Depression Plutus (Curse #4)

CHAPTER 49 Corner

OTTILIE VIRSES POV 
 
 
Nang matapos ang maghapong event sa school, agad na nagpa-alam ako kina Jenna at Dylan para umuwi na. Ano kamo ang dahilan? Simple lang naman. Ayokong magpang-abot kami ni Plutus sa bahay! Hindi ko pa siya kayang harapin, wala akong lakas ng loob para kausapin siya.
 
Nang makauwi ako sa bahay, nakahinga ako ng maluwag ng makitang wala pa si Plutus. Agaran na umakyat ako sa kwarto at saka nagkulong. Anong sasabihin ko sa kan'ya pag nagkita kami? Aamin na din ba ako? Hindi ako mapakali sa kinahihigaan ko. Paulit-ulit na pumapasok sa isipan ko ang nangyari kanina. 
 
Hindi pa din ako makapaniwala sa ginawang pagtatapat ni Plutus ng nararamdaman niya. Kamalayan ko naman sa isang iyon na may gusto na pala sa'kin. Ang buong akala ko, puro inis at poot lang ang nararamdaman ng prinsiping 'yon sa'kin. 
 
Kasalanan niya kung bakit hindi ko mapigilang mapangiti ngayon. Ganito pala ang feeling kapag gusto ka din ng napupusuan mo. Malala na ang tama ko sa isang 'yon, hindi na maganda 'to. Napabuntong-hininga na lang ako ng mapagod sa kaka-ikot sa kama.
 
Sa sobrang gulo ng isipan ko, narinig ko na lang ang pagkulo ng kalamnan ko. Nang tignan ko ang orasan, pasado ala-una na pala. Ngayon ko lang naalala na wala pa pala akong hapunan. Siguro naman tulog na si Plutus, hindi ba?

Walang ingay na lumabas ako ng kwarto ko at dahan-dahan na nagtungo sa kusina. Nag re-heat lang ako ng ready-made meal at saka ito nilantakan. Nang matapos akong kumain at magtoothbrush, didiretso na sana ako sa kwarto nang matagpuan ko na lang ang sarili ko na nakahiga sa ibabaw ng lamesa. Parehas na naka-taas ang dalawang kamay ko sa pagitan ng ulo ko. 
 
Namalayan ko na lang na nasa ibabaw ko na si Plutus. His weight was pressed down against my legs, pinning me to the table, while one of his hands gripped my wrist, holding my arms above my head. While his other hand was tightly wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer.
 
Nakipagsukatan ako ng tingin sa kan'ya. Ngunit walang-wala ang inis ko sa nagbabaga nitong mga mata habang nakatitig sa'kin. There was something in them, something intense, something I couldn’t ignore. It was the same gaze he had given me earlier, but now it was sharper, filled with irritation.
 
"Why are you hiding?" he demanded, his voice almost growling. "After everything I said, you’re still running away from me?"
 
I swallowed hard, my heart hammering in my chest as I tried to search for something to say. But nothing came out. My lips trembled slightly, and I nervously bit my lower lip. 
 
Pero mukhang wrong move ang ginawa ko dahil mas lalong umigting ang panga nito habang mariin na nakatitig sa mga labi ko. I fumbled for an answer, anything to get him to leave me alone, to give me space. The sight of him looking at me so intently made it even harder to think.
 
"Hehehe, pwedeng pag-isipan?" I muttered, the words barely making sense even to me. "B-bigyan m-mo pa ako ng oras."
 
He didn’t move, didn’t let go. 
 
His gaze grew colder, and the tension between us thickened.
 
"Time?" he repeated, his voice laced with frustration. "You want time? Fine. But know this, I'm not gonna repeat myself. When I say I want you, I mean it."
 
Nanigas ang buong katawan ko sa binitawang mga salita ni Plutus. It's like every word searing into my chest like a brand. My breath hitched in my throat, and it felt like my heart skipped a beat. It was hard to breathe as his face inched closer, his nose brushing against mine, his forehead lightly touching mine.
 
I felt butterflies in my stomach, a thousand emotions flooding me all at once. I couldn't think, couldn't move, couldn't even breathe properly as he stared into my eyes. Nalulunod ako sa sobrang lapit namin sa isat-isa.
 
"O-oo nga! Atat masyado?" Kunwaring inis na sagot ko dito. 
 
Saglit pa akong tinitigan ng mariin nito bago niya ako pinakawalan. Doon ko lang pinakawalan ang hininga na kanina ko pa pala pinipigilan. Akala ko malulunod na ako sa mga titig niya. Dahil sa sobrang inis ko sa kan'ya, nahampas kona naman ito sa dibdib niya nang makababa ako sa lamesa. 
 
"Bakit kailangan mo pa akong ihiga sa lamesa, nakakainis ka talaga!" 
 
Plutus, however, just smirked. "You’re cute when you’re mad," he teased, his eyes glinting with mischief.

Hindi ko na siya kayang tignan ng diretso sa mga mata na hindi nakakaramdam ng kaba sa aking dibdib.
 
"Cute mo mukha mo!" Singhal ko sa kan'ya. Lalayasan ko na sana ito ng magsalita ulit siya.

"Can you make me a coffee? I was so exhausted from earlier," he asked as he lean against the doorframe of the dining room.
 
Inis ko na tinapunan ito ng tingin, pero nang may maisip akong kalokohan, peke akong napa-ubo. Lihim akong napangisi, chance ko na to para makabawi. 
 
"Oh, sige," ani ko, feigning innocence, "but on one condition."
 
His brows furrowed as he walked to the dining table and took a seat, clearly suspicious. "What condition?"
 
"Pwedeng mag-request ng kanta?" I replied, trying to hold back my grin. "There’s this song I’ve been thinking about, and I think bagay sa boses mo 'yon."
 
Plutus leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "What song?" he asked.
 
"Tattoo by Loreen." I grinned. 
 
For a moment, he was silent, his gaze steady as he considered my request. Then, to my surprise, a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. 
 
"Deal."
 
Before he could change his mind, I darted to the kitchen, preparing his coffee as quickly as I could. Once it was ready, I placed the steaming mug in front of him and took a seat on the empty chair to his left, watching expectantly.
 
Plutus took a sip of the coffee, savoring it for a moment before setting the mug down. His eyes locked onto mine, and without breaking his gaze, he began to sing.
 
His voice was deep, smooth, and magnetic, perfectly capturing the emotion of the song. Para akong nakalutang sa alapaap ng magpatuloy ito sa pagkanta.
 
"Violins playin’ and the angels cryin’
When the stars align, then I’ll be there."
 
And then suddenly, in that very moment, tila ba tumigil ang mundo ko ng kantahin niya ang part na 'yon. It wasn’t just that his voice suited the song, it was the way he sang, pouring intensity into every note. It felt personal, as if he was singing to me. My heart thumped erratically as his gaze remained fixed on mine, never wavering.
 
Plutus continued as his voice growing even more powerful:
 
"I don’t care about them all
’Cause all I want is to be loved
And all I care about is you
You’re stuck on me like a tattoo..."
 
I couldn’t look away, caught in the spell he was weaving. The way his voice carried the emotion of the lyrics left me speechless, and by the time he finished, I realized I hadn’t taken a single breath.
 
Plutus smirked as he noticed my stunned expression.

"Speechless, huh?"
 
Dahil sa may pagiging inutil ako, nabitawan ko ang mga salitang dapat ay nasa isip ko lang.
 
"Anong panggagayuma ang ginawa mo sa'kin?" 
 
My eyes widened in horror as soon as I realized what I had just said. I slapped both hands over my mouth, my heart hammering in my chest. How could I let that slip out?
 
Then I saw Plutus froze, his expression blank for a moment. Then, slowly, a small, knowing smile spread across his face. He nibbled his lower lip and ran a hand through his hair, his movements almost shy but undeniably pleased. 
 
"Did you just…" he trailed off, his voice laced with amusement.
 
I couldn’t respond, too mortified to even look at him. I shook my head furiously, covering my face entirely with my hands. My cheeks felt like they were on fire, and I wanted to disappear on the spot.
 
Plano ko pa naman sana na i-abot sa kanya ang singsing pagtapos niyang kumanta, pero dahil sa pesteng bunganga ko, nasira na ang mood! 
 
"Fuck," he let out a soft chuckle. "I should’ve sung a song for you from the very start."
 
That was it. I couldn’t take it anymore. Agad kong hinubad sa hinlalaki ko ang singsing at mabilisan na inilapag ito sa lamesa. Then I shot up from my seat as I mumbled.

"Oh, sayo na! Bahala ka kung a-aattend ka o hindi!" 
 
After that I escaped and hurriedly went to my room. Once inside, I slammed the door shut and leaned against it, my heart pounding like crazy.
 
What the hell just happened? Why did I say that? I buried my face in my hands, groaning in embarrassment. From now on, I'll think twice, no, a hundred times, before I opened my mouth around Plutus again.

 
To be continued... 

Ps: before writing this book 4, I imagined Plutus voice as Johnny Huynh. Kyaaaah, I can finally share it to you guys. Happy Reading!