Innamorata

*Chapter Four*

Montez was patiently waiting for her to finally speak up, Ceres knew that. Anim na oras na ang nakalipas mula ng makauwi sila sa bahay ngunit hanggang sa mga sandaling iyon ay hindi pa rin siya umiimik. Tila siya isang estatuwang hindi gumagalaw mula sa pagkakahiga sa sofa sa sala. Si Montez naman ay okupado ang single couch, kaharap nito ang sangkaterbang pagkain sa coffee table na anim na oras na rin yatang nilalantakan. His constant chewing on something crunchy were the only noise that can be heard around them.

She closed her eyes tightly after hours of staring at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, she was relieving that brief moment she had with Lucan. It felt like a dream, she looked like a dream because she was the woman in her dream. Her face, her smile... the way she carried herself, the way she look, and then she imagined her smile again, and her beautiful face. The real Lucan was far more heavenly, she was going nuts!

"Dammit!" She cursed loudly.

"Finally!" Montez said happily, applauding. At last, the ear-piercing silence between them were broken. "Your first word after hours of rumination was something. Care to tell me what did just happened there, my dear?"

Muli niyang ipinikit ang mga mata at ipinagpatuloy ang pananahimik.

"'Wag mo akong pikitan d'yan, Ceres, mamamatay na ako sa antisipasyon. Itama mo ang hinala sa isip ko, sino ang babaeng iyon?"

"Siya si Lucan..."

Ang muling pagsubo ni Montez ng pagkain ay nahinto. "I knew it! My god! That Lucan would give every beautiful women here on earth a run for their money! Like seriously, I've never seen anyone like her." He said exaggeratedly, he wasn't overreacting about Lucan's beauty though. She entralled him as well.

Napailing-iling na lang siya, hindi niya matingnan ang kaibigan dahil hindi gaya nito, hindi niya magawang maging masaya.

"Pero bakit ka malungkot? 'Di ba dapat ay masaya ka dahil nagpakita na siya sa'yo sa wakas? May mukha na siya, Ceres! Kamukha niya ang babaeng napanaginipan mo."

She smiled sadly, yeah, dapat ay maging masaya siya dahil sa wakas ay may mukha na si Lucan sa isipan niya. After so many years... she showed up at last. Dapat ay maging masaya siya dahil ang ibig sabihin niyon ay nakaligtas ito mula sa mga humahabol sa kanila. Pero napakarami niyang tanong, kailan pa masasagot ang lahat ng iyon? Pagkalipas ng isa pa uling siglo? O milenya?

"You two definitely have a strong connection, my gosh! That exchanged of stare? I could write a 100 love poems in that stare!"

"That is if you know how to write a poem," she said rolling her eyes, still lying on the couch like a sack of potatoes. Wala sa loob siyang napahawak sa dibdib nang alalahaning muli ang ngiti ni Lucan. My god that smile was like an epiphany and it struck the hell out all her denials. Sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon ay gusto na niyang sumang-ayon sa mga conclusion ni Montez tungkol sa kanya.

"Ang hindi ko lang maintindihan ay kung bakit siya biglang nawala! Saan siya nagpunta?" Muling bulalas ni Montez dahilan para mapatingin siya dito.

"I wanted to come near her, I do..." she said then sighed heavily. "Pero pinigalan niya ako, sabi niya hindi pa raw panahon, hindi pa raw kami ligtas sa ngayon... but you know what? For the first time, Monty, with her near me, I fear nothing-" her voice trailed off, she couldn't find the right words to explain herself more.

"Feeling mo lahat kaya mong gawin 'pag kasama mo siya? Feeling mo ang tapang-tapang mo at walang makakatalo sa'yo?" Dugtong ni Montez na ikinatango niya. "Feeling mo natagpuan mo na ang kalahati ng pagkatao mo pagkakita mo sa kanya?"

She glared at him but this time she neither admit nor deny anything, with that her friend smiled triumphantly, knowingly. Hindi niya maintindihan ang sarili kung bakit siya nakakaramdam ng matinding guilt sakaling mag-deny man siya, it was like denying Lucan and it was so hard to deny her of anything especially now that she'd seen her face. Bilang isang lamia ay walang epekto sa kanya ang charisma ng mga kauri kahit ano pang ganda o guwapo ng mga iyon. Ang mga tao lang naman ang nahuhumaling ng husto sa kanila, they only used their extraordinary beauty to feed on those poor innocent humans though. But Lucan was different, she was really something. She intrigued the shit out of her even before, yes. But now, she was intrigued by her beauty as well, she was intrigued by how she was able to affect her on so many ways she could not identify nor explain. She was certain, things were never gonna be the same again for her from now on.