Azalea's POV
Bakit gano'n? Kapag gusto kong bumilis ang oras, bumabagal ang takbo. Pero ngayong gusto ko siyang bumagal, para namang may hinahabol sa bilis.
Parang kakaumpisa palang ng lesson namin, natapos na kaagad. I don't want this class to end. Hindi ko pa alam kung paano ko haharapin si Braxon.
Nasa labas parin siya. He's patiently waiting, his body leaning against the wall of the classroom in front of ours. Kung totoo lang 'yong kasabihang matutunaw ang isang bagay kapag tinitigan, kanina pa ako liquid.
Hindi niya na ako tinantanan sa kakatitig niya. Kahit hindi ako tumitingin sa kanya, I can feel his heavy stares.
Bahagya akong siniko ni Nelly sa braso. Tumingin ako sa kanya pero diretso parin ang tingin niya sa professor sa harap.
"He's staring at you for nearly one and a half hour. You're hiding something from me, Azalea," bulong niya habang nakapako parin ang tingin sa harap.
"I'm not," pagtatanggi ko. Ngumisi siya bago bahagyang umiling.
"I never thought you'll be a liar just because of a guy. Where's the honest Azalea I know?" Pasimple pa siyang umirap. "I thought I'm your best friend and yet you can't even tell me what's wrong."
Huminga ako ng malalim. Guilt is starting to build in my guts. She's right. Simula pa noon, hindi ako nagtatago sa kanya ng problema.
"I'm sorry, Nelly." Hinawakan niya ang kamay kong nakapatong sa desk bago tumingin sa'kin at ngumiti.
"I want to help you but I can't because you won't tell me what's wrong."
Yumuko ako at umiling.
"It's complicated, Cornelia."
"Nothing's complicated, Aza. People make things complicated."
I promised Nelly that I will tell her everything later. Ayaw niya pa nga pumayag dahil bakit daw mamaya pa kung pwede naman daw ngayon. I told her I need to deal with Braxon first. In the end, she understands.
"What do you want from me?" Mahinang sabi ko.
Now, I need to finish this 'connection' between Braxon and I.
Nasa garden kami ng university. Pagkalabas ko palang ng classroom, dito kaagad ako pumunta. I know he will follow me. He waited for me outside my classroom for nearly two hours. Of course, he wants something from me.
"I want to explain, Azalea. What you saw, it was a... spur of the moment." Nakatayo siya sa harap ko.
Pinipilit kong pigilan ang sarili kong umiwas ng tingin. I can barely look at him in his eyes. Lagi kong naaalala ang ginawa niya kahapon.
I still can't believe I saw it. The demon in him... On second thought... I saw the demon himself.
And I can't accept that everyone's right. I was the one who was too naïve to see him in his true self. Everyone warned me but I was too hard-headed to listen.
"You don't need to," I said with my usual low and calm voice.
Act natural, Aza. If you don't want your head rolling around this garden.
Huminga siya ng malalim bago luminga sa paligid. Ilang beses pa siyang nagbuntong hininga. No'ng humarap siya sa'kin, bakas ang pagiging desperado niya sa kanyang mukha.
"I know I scared you with my action. I was wrong and I'm sorry. Please don't treat me like the way other people do." Humakbang siya palapit sa akin at humakbang naman ako paatras.
BINABASA MO ANG
The Demon's Heart
Ficción General"The only way to tame a demon is to get his heart." He has his demons. And those demons made him one of them. Now, everyone knows that he is a demon. He doesn't care, though. He wants all of them to be afraid of him. They should be. He can trash any...
