whispers and mutters • blasnique

Chapter Twenty Four

UNIQUE

"I love you more than anything else, Nikkoi. I really do."

That's what I heard. And I tried so hard not to move or do something that can make him seem suspicious that I'm still awake and breathing heavily.

I like the way his fingers ran through my head of hair.

He moved my head to my chest and slept.

And guess what, I can't sleep.

My mind can't process what he just said.

Do I like him? Maybe it was too obvious and I couldn't put it into words. It was too vague and unclear.

A soft shade of pink swam across my cheeks, heat crawling underneath my skin as it leaks through the surface.

Hands placed on each other's hands; hearts pounding in ecstasy as if they were begging to escape and dancing in the rain of roses.

His heartbeat was fast.

His lips twitched whenever he felt the chill seep in from his feet.

The stars were beautiful and they were shining bright ─ just like him.

And for once, as I faced the sky, serving as my infinite ceiling that reached even the stars, I felt at peace.

But something bothered me. Someone was shaking me as I felt my eyelids hang heavy kn

"Wake up, Unique, wake up." I heard Blaster say, his hands on my face.

I open my eyes only to see Blaster's face so close to mine. Startled at the presence of him, my eyes widened. He immediately sat up and looked away.

"O-oh, Unique! You woke up! Great! Uh, uhm, yeah! Let's stroll around."

I stood up, "Y-yeah, let's stroll around."

My hand was slowly going down Blaster's hand. Our hands entertwined and Blaster smiled a little bit, avoiding eye contact.

I suppose there's no malice there.

The moment his hands touch mine, it felt so good. Like touching the clouds.

His hands slowly slide down as he stare at me awkwardly, looking away in between intervals.

"Do you want me to go?"

I shook my head.

Then we mesmerized the surroundings, birds humming their songs and the trees dancing to it. The warm breeze of the wind caressing our skins like honey drizzled on your skin.

There certainly wasn't sin in the words we couldn't bear to say. All it was was just an illusion we never wanted to escape.

I wanted to stay here in this safe haven we both created like knit sweaters. So comforting and so unexplainably numbing. Like the waves softly crashing unto your fingertips on a cold night. That was all I ever wanted. That solace I've been dying to reach.

Oh, shit.

He caught me staring.

I looked away as I recognize the intensity of the situation I've entered, unawarely staring at the person you always wanted to love.

"Thank you, you know, for bringing me here. Brings back a lot of childhood memories." He murmured. It came out a slur, but it didn't bother me much. His voice was a song I'd listen to for hours on end.

"Yeah, you're welcome." I smiled.

Silence covered the whole atmosphere. I can hear my heart beating so fast.

We look at each other only to look away, just like how we only draw ourselves close to each other only to step away.

So we bid our goodbyes awkwardly right after, standing up, jesting a bit.

"Your arm feel better now?"

"Yeah, maybe. I hope you do, too."

***

The day has come.

The day we all have been waiting for has come.

Mundo is officially released.

We have been invited for several interviews from several different channels and networks. The song, regrettably, has been playing on radios now and it's becoming popular fast.

It was like this window to my soul, and considering it tainted has just become normal to me.

"Three cheers for us!" Zild says, opening a bottle of red wine with his corkscrew (which is very expensive indeed).

He poured the wine in Badjao's glass and mine.

"Cheers!"

Then I felt the emptiness lingering inside me.

I realized that no matter how known we get, there would still be this void deep inside me tremendously affected by this inertia that won't leave me alone.

I still wouldn't know myself.

It was like slow motion again, like bruises on the face that felt like a kiss. Zooming inside these damaged chambers inside me, I felt emptiness as I see nameless faces smile at while glasses met each other's rims, which sounded like the ringing in my ears.

Everyone were empty, lifeless robots of this puppet society where people are controlled by their fellowmen. We're tied to strings by these unknown men in black who jail us inside our minds.

We're all... empty.

So clueless of what we could have been; so empty of what we could have.

Controlled like puppets are these emotions I could no longer get a hold of. Thinking of him when I shouldn't. Thinking and thinking and thinking.

And then the thought of him clouded my mind once again like initials of an alliteration.

Is he thinking of me too?

Probably not.

When the party is over and the wine glasses are empty; when lips are bleeding and stomachs are growling, I'll stand in the same position where I am right now, surviving the alcohol apocalypse. Just for once.

But when I thought I didn't down roughly three bottles of wine in one sitting, I lived in the same place where I thought I was.

I didn't survive anything. I was gunned down by the man in my head.

Because I saw her, again.