My Sweet Pianist

Chapter 8: Cold words

3rd Omniscient POV

Tulad ng kanina, hindi rin sila nag-imikan sa loob ng sasakyan. She was just staring at the window hanggang sa hindi na namalayan ni Chris na nakatulog na si Seychelle.

He fished out something in his pocket.... His Christmas ball night with Karisse.. Then he looked at sleeping Seychelle. Hindi niya maalis ang mga mata nito sa natutulog na dalaga dahil sa nakaka-pang akit niyang mukha kahit siya ay natutulog... He can't believe such beauty will exist in this kind of human plus the fact that she resembles his ex-girlfriend.

DAMN IT!  Itinuon nalang niya ang sarili sa pagmamaneho.

As he was driving, hhe started to hear a murmuring voice; Seychelle's grouse voice. This woman is a hell creepy sleep talker, he thought and continued driving.

"Lawrence..." She grumbled as if crying for his help. But Seychelle has never called him by his second name.

"Twinkie..."

*Sccccrrreeeeehhhhhh!!!

Chris suddenly hit the breaks at buti nalang wala na sila sa highway. 

"Ti-Twinkie..." she murmured then he saw a tear flowing out from her left eye.

Lumapit siya sa dalaga. "Seychelle... Wake up." Chris calmly said as he wipe her tear away.

At first, she didn't seem to respond. Nananayo ang buong balahibo ni Chris na parang binuhusan siya ng isang timba ng malamig na tubig. And that name... Twinkie... 

How could she know that name?

"Twinkie... Hu-huwag mo akong... Iwan..." She uttered once again.

Shit! Napa-atras lalo si Chris nang makita niyang dilat na ang dalaga.

Biglang nagising si Seychelle na lalo niya pang ikina-atras at kulang nalang ay lumabas na siya ng sasakyan.

She woke up as if she's in a reverie. Her face is blank, pale and distressingly sad.

"Seychelle. Sheeshh... Nandito lang ako... Hindi kita iiwan... Tahan na... Tahan na..."

Nang tiningnan niya ito, wala na siyang malay. It looks like she fell asleep again. Agad na siyang nagmaneho pauwi sa bahay niya.

Pagkarating, kinuha ni Chris sa bag ni Seychelle ang susi ng bahay. Buhat-buhat niya itong nilabas sa sasakyan at pinasok sa bahay at paakyat sa kwarto niya...

Nang mai-higa na si Seychelle kama, agad nagsumamo si Chris na magising na siya.

"Seychelle, please wake up..."

He hold her hand so tight.

"Please Seychelle... Please gumising ka..."

Halos 30 minutes siyang walang malay. Hanggang sa naramdaman niyang gumalaw ng bahagya ang kamay niya na kanina pa niya hawak. Unti-unting nag-mulat ang mga mata ng dalaga.

In an instant, Chris immediately hugged her as if she has just waken up from a coma. Relief was all he could feel knowing that she is finally awake.

"Chris?" Taka ni Seychelle.

"I'm so glad you're okay."

"Okay? Anong okay?" She asked feeling estranged.

Binitawan niya sa pagka-yakap ang dalaga at pati siya ay nag-taka.

"W-wala kang naalala?"

"Naalala ang alin?"

"Yung sa sasakyan kanina." Sagot niya.

"Anong meron sa sasakyan kanina?" Tinaasan siya nito ng kilay.

"You fell asleep then you started sleep talking. Crying and asking for my help. Any familiar with that?"

"No... But I think I know what happened to me earlier."

"I don't understand."

"I was in a trance, Chris. I had episodes like that before. Madalas akong atakihin noong nasa Cebu pa ako. Noong pina-ospital ako ng mga kumupkop sa akin, sabi ng doctor ay karaniwan yun nangyayari sa mga may trauma at walang maalala. And now, it happened again." Sabi niya nang hindi man lang nakatingin sa binata.

"Gusto mo ipa-check up kita?"

"There's no need, Chris." 

"You scared me."

"Was I that scary?"

"Hell, yes. You even called me by my second name which was even scarier."

"Is that even scary?"

 "Never mind that. By the way, Seychelle, I have a plan."

"What kind of plan?"

"I told you before that I will help you get your memories back. But..."

"But???"

Chris heaved a sigh before answering.

"You have to be Karisse..."

Nanlaki ang mga mata ni Seychelle.

"What?! No! Ayoko. I don't want to pretend to be someone I'm not. She's your girlfriend."

"My ex-girlfriend." Pagtama ni Chris.

"Chris, this has gone too far. Mas baliw ka pa ata kesa sa akin. Ayokong magpanggap na ex mo at papaano na naman makakatulong ang pagpapanggap ko?"

"Seychelle, you have to be her. Yun lang yung naiisip kong paraan."

"At what cost? Me hurting you and what? Mauulit yung nangyari kanina sa sementeryo?"

"No. First of, how can we help each other if we only see each other at the studio? Second, If we spend more time, we can connect clues and those missing pieces of your lost memory. And third, I'll try to solve why you and Karisse look so much alike."

"Malay mo doppelganger lang ako ni Karisse saka parang hindi ako sigurado sa plano mo. What if something goes wrong?"

"Nothing will go wrong."

"Sana nga. Sige, papayag na akong maging girlfriend mo but only because we're going to retrieve my lost memories."

Hinawakan ni Chris ang kamay niya..

"Don't worry. I've got your back." He smiled at her.