"Alin sa inner demons mo ang gumugulo sa'yo?"
"Let's not talk about it."
Kasabay ng pag-iwas ni Pat sa tanong ay umiwas rin ito ng tingin.
"Sige na nga," Miho took a deep breath before she continued, "Hindi naman ako katulad nu'ng dalawang chismosa kanina. Hindi rin naman kita i-ju-judge kung ano man yung dahilan kung ba't ka galit kanina," She said with a smile.
"I know. Hindi ka kaparehas nila. I also want to believe you're different from anybody else."
Then, silence followed. Patuloy lang na kumain si Miho habang inuubos naman ni Pat ang kanyang iniinom. She didn't know what to say. Iba nga kaya siya sa mga tao sa paligid ni Pat? She wondered. What if she's not? What does he even mean by the word different?
Naisipan na lang niyang magbukas ng ibang topic.
"May gagawin ka pa ba bago matulog mamaya? School-related? Yung painting mo?"
He shook his head. "How about you?"
"Wala naman na ngayon. Maliligo lang ako." She stood up and took her clothes inside his cabinet.
After she took a bath, it was Pat's turn. Dumungaw siya sa bintana at nakitang umuulan na naman. The cold weather made her feel sleepy; naupo siya sa sofa at napapikit saglit. Sa kalagitnaan ng pagpapahinga, nakaisip siya ng paraan para siya naman ang matulog dito. Humiga na siya agad at hinintay lumabas si Pat upang magpanggap na nakatulog na siya. Her hair was still wet but she didn't care anymore, she wanted to try if this strategy would work.
She stared at the bathroom door with her eyes half-open. Nang lumabas na ito, agad niyang sinara ang kanyang mga mata at niyakap ng mahigpit ang unan. Napansin niyang wala na naman itong pantaas; she mentally face-palmed as she concluded that he must really be used to wearing nothing but boxers when sleeping. Which means, kailangan na niyang masanay tutal ilang araw lang naman siya sa unit nito.
"Emily?"
She heard his voice from afar. Rinig din niya ang mga yapak nitong palapit sa kanya.
"Hey, are you asleep?"
Miho did not respond. She kept her eyes closed and let her mind wander on random serious matters to prevent herself from laughing. She knew so far, she was doing well. Wala na kasi siyang narinig kung hindi ang tunog ng pag-switch ng ilaw pagkatapos. Hindi na siguro siya aabalahin pa nito.
After a few seconds, naramdaman na lang niyang nasiksik siya sa hinihigaan. She succeeded in positioning herself in his sofa, yuon nga lang, iba naman ang naisip gawin ng kalaban niya.
Tumabi ito sa kanya at nahigang pagilid na katulad niya.
Naramdaman pa niya na pinatong ni Pat ang braso nito sa kanyang baywang at nakiyakap sa unang niyayakap niya. She mentally cursed as she felt she was trapped. Kung dahil masikip o dahil si Pat ang katabi ay hindi niya alam, but she sure felt for a few seconds, that it was hard to breathe.
Sinisi niya ang sofa dahil malaki-laki ito na kayang pagkasyahin ang dalawang taong nakatagilid. Then, she blamed herself— dahil naisip pa niya itong gawin at nahiga siya ng ganito ang posisyon kaya nagka-espasyo pa lalo.
Naisip na niyang umarte na lang na nagising at nang gagawin na niya ang pekeng paghikab, napahinto siya nang maramdaman bigla ang binti nito na pumatong sa kanya. He was hugging her as if she was a pillow! Miho did not move, her eyes remained close. Hinayaan niyang lumipas ang ilang segundo bago siya nagpasyang sumuko at lumipat na lang sa kama.
BINABASA MO ANG
Yo te Cielo
Historical Fiction{ sequel of ikaw na ang huli } Will Pat and Miho's encounter lead to the fulfillment of a promise that was broken in the 19th century?-or shall their past lives still dictate their destiny to remain as star-crossed lovers until the present time? ...
