Hi guys!
So yeah, I divided chapter 25 into two parts. I was planning to finish the whole thing today but I obviously didn’t get to do that, so here I am, posting the first half of it because I CANNOT not post anything for your guys tonight. I just kenat
P.S. Brace yourselves, this is a love-a-dub-dub chapter. Have fun with the cheese.
xo, Coco
TWENTY FIVE - Part I
“Babagal pa ‘yan.” Leaning behind the SC room door with one hand on my hip, pinanood ko si Keith Kato na gampanan ang wife duties niya kay Milo. Ang kupad eh, mga ilang minuto na rin niyang inaayos ‘yung mga gamit nito, he’s now tucking the boy’s laptop into his schoolbag.
“Chill, Prez, bakit ka ba nagmamadali?” Umayos siya ng tayo saka niya isinukbit sa isang balikat ‘yung Star Wars JanSport ni Milo. “Excited to see my room?”
“Lul. Asa,” I wrinkled my nose. ”So, um, anong flavor ba ng ice cream meron sa inyo?” Tinanggal ko sa kanya ‘yung tingin ko habang nagtatanong ako, pinaglaruan ko sa isa kong kamay ‘yung susi ng SC room.
Okay, fine, his ‘silly attempt’ to bribe me with ice cream might have worked a teeny bit. Just a teeny bit.
“Pumapayag ka na?” Napabalik kaagad ‘yung mga mata ko sa pagmumukha niya dahil sa ligayang-ligayang tono ng boses niya. He was smiling crookedly. “I’ll get to take you home with me tonight?”
“May dulce de leche flavor ba?”
---x
I chewed on my bottom lip and swallowed my saliva which tasted like regrets and bad decisions.
A part of me is thrilled to eat ice cream and to, well, finally meet Key’s family pero shocks, parang h’wag na lang yata. Mali ito eh.
Geezus, will this inner conflict ever go away?
Hindi naman sa pinagsisisihan ko na sumama ako kay Keith Kato ng dahil sa dulce de leche ice cream – I mean that is ice cream – who would regret ice cream? Pero jusmiyo, papaano ko naman haharapin si Scary Dad when I’m sure as hell that he hates me? Oh, God, paano kung apihin pa niya ako habang nanunood ang buong angkan ng mga Ayala!
I am so not ready for this.
“Babagal pa yan.” Nakatingin sa akin si Key with arms folded across his chest, hinihintay niya akong bumaba ng taxi. Our cab pulled over a curb, sa tapat ng tatlong high-rise buildings sa may Greenbelt.
Hindi ako gumalaw mula sa kinauupuan ko, I just searched for his eyes and held them with my gaze. “This is a bad idea, uuwi na lang ako.”
“That sounds like a very good plan, Prez. But no.”
Key took me by the hand at hinila niya ako palabas ng pinto – the one on his side of the car. Dinala niya kami ‘dun sa high-rise condo na nakatayo sa gitna. I kept on dragging my feet para mapabagal ‘yung pag-andar namin pero mas makapangyarihan ‘yung fighting spirit niya kaysa sa’kin, he eventually managed to hurl us both inside the building’s elevator. Darn it.
