The Billionaire's Son

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Pasok ka . . ."

Sage and I stood awkwardly on my doorstep. Iginala niya ang kaniyang paningin na para bang pinagmamasdan niya ang aming bahay sa unang pagkakataon. Hinila ko ang kaniyang kamay at iginiya siya sa aming sala.

"I just arrived today so I haven't cleaned up everything." I shrugged and let go of his hands once we're inside.

"Nothing's changed here," komento niya. Bumagsak ang kaniyang paningin sa aking baby grand piano na may nakatakip na puting tela. Sage removed the white sheet, revealing the cracks from the day Uncle Marco tried to destroy my most precious possession.

I stared at my mother's gift. I can now afford to have the piano repaired. Heck, I could even buy dozens of them if I want to. But ever since my mother died, I lost my will to play the piano again. And staring at the baby grand piano in front of me makes my heart ache.

"D-Doon ka nalang maligo." Itinuro ko ang aming panyo. Pagak ang aking boses dahil sa mga luhang pinipigilan ko. I swallowed hard and cleared my throat. "Magtitimpla lang ako ng kape."

Sage nodded and lifted his wet shirt over his head. When he sensed my sudden discomfort earlier, he stopped and asked me what's wrong. Hindi ako nakasagot sa kaniya. Tahimik lang kaming dalawa hanggang sa magsimulang umulan. Doon pa namin napag-desisyunang umuwi galing sa talon.

I focused on preparing myself a cup of coffee instead. Rinig ko ang lagaslas ng tubig mula sa aming banyo. I waited for the water to boil and placed a pail on the floor to catch the water leaking from our roof. I still owed Sage a bottle of wine from our bet earlier but with the gloomy weather, I don't think it's possible for us to go outside when we both don't have our cars.

"Mal . . ."

Napatalon ako sa gulat habang nagtitimpla. I turned around and saw Sage with a towel—my peach towel wrapped around his waist. Tulo nang tulo ang tubig mula sa kaniyang buhok. Pinamulahan kaagad ako ng mukha sa nakita.

"B-Bakit?"

"Is this yours?" he glanced down at the towel. "I'm sorry I used it without your permission. I couldn't find anything else on the bathroom."

"Ayos lang," iniwas ko ang aking tingin at lumunok.

Iniabot ko sa kaniya ang isang mug na may lamang kape. I walked past him and closed the window to stop the harsh wind from seeping inside our house. I silently watched the raindrops rolling down our window. Ang kabayo ni Sage ay tahimik na nakalilim sa maliit na shed sa tapat ng aming bahay.

"You're going to be alone here tonight," aniya.

"It's okay." I shrugged. "I am used to living alone, Sage."

Sumimsim muna si Sage sa kaniyang kape at binalingan ako. "What if someone breaks inside this house? It's dangerous, Mal."

Tiningnan ko lamang siya. Oh, Sage. The gun is my bestfriend. He isn't aware that I have a pistol stashed on the secret pocket of my suitcase in curtesy of Gideon. He was the one who arranged the papers so I could pass the airport without getting caught.

"I'm going to be fine, Sage."

Sage chuckled to himself. Iniling-iling niya ang kaniyang ulo. "What am I supposed to do with you? You always say you're fine but we both know you're not. You always say you can do all of this by yourself, but God, you still need some help from other, Mallory. It's okay to lean to other people's shoulders, you know."

"I want to see my mom." I blurted out all of a sudden. Napatingin si Sage sa akin. Nakatitig lang ako sa kagubatan sa aming harapan. It was the same dark forest where I lost my mother. "I want to see her right now and ask for forgiveness. I wanted her to know that everything she's said is right. I wanted to go back in time and change everything. I would obey here and will never leave her. If only I have a second chance, Sage . . ."