Love Me, Hate Me (Chasing Dreams Series #1) | C O M P L E T E D

Chapter 17

Halata na umiiyak ako dahil sa panginginig ng balikat ko. Hinawakan ako sa baywang ni Azure at inikot paharap sa kanya. Pahaplos niyang pinunasan ang mga pisngi ko gamit ang likuran ng kanyang palad.

"S-Sorry, 'di ko napigilan," nanghihina kong sinabi.

He sighed. "Di ka dapat mag-sorry. Nagi-guilty nga ako kasi pinaiyak kita, eh."

Kinulong ng kanyang mga palad ang mukha ko. He kissed my forehead and he focused his eyes on my face, that went down on my lips before he settled on my eyes.

"Kirsten, you know my reputation before I met you. I was a womanizer and had no desire for commitment. Dati, basta makatikim ako ng babae, okay na ako. Dati, wala akong pakialam kung makasakit man ako. I knew the reason why I became like that; it's lust and hunger for sex. At 'yon ang nangyayari sa mga taong hindi marunong maghintay."

Umangat ang mga kamay ko papunta sa kanyang baywang. Niyakap ko iyon at muling nag-angat ng tingin para lang makita ko ang nag-aalalang ekspresyon sa guwapo niyang mukha.

"Believe it or not, my principles have changed because of you. Naisip ko na tumatanda ako at hindi habang buhay ay magagawa ko ang mga nakasanayan ko. I realized that I needed someone whom I could share my life with. 'Yung babaeng mamahalin ko at hindi pang-kama lang. Then I met you... It was almost perfect, pero may isang bagay akong nakaligtaan."

Kumunot ang noo ko gawa ng pagtataka. "Ano'ng ibig mong sabihin?"

"That you might be my karma..." pain was etched on his voice.

I felt that, too. Napanood at nabasa ko dati na darating ang panahon at makakahanap rin ang isang playboy ng kanyang katapat. According to Azure, I might be that woman.

Pinilig ko ang ulo ko. I cupped his face and stared at his beautiful deep brown eyes. "Azure, ikaw na mismo ang nagsabi na kakayanin mo ang lahat dahil pinuno ng pagmamahal ko ang puso mo. At sa tingin mo ikaw lang ang nakakaramdam niyon? No. Because I feel the same way, too. Your love filled my heart; the emptiness in me was gone because of you. Now, I feel nothing but happiness. Being able to love a man like you is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me."

Teary-eyed, Azure pulled me closer to him. And once again, his warm embrace brought me home...

"Damn! Mahal kita! Mahal na mahal kita!" his voice cracked as he said those words he thought he'd never feel.

'Mahal na mahal kita' ang sinabi niya. Ewan ko ba, pero mas dama ko iyon kaysa sa 'I love you'.

Ngumiti ako ng matamis. "Mahal na mahal din kita!"

Buong-buo na sana ang gabi ko kung hindi lang nagtanong si Azure tungkol sa nabasag na countertop.

"Sino sa mga kamag-anak mo ang nakabasag ng countertop?"

Nag-iwas ako ng tingin. "Joshua did. Kitang-kita ko kaya alam kong sinadya niya 'yon. Gusto kong pabayaran kina Auntie, pero hindi pumayag si Nanay. Sobra akong nagtampo kaya idinaan ko na lang sa pagtulog."

Hinaplos niya ang pisngi ko tapos itinago niya sa likod ng aking tainga ang iilang hibla ng aking buhok. "I know you cried. It must've been hard for you to accept it. But I would never blame you for having a grudge against your relatives because I saw how bad they treated you. And I admire you for being so emotionally strong. You've proven that even though I'm not around, you could always protect yourself against them. My baby handled it so well. I'm proud of you. I will always be proud of you."