oh my God! Ginagawa niya na namang tubig ang alak na iniinom niya!" I did not mind Kassidy's reaction and continued to drink.

"Just let her, ano ka ba! Whenever we drink, she can't drink so much because she needs to take care of us! Hayaan mo muna siya mag-inom ngayon, baka may problema!" Arianne chided.

"Hmp! Hindi naman siguro lalaki problem amo, ano? Sasampalin talaga kita!" Malditang apila ni Kassidy habang naka-krus ang braso.

"Avi has many problems, but I'm sure a man isn't one of them." Fejia confidently said, turning her head in my direction with a smile. "Right?" I ignored her words and stood up and went to the dancefloor.

Lalaki? Salvatore's face suddenly flashed in my mind. Yeah, right. That crazy bastard who lied to me! Wala daw siyang naka-relasyon pero libo mahigit ang body count at may mga anak pa? Tangina niya!

"Honestly, what's wrong with her today?" Iyon na lang ang huling salitang narinig ko kay Kassidy bago ako tuluyang makarating sa dancefloor.

As the song ALIBI started kicking, the blinding lights of the disco ball made me feel more dizzy than I already was—but I didn't care. I moved my body and swayed my hips at every beat of the music.

I snarled in disgust when I noticed the men around me could not leave their eyes off my body. I was wearing a black, skin-tight dress with a small slit on the left that highlighted my perfect curves. My sleeves were merely tied with a few thin black strings.

"What's a beautiful lady like you doing here alone?" May humawak sa bewang ko kaya mabilis ko itong tinapik palayo sa akin.

I gave him a glare before moving away. "What makes you think I'm alone?" Nginisihan niya lang ako.

"Hard to get, I love that." Walang pakialam ko siyang tinalikuran at sumayaw. Mr. Saxobeat was playing.

Nagtaka ako nang biglang lumiwanag sa gawi ko. It was only then I realized the spotlight was on me, and everyone was looking in my direction. My hands moved in unison, caressing my body, my hair down to the neck and chest—to my hips as I danced through the song's beat.

I heard people cheering me, women rolling their eyes, and men gawking like I was a piece of meat. "A hot woman deserves to be with a hot man, don't you think?" Napaangat ako ng tingin nang may lumapit sa aking lalaki habang sumasayaw.