Chasing Sunsets

Chapter 33:

♪♪ I never meant to fall for you but I was buried underneath and all that I could see was white. My salvation, my, my...

Dumating sya. Dumating si Nikos sa Lyric.

He was tan. I wonder kung saan sya galing. His hair has grown so much longer than it was before. His stubbles were noticable too. Sabagay, more than two weeks din syang wala.

He was watching me the whole time pero hindi sya nagsasalita. Seryoso yung mukha nya na parang hindi sya totoo. Kung hindi sya binati ng mga bata kanina, iisipin ko na imagination ko lang sya.

Dalawang oras syang ganun. Nung nagsiuwian na yung mga estudyante, I pretended that he wasn't there. Hindi naman sya nagsasalita e. Pinapanuod lang nya ang bawat galaw ko.

I fixed my things. Uuwi na lang ako kung wala syang balak magsalita. Gusto ko lang naman malaman kung safe sya e at mukha namang okay lang sya. Siguro pinagtitripan lang nya ako.

Bigla syang tumayo at hinawakan ang kamay ko bago pa ako makalampas sa kanya.

"Sumama ka sa 'kin." Sabi nya pagkatapos ay nagsimula na syang maglakad.

Dinala nya ako sa isang red na pickup truck. It was rugged looking, which reminds me of Bella Swan's pickup truck sa Twilight.

He opened the door for me.

"Sakay."

"Bakit ba bigla ka na lang nanghihila? Saan mo ba ako dadalhin?" Naiinis na tanong ko sa kanya.

"Wag ka nang magtanong. Sakay." Utos nya sakin.

"Paano kung ayoko? Uuwi na ako. Next time na lang." Maglalakad na sana ako. Paalis pero hinarangan nya ako.

"Mukha bang may balak akong paalisin ka? Sasakay ka ba o gusto mong maglakad na lang tayo?"

Wala na akong nagawa. Sumakay na lang ako. Sige na, sasakyan ko na lang kung ano mang trip nya ngayon.

I looked at him minutes later. His eyes were concentrated on the road. Sobrang seryoso ng expression nya. Lalo pang nakadagdag dun ang mature look nya ngayon at yung suot nyang jacket.

Mukha syang action star.

In love ka na nyan?

Shut up, subconscious.

Nagdrive sya ng nagdrive. Hindi ko alam kung saan kami pupunta at hindi ko alam kung kailan kami titigil. Hindi sya nagsasalita pero at one moment hinawakan na lang nya ang kamay ko at hindi na yun binitawan.

Mayamaya, napaltan na ng mga puno ang mga bahay sa tabi ng daan. Wala na rin kaming kalsadang dinadaanan. Mukhang trail paakyat na lang yung dinadaanan namin. Sobrang dilim na sa paligid.

Shet saan kaya ako dadalhin ng lalaking to?! Ito na ba yung sinasabi ng mga kaibigan nya na baka kung anong gawin nya if he becomes unstable? Should I run for my life?

No, Serene. You're being delusional.

"Saan tayo pupunta?" Tanong ko sa kanya. Isang nakakalokong ngiti lang ang sinagot nya sakin. Creep! Bigla tuloy akong kinabahan.

Tumigil na sya sa isang clearing. Bumaba sya mula sa sasakyan at saka ako pinagbuksan ng pinto.

Tiningnan ko sya ng masama at hindi ako bumaba.

"Wala ka bang balak na bumaba dyan?" Tanong nya pagkatapos ay inalok sa akin ang kamay nya. Hindi ko yun tinanggap.

"Hindi ako bababa! Nakakatakot kaya dyan! May balak ka bang ipakain ako sa mga lobo?!"

"Sa gwapo kong to, mukha ba akong may gagawing masama?!" Tanong nya.

"No, but looks can be deceiving."

"Come on, Serene. Walang mga lobo sa Pilipinas. Safe ka dito. Nandito naman ako e. Sa tingin mo ba ipapahamak kita?"

Inalok nya ulit ang kamay nya sa akin. Iniintay nyang kunin ko yun. Okay, hindi naman ako mananalo sa kanya e. At saka wala na akong choice, nandito na kami.

Bumaba ako. Bigla na namang naging seryoso ang atmosphere sa pagitan namin.

He made a bonfire a when it started getting cold. The sun was completely out of sight at this moment. Buti na lang maraming bituin sa langit.

"Dito ako laging pumupunta kapag gusto kong mag-isa." He said, breaking the minutes of awkward silence between us.

"Where have you been?" Tanong ko sa kanya.

He shrugged and looked at the bonfire.

"I had a vacation." Sagot nya.

"And you didn't even tell your friends? You were gone for almost three weeks! You can't be contacted. We were crazy worried about you."

"I just wanted some time to realize things about me, about you."

My heart skipped a beat.

Narealize na ba nya na hindi ako dapat mahalin?

I was on the edge of crying. But then he looked at me once again.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But that's the whole purpose of it anyways. I was trying to find out if I can still live without you."

"You were talking with some girl the last time I tried to talk to you but you ignored me." I told him.

Lumapit sya sa akin at muling hinawakan ang mga kamay ko. Then he looked at me in the eyes.

"That's my youngest sister, Serene. I spent time with my family for a week. I talked to my dad about you. Then I spent a week in Palawan." He stopped and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ears. "I regret not taking you there. But then it was a good thing because I realized that I was right. I can't live without you anymore."

I couldn't say anything. I was also looking at his eyes I could almost see his soul. Actually, I think I was looking at his soul and he was looking at mine.

"I just made sure that I'm doing the right thing. I'm talking about forever here. You've invaded even the deepest places of my heart." He paused for a while to kiss my forehead. "Serenity, I'm so in love with you."

I froze. He held my face with his hands. He was so close I could feel him breathing.

"Serene, now that I'm sure about how I feel for you, nothing can hold me back now. Answer me, will you give me your heart?"

"Will you accept the disaster that I am?" I asked him. Blissful tears were streaming down my face.

"You're not a disaster, my love. And even if you are, I'd fight all of your demons for you. We can fight them together." He said, wiping the tears out of my cheeks.

I took a deep breath. Sa oras na yun, wala akong inalalang iba, kinalimutan ko lahat ng bagay na pumipigil sa akin para maging masaya, wala akong alam kundi mahal ko sya.

"I love you, Nikos. I'm choosing you." I told him. He smiled and looked at me as if I was the air he's breathing. "You can have my heart."

A second later, he was kissing me.

Right at that moment, I swear, our love was burning brighter than the bonfire he made.