His Secret Desires

Chapter 9

The next morning, Kei groaned as the incessant ringing of his phone woke him from his deep sleep. He tried to ignore it, burying his head under the pillow and hoping the noise would go away. But the phone kept ringing, its shrill tone cutting through the morning silence of his room.

Kasabay nang pag ring ay ang pag sakit ng ulo nito, parang may pumipitik-pitik doon na angkop sa tunog ng ringtone niya.

"Fucking hell..." Frustrated, Kei reached for his phone, finally locating it on his bedside table.

He groaned, mumbling under his breath in annoyance as he swiped his thumb across the screen to answer the call.

"Damn...why are you calling early in the morning?" Walang gana niyang sambit sa telepono.

The person on the other end of the line was unfazed by Kei's groggy tone. "Early in the morning? It's almost noon, Kei," they replied, a slightly amused tone in their voice. "Ayan kasi masyado nanamang nagpakalasing, alam mo naman na mahina ka, diba?"

Napamulat siya ng mga mata. It was Maria, one of his friends from the club last night.

Napabuntong hininga siya, "What's the deal? Bakit ka napatawag. To give me an earful?"

"Tungkol 'to sa sasakyan mo, baliw. It was left at the club's parking lot. We left it with the owner, but he said you should pick it up before 6 pm today. People start coming in after that, and it'll be a nuisance if someone claims it as their own."

Kahit hindi nakikita ay alam ni Kei na iniikutan siya nito ng mga.

Kei rubbed his aching head, "Ugh. Yeah I'll get it before 6, thanks."

There was a pause from the other end of the line before Maria asked, "By the way, do you know a guy named Axel? He was the one who picked you up from the club last night." There was a hint of curiosity in her voice, clearly eager for more details.

The mention of Axel's name caught Kei's attention.

Axel!

Kinapa niya ang pwesto sa tabi niya at napaangat ng ulo nang mapagtantong wala si Axel doon. Wala sa sarili niyang pinatay ang tawag at tumayo kahit medyo nahihilo pa sa biglaan niyang pag-galaw.

His gaze found its way to a nearby mirror, and he caught a glimpse of himself. He stared at his reflection, his bleary eyes taking in his disheveled appearance, the rumples in his button-up, and the lipstick stain at the corner of his lips and neck.

"Damn." Mahina niyang usal at napailing sa sarili. Ilang buwan na rin ang nakalipas noong huli siyang nalasing at nakagimik ng ganito.

It feels good.

Pumasok muna siya ng banyo para mag hilamos at mag ayos ng sarili bago lumabas ng kwarto ng walang pang-itaas para hanapin si Axel.

Kei may be drunk and wasted, but he's not one of those guys who forgets about what happened. He definitely remembers everything. Kaya kahit naguguluhan kung bakit sinundo siya ni Axel kaninang madaling araw sa bar ay nangingibabaw naman ang konsensya niya.

Kei does not know why he feels guilty, to be honest, but the thought about that guy, Axel, who's not used to the city life had gone out of his way to fetch him, just means that Axel must have been worried about him.

Natagpuan niya si Axel na nakahiga sa couch sa living room at natutulog doon. Nagtaka naman siya kung bakit hindi ito tumabi sa kanya ng tulog kanina.