"Huy!"
Bahagya akong napakislot dahil sa biglang pagsulpot ng kaibigan ko.
"Nagsusulat ka na naman, pal. Para kanino ba 'yan?" takang tanong nito at umupo sa tabi ko. Akmang sisilip pa sana ito nang dali-dali ko itong tiniklop at pinasok sa bag.
"Ang damot mo talaga tukmol, hindi ka man lang nagkwe-kwento tungkol sa secret lovey mo" hindi ko alam kung guni-guni ko lang ba 'yun nang makita ko ang sakit sa mata nito.
She's Akira, my best friend. We're both writers and achievers. I became a writer because of her. I don't even know how we became friends. We just started out teasing each other until we became close friends.
I was writing a novel when there was a sudden noise from inside the library in my room. Dali-dali akong tumakbo doon at padarag na binuksan ang pinto.
Bumungad sa akin si Akira na nakadapa habang sapo-sapo ang ulo. Naiilang na nilapitan ko ito.
"Ano bang nangyari?" may inis sa boses kung tanong dito kahit na nag-aalala ako lalo na nang makita ko ang sugat sa siko nito.
"Let me see" tinabig ko ang kamay nito na nakaharang.
She pouted, bago niya binawi ang kamay. "Malayo naman 'to sa bituka eh."
Pinitik ko ang noo nito bago siya tinulungang tumayo. "Ano ba kasing ginawa mo at nadapa ka?"
"Kasi may notebook doon eh, it's so super cute and I think tula 'yun na gawa mo. I thought nga you don't like writing poems about love eh. Just why you didn't make one kaya nagtaka ako dun sa notebook mo na may nakalagay na 'tinatangi" mahabang litanya nito.
Nag-iwas ako ng tingin upang hindi mahalata ang pamumula ko. "Nabasa mo ba?"
"Hindi, pero yung title lang eh nahulog kasi ako sa shelf" ani nito.
I felt relieved when she did not read the poem that I wrote for her. I admired and loved her secretly. I don't have the courage to admit what I felt, just why I expressed it in writing even though I hate to write a poem about love.
She made me do the things that I didn't like the most. She changed everything about me, yet she doesn't have any idea that I secretly love her. She's my tinatangi. She loves to read so I read, her standard is like those fictional characters, so I did my best to become like them so I could be her standard.
"Napapansin ko lang, Akira, hindi tayo friend sa writing account mo tapos hindi mo pa sinasabi sa akin" wala sa sarili kong tanong habang nagsusulat.
"A-Ah... Hindi naman kailangan eh" napabaling ang atensyon ko dito.
"Why?" nag-iwas lang ito ng tingin.
Hindi ko na din ito kinukulit tungkol sa writing account nito. If she's not comfortable with it, then it's okay.
Nag-scroll na lang ako sa aking Facebook, while scrolling ay hindi ko naiwasang i-search ang pangalan ni Akira sa search bar, Pero hindi ko pa man nagagawa ay may nag-mention na sa akin sa isang post.
It's all about a story of a girl who loves her best friend. Hindi ko maintindihan pero napapangiti ako while reading this. It reminds me of Akira and me.
So, I stalked the writer's account. All her posts were actually familiar. But one post caught my attention.
It's my hand and Akira.
I was shocked when I realized that most of her photos were actually my stolen pictures with confessions.
Some of her stories were about me. She was writing the things she wanted when we became a couple. She was writing our future. I couldn't help but smile widely and chuckle afterwards because of the overwhelming joy.
Hawak ko lahat ng mga love letter, poem, and novel that I write for her and a bouquet of her favorite books.
Sa hindi kalayuan ay natatanaw ko na itong nagsusulat ng kung ano sa kaniyang notebook kaya dumaan ako sa likod nito ng palihim.
"For my, ginoo. Hindi ko na mabilang kung ilang letter na ang sinulat ko, ilang luha na ang iniyak ko pero hindi parin ako napapagod na mahalin ka ng patago" mahinang bigkas nito sa isinusulat.
That brought a smile to my lips. "Hindi mo na kailangan na lumuha para mahalin ako ng patago dahil unang una pa lang ikaw na ang tinatangi ko."
Gulat itong napalingon sa likuran niya. "K-kanina k-ka pa ba diyan?" namumulang usal nito.
"Kakarating lang" nilapitan ko ito at umupo sa tabi nito. "You don't have to hide everything about me. I know now. Hindi mo pinaalam sa akin ang writing account mo because you love me secretly" i handed her all the letters and the Wattpad books she loved.
"A-Ano 't-to?" utal nitong taong.
"Read it so you could know."
Kinuha niya ito sa aking kamay at binuklat. Habang binabasa niya ito ay nag-aabang ako lang ako sa magiging reaksyon nito.
"Y-You become a writer... Because I want to have a writer boyfriend?" she asked and suddenly cried.
"I did that so I could be your standard. I know you loved those fictional characters more than me, so I tried to be like them to meet your standards. That's how much I love you. I can be everything you want me to be just to make you happy" naluluha kong ani dito at niyakap siya.
"You're my favorite writer, my favorite enemy and my best friend. You'll always be my tinatangi."
Halos lumundag ako nang bigla na lang itong tumayo at dinamba ako ng yakap. "Nakakainis ka."
I chuckled and gently kissed her forehead. "I love you, Aki ko"
"I love you too, ginoo" she whispered.
Finally, my home is now on my arms.
