“Shot mo na, Eve! Isa lang, sige na!” I heard Dice’s loud voice from the cottage.
Hindi ko mapigilang lumingon sa kanila. I saw how many times Eve shook his head, refusing the glass of alcohol. Nakahiwalay kami sa kanila, and I'm the only boy here with Cania, Devyn, and Keyshia. We're roasting marshmallows on the bonfire. The whole place is already dark since night is falling and the moon is showing.
Calm waves were music to my ears as I kept glancing at my man. Hindi na ako makasabay sa usapan nila Devyn dahil sa kaingayan ni Dice. Maaga kaming nakakain ng dinner kanina, kaya kahit seven pa lang ng gabi, nagsimula na silang uminom at magkantahan sa loob ng cottage.
Nakahiwalay kami dahil kay Devyn at Keyshia na ayaw sa amoy ng alak. Ayaw din ni Cania magstay sa kubo kung puro lalaki ang kasama. Since I don’t drink, sumama ako sa kanila. Si Eve lang ang naiwan sa mga boys kahit hindi naman siya iinom. Hinila kasi siya ni Dice kanina; samin naman talaga siya dapat sasama.
“Ang kulit talaga ni Dice kapag lasing!” naiiling na sabi ni Devyn.
Nakatingin na din pala sila sa cottage. Dismayadong ngumiwi lang si Cania at nagpatuloy sa pagluluto ng marshmallow sa bonfire. Bumuntong hininga ako, gusto kong hilahin si Eve doon para manahimik na si Dice. Nakita ko pang sinasalo lagi ni Vixon ang baso ng alak kaya halata agad na lasing na siya.
“Eve won’t drink though...” Keyshia whispered beside me.
Devyn slowly nodded. “He hates alcohol because of me. Pareho sila ni Eleven. I’m really grateful having them around me. I know it might be too late, but I feel sorry about what happened last time. Thanks to Keyshia and Cania’s plan, I realized it as soon as possible.”
Hindi ko mapigilang mapatingin kay Devyn. She’s already biting her own marshmallow, same with Cania. I can’t help but smile; a lot of things happened yet we’re still here together. Kung dati tatlo lang kami, ngayon mas marami na. Vixon and Dice are more often with us. We also have Keyshia and Cania who are always there to support us.
“Ang teluk mo, Dice! Susumbong kita kay Devyn!” It was Vixon’s drunk voice.
Nakakunot ang noo niya at pilit na inaagaw ang baso kay Dice. Pareho silang lasing na kaya tumayo na ako para ilayo si Eve sa kanilang dalawa. Kahit anong pilit ni Dice sa kaibigan naming uminom, he won’t drink unless Devyn gives him permission. That’s our promise from our last year in junior high.
I walked towards them, umagaw sa basong hawak ni Dice at deretsong nilagok iyon. Gumuhit ang mapait na lasa nito sa lalamunan ko. Pagbaba ko ng baso, lahat sila nagulat at hindi makapaniwalang nakatingin sa akin. Of course, who wouldn't? Si Eve lang naman nakakita sa akin na umiinom kahit wine lang naman ang tinitikman ko.
I bit my lower lip and grabbed Eve's wrists. He’s also shocked but didn’t say anything.
“Pahiram muna siya, coach. Ang kulit ni Dice, he won’t drink unless Devyn gives him permission,” I politely said.
Bumungad sa akin si Devyn na may hawak na bote ng San Mig. She handed it to Eve, who’s confused but still took the bottle. I frowned, tinaas ko pa ang kilay ko na tila nagtatanong kay Devyn. She just chuckled and gave us a warm smile, umupo pa silang tatlo sa tabi ni coach at nakipagkwentuhan na para bang walang nangyari.
Kahit nagtataka, umupo na lang din ako, lalo na’t hinila ako ni Eve pasama sa kaniya. The whole team is already laughing because of Dice’s horrible voice. Konting kanta pa niya, pakiramdam ko palalayasin na kami dito sa beach. Kanina ko pa napapansin ang pasimpleng pagsulyap sa akin ni Eve kaya nilingon ko siya.
He leaned near to me, making me gasp a bit. “I won’t drink if you don’t want...” he whispered into my ear.
I chuckled. “Devyn already gave you permission. That’s all I need, go try it...” I softly said.
He just nodded. I watched them getting drunk; ayoko namang uminom dahil walang magliligpit ng kalat at wala ding maghahatid sa kanila sa mga room nila. Time passed by until it reached 10 pm. Some of the boys are already sleeping in their rooms. Only a few players are here, including us and coach. Hindi na tumatagay si Vixon, coke na puno ng yelo ang iniinom niya.
I bet he’s getting sober. Umiinom din ang girls pero mild alcohol lang, that’s one of the reasons why I’m not drinking. Si Keyshia lang ang hindi umiinom bukod sa akin, kumakain lang siya at minsan sumasabay sa trip ni Dice na kanina pa kumakanta. Napalingon ako kay Eve dahil sa biglaang pagsandig niya sa balikat ko.
Mapupungay na ang mga mata niya at tila inaantok na. Tinamaan na din siya ng alak, naka ilang Cali na siya at minsan pinapatagay pa ni Dice ng Red Horse. He’s being clingy right now, making me smile. I glanced at Vixon who’s looking at us meaningfully.
“Hatid mo na siya sa hotel room, ako na bahala kila Cania, don’t worry,” he said with an assuring smile.
He looked sober right now, and I trust him, kaya inalalayan ko na si Eve palabas ng kubo. He’s very heavy; idagdag mo pang grabe siya makayakap sa akin ngayon. When we’re already in our room, nilapag ko siya agad sa kama. He groaned and grabbed me to lay down on his side. He hid his face on my neck and pushed me to his body by hugging my waist.
“I’m dizzy, can you change my clothes? I hate the smell of my perfume...” he slurred.
I sighed and removed his hands around my waist. He still didn’t want me to let go, but I pushed him away. I laughed a bit when he groaned as he finally let go of me.
“Clingy...” I whispered.
Lumapit ako sa closet, kumuha ng puting hoodie at panjama. Eve doesn’t like a cold room, yet we have aircon here, kaya hininaan ko na lang para hindi siya lamigin. He really looked wasted, every part of his clothes smelled like alcohol, even his breath. Lumapit ako sa kaniya at dahan-dahang itinayo siya kaya lang mabigat siya at panay ang ungol.
“Eve, let me change your clothes. You also need to brush your teeth,” I softly said.
He suddenly grabbed me to lay on the bed. I’m holding his shoulders; he’s already on top of me right now. He was pouting like a child, slowly laying on my top and putting his head on my chest as he hugged me tightly.
“Why do you even care about my breath? Are you going to kiss me? Or do you just hate my smell?” he mumbled.
I just laughed. “Of course not. I just want you to have a good sleep. Stand up now and let me change your clothes, then brush your teeth.”
I kept caressing his hair with my fingers.
“Can we cuddle after that?” he asked.
I just nodded. The room has four beds, but right now I want to sleep with him, not minding our roommates. I helped him change his clothes and brush his teeth. After that, we both lay on the bed. He’s on top of me again with a comforter around us, his head on my neck smelling it while his hands were on my waist and the other intertwined with my fingers.
I softly caressed his smooth hair and kissed him on his forehead. The breeze and coldness of the aircon were nothing compared to his warm body covering me entirely. His breath was so calm in my ears as he slept on my chest. The red dim light made everything romantic, and the open curtain from the balcony door showed the beauty of the stars outside shining so bright.
“Sleep tight, Eve...” I mumbled before closing my eyes for a long night.
YOU ARE READING
Bittersweet
Teen FictionBittersweet. People often see only two colors, blue and pink, but here we are, the rainbow behind the clouds. We taste the bitterness of the world, yet there you are, bringing sweetness and making me feel true happiness. The three of us danced, but...
