Stuck in Love

Chapter 17

“Is that the truth?”

 

I knew he was still staring at me with the small light coming from outside the theater.

 

“You’re scaring me...” was all I could say so he could look away and to save myself.

He burst into laughter. He lightly tapped my forehead and said, “You’re funny! Tara na nga! Libre mo ‘ko.” He exited and left me dumbfounded for a while.

It was just a prank for him but for me, it was more than that. I felt something in the way he looked at me like how I’d always feel and see in his eyes every time they meet mine. It’s always inexplicable, indecipherable. But as he said, men are masters of lying and deception. I should not believe those eyes because they’re meaningless, insensitive, and nonsensical. And again, I was deceived. And again, I lost in his confusion game.

 

***

 

“Galit ka ba sa’kin?” he asked but not too serious.

 

I didn’t answer. I could not help but look too obvious. As he said, women would try hard to suppress their sensitivity but because we’re too expressive, it would come out naturally. I continued eating North Park’s best selling Fresh Prawn Dumpling and Nanking Beefnoodle soup with my chopsticks. I heard him giggle silently. I glared at him with my eyebrows crossed then went back to eating.

 

He dropped his chopsticks, laid back on his seat and raised his hands at the back of his head. The extremely airy pose. “Nagtatampo ka, no?”

 

I looked up to him. And I was a little bit surprise with his flattered smile and straightforward stare. Kinikilig ba s’ya na nagtatampo ako? I looked down to my bowl.“Tss...just eat.” I didn’t mind him and focused on my food instead.

 

I noticed he was not moving so I dared to ask, “And what is it with you?”

 

He smirked and said, “Wala lang.”

Tang ina, wala lang pala! Tanong ka pa nang tanong d’yan! My mind yelled.

“Ang cute mo lang,” he said. I smirked and looked up to him. “I can’t remember the last time a girl is actually sulking at me. Except for my mom and my sister.”

Was that supposed to be a form of flattery? “I’m not sulking. You just caught me in a bad mood.”

“Bad mood? After you just got a major role in the play you auditioned for? I told you, girls are not good in lying. Nagtatampo ka sa’kin kasi hindi kita sinamahan kagabi.” I sighed and looked afar. So there, I was really sulking.

Usually, guys would not understand what girls could and would not say. But jeez, this man…was he a mind-reader? A psychologist of some sort? Or just a good observer?

 

“Nandito naman ako ngayon, eh so kalimutan mo na ‘yun,” he said as he picked a siomai then smiled at me while chewing.

No apologies.

 

He’s not my boyfriend so what was I expecting? We’re just friends, friends, friends…fucking friends! Don’t expect, bitch! I could not believe I was calling myself a bitch because really I was slightly bitching at him.

But with those naturally mayabang and maangas yet attractive gestures of his, how could I ever resist? I sighed. “Okay, it’s nothing. Let’s drop it.”

 

***

 

Work was so much hectic because we were to launch a new program in two weeks time. And we would have our dry-run on the coming week.

 

There were several meetings with bosses, an OBB shoot, set design last-minute necessary details, look tests, and everything involved in a news-talk program pre-production.

 

I had to work even on a Saturday morning, my only day-off. That was one hell of an exhausting week.

 

“…All those requirements just burn me out,” I told SJ as I put my hair on a messy bun during that milk tea conversation across his cousin’s autoshop.

 

“It shows. You look a little bit terrible,” he noticed. “You’re so tired, you could not even comb your hair. And, did you take a bath?”

“What?! Of course I did! Do I smell like rotten meat?” I leaned my back and sighed. “I just wanna rest and relax.”

“You still have work tomorrow?” he asked.

“Nah. I said I would take a leave so I could just stay at home and re-energize.”

“You wanna come with me?” he asked out of nowhere as he was taking a sip from his rock salt and cheese chocolate.

My eyes widened. Is he asking me out now? “What? Why?”

“I just think you need to unwind, you know, a breather.”

How could I breathe if you would always take my breath away with such spontaneity. “Where?”

He put his thumb on his lip and cocked his head. Ooh sexxxyyy.

“How about Tagaytay? You know we have a house in Cavite, near Tagaytay Highlands.”

Tagaytay! Cold February weather. Me with my ultimate crush/love. Whatever. Tempting idea but… “Hmmm…how about I have to get up early on Monday for the dry-run preparations? So…” I shook my head in disapproval of his idea.

“How about…” he pulled his chair away and stood up. “…we go now and I’ll bring you back tomorrow?”

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped in sync. “Now? As in ngayon na?” He nodded. And bring me back tomorrow? Overnight?? With him??? “But---“

“No ‘buts.’ I might change my mind.”

“I don’t have anything to wear. I mean, I’m not ready.”

He stared at me. “That’s fine. I’m not either. So?”

Walang empa-empake! And no, I could not play hard to get at the time. Walang pag-aalinlangan, bahala na si Batman! Push to Tagaytay! Oh, before I forget, Sunday was actually Valentine’s Day.

***