In The Arms Of An Angel (ON HOLD)

CHAPTER 81

Dei woke up from a dreamless sleep because of some noise from outside the tent...or was it a voice? She focused her attention to it to hear better.

It was RJ's voice. And he was talking to someone but she can't hear anyone else's voice.

She pulled herself up from the sleeping bag and crawled her way to the door of the tent. She peered out. She saw RJ holding a long stick with both hands as it ready to hit somebody with it. She gasped , suddenly feeling afraid for his safety.

Before she can move though, she saw his expression changed from being on guard to confused. He then lowered the branch he was holding a little as he looked around the campground. She crawled out of the tent and approached him.

"RJ..."

She jumped back a good foot away with a shriek though when he suddenly swung around towards her with the branch raised.

"Whoah! Ako 'to! Anong nangyayari?!" She nearly shouted in surprise. RJ immediately lowered the branch and sprinted the few steps between them before engulfing her in a protective embrace with one arm while still holding the branch with the other. She can feel the loud beating of his heart while he embraced her tighter as he scanned the clearing again with his eyes.

"Are you okay, Dei?...I didn't mean to scare you. Sorry.." He whispered to her as he rubbed her back gently. She can clearly sense the worry in his voice and his gestures. She pushed him away a little to peer at his face.

"Ano bang nangyari? Sinong kausap mo dito sa labas?" She asked him as she stared up at him.

"May lalaking lumabas mula sa dilim kanina at may mga sinabi sya na hindi ko maintindihan ang ibig sabihin. Kaso bago ko pa sya matanong bigla na lang sya nawala..." He told her while still scanning the trees around them. She instinctively moved closer to him.

"Hindi kaya dapat tumawag tayo ng tulong? Baka may masamang balak yung lalaki at balikan tayo mamaya habang tulog tayo! Safe pa ba tayo dito sa camp?" She asked him earnestly. He rubbed her back again reassuringly.

"Don't worry. Hindi ko papayagan na may mangyaring masama sa iyo. Magbabantay ako magdamag. But as weird as it may sound, konti lang ang naramdaman kong kaba nung kausap ko yung lalaki. In fact, familiar sya sa akin. Parang magkakilala kami pero di ko lang sya maalala..." He admitted to her as he guide her back to the tent. She eyed him curiously.

"Are you sure? What do you mean kilala mo sya pero di maalala? Did you have a memory problem because of your accident?" She asked him in succession. He assisted her to sit inside the tent and then settled himself in front of her. Both sat Indian style in front of each other as they talk.

"I'm not sure how to explain it. Parang kilala nya tayo pareho the way he talked to me earlier. He said something about making the most of the second chance that I got...something like that. And no...I didn't have any memory issues because of my accident. That's why palaisipan sa akin ang ibig nyang sabihin..." He said while combing his hand through his hair in frustration.

"Di kaya may alam sya sa posibleng nangyayari sa atin? Ano pang ibang sinabi nya syo?" She asked him earnestly. He just shook his head in confusion.

"Yun lang ang sinabi nya...Teka, bakit nga pala gising ka pa?" He asked her suddenly.

"Nagising ako ng marinig ko na parang may kaaway ka. Nag-alala ako syo..." She admitted in a soft voice. Its a good thing that there is very little light entering the tent so he hopefully did not see the blush that tainted her face as she realized the last sentence she said. And she blushed deeper when she heard rather than saw the smile on his voice when he asked:

"Talaga? Nag-alala ka sa akin?" She did not answer.

"But Dei, next time please don't do that again. Paano kung masamang tao pala talaga yung kausap ko? Inilagay mo sa alanganin ang sarili mo nung lumabas ka sa tent! Never do that again, okay?" He asked her while holding up her chin so she was forced to look up to his eyes. She stared up at him wide-eyed, too affected by their close proximity.

"O-okay..." was all she managed to say before she immediately moved away from his touch awkwardly.

"Buti pa matulog na tayo...malalim na ang gabi. Maaga pa tayo bukas..." She muttered as she rearranged their sleeping bags. She panicked when she noticed him picking up his beddings and dragging them out of the tent.

"Huy! Saan ka pupunta?" She asked as she grabbed on to his arm to stop his exit from the tent.

"Mas maganda kung sa labas na ako matutulog para mabantayan kita ng maayos magdamag. Wag kang mag-alala dito lang ako..." He answered but she did not let him finish his words.

"No! Dito ka lang! Wag mo akong iwan. Lalo akong di makakatulog kung di kita makikita at di ko alam ang kalagayan mo sa labas. Dito ka na lang, please?!"  She literally pleaded. Richard did not move for a few secords.

"Please..." She asked again in a small voice.

"Okay." He finally answered and put back down his beddings with a decent distance beside hers.

They both gingerly lay down on their sleeping bags, Dei on her side facing Richard and him on his back staring up at the night sky visible through the transparent ceiling of the tent.

"Good night, Dei."

"Good night, Richard." She said still with a tinge of worry.

"Don't worry. Babantayan kita magdamag. I won't let anything bad happen to you. Sleep." He said, clearly reading the emotions in her voice.

His assuring words calmed her. She stared at his silhouette until sleep finally consumed her.