Shipwrecked Hearts

Navigare 70

"Don't waste the life Mermaid has given you by jumping off the cliff." I can feel his hands snaking its way on my body. Pulling me into a tight hug. "Don't even dare and think about killing yourself."

"Huh?" Maximo stopped crying and looked at me, confused.

"Hindi ba't tatalon ka dapat kanina?"

"What?" He wiped away his tears. "It is true that I blame myself for Mermaid's death, but... I won't go to the point of killing myself. Knowing somebody died on my place and such makes me want to live more for them. I won't waste the life they had given me because I am too weak to stand up again."

"T-Then what were you trying to do?" Pakiramdam ko napahiya ako bigla.

"I was just trying to look around," he must be pertaining to the use of his sixth sense, "I thought Joziah is still around... I came here to get a better view... but he's no longer anywhere. He's gone."

"In this condition? You decided to remove all those apparatuses that only did nothing but good for your recovery?! Para lang hanapin si Joziah or Kid or whoever the fuck he is?! Nag-iisip ka ba? Umuulan pa!" Saad ko sabay turo sa kan'yang kabuuan.

"E, ikaw, nag-iisip ka ba? Paano kung magkasakit ka? Paano kung may masamang mangyari sa inyo ng anak natin?! Nag-iisip ka ba? Umuulan pa!" He pouted.

Sinamaan ko siya ng tingin. He just gave me a playful grin, tila bigla siyang nanghina matapos ang ilang sandali sapagkat halos mawalan siya ng balanse. Mabuti na lang at nandito ako upang saluhin siya sa halos pagkahiga sa basa at putik na kalupaan. Hinawakan ko siya upang suportahan. I can feel him slowly weakening. He used too much of his strength. Hindi na kasi dapat siya lumabas pa. Is he thinking or what?! "M-Maximo?" My worries came kicking in again.

"S-Starfish..." siguro dahil sa sobrang lamig ng panahon ay hindi ko naramdaman ang kan'yang temperatura. Nang magdikit ang balat namin ay doon ko napansin na may mataas siyang lagnat. "I'm so tired..."

"I know. I know." I can feel it... from your voice, to your body. I can feel it. I can even smell it to the point that it pains me. It pains me to see you like this.

Humigpit ang yakap niya sa akin, "I'm sorry..."

"For what?" I bit my lips, trying to suppress my tears again. Why is he apologizing? Wala naman siyang kasalanan... at saka teka... Bakit ba ang emos'yonal ng mga taong nagbubuntis?!

"Just..." he stopped for a brief moment and breathed out a warm air that tingled my cold crust, "just... for everything."

There's nothing to be sorry of, Maximo... nothing.

"Maximo..."

"Hmm?" He asked through his soft yet husky and deep voice. I've never seen him so vulnerable and fragile before. He was so broken to the point that I didn't know where to start and fix him, maybe because he really didn't need to be fixed, because no matter how broken he was—he was still perfect to me. Maybe because I am broken, too.

"Let's go back to the clinic..."

"No." He whined weakly.

"But you have a fever."

"I do?"

"Yes... kung gusto mong gumaling at kung gusto mo akong protektahan, kailangan mo munang magpagaling. You can't protect me when you're in this state—weak and sick."

"Really?"

"Really."

I felt his warm lips touch the side of my neck, tinaasan ako ng balahibo dahil sa kan'yang ginawa, in a good way. Pakiramdam ko ay tatalon na palabas ang aking puso dahil sa kan'yang ginawa. I felt how his lips curved upwards even if I wasn't looking because of its movement. "Maximo..."

"I love you, Akira." I smiled.

"I love you too, Alexander."

"I love you so much that it scares me to lose you..." I feel the same, Maximo.

"I wish we can stay like this..." he almost whispered. Humigpit ang kan'yang yakap sa akin. He struggled to stand up on his own but ended up leaning on me for support. He was too weak to stand up on his own. We just remained rooted on our spots as we shared the comforting spirits of our body heat in the midst of the cold rain. In the midst of the hurricane. We shared the same amount of warmth and love.

"I wish we can just stay like this..." he repeated, longingly, "forever."

I wish, too... but the world is cruel, Maximo. The world will always find a way to tear us apart and the universe above will just watch.