The One That Got Away

TEN

Nasa ice cream parlor kaming tatlo malapit sa campus ng may pumasok na familiar na mukha sakin. "Catherine Berry Carmona." Mawi said as he saw the girl I saw tied down the post last month on the abandoned building. So her name is Catherine Berry, she didn't told me that and I didn't asked her as well. "Girl! Here!" Chealsy shouted, gesturing Berry to come to our table. Her eyes widened when she saw me and run in our direction. She took a chair from another unoccupied seat beside me. "Hey girl! Long time no see." She said facing me, and the three's faces were like 'what the hell? Di niya ba tayo nakikita?'. "Hey you girls! Miss me?" She finally said to them and we all laugh. "Obviously, you two know each other already which is perfect, because I hate introductions." Chealsy point out and stairs at Megan. "Meg! You're getting so creepy. Why are you so quiet today?" Chealsy asked and Mawi quickly answered. "Nako! Itong lola nyo kasi in love!" He said and we all stares at her and waited for an explanation. "In love my ass. Badtrip ang tawag sa mukhang to, hindi in love. Ok?" Sabi niya habang tinuturo yung mukha niya samin. "By the way, malapit na nga pala ang acquaintance. So Chealsy, who are you dating this time?" Mawi asked. "Chase? I guess?" She answered which made our faces grinning in disbelief. "Seriously? Sino naman kayang mananalo sa 'who fall first, who lose', game ng nag-iisang Franco na playgirl ng university sa isa pang casanova? Kaloka! Can't wait." Mawi said while doing his weird facial expressions. "Well. He asked me first so I accepted him as my date. I find him attractive so why ignore? How about you Zoe, who's gonna be you're DATE?" Sabi niya ng nanlalaki ang mga mata. "Christian? Oh yeah. Him, for sure," sabay tahimik nilang lahat na para bang ayaw nila kay Duke, samantalang noon tuwang tuwa sila noong nalaman nilang ex ko siya. Kumain at nagkwentuhan lang kaming lima hanggang tinawagan na ako ni Duke para sunduin. Paglabas ko nandoon si Maverick naghihitay sakin habang nakasandal lang sa kotse niya, nakatuxedo siya. "Bakit nandito ka? Tsaka bakit ganyan suot mo?", "hop in!" Sabi niya lang at pumasok sa kotse, palapit palang ako ng biglang dumating yung sasakyan ni Duke. "Babe, let's go!" Sabi naman ni Duke na hindi yata nakita si Maverick. Nilapitan ko si Duke at sinabing may family dinner kami. "Babe, hindi ba pwedeng wag ka munang sumama? You promised me right?" Pagmamakaawa niya pa. Naaalala ko ngayon nga pala yung pinangako kong sasagutin ko na siya ulet. "I can't miss this babe, you know mom!" At tumango nalang siya sabay nagdrive na palayo nang hindi manlang nag-good bye. Sinabi ko nalang na kunyari natatakot ako kay Sylvia dahil hindi parin ako sure kung dapat ko na ba siyang sagutin. Hindi ko alam kung ito na ba yung tamang panahon, kasi feeling ko masyado siyang nagmamadali. Katulad niyan hindi niya naintindihan na may family dinner ako kahit kami lang ni Momster ang family. Duke, what are you thinking? I asked myself.

Pagdating namin sa isang restaurant nakangiti parin si Maverick, I never saw him this playful before. Kanina pa siya joke ng joke sa sasakyan. "What the hell's wrong with you? Are you on drugs?" I asked confused about the way he's been acting. "No? Yes? Maybe? Hahaha!" The fuck is wrong with this guy? "Can't you laugh? Why are so cold? Are you on ice? Hahaha! Damn!" He said still laughing his ass off. Tinignan ko siya ng masama which means hindi na ako natutuwa kaya kaylangan niya nang matakot, dahil minsan ko lang gamitin ang stare daggers ko. "It's nothing really, pft!" Sabi niya nang pinipigilan ang pagtawa. Tinitignan ko parin siya ng masama dahil alam kong nagsisinungaling siya. "Did you see Duke's face? Damn!" Sabi niya ng tumatawa parin pero bahagya nalang dahil nakatitig parin ako ng masama sa kanya. So lumabas din ang totoo. "So Duke's face is the reason?" I asked unconvinced. "Teka nga, nasan na ba sila? Isang oras na tayo dito at wala ka nang ibang ginawa kundi tumawa jan!" Sabi ko dahil parang niloloko niya lang ako. Tapos na kaming kumain dahil sabi niya pinauna na daw kaming kumain ni Tito Carlos. "They're not coming, it's only the two of us." He added, what the hell's this guy saying? "What? You mean you planned this?" Sabi ko pa na nasa kalmadong tono. "Yeah!" At nilayasan ko siya. Pareho lang pala sila, pareho silang may intensyon, pare-pareho lang silang nilokoko ako. Malapit na ako sa kung saan niya pinark yung kotse nang nakita ko siyang sumusunod. Binilisan ko pa yung lakad ko nang sumigaw siya. "Admit it! You wouldn't know that guy's true color if I didn't do this." Napahinto ako sa sinabi niya at napaisip. Tama siya, kung hindi siguro to nangyare hindi ko siguro malalaman kung ano talagang intensyon ni Duke sakin. Kung seryoso talaga siya makukuha niyang maghintay gano man yan katagal. Nilingon ko siya, "Bakit ba lagi mo akong nililigtas sa heartache?" Tanong ko ng makalapit na siya sakin, naninikip na naman yung dibdib ko. Hindi dapat ako umiyak sa harap niya, hindi ko ipapakitang bigdeal si Duke sakin dahil baka magmukha akong tanga sa paningin ni Maverick. "He's just not worth it!" Huli niya pang sinabi.

Tahimik lang siyang nagdadrive, hindi tulad noon na sobra siyang matanong tungkol sa kung ano-ano. Doon niya ko binaba sa dati naming bahay dahil sabi ko doon parin ako nakatira. "Why don't you go inside Zoe?" Tanong niya na ikinakaba ko. "Nah. I'll make sure you leave safely." I answered trying my best to sound sweet and convincing. "I know it, Zoe. Alam ko na kung saan ka talaga nakatira at hindi mo na kaylangang itago sakin yon." Sabi niya na talagang nagpakaba sakin. "What do you mean?" I said trying to sound having no clue about what he's saying. "You and Dwight leave together..." he smirked before saying it with his voice starting to sound angry. "All these time you've been lying to me? You're leaving with that-" I cut his sentence with a question. "Who told you about it?" I asked trying to hide my tears at the back of my eyes. Why is he acting this way? He's starting to be a monster, not that I'm not use to it but this time I don't know what to actually say. "We don't got any other choice. Duke! We've..." He cuts off my sentence before I'm about to tell him that we've been bankrupt. Now he's being a jerk. "Maverick told me everything. And I don't think I still trust you!" After I heard him say that I quickly opened my mouth. Does he know I don't trust him at all, after we broke up? "Duke. Let me remind you that you're the person who ruined this relationship in the first place. Ngayon sinasabi mong wala kang tiwala sakin? Hahaha. Big word! You know what? Fuck yourself!" After then I took a cab and imagined what he does to court me again.

I remember the restaurant scene where he hugged me as if I'm the most beautiful person he ever known. Noong oras na yon akala ko nagbago na siya. Akala ko kaya niya nang gawin lahat para sakin. Akala ko 'our love story's better on it's second time around', but I guess I'm wrong. He didn't change at all. Maybe he just felt horny by the time he first saw me step foot on his university. He didn't even hear me out, so I think maybe he's just not for me and maybe Maverick was right, he's not worth it! I was up near the pool area when Maverick came with wine. Nilagyan niya ng laman yung dalawang wine glass at ibinigay sa akin yung isa. Tinaasan ko naman siya ng isang kilay habang nakatingin sa baso at sa kanya. "Drink?" Sabi niya at pinag-cheers ang baso namin.