AMACon 3: Oikos - Children

Intertwined - Chapter Two

He stared at the "calling card" that girl from the bar had given him. It was a piece of tissue with her name and number written on it and a kiss mark on the corner. He could not help but smile as he recalled what happened that night. He wanted to keep up with her game but unfortunately he had a more important thing to do. He never went here to play in the first place. But damn, he needed a cold shower that night. That kiss was chaste but the feeling of her soft lips on his own ones still lingered.

He shook his head and tried to focus his head on his agenda for today. Here he was on the mass graveyard of the people who were victims of a massive squatter fire five years ago. According to the residents, the fire was so intense that the bodies were already unidentifiable so they just decided to have a mass grave for all. As of this moment, nobody was sure if there had been any survivors from that area.

He approached the marker made up of a wood shaped into a cross and placed a basket of carnations there. "May you rest in peace. Mom wanted to apologize for being too late. She wanted to see you so bad. One of these days, I'll bring her here. Hopefully, wherever you are now, I hope you have forgiven her."

He was about to leave when somebody bumped into him and he immediately felt his pocket suddenly void of his wallet. He was about to run after the culprit when he heard a familiar voice, a little similar to the voice that tried to seduce him the other night. He watched her sped past him and chased after the thief.

"Hoy! Gago!" she grabbed the hair of the snatcher. The poor guy winced in pain and that made him release the wallet to the ground. She picked the wallet and used it to hit his head. The snatcher cowered from her and she kicked his ass as he set off to run. She opened the wallet and she was surprised when she saw the owner's ID there.

"Hey, you are fierce there," he complimented. She turned around and found herself face-to-face again with the guy she bravely kissed last night. It was already too late for her to be embarrassed with the way she looked right now, her hair tied in a messy bun and her face bare of any makeup.

Sa lahat naman ng sitwasyon na pwede silang magkita, ngayon pa talaga. Mahabaging langit naman.

"Sinusundan mo ba ako?" he teasingly joked her.

"Kung sinusundan kita, edi sana nagbihis ako ng maayos," she quipped. "Knowing that any moment pwede mo akong makita."

He laughed because she got a point there. "Pero kahit ano naman ayos mo, maganda ka pa rin."

His laughter alone had her heart flipping over. Then he called her beautiful. Now, make that a double-flip.

"Sus, maliit na bagay," she said as she playfully placed a strand of her hair behind her ear. But really, it was the truth, he preferred seeing her like that, in just plain tees and ripped jeans with no makeup at all.

"Wallet ko," he reminded her, his palm opened wide.

"Aba, ang lagay ganun-ganun na lang --," she checked the ID on his wallet for his name, "—Richard. Buti umaga ngayon, iba ang kalakaran ng umaga sa gabi. So for now, I demand a lunch date. Ransom para sa wallet mo."

"Sige na. Pero hindi ko dala kotse ko ngayon, hindi kita kayang dalhin sa ---"

"Oops," she stopped him as she pressed a finger to his lips. "Okay lang kahit hindi mo ako dalhin sa mga mamahaling resto na may menu na mahirap mabasa, basta pakainin mo ako."

They ended up eating in a small diner inn. When they were about to pay for their food, Richard turned towards Maine and asked her for his wallet. She handed it to him but pulled it back immediately.

"Baka umalis ka kaagad, pagkabayad mo sa counter," she reasoned out.

"Trust issue?" He stepped closer and assured her. "Hindi kita iiwan." And that was the only time she let him have his wallet.

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For the past thirty minutes or so, he watched her amusingly as she endlessly talked about a lot of random things. Today, she was a simple girl with a bubbly personality, a far cry from the seductive vixen ready to lure and prowl her prey last night. He especially loved her wit and humor. Little did he know that on her side, she was purposely doing that because she really loved to hear his laughter and to see that adorable dimple popping on his cheek.

They both have finished their food but their conversation has not reached its end yet. Maine just started asking questions about him.

"Married, single, single depende sa sitwasyon, o hindi tayo talo?"

"Single."

"Okay... taken or –"

"Single. Not committed to anyone. Period." Maine liked that answer. Deep inside her, she was celebrating. This guy is sexy, free, and single. Ready to mingle.

"Ilan kayong magkakapatid?"

"Only child."

"Ako rin, only child. Gusto ko nga ng kapatid, pero gusto ko kuya. Ikaw na lang kaya kuya ko."

"Kuyang pinagnanasaan mo?"

"Grabe naman sa pagnanasa. Hot mo kasi e."

"Sus, maliit na bagay." He said, imitating her earlier.

"When it comes to you, walang maliit. Malaki lahat. Ang blessed mo kaya." She muttered under her breath.

"Huh?"

"Wala." She denied despite her face being furiously red with all her thoughts about him. So to divert her thoughts, she continued to ask him questions.

"Why you did not give in last night? Nahurt ang pride ko doon, ah. I am just curious... casual sex, yes or no?"

"Honestly, no. If I were to lay a girl down, I would want to do it not out of lust, but because I already have feelings for that girl." He told her, but he would admit, he almost broke that rule he set aside for himself: 'Never sleep with the person you just met for the first time'. She was just enticing and irresistible. There was something in her that drew him to her.

"Casual making out will do though." He added.

Maine chuckled inside. He was still a man after all but still different from other guys he met. He's a gentleman. He placed value on that kind of intimacy, unlike the others who were only in it for their insatiable thirst. This guy was a keeper.

Their conversations went on for hours until they delved more about their personal lives. Richard told her how he spent growing his teenage life growing up with a stepmom. He laughed when Maine asked him if his stepmother was an evil one because almost always, stepmothers had a negative connotation attached to them.

"I was more of an evil stepson," he admitted. "I hated the idea that my dad had someone to replace my mom when she passed away. But when he died, the only person that I had was my stepmom. She had been supportive and good to me ever since despite the bad treatment I gave her. Hindi ko lang talaga pinapansin. I eventually learned to accept her. So in return, I came here to fulfill her wish."

"Swerte mo," Maine said.

"Ikaw naman magkwento, ang daya mo. How did you end up working there?" Richard asked.

"Next time na lang, when you visit me again at the bar, I'll be waiting." She said as she prepared to leave but Richard held her hand.

"What –" Her eyes widened in shock when he reached over the table and kissed her tenderly.

"You stole a kiss from me last night, binabawi ko lang," he said in a sexy deep tone as he winked at her.

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"I really enjoyed talking with you," Richard said as they both walked towards the door. "Till next time."

"I wonder if we will ever spend our next time just talking though," Maine whispered huskily in his ear as she draped her arms around his neck. "Making out will do, right? Or can I be your exception to the rule?"