Romantic Short Stories [DUBREDO]

IV. Malacañang Garden

        

Rodrigo woke up. He checked his phone for the time, it was just 7AM on a Saturday. He rolled on the other side of the bed and it surprised him to see Leni at the couch sleeping.

"Leni?" He uttered waking her up.

"Mmm, sorry nakatulog rin ako." She said. She went to the bathroom and washed her face. "Nahihilo ka ba?" She asked. "Medyo." He replied. "Hang over yan. Gusto mo ng kape?" She asked. "Di na." He replied quite bothered, he knew how he talks when he's drunk and though he wasn't sure what he said and confessed last night, he had the courage to ask her about it.

"Leni, sorry kagabi. Baka may nasabi akong mga kagagúhan, wala akong matandaan masyado." He apologized. "Okay lang." She replied, suddenly, Jocellyn entered his room with a french toast and coffee. "Ay sorry sa istorbo. Magfrench toast muna kayo habang nagpoprofess kayo ng feelings." She teased. "Ha?" Rodrigo felt lost. Leni refused to talk. "Ay. Hindi niyo pa— ah, okay sige. Alis na ako." Jocellyn blabbered. Rodrigo looked at Leni for some clue. "I should go." Jocellyn said and left the two alone.

"Mag-init lang ako ng tubig pang-ligo mo." Leni changed the topic. "Hindi, ano yung sinasabi ni Jo?" He asked. Leni took a deep breath and turned back at him as she stroked her skirt as she exhaled. "Ha? Wala naman, kagabi kase kung ano anong nasasabi mo kase nga nakainom ka, paulit ulit mo kasing sinasabi na you love me ganon." She said continuously and tried to distract herself by faking her giggles.

"Pero alam ko namang nakainom ka lang—"

"Totoo yon." He cuts her off. Silence swarmed the room and Leni couldn't think of what to respond with his confession.

"Totoo yon. Nakaka-gägo man marinig pero hindi ko rin inakala na gugustuhin kong magseryoso sa kahit kanino hanggang sa... nakilala kita." He continued confessing as Leni listened closely finding it hard to believe what she was hearing from him.

"Alam ko panget yung simula natin. Ang sama ng intro ko sayo pero magbabago ako para sa'yo. Seryoso ako sa maniwala ka o sa hindi." He continued but Leni started feeling confused. "Gusto ko lang malaman kung dapat ko bang ituloy 'to, kung mutual ba yung nararamdaman natin o dapat na ba nating itigil 'to habang maaga pa." He expressed making Leni feel so much flabbergasted.

"So... Leni, mahal mo rin ba ako?" He asked courageously, largely hoping she would say yes. Her eyes started to get sparkly and a bit teary. She couldn't believe of what she was hearing. He smiled at her as they gazed on each other.

"Sorry." She hardly uttered.

Rodrigo's heart shattered into pieces upon hearing her reply. He wasn't used to rejections, it was his first time to love someone that real, it was his first time that someone rejected him and he failed to get what he wants.

"Rodrigo... I'm sorry ano kase..."

"Ayos lang, ayos lang, Leni."

"Rody, wag naman ganyan. Sorry..." She sympathized as she didn't want to hurt him but she also didn't want to rush herself into saying yes to him.

"Hindi. Okay lang talaga, I expected this." He uttered in pain.

"You're great..."

"Sus, great but not great enough for you." He retorted.

Leni was confused, she wasn't ready to answer his question, she haven't thought about it through and she was afraid that even if she wanted to be with him, she would mess things up and she thought he was too much for her.

"I'm sorry." She apologized. He faked a smile despite that the agony he was taking was clearly visible in his eyes. "Okay lang. At least pwede na natin itigil 'to." He brought up and raised his eyebrows. Leni refused to speak, she immediately wiped the tears starting to stream down her face.

"Malaya ka na." He barely said and smiled at her.

Tears continued streaming down her cheeks continuously that she decided to leave instead of staying. She could not ask to stay for she wasn't even sure about her feelings for him and she didn't want to tell him her desire to stay and then change her mind afterwards and so she decided to just leave. Jocellyn saw Leni crying as she left and she knew that something wrong happened.

        

Jocellyn immediately went to Rodrigo's room after witnessing Leni's emotional exit.

"Uy." She called him soflty. Rodrigo turned to her with a large trace of the agony he is coping with that very moment. Jocellyn was stunned, she never saw such sadness in Rodrigo's eyes ever, she knew he was really hurting.

"Wala na kami" Rodrigo shared.

"Rody..." Jocellyn sympathized and gave him a consoling hug. "Wala na kami. Hind niya ako gusto." Rodrigo said repeatedly finding it hard to cope with the pain Leni had caused him.

"Kapag mahal ka babalikan ka" She rubbed his back.

"Hindi naman niya ako mahal." He retorted. "Baka naoverwhelm lang? Bigyan mo lang ng time makapag-isip isip." She continued comforting him. "Ayokong mawala siya." He confessed. Jocellyn withdrew from the hug and looked at his brother in the eye. "Alam ko." She said.

"Ever since narinig ko si Leni sa'yo, I saw this coming." She replied. "Magpakatatag ka. Fight for the woman you love and don't ever let her go." She encouraged him.