You Again, Professor [GL• #2]

CHAPTER 35.2

Matapos namin maglaro nung shot or dare, inayos na namin ang mga kalat. Luke invited everyone to sleep. Pero hindi pa naman ako inaantok. His cousin, Cruzette, was already very drunk since she took the brunt of the game.

Vel and I, on the other hand, didn’t get too drunk. She’s probably used to drinking since she kept taking my shots and thankful naman ako doon. Hindi rin ako sanay uminom.

Vel invited me to take a walk along the seashore. Hindi ko mapigilan ang namangha sa nakikita ngayon. The sky was bright, bathed in the soft glow of the moon, and the stars were scattered like tiny lights across the heavens.

Tahimik lamang kami habang naglalakad, tanging ang mga yapak lang din namin  ang naririnig. Hanggang sa tumigil kami sa isang bench, at sa gitna nun, may bonfire na naghihintay lang na ma-sindihan. Umupo si Vel at siya ang nagsindi. Medyo nagulat ako nung may lighter itong dala.

"I sometimes smoke..." sabi niya sa akin at ngumiti, that's explains why she has it.

"Ay, eh?" gulat kong tanong.

"Stress reliever din." She shrugged.

Tumango na lang ako sa kaniya, dahilan okay lang naman 'yon. Kaniya-kaniyang coping mechanism naman ang buhay kaya naiintindihan ko siya and I don't  condemn her. 

The flickering flames would soon add warmth to the cool air, creating a cozy glow that seemed to match the calmness of the moment. I could feel the peacefulness surrounding us, as if the world had paused for a while, leaving just the two of us in this quiet, serene space.

"Ang ganda nung langit." I said in monotone.

Inayos ni Vel ang eyeglasses bago ini-angat din ang tingin sa itaas. "Yeah," she nodded and smiled a little. Inangat niya ang kamay at may kung anong itinuturo sa akin. "Look, there's the constellation of the great hunter..." she said pertaining to the Orion constellation. "Ang tatlong magkatabi na 'yon; Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka...These are the three stars in Orion's belt." dagdag pa niyang paliwanag sa akin.

Tiningnan ko rin 'yon. "Oo nga, nakikita ko rin, at maganda nga." muli ay ibinaling ko sa kaniya ang tingin.

"Diyan pala nakuha ni Mommy ang pangalan ko, nu'ng ipinagbubuntis niya ako ay palagi niyang tinitingnan ang constellation na 'yon. At noong bata ako palagi niya naman ikukwento sa akin ang tragic love story behind that constellation." malumanay niyang sabi.

Nakatinginan kaming dalawa. "Kwento mo nga sa akin, hindi ko kasi alam 'yon." sabi ko at sandaling nahinto dahil sa kakaibang naramdaman.

I’ve been in this kind of situation before, but the only difference now is that I’m with someone else. It felt strange, as if I had already lived through this moment. There was this odd feeling in my chest, something that tugged at my heart. Suddenly, a memory of me and Ma’am Lopez flashed in my mind, and I couldn’t help but feel the heaviness of it. It was a bittersweet memory, something I didn’t expect to remember, but there it was, as clear as if it happened just yesterday.

Kahit si Vel ang kasama ko ay naiisip ko pa rin siya. I couldn't help it, may malaking parte siya sa buong pagkatao ko at 'yon ang hindi bastang basta maalis sa akin, although I'm slowly losing my feelings for her still there's something inside me longing for her, and I don't know what is it?

Hindi ko halos napansin ang pagsasalita ni Vel sa tabi ko. "Orion and Artemis became close, but Apollo tricked Artemis into killing him by making her shoot at a distant target in the sea, which was actually Orion. Nasaktan si Artemis doon, dahil  love interest niya nga ito at matalik na kaibigan. Artemis honored him by placing him among the stars as the Orion constellation. So, she would always remember him, kaya hanggang ngayon nakikita pa rin natin..." mahabang kwento niya ng nakangiti sa akin, alam na alam niya ang bawat detalye.