NEIA
Nagkagulatan pa kami pagbukas niya ng bintana.
Hindi ko rin alam kung anong meron, pero napaawang pa ang labi niya habang nakatunghay sakin. I blinked against his spell and instantly frowned. "Anong ginagawa mo dito?"
Kumurap din siya, tapos maliit na kumuwit sa panga niya. Sumilip muna sa paligid bago ipinahinga ang mata sa'kin. "Hatid na kita pauwi."
"Hindi na." I waved my phone around, showing it to him. "Five minutes away na lang yung Grab driver ko oh."
Naningkit ang mata niya. Bago ko pa maintindihan kung anong nangyayari he pushed himself half out of the window and stared at me in the face. Halos gahibla na lang ng buhok ang pagitan namin, at sa gulat ko halos mabitawan ko yung hawak kong cellphone.
His playful grin widened and he moved back inside the car, hanggang ulo na lang ulit niya ang nakalabas. "Oops. I think I accidentally cancelled your ride."
Natutuod pa rin akong tumingin sa cellphone ko. Cancelled nga. The warmth on my face worsened into rage and I glared at Third, na inosente pang nakangiti sa'kin. "Hey!"
Halos thirty minutes na kong nagbobook ng ride! Nananakit na nga paa ko sa ngalay! Tapos icacancel niya nang ganon-ganon na lang?
"Wag ka na magalit," malumanay niyang saad, nakatunghay pa rin sa'kin. "Sinundo kita sa inyo kanina kaya tama lang na iuwi kita. It's good manners."
"I never pegged you to be someone with good manners."
"Sasakay ka ba o hindi?"
I honestly didn't want to book for another excruciating thirty minutes. Tsaka, may kasama naman siyang driver sa loob, so maybe it wouldn't be as suffocating. Bumuntong hininga na lang ako at hinila ang nakabukas nang pinto. Umisod si Third pagkakita sa'kin, tapos sinabi sa driver niya ang address ko.
"Sorry po sa paghintay," paumanhin ko sa driver niya, na nginitian lang ako sa rearview mirror. Pansin kong sumulyap sa'kin si Third kaya umirap ako, bago tumungo sa phone.
Balak ko sanang sumigaw-sigaw sa gc namin pero malamang aasarin lang nila ko tapos lalo akong maiinis. Twitter wasn't a safe place to be in yet, so I didn't want to even look at the app. But maybe I peek wouldn't be bad, though? Pwede naman siguro akong sumilip, tignan ko lang kung ano nang nangyayar-
"-orry."
"Huh?" nag-angat ako ng tingin, pero hindi ko nahuli ang mga mata ni Third dahil nagbaling na siya sa labas ng bintana. "Ano 'yun?"
"I'm sorry," ulit niya. Mas lalo akong naguluhan kaya ibinaba ko ang hawak kong phone. "Para saan?"
"People in the internet are calling you names," his expression darkened, and his lips thinned. Kapag ganito ang ekspresyon niya, lalong parang bawal siya hawakan. Bawal siya lapitan.
Third doesn't have the same aura as his friends. His presence alone can act like gravity, keeping everything and everyone relative to his existence. He isn't a charmer, like Justin, or playful like Jonas, but you can't help but look at him whenever he's inside the room.
Nangungulit siya, before. Nung kami pa. He was also sweet and thoughtful. But even then, he's already like this. Like a heavy storm waiting to pour.
"It's not your fault," sabi ko, pagkalipas ng ilang segundong katahimikan. "Part 'to ng pagiging public figure. I can't please everyone even if I try to."
"But if I didn't-" he squeezed his eyes shut and sighed. Curious naman akong pinagmasdan ang mukha niya. He looked distressed. Why? Dahil sa'kin? Dahil may bashers ako? But isn't that normal?
He's being weird.
"I shouldn't have done that film with Arianne," his voice was deep and dark with irritation. "It didn't do anything but worsen things."
"Don't be ridiculous," I primly said, checking my nails. "If you didn't land that role you wouldn't have won Breakthrough Artist of the Year agad. You wouldn't have had Direk Luis as a reference. Hindi ka niya marerecommend for your next role."
He turned towards me so fast I almost worried he snapped his neck. "You..."
"You what?"
"You know all that?"
I flushed and ducked my head to hide my face. Fuck this mouth! Hindi ko na-realize na wala na nga pala ko sa Pilipinas nung nangyari lahat 'yon! He'd know I was deliberately watching out news for him! "N-nakwento lang ni Jeanne."
His chuckles made the hair on the back of my neck rise. "It's okay, Neia. I won't think too much about it."
"Totoo naman talaga!" angil ko, pero masyado pa ring masaya ang ngiti niya. Parang nanunukso pa rin. "Oo nga. Naniniwala nga ako."
Inirapan ko na lang siya at bumaling sa bintana. Nanahimik na rin siya. My heart is still beating too fast for my liking. The road is becoming familiar; malapit na kami sa condominium na tinitirhan namin nila Selene.
"I..." tumikhim ako. He looked at me in my periphery, but I remained staring out the window. "I'm glad you lived a good life. Even... Even after..."
Lumunok ako at bumaba ang boses. "... us."
Matagal siyang nakatitig nang magsalubong ang mga mata namin. He looked at me with that searching gaze again, na parang lagi siyang may gustong makita sa mukha ko.
"It wasn't that good," he muttered lowly, looking down. "You weren't there."
Suminghap ako ng hangin at nilunok ang bikig na namuo sa lalamunan ko. What is he implying? What does he mean? Bakit ang hirap hirap na niyang intindihin?
Naputol ang pag-uusap (more like titigan) namin nang tumikhim ang driver. "Andito na po tayo."
Sumilip ako sa labas. Oo nga. Nasa tapat na nga kami ng building. Isinukbit ko na ang dala kong shoulder bag sa balikat.
"Uh... b-bale. Thank you," I mumbled, bowing my head slightly. Nanatiling tahimik si Third, kaya nagthank you na rin ako sa driver niya at binuksan ang pinto para bumaba.
"Bukas-" napahinto ako sa pagbaba ng sasakyan at nilingon si Third. It might have been my imagination but he might've been blushing. "Magkaiba tayo ng calltime. Hindi kita masusundo."
"Okay," sagot ko na lang, because what else can I say? It's not like inexpect ko rin naman na araw-araw niya ko hatid-sundo. It's not like he's supposed to do that.
Pinanood ko munang magdrive ang sasakyan niya paalis. Masyado na itong malayo nang itaas ko ang kamay ko para kumaway.
I sighed when it disappeared from view, placing a hand on my heart.
"Wag kang pasaway," bulong ko sa sarili. "Hindi mo kailangan ng part two."
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sofia: secret lang natin 'to pero nangsstalk talaga si neia ng ex niya lalo na pag lasing
BINABASA MO ANG
bad romance
Fanfiction[COMPLETED] The memories of yesterday still haunt me. - Ireneia Salvador Five years ago, Ireneia and Third broke up. Five years later, they are the nation's newest love team, thrown together to work on the most ambitious film of the decade. No press...
