Chasing Sunsets

Chapter 20:

♪♪ She's like cold coffee in the morning. I'm drunk off last night's whiskey and coke. She'll make me shiver without warning...

Nikos Caprielle

I kissed her last week, everything happened so fast but don't regret anything. It felt like it's the rightest thing to do at that moment.

Pero hindi ko pa sya nakikita mula nun. I didn't go to Lyric the day after even though I know she'll be there. Nakatanggap kasi ako ng tawag sa Lyric Records na kailangan daw nandun ako sa meeting with our new singer.

I saw her walking towards her students. Hindi nya ako napansin dahil nandito lang ako sa isang corner.

Fvck it. What would she think of me now? A kiss stealer? An asshole who kiss and run?

"Teacher Nikos." Nagulat ako ng may nagsalitang bata sa tabi ko.

"Rey, anong ginagawa mo dito?" Tanong ko sa kanya.

"Si Teacher Serene po yung crush mo na kinwento mo samin dati 'no?" Nanunuksong tanong nya.

"Paano mo naman nasabi yan?"

"You can't stop looking at her with that strange glow in your eyes." Sabi nya.

"Ikaw talaga. Saan mo ba natututunan yan ha?" Biro ko sa kanya. "Pero tama ka."

"Teacher Nikos! Nandyan ka pala." Tawag ni Serenity. I couldn't read her expression. Galit kaya sya? "Rey, halika na. Let's start."

"Teacher Nikos, kung gusto mo akong magsasabi sa kanya para sa'yo." Bulong sa 'kin ni Rey.

"Sige lang. Pumunta ka na dun." Natatawang sabi ko sa kanya.

"Teacher Serene! Ikaw pala yung crush ni Teacher Nikos e!" Rey announced and Serenity blushed. Niloloko kami ng mga estudyante nya. I tried to fight off a laugh but I couldn't.

Nagsimula na syang magturo. I was just watching them the whole time. She's so dedicated at nahahawa nya ang students nya kaya madali silang nakapag-break.

Nilapitan ko sya pagkaalis ng students nya then I asked her to stay with me for a while.

"I'm sorry I didn't show up." I told her.

"It's okay." She said.

"I got a call from Manila so I had to go there."

"Okay lang. I understand." She smiled. "Hindi mo naman duty na bantayan ako 'di ba?"

"Thanks. I just don't want you to think of me as a guy who just kiss and run."

"I don't think of you that way!" Natatawang sabi nya.

"Seriously, I don't just kiss a girl for no reason." I said.

There was a long silence between us.

"Hey, do you like books?" I asked her when I saw a book on my table, just to break the silence.

"Ang random mo ngayon." She commented. "Yeah I do like books."

"One time, when I was 14, pumunta ako sa isang charity bazaar." Kwento nya. "I bought some pre-loved books. Pag-uwi ko sa bahay, chineck ko sila isa-isa. Then I saw Message In A Bottle by Nicholas Sparks. I read it and I cried all night."

"Of course you cried, girls love crying to those kind of stories." I teasingly commented.

"Hey, don't stereotype! I hate you!" Kunot-noong sabi nya. "Yeah, I cried because of the story but do you know what made me cry all night?"

"What is it?"

"I found a letter wedged between the pages of that book. Nakakatawa nga e, it's a little ironic, I found a message in a book that's entitled Message In A Bottle." She laughed.

I laughed, trying to imagine her face when she found that letter. Nanlaki siguro yung mga mata nya habang tinatakpan ang bibig.

"It was a very romantic letter written by a guy named Carlos. It was addressed to a girl named Alicia. The letter quite told their entire love story. They fell in love pero pinaghiwalay sila ng tadhana."

"And then?"

"He wrote a letter for her. And it tells how much he loves her and how he regrets not telling her and how he hopes destiny gave them a chance. Nilagay nya yung letter sa book na binigay ni Alicia sa kanya then he left it in a train station, hoping it would be back to Alicia one day, and destiny would make it's way to help them meet again."

"Wow. That's quite interesting." I told her.

If ever the two of them met again because the girl found the book and they still love each other, maybe they wouldn't be apart ever again because they're really meant to be.

"What did you do to the book?" Tanong ko sa kanya.

"I gave it to my bestfriend then she gave it to some book lover she found online." Nanghihinayang na sabi nya. "Kahit gaano namin kagustong itabi yun, hindi namin kaya, gusto naming magkita ulit si Carlos at Alicia kahit hindi namin sila kilala." Kwento nya. "I loved writing letters since then." She smiled.

Maybe I should write her a letter one day. Anyway, I'm glad she's not mad at me.