If This Lasts (If This #2) Published Under Bliss Books)

Zion

Savion was avoiding me. Pagkatapos niya akong baliwin sa halik niya nung nakaraang gabi ay bigla niya na lang akong iniwan at umalis.

Nag text ako sa kanya ng maraming beses. Ilang beses din akong tumawag, pero kahit isa ay wala siyang sinagot. I thought of driving straight to her house the first day, but then what? I know she needed time to think, so, I gave her time.

But it's already been days and I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't stay away from her anymore. I need to see her. I want to talk to her. To talk about that kiss.

Hindi ko siya naabutan sa campus kaya pinili kong pumunta sa subdivision nila at doon na lang maghintay. I waited for nearly three hours near their driveway. I even saw the arrival of what must be Savion's parents' car, but there's still no sign of her.

It was half past seven when I saw her black Mazda from the rear view mirror. Her car halted its motion. I opened my car door the same time she opened hers.

Pinilit kong ngumisi kahit ang totoo ay pinipigilan ko ang sarili na tumakbo palapit sa kanya at ikulong siya sa mahigpit na yakap. Fuck, I missed you, baby. I missed you so fucking much.

"What are you doing here?" matabang na bungad niya sa akin. Pumait ang panlasa ko. Seeing how she loathes my presence was like getting my heart sliced with a rusty knife.

"Aren't you at least going to say 'hi' first?" I mocked, my chest contracting at my feigned confidence.

"You shouldn't be here." she quipped, adding salt to the open wound from her recent rejection.

I couldn't hold my smirk any longer. My eyes hardened as I peered at her, my jaw clenching at the irritating emotion stirring inside my chest. "Why?"

Savion didn't answer. Her lips were pursed into thin line when she averted her eyes from me. I stared at her, waiting for her to say something but she remained silent.

Umuwang ang labi ko nang maintindihan kung bakit hindi niya makapagsalita. Kung bakit hindi man lang niya kayang tumingin sa akin.

"You took him back." I mumbled, unsure of my own words as I stared at her closely. I shook my head in disbelief when she didn't say anything. She doesn't need to because her lack of words said it all.

"You fucking took him back." I snarled, my jaw ticking as anger spurn inside me. "Even after how that cheating asshole lied to you? You took him back? Why?"

"I love him." binigyan niya ako ng masama at galit na titig.

"You love him." I absent mindedly echoed her words. It's like getting my heart ripped out of my chest, thrown into the ground, and stomped repeatedly until there's nothing left.

I didn't know what to say. I could feel her looking at me. My eyes were on her face but I was trapped in my own wretched thoughts.

I know that she's with someone. I already knew that her heart's already owned by someone who's not me, but hearing the words from her firsthand makes it even more horrifically real.

From the very beginning, I knew that she was someone else's, but did that stop me from falling for her? No.

Fuck. Hindi ko ginusto na mahulog sa kanya, pero hindi ko rin pinigilan. At kung papapiliin man ako ay sigurado akong siya pa rin ang pipiliin ko.

He's just cheating on her. That asshole doesn't deserve her! And maybe I don't deserve her, too, but I want to be. I will do everything to deserve her. I can love her better. I can be better than him. I know I can.

I looked at her in the eyes, staring at her unsparingly. She didn't look away and stared back at me.

"Break up with him and be with me." I austerely said.