The Second Time Around (The Starving Squad #1)

Chapter 22: The Real Deal

Define out of the body experience? That's what it feels like for Fresia. Sa apat na beses silang nag-kiss, tatlo doon ay siya ang nag-initiate. Dalawang beses niya itong nasukahan at isang beses naman siyang nag-walk out.

Kissing him makes her feel something different, something she's never felt before. She doesn't know if it was a good thing, because different doesn't always mean better. But there's a rush of indescribable feelings, a mixture of fear and excitement, and tingles that she couldn't ignore. To put it in simpler words, may spark.

And she wanted more because it's making her feel more alive. Iniyakap niya ang mga braso sa batok nito at hinila ito palapit. Marahan nitong kinagat ang ibabang labi niya habang dahan-dahan siya nitong inihiga sa kama.

Nauubusan na siya ng hangin sa katawan pero ayaw pa ring humiwalay ng mga labi niya sa mga labi nito. His kisses were thorough, intense, and feverish. His tongue was like fire, burning through her soul, igniting the passion she never thought she had.

But she had to pull away, just for a while, just to catch her breath.

Naghahabol din ito ng hininga. Malamlam ang mga mata ni Bullet nang tumingin sa kanya.

"Wha-" She breathed. "W-Why?"

"Because I'll go insane if I didn't," he answered.

"And this is sane?"

"This is both crazy and sane." Then he added something in Kapampangan and he lost her again. Paano sila magkakaintindihan nito?

"Pwede bang managalog ka kapag kausap mo 'ko? I don't understand half of what you're saying."

"Some things are easier said in my dialect. They're harder to admit in words you understand."

Yumuko ito para halikan siyang muli. She didn't even put up a fight. She responded earnestly. But damn her lungs for holding very little air. They had to break the kisses or they'll suffocate each other.

"B-Baka may makakita..." Tumingin siya sa nakabukas na pintuan.

Bullet got up and closed the door. Siya naman ay naupo, natakot bigla sa sunod na mangyayari. The large room suddenly seems small, nowhere for her to hide. Naupo si Bullet sa sahig, sa paanan ng kama. Tumingala ito sa kanya, nagtatanong ang mga mata.

She wanted to tell him anything, just to fill the silent spaces, but she already used up all the comprehensible words.

Hinawakan nito ang mga kamay niya. "Do you know why I brought you here?" he asked.

She has an assumption, but she shook her head, afraid that she'll be proven wrong.

"Naalala mo ba 'yong sinabi ko sa 'yo sa may talon? 'Yong rason kung bakit pinayagan ako ni lola na sumama sa 'yo sa kasal?"

"You said that you'll be with someone special."

Tiningnan niya ang magkawak nilang mga kamay. She has the idea of where this is going, but she doesn't want to say anything, afraid that she might jinx it.

"My grandma wanted to meet that someone special," he told her.

"S-So..."

Bullet smiled. "You're my someone special, remember?"

It would have been perfect, had her stomach not interrupted. Hiyang-hiya siyang tinakpan ang tiyan, hoping that her hands could muffle the grumbling sound. Pulang-pula na siguro siya sa kahihiyan dahil tinawanan siya ni Bullet.

He reached out to tuck the strand of hair behind her ear. "Next time, huwag kang magpigil ng gutom. Nag-alala si lola kanina. Akala kasi nya hindi mo nagustuhan 'yong pinaluto nya."