Stonehearts 5: Emerald

Thirty Two

That morning was the jump start of my story with Cael. Actually, hanggang ngayon hindi ko alam kung anong mayroon kami. Hindi ko naman siya matanong dahil natatakot akong malaman ang sagot sa hindi ko malaman na rason.

It's been three months and everything still felt surreal to me. I've learned a lot more about his past and I've told him about mine. Madalas nahihiya siyang magtanong tungkol kay Marc, kaya ako na lang ang nagkukusang magsabi sa kanya. Sinasamahan niya rin ako sa Psych check-ups ko every now and then.

Sobrang dami nang nangyari sa buhay ko, hindi ko lubos akalain na si Cael lang din ang sagot sa mga iyon.

I've met his family, too. Nang una, ayoko pa ngang sumama sa kanya ng sinabi niyang invited ako sa isang family dinner. Tinanong ko siya kung bakit ako kasama, tinawanan niya lang ako at sinabing kailangan ko pa raw ba talagang itanong sa kanya 'yon. Hindi naman niya ako pinilit o ano, basta ang sabi niya lang ay sa susunod na lang kung kailan man ako maging ready na makilala ang pamilya.

And then I thought, kailan ba ako magiging ready? Lagi na lang akong tumatakbo papalayo sa mga bagay na kinakatakutan ko.

So I just kissed him and told him that I changed my mind about not going.

His family welcomed me warmly in their family house. Akala ko nga babalutin ako ng hiya habang nandoon ako pero kabaliktaran. Hindi mansyon ang bahay nila tulad ng nasa isip ko. They are living in a simple two-story house in a nice and quiet subdivision in the South. Wala ring maid, walang driver, walang kahit na anong help sa bahay nila.

I asked Cael about it because I'm hella curious. I mean they do own a million-dollar company. His answer was simple, that her Mom was born in a not so privileged life. She had worked her ass off into making it to a good school, a great job before meeting their Dad. Lagi raw kasi nitong sinasabi sa kanilang dalawa ng Kuya niya na hindi panghabang-buhay ang pera nila, kaya as much as possible gusto niyang mabuhay sila ng simple.

Cael meeting my parents is another story. I never planned it to be honest. Nasa isip ko rin naman na ipakilala siya kaso with Mom busy with her job and Dad always at sea, hindi ako nagkakaroon ng chance. But one day, they decided to visit me in my unit. Did I mention that Cael and I are practically living together? It was more of an ambush. Good thing we are doing something out of the bedroom when they arrived, kasi kung hindi, hindi ko alam kung anong gagawin ni Dad sa kanya.

We opted to work from today today, site visit dapat kami ngayon pero nagawa na kasi namin kahapon. I looked at Cael while he's busy reading the file of their commercial building, the project we've been assigned to. He has his eyebrows tightly pulled together and his hair sticking in all directions. I chuckled silently. Lagi kasing magulo ang buhok niya, no matter what I do or wax I put in there, hindi talaga ito pumipirmi sa isang style lang.

Napatingala naman siya sa akin at nahuli akong nakatitig sa kanya. "It's bad to stare, Isma." He said playfully.

I rolled my eyes at him and took a sip of the iced tea he served earlier. "Lagi ka na lang nag-a-assume na ikaw ang tinititigan ko." Banat ko pabalik.

He looked from his left and from his right before muttering, "May iba pa ba tayong kasama na hindi ko nakikita?"

I shook my head and laughed. "You're crazy."

He's been sitting in an Indian squat from the floor when we've started working. He stretched his legs before claiming the space beside me on the couch. He threw his arm around my shoulder and kissed my temple.

We sat there in silence, me looking at my sketches on the table and him staring at the wall in front of us.

"It is rude to stare, Climente." I jokingly said.