His Secret Desires

Chapter 7

Nagmulat ng mga mata si Axel dahil may naramdaman siyang mabigat sa braso niya. Pero hindi na bago sa kanya nang makita si Kei na nakahiga doon, humihilik.

Dinudutdot nanaman siya nito sa kama.

Kei's lips were slightly parted, soft snores filling the room.

Ang aga-aga, binadtrip nanaman siya ng hapinoy na 'to. Axel couldn't feel his arm anymore due to its lack of circulation. He tried moving his fingers, but they felt tingly and numb. He tried to gently nudge Kei, but he was fast asleep and didn't stir.

A full 2 weeks had passed with Axel spending most mornings like this. Naiirita siya kasi parang tulog mantika itong hapon na 'to, hindi nakakaramdam tuwing tinutulak niya palayo.

One morning, He pushed Kei away with more force than usual, causing him to roll off the bed and land awkwardly on the floor with a thump. Nagulat din si Axel sa nangyari at tutulungan niya sana ito dahil hindi niya naman ginusto na malaglag 'yong hapon.

However, before he could even react to help Kei up, Kei had already stirred and got back to his feet, still half asleep, mumbling incoherent words and oblivious of what just happened. He simply climbed back onto the bed and went right back to sleep, clueless.

Pero kita ni Axel na may pulang pantal sa noo nito.

Simula no'n hinayaan niya nalang ito sa tuwing ginagawang unan ang braso niya.

He doesn't know it but he's feeling a little bit guilty.

Naghintay na lang siya ng ilang minuto, at nang gumalaw si Kei at rumolyo nanaman sa kabilang direksyon, doon na niya ginalaw ang kamay. He expected that to happen since this hapinoy was notorious for shifting positions in his sleep.

Seems like Kei wasn't used to sleeping next to someone. The hapinoy never stayed still, constantly moving and rolling about the bed as if he was alone. There were also times when Axel would wake up in the middle of the night to find Kei's legs next to his face.

Bumangon si Axel at lumabas ng kwarto. Nag-unat ito ng katawan at naghilamos ng mukha sa lababo. After that, he stood inside Kei's kitchen, studying the various appliances and gadgets. He had no idea how to operate any of them, as it was a completely different setup from what he was used to.

He stood there for a moment, contemplating his options.

Pwede niya namang gisingin si Kei, pero sa iisiping iingay nanaman ang tahimik na condo...

Sa huli napagdesisyonan niya nalang kunin ang pitaka ni Kei sa kwarto at lumabas ng condo unit. Just the other day, Kei went ahead and registered Axel's fingerprints and taught him the password to the condo unit. Kaya malayang lumabas pasok si Axel.

Huminto muna siya ng ilang segundo sa harap ng elavator bago pinili na mag hagdan nalang. Ayaw niyang sumakay doon na hindi kasama si Kei.

He felt uncomfortable.

Axel left the condo building and headed towards the nearby convenient store that Kei had taken him to before. As he walked, he couldn't help but think about the events of the past few days and the sudden change in routine.

He was now far from the days at the camp, no longer waking up every day to face the same cycle of challenges. The days of consuming bland meals, being on edge constantly, and tackling mission after mission, with only more death and destruction in sight, were now a thing of the past.

The days of dealing with the endless cycle of taking lives were behind him now.

Hindi niya alam kung ano ba ang dapat maramdaman. Alam niya sa sarili niyang kahit papano komportable siya ngayon sa buhay na kinalalagyan niya, pero syempre, nakakapanibago pa rin ang lahat.