Pieces of Me

Seven

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"Pasok! Bukas yan!"

"Meng!"

"Dito ko sa kusina!"

"MENG! HALIKA SAGLIT!"

"Paka-ingay! Sandali! Bakit ba? Anong problema?! Hindi mo kaya pumasok mag-isa!? Istorbo ka talaga! Nagluluto ako eh!"

"PAKITABI TONG BUHOK MO BAKA MATAPAKAN KO!"

"Gago."

"Hahahaha! Kunyari ka pa, ulul. Kung alam ko lang kilig na kilig yang ngala ngala mo. Magkwento ka na huy! Na-ispluk na ni Alex sakin na nagpunta sa book signing mo si Tisoy. Hinatid ka pa daw. O ano nangyari pagtapos? Nagpalitan na ba kayo ng lalamunan? Bumigay ka ba agad!? Nadiligan na ba ang disyerto mo? Spluk na bes dali! Wag mo kong dedmahin!"

"Paano iispluk eh datdat ka pa ng datdat? Nag-usap lang kami!"

"Sinungaling! Labas sa tenga! Pwede ba, lokohin mo na lahat wag lang ako. Nag-usap lang. Pakshet mo. Kwento na kasi!"

"Tapos ano? Ikukwento mo sa sandatahang angkan ng Capili at Mendoza? Thanks but no thanks. I learned my lesson, Coleen. I'm not telling you anything anym--- ARAY PUTA ANSAKIT NUN AH!"

"Kwento na, Meng. You know you need to. I'm here to listen."

"Wala naman kasing ikukwento, girl. We just talked. He's single na daw and nangako siya to never lie to me again. He'll work to earn my trust again daw."

"Mamaya ko na babalikan yang we just talked kemerut mo. Do you believe him?"

"How? Isang malaking paano, girl? I want to believe him. I want to forget what he did and just move on with our lives kaso wala eh, ang hirap. Remember a few months back na kinuwento ko sayo how he stayed over really late kasi walang katapusang usap yung ginawa namin? I told him everything about Lucas. I told him about my trust issues. He could've told me then. He could've come clean noon pa lang na engaged na sya but he didn't. He chose to let me believe he was single."

"Maybe he didn't want to burden you with his issues. O baka feeling niya ang sablay ng timing. Maybe he wasn't sure at the time if he was just physically attracted to you or may real feelings na na involved."

"Maybe. But then we kissed and uhm stuff so many times after that talk... and sinabi niya na mabilis siyang nahulog sakin. He had so many chances to tell me the truth pero parang hinintay niya na mahulog na rin ako just to satisfy his ego before niya ko durugin with the truth."

"Nahulog ka na? You love me too? Totoo ba yan, Maine?"

Ay putapakshetsquared.

~•~•~•~

"I'm sorry, Maine. I didn't mean to eavesdrop. Bukas kasi yung pinto as in bukas. I got worried kaya pumasok ako."

"Okay."

"Maine. Please say something."

"Something."

"Maine naman."

Wag mo kong ma-Maine naman naman dyan. Diyos ko. Ano pa, Nicomaine? Ano pang sikreto mo ang hindi alam ng buong mundo? Ang daldal mo kasi. Ayan napala mo.

"Nahulog. Past tense."

"Ha? Teka teka... So wala na? But we---"

"What? We made out? So what? Like you said, we just needed to get it out of our system. Init lang ng katawan yun. Nothing more. Don't read anything else into it."

"What do you mean?"

HUY NICOMAINE ANONG GINAGAWA MO!?

"I mean there's nothing to fix. What happened happened. Now it's done. You've apologized, I've accepted it. Time to move on. Pointless to keep pretending this could get better."

"I don't... what's happening? Maine! Look at me please! This is it? This is the end? After last night, akala ko... so ano yun? Gumanti ka lang? I hurt you kaya you needed to hurt me too?"

No. God no. NICOMAINE WHAT THE HELL!? What are you doing? Jusko RJ please please umalis ka na bago kita masaktan ng tuluyan. Go now. Please.

"Yeah. Now we're even."

"I... Maine... please..."

Ay ano na self!? Bakit parang sinapian ka na naman ng pinagsanib na lakas ng Datu Puti at Silver Swan. Good god, Nicomaine. Take everything back! Bawiin mo lahat ng sinabi mo! Sige na! Before it's too--- oh shit. He left.

~•~•~•~

"Menggay... he didn't deserve that."

"I know, Coleen. Shit. What did I just do?"

"You broke him."

I did? Wow. Maang maangan lang girl? OO YOU DID!

"Oh eh bakit ka umiiyak diyan?"

"Wala.... wala..."

Because I think I broke myself too.