Aaron
"I got to go, kids," sabi ni Coach, tumatayo mula sa sofa at inaayos ang kwelyo ng polo niya. "Tinatawagan na ako ng misis ko."
We chuckled. I raised my glass, taking a slow sip as the ice clinked against the rim.
"Sige na po, Coach. Baka pagsarhan pa kayo ng gate, sa kalsada kayo hihilata niyan," biro ni Kieran, earning another laugh.
"Siya, siya… Congratulations ulit, Thunderhawks," aniya. "’Wag magpapakalasing, ha? Ayoko mawalan ng player mid-season."
I leaned back into the couch, gaze wandering past the crush of bodies towards the entrance.
"So, pagkatapos ng season, pwede na po kaming madisgrasya? Gano’n po ba?" sarkastikong sabat ni Xavier.
Coach chuckled, shaking his head. "Syempre, hindi. Saka na lang pag-graduate niyo, kailangan pa kayo ng El U next year," sabay tawa, habang ang iba’y napasimangot.
"Biro lang, kayo naman," dagdag niya. "O siya, alis na ‘ko. Nang makalandi na kayo."
Bago tuluyang umalis, he ruffled my hair, and mouthed, Congrats.
"Ingat po, Coach." I managed a small smile, eyes following him as he moved towards the door.
Just then, pumasok si Levi. Nagkasalubong sila ni Coach, and they exchanged a few quiet words I couldn’t catch. After a quick nod, Coach kept walking while Levi stepped in.
Levi kept his head slightly down, hands in his pockets. His fitted white shirt clung just enough to show his flat stomach and those small, annoyingly cute biceps. Paired with worn blue jeans, he still looked effortlessly hot.
My gaze drifted up his neck kung saan hindi na visible 'yung mga marka ng pagmamahal ko. He’d covered them, which quite upsets me.
"Quite brave of you, Cap, to publicly announce your relationship with him, huh?" Seb’s voice cut through my thoughts.
Napatingin ako sa kanya, then shrugged.
"I cannot love in secret," I said simply, before tossing another piece of pulutan into my mouth.
"And you know I’m not here to please anyone. The world could hate me and I wouldn’t care. I live for myself and the people I love... not for the bitter ones, the self-righteous, or homophobes... like you."
The table fell quiet at my words. I held his gaze, steady.
"I’m not here to make anyone comfortable," I added. "Least of all those who’d rather see me miserable than honest."
Then I managed a small smile. "But I’m glad you stayed professional during the game. At sana... we keep it that way."
Sebastian slowly nodded before looking away and downing his drink.
Beyond him, I saw Levi standing there, catching my eye.
"CHEERS!" biglang sigaw ni Kieran, kaya’t napataas tuloy lahat ng baso, me included.
"Musta?" Levi murmured as he sat beside me, his voice just for me.
"I want you on my lap," sagot ko.
Gumawa siya ng nandidiring mukha, na nagpabiyak ng ngiti sa labi ko.
I just realized he’s letting me see more of these small, soft reactions lately. Malayong-malayo sa usual na blangko niyang expression.
"Actually…" he shot back, eyes flicking up. "I want you on my lap."
I chuckled, eyes dropping to his lips. "But you fit better on mine."
