Love me Again

17

Narinig ni K na nagbuzz ang kanyang cellphone. Kinuha niya ito at tinignan. Isa nanaman itong mensahe galing kay Yael.

Hey gorgeous! Just thought I'd let you know that I miss seeing your pretty face! Love always, Ysmael.

Karylle smiled softly at her phone. It was cute. Tumingin siya sa may labas. Malamig na ang simoy ng hangin, malapit nang magpasko.  She remembered that much at least. Naisip tuloy niya kung ano ang gagawin nila ni Vice. To be perfectly fair, she knew she was probably going to spend it with Yael. Paniguradong aayain siya nito at syempre hindi siya makakatanggi. Magdedate siguro sila kagaya ng ginagawa ng mga normal couples. But the thought of Vice being alone on Christmas day made her chest hurt. Reregaluhan nalang niya siguro si Vice sa pasko para hindi ito malungkot.

They'd only become close again in the past few days. At masaya si K na nangyari ang lahat ng nangyare. She knew how difficult it must've been for Vice to lose his best friend. She owed a lot to him, for his being patient, for him taking her out and making sure she was comfortable. Kaylangan niya ng something special kung magreregalo siya sa isang kagaya ni Vice. Kinagat niya ang kanyang labi at nagisip. Socks? Too bland. A new bathrobe? Tatawanan lang siya ni Vice dahil mukha pang bago yung ginagamit niya. The question plagued K's mind for the whole day.

She spent most of it texting Yael, enjoying their flirty banter. It felt good to be wanted. Napapatawa siya nito. And that was how it was supposed to be, right?

Pagod si Vice pagkauwi niya sa condo as per usual. Nahiga siya sa sofa kung saan nakaupo si K, nanunuod ng TV.

"Pagod?" K asked.

"Clients, you can't satisfies." Vice huffed.

"That's what he said." Karylle giggled. Vice groaned at the joke and closed his eyes. Ngumiti rin si K na absentmindedly na sinusuklay ang buhok ni Vice gamit ang kamay. As if it was the most natural thing in the world. Meanwhile, every nerve on Vice's body stood on end at each stroke. "We should do something fun this weekend." ang sabi ni K. Hindi sumagot si Vice. He instead savored the feeling on Karylle's hands and fingers tangling in his hair. He shivered. "Nilalamig ka ba?" ang tanong naman ni K. Kaysa sabihin na ang ginagawa ni K ang nagpapangiwi sa kanya, tumango lang si Vice. K stood up and Vice almost let out a small whine nung tigilan niya ang ginagawa niya. Karylle reached over the couch and grabbed a blanket, inihagis niya ito kay Vice. "Laksan ko yung heater?" ang muling tanong ni K. Umiling lang si Vice, kaya naman bumalik na si K sa paglalaro sa buhok ni Vice. Nanuod sila ng kung-ano-lang sa tv hanggang sa inantok na si K.

"Inaantok ka na?" ang tanong ni Vice nang makitang humikab si K. "Tulog ka na."

"Medyo." humikab ulit ito at nag-unat at tsaka tumayo. "Tara na." ang aya nito kay Vice.

Si Vice naman na naalarma at nagulat sa sinabi ni K ay agad namang nagtanong "Saan?"

"Sa kama." tinitigan lang siya ni Vice dahil sobra itong nagulantang sa pinagsasabi ng asawa. "I'm not stupid Vice. Sigurado ako na magkashare tayo ng kama. At natulog ako sa may sofa kanina at ang sakit sakit ng batok ko na ngayon." tumingin ito kay Vice upang tignan kung may sasabihin pa ito. "Tara na." Vice stood up in a daze. Hindi siya sigurado kung alam na ba ni K ang lahat o nagiging mabait lang ba ito sa kanya. "I mean, it's no big deal to me. Mag best friend naman tayo diba?" K shrugged. Vice's shoulder dropped.