When fate is so hell bent to fuck you up, it's hard to win. Kahit anong ingat mo sa mga bagay na mayroon ka, hindi ka mananalo sa mga sitwasyong wala kang kontrol. Unti-unti, natutunan kong ayos lang kahit hindi natin kontrolado ang lahat, ayos lang na matalo paminsan-minsan. Pinilit kong paniwalain ang sarili ko na ayos lang, pero habang dumadaan ang mga araw, para akong kandilang nauupos.
"Where did he go?"
Natulala lamang ako sa lamesa habang nakatitig sa cellphone ko. Miguel sat across the table and patiently waited for my answer. All I could do was shake my head. I don't know. The last time Gerard and I talked was two weeks ago, on our museum date.
"He ghosted you. That bastard."
Nag-angat ako ng tingin. "What if something happened to him?"
"Nag-LOA siya, Care. Ibig sabihin planado na ang pag-alis niya."
He ignored me for four days kaya pinuntahan ko ang sinabi niyang subdivision kung saan sila nakatira pero nakaalis na raw ang buong pamilya nila roon. Then when we came to the Registrar's office to ask about him at doon namin nalamang nag-file siya ng Leave of Absence. We did everything after that. Nagtanong-tanong kami sa mga kaklase at ka-batch niya pero kahit isa sa kanila, walang ideya kung nasaan si Miguel. I searched him on SocMed to no avail. I tried calling his phone, pero laging out of coverage.
I think I'd have a heart attack when I realized that I might not see him again. I spent sleepless nights thinking what's wrong with me. Hindi ko ba deserve ng paliwanag? I'm his girlfriend, or at least, I was. How could he disappear without a word? I can't believe that nerds break hearts too.
Napaigtad ako nang marinig ang katok sa pinto ng opisina ko. Xyline, my assistant, came in. "Ma'am, ito na po 'yong content for approval."
"Sige, thank you. Pakisabi kay Bernard, i-ready 'yong team for orientation."
I shook my head and focused on my work. It's been years so thinking about our tragic ending is useless now. I spent the whole afternoon in my office doing paperworks and approving concepts.
Nang bumukas ang lift sa basement, tumunog ang cellphone ko dahil sa tawag ni Chelsea habang naglalakad ako patungo sa sasakyan ko.
"Where are you? Nag-overtime ka na naman ba?"
Pinihit ko ang pinto ng driver's seat at nangingiting pinagmasdan ang kahon sa passenger seat. "Papunta na. Marami lang akong tinapos. Don't worry, I got you a gift."
"Fine. Miss na kita! Bilisan mo ha!"
"Oh, you'll be surprised as hell, Chelsea." I smirked and ended the call.
Pagdating ko sa bar-resto kung saan gaganapin ang birthday party niya, unang sumalubong sa 'kin si Miguel. He hugged me and whispered. "Start dating again."
Umirap ako at hinampas ang braso niya habang ginigiya niya ako papasok ng bar. "Silly. Palibhasa konting kurot na lang pakakasalan mo na si Chelsea, e." He laughed at inakbayan ako hanggang sa makarating kami sa dalawang magkatabing sofa.
Ngumiti agad si Chelsea nang matanaw ako at saka lumapit para yumakap. "Care!" Nanggigil siya sa 'kin kaya isang segundo pa bago siya bumitaw. Well, we haven't seen each other for a month dahil na-assign siya sa Isabela so I missed her too.
Inilahad ni Chelsea ang kamay niya sa mga taong nasa sofa. "This is Trish, Molly, Kianna, Maris and Forth." They waved and smiled at me kaya tumango ako sa kanila. "Hi, I'm Caroline."
Itinuro naman ni Miguel ang dalawa niyang katabi. "Michael and Jude" The dudes raised their glasses, so I smiled at them bago naupo sa pagitan ni Chelsea at Miguel.
BINABASA MO ANG
I'm Yours to Keep
Fiction généraleCaroline meets the new student, and with his nerdy, shy vibe, he makes her feel safe right away. But it doesn't take long for her to realize she trusted him way too quickly. He ghosts her. No one knows where he went, and that's when she realized she...