Behind Curtains (COMPLETED)

Kabanata 60

Kabanata 60

One

Needless to say, half the time that I was having dinner with Fabian, my mind was elsewhere. Buti nalang talaga at magaling siya makisama. It greatly helped that the Engineer was just too funny and easy to be with, that the guilt that was unwarrantly wanting to lord me over was quietly tamed. Guilt... that shouldn't even exist because... I was wholly and completely single anyway.

But, really, I don't even know where the guilt should be placed. Para ba kay Sir Killian dahil iniwan ko siyang magkumpune ng kung ano sa bahay ko? Para ba kay Fabian dahil iba ang laman ng isip ko? O para sa akin... dahil... nilalabanan ko nanaman ang sariling nararamdaman? 

Minu-minutong dumadapo sa aking isipan si Sir Killian na... basta-basta ko lang na iniwan sa bahay. Kada tawa ko, kada hawak ko ng kopita, ay dumadapo sa aking isipan ang mga kung-anu-anong rason niya para tumagal at maglagi sa bahay. Na may aayusin siya roon, na dapat mayroong nagbabantay... at kung-anu-ano pa na mga rason.

Syempre, hindi ako pumayag! Naglaan ako ng mahaba-habang oras para tumanggi at kumbinsihin siyang umuwi na... dahil maghahanda na akong umalis.

I even thought that when I asked him to park his luxury car far from my house ay hindi na siya babalik pa. Laking gulat ko nalang na nasa bukana na siya ulit ng bahay nang pumipili ako ng susuoting sapatos.

I frowned when he easily made his way inside. Ang mga mata'y malalim at matalim habang pinapasadahan ng tingin ang suot ko. Hindi ko na siya pinansin at pinili nang suotin iyong ballet flats na niregalo ng tita kesa sa dalawang sapatos na... sa kanya galing.

I was walking back inside our airconditioned den, planning to fix my hair when he eagerly followed me.

"You're going to wear that?" seryoso niyang tanong. 

Agad na dumapo ang mga mata ko sa napiling sapatos. My lips were already parted to answer him when he made a follow-up.

"You're not wearing... any..."

Nilingon ko na siya. Naabutan kong medyo problemado ang kanyang ekspresyon habang pinapasadahan ako ng tingin. Mula sa mukha ko pababa sa suot.

"What? Ang simple na nga ng suot ko, may reklamo ka?" I hissed lightly, annoyed that that was indeed true. 

It was just a simple sleeveless black dress that hugged the middle of my stomach, giving me a cute enough silhouette to emphasize my waist. And long skirt that fit tight enough to romanticize the normally unflattering curves of my body.

It did not matter whether my bulbous arms were exposed. Or that it was also backless. My skin has been fair and smooth enough lately that I know the big curls of my hair were enough to cover them and would make me not look like a walking tank ready for battle instead of... being just a girl who's on her first proper date with a well-renowned bachelor.

I know Engineer Fabian Sylvan was also way, way beyond my tax bracket, but I... think I needed this. Gusto ko ang mga karanasang ganito. 

Maliban sa kailangan ko na talagang aktibong iwasan si Sir Killian ay... gusto ko rin malaman kung... kaya ko pa bang makaramdam ng kung-ano para sa iba.