Convicted Love (Finished!)

Convicted Love 1

~ Summer 1 ~

[ My soul sister ]

'Bakit siya nandito?!?'

'We're a team!'

'If that thing's here, I'm out!'

'Ano bang meron! Lately you two are acting--'

*gunfire*

And then...I woke up.

"SUMMER? What's with you?"

"H-huh?"

"You still remember, don't you? You're still having nightmares about it."

"Jiya, it happened not long ago. Kung ikaw nakalimutan mo na. Ako hindi."

Tumayo na ko at dumiretso sa banyo para maligo. Napaisip nanaman ako. 5 years na ang nakalipas and I still haven't heard a single word from Paul and Kim. After that incident, Jiya and I went to London. Far away from all our past doings and our past commotion. She's like my soul sister and I can't imagine us separating.

"Una na ko, see you later." tumango naman si Jiya na tutok na tutok parin sa kung ano mang pinupunasan niya.

Nakatira kami ni Jiya sa isang apartment dito sa London. I work for the police, believe me or not. I help them open doors, vaults, etc, except that I'm not really so good with helping without payment. For short, mukha akong pera.

"Clare, can you hand me the files from yesterday?" 

"Here you are. By the way Summer, someone's looking for you. I let him in your office." ganun ba kabobo mga tao ngayon para magpapasok ng kung sino sa opisina ko?

"Gee...thanks." dahan dahan kong binuksan ang pintuan ng opisina ko only to find someone I have never seen before, and boy is he gorgeous. "You are?"

"Zayne Malik." inabot niya yung kamay niya, pero syempre mabait ako, tinitigan ko lang. "Oh-kaaaay." he smirked. Bakit ang gwapo niya?!

"What do you want from me?"

"Someone I know recommended you to help me with something." 

"I don't know you. Get out." tinuro ko yung pintuan pero ngumiti lang siya at umupo sa upuan.

Malamang, san mo gustong umupo? 

"Relax ka lang." nanlaki mata ko. Hindi ko akalaing Pinoy siya. Napatingin ulit ako sa broad shoulders niya, sa mga tantalizing eyes niya--ESTE ANO! Sino ba to!

"PILIPINO KA?"

"Summer naman." he pouted, ang cute cute niya...but I am so not falling for that.

"Get out of my office." hindi ako papadala kung gano ka kagwapo! Kahit gano kita gustong titigan ng matagal.

"Listen..."

"Do you want me to call the guards? Get out."

"My brother sent me." 

"Eh ano naman ngayon? Anong pakialam ko sa kapatid mo?" 

"So you really don't remember me?" I shook my head.

"Karemeremember ka ba?"

"Seryoso ka? Ganyan ka ba kagalit sakin kaya pati pangalan ko at itsura ko...at buong pagkatao ko kinalimutan mo na?" tapos tumawa siya. At dun ko siya naalala...

"ZAYNE MALIK PANGAN?!?" kasabay ng pagsigaw ko sakanya...binato ko siya ng kung ano mang mahawakan ko.

After a few minutes of my shock assault, tumigil na din ako. Kuntento na ko na natamaan ko siya ng wooden figurine sa ulo at nagalusan siya sa pagkakaout of balance niya. Syempre hindi siya gumanti. Tumango tango lang siya. I bet he knows he deserves it.

"It's been 5 freaking years. I told you, nasira yung kotse nung gabing yun. Gumawa naman ako ng paraan ah? Don't you think Kim getting shot is enough punishment already?" bakit nga ba napaka-insensitive ko. Hindi ko man lang siya pinakinggan. He came all the way here to see me tapos pinagbababato ko lang siya.

"Okay. Fine. I'm sorry. How's Kim?"

Nakakagulat lang na sa loob ng limang taon, may babanggit ulit sa sa nakaraan. Of course lagi naming napaguusapan ni Jiya yung mga dati naming kaibigan, pero coming from someone else's mouth? Unbelievable. Lalo na yung someone else na yun, kapatid ni Kim...at ex ko pa.

Dinala ko siya sa apartment namin ni Jiya. Jiya's at work and we needed to TALK privately. Take emphasis on the word TALK. Just talk.

"So, how were you sa 5 years na hindi tayo nagkita?"

"I'm good. A lot better. Ikaw? Kayo?"

"Well, believe it or not. Nabaril na si Kim at lahat lahat pero di parin siya tumigil sa business."

"You're still calling robbery a business?"

In our earlier years, people hire us--me, Jiya, Kim and Paul--to do their dirty work and we get paid. Triple the normal salary for fresh college graduates like us. Our first job, we had our doubts. Jiya and I were planning on backing out...but we couldn't just leave Paul and Kim alone. As years passed, we became professionals. Kim introduced his elder brother Zayne to me. He liked me, I liked him. Then the next thing I knew, kami na. Having all those money was great. But some of us grew tired. 

December 18, 2006 dapat ang pinakalast naming trabaho. Tapos nun, pinangako namin na titigil na kami. Kaso, kung kailan huli na, dun pa nagkaron ng complications.

[ FLASHBACK ]

"Zayne! Nasan ka na ba?!" sigaw ko sakanya sa cellphone.

"Teka! Malapit na!"

"Time's running out. Bilisan mo na!"

"Ito na nga!"

"Last na nga 'to eh. San ka pa nagsususuot!"

Nagpark si Zayne at sumakay na kami ni Kim sa kotse niya. Pagkarating namin sa masyon na pinapasok samin ng boss namin, umalis na ulit si Zayne para kumuha ng iba pang gamit. Aaminin ko, we weren't ready today. Parang nadown na yung spirit namin. We kept on working. Right after I opened the vault, I saw Paul, yung mukha niya hindi na maipinta sa sobrang pagsimangot. Ni hindi ko nga napansin na kasama namin siya eh. We all thought na hindi siya pupunta because of our lack of communication. 

Ilang minuto nalang and the alarms will go off. We got the money from the vault. All we needed was to control the alarm system nung...

"Bakit siya nandito?!?" sabay turo ni Kim kay Paul. Nananahimik naman si Paul habang binebreach yung mga CCTV sa loob ng mansyon.

"We're a team!" sigaw ni Jiya.

"If that thing's here, I'm out!" finally, I've had it. That thing? That's not a proper way to address a friend.

"Ano bang meron! Lately you two are acting--" I stopped and almost panicked when I heard a gun fire. Sunod sunod yung pagpapaputok, only then did we know na we were discovered by the guards. Ang dami nila. There were almost 10 of them.

We rushed outside, ang ingay ingay. Alarms at samahan pa ng putok ng baril. We were expecting Zayne to be there. But he wasn't...

And because of him, nakita namin si Kim na nabaril. Binuhat namin siya nina Paul. Half dragging him. Hindi ko alam kung anong milagro ang nangyari, pero biglang dumating yung iba naming mga kakilala and helped us get away.

For the first time, I heard Paul swear. Si Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes, nagmumura, umiiyak. Si Jiya, nanginginig habang hawak hawak ang duguan na si Kim. 

[ END OF FLASHBACK ]

And with that memory, Jiya and I moved away. We never heard from Kim and Paul.