Nang makarating kami ni Akihiro sa cafeteria, napansin ko agad ang mga nakatingin sa amin. Parang lahat ng mata, nakatutok sa bawat galaw namin. Great, ngayon lang ulit kami magkasama, at lahat ng tao nakikialam. Pilit kong binalewala ang mga tingin at sinundan si Akihiro sa isang bakanteng mesa."Anong gusto mo?" tanong niya habang nakapila kami."I'll just have the usual," nahihiyang sagot ko, trying to keep it casual. Pero sa loob-loob ko, halos sumabog ang kaba ko. Nakakapanibago na kasama siya ulit. Dati, wala lang to. Pero ngayon? May bigat, may tension.
After ordering, umupo na kami sa mesa. Tahimik kami sa simula. Hindi ko alam kung paano sisimulan ang usapan—parang sobrang daming nangyari pero sabay parang walang magbago. Until he broke the silence."So... kumusta ka na?" tanong niya habang inaabot sa akin ang tray ng pagkain."I've been okay. Busy sa school, you know," sagot ko, trying to sound nonchalant. Pero ang hirap. May bahid ng awkwardness kahit na noon, sobrang casual lang ng ganitong tanong. "Still chasing your dreams, I see" he said with a smile. "I'm glad."
Napatingin ako sa kanya. That smile... that same smile na dati kong kinahuhumalingan. But this time, it felt heavier, more meaningful. "And you?" tanong ko. "Kumusta ka? Bigla kang nawala tapos biglang bumalik ngayon. Akala ko hindi na kita makikita."He looked down at his food, as if contemplating something. "Yeah... things got complicated. I had to leave, family reasons mostly." He paused for a moment, then looked back at me. "But I'm here now, and I don't want to keep running away from everything."Running away from what exactly? Hindi ko naitanong, pero alam ko, may mas malalim pang dahilan.
Bago pa man ako makapagsalita, biglang nagsigawan ang mga estudyante sa paligid namin. "KYAHHH! Akihiro!!! We love youuu!!" Napalingon ako at nakita ko ang mga babaeng halos magka-agawan sa pagkuha ng litrato ng table namin. Parang celebrity ang dating ni Akihiro sa kanila, which wasn't surprising. He's still the heir of the most powerful family in school.He sighed. "It never ends."Ngumiti ako. "Well, you did choose to come back to the spotlight.""Well, I didn't exactly expect to have lunch with you and get mobbed," he teased, flashing that playful smile again.Napabuntong-hininga ako, ngunit may halong tawa. "Welcome back, Mr. Popular."Habang kumakain kami, kahit pa may mga matang nakatingin at tila walang katapusang bulungan sa paligid, naging mas relaxed ang pakiramdam ko. Para bang kahit ilang taon na ang lumipas, may mga bagay na nanatiling pareho. But the underlying tension, the unresolved issues between us, were still there, hiding just beneath the surface.
next ba?
YOU ARE READING
Hire of My Heart
RomansElisha Solene Cañeza, a determined student with dreams of success. Driven by her desire to prove herself and win back the approval of her ex-boyfriend's influential mother, Elisha focuses on her studies and her future. However, her world is turned u...
