"Wala na po kami ni Melissa." Sabi ni Tisoy. We were having dinner when he broke the news to us. Mom and Dad were asking why they don't see Melissa anymore. They'd been dating for almost two years. Hindi naman madalas pero every now and then dinadala niya si Melissa dito. Gustong-gusto siya nang mommy at daddy para kay Tisoy. I never liked her. Lalo na noong nahuli ko sila sa toolshed. I never hid my dislike for her. Kapag pumupunta siya dito, tinatarayan ko siya.
My heart felt like it skipped a beat, or maybe ten beats, and the food I just swallowed caught in my throat. Napaubo ako. I reached for my glass and drank from it.
"Okay ka lang?" Dad worriedly asked.
"Y-yeah." I answered as I was putting my glass down.
"Bakit kayo naghiwalay?" Mom asked him.
"It just wasn't working out." He said and then he gazed at me. "Hindi lang siguro kami para sa isa't isa."
"Kailan pa nangyari yan?" Si daddy naman ang nagtanong.
"About two weeks ago po." He answered.
Two weeks ago. Dalawang linggo na ang nakakaraan ng hinalikan niya ako. Was I the reason why they broke up? Was it because of the kiss?
Why was my heart somersaulting inside my chest?
I felt... elated. And at the same time, I felt bad about being happy about their breakup. Was I bad for feeling this way?
Nagtama ang tingin namin ni Tisoy. I held his gaze and the moment was almost too intimate to maintain, but I held his gaze. It was like we both knew something no one else knew. My eyes lowered to his lips. I could feel the tension between us growing. All I could think about was his lips and how soft it felt when it grazed mine.
We hadn't spoken since that kiss. Kahit magkasabay kaming umuwi mula sa school, hindi kami nag-uusap. I guess we were both afraid one of us will bring it up. We were both scared to talk about it. I was scared about my feelings for him. Natatakot ako na baka masabi ko sa kanya ang totoo.
"Danilo... Danilo..." I pushed my way through the crowd of women around him. May laro sina Danilo ngayon kalaban ang basketball team ng ibang school. All the girls wanted to take pictures with him. Ngayon lang ulit kami nagkita at sa mismong game pa niya. Naging abala kasi si Danilo sa basketball practice niya kaya hindi kami ganon kadalas magkita. Pinaghandaan niya talaga itong game na ito.
"Baby." He said with a wide smile when he saw me. "I missed you."
"We need to talk." I said.
"What?" He shouted over the screaming crowd.
"I said we need to talk." I had to raise my voice.
"After the game." He smiled. His arms locked around my waist and he gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Wish me luck, babe." He winked at me before letting me go.
I had to sit on the bleacher and watch him play. Hinintay kong matapos ang laro nila. I didn't want to distract him from his game. Matagal niya itong pinaghandaan. Nanalo ang team nila Danilo sa basketball game.
Pagkatapos ng laro nila masayang tumakbo siya papunta sa akin. He wrapped his arms around me, lifted me from the ground and spun me around.
"We won, baby." Tuwang-tuwang sabi niya.
"Ano ba, Danilo? Put me down." I said.
Ibinaba niya ako at ikinulong ang mukha ko sa mga palad niya.
"Kailangan natin mag—"
"We're going to have a victory party after this." He said. "I want to celebrate with you."
