When the Sun hides

Four

Days after the concert, may hangover pa rin. It still feels so unreal. Parang panaginip.

I've gained new friends also and I have become very active in social media. Eto nga't sabay sabay daw kaming pumunta sa isang TV network para panoorin ang guesting ng SV19 need to buy some stuff at bibilhinan ko na rin si Ken ng mga kailangan niya. Pumunta muna ako sa Men's wear section. Kumuha ako ng mga jackets and T-shirts. I also get some pants, socks, and underwear. He can use these on their guesting and fan meetings.

Kumuha rin ako ng toothbrush, facial wash, shampoo at iba pa for his personal hygiene.

He needs to take good care of himself especially since more people are paying attention to him now.

After filling my cart with most of his things, I went to the cashier for payment. I took out my debit card. I prefer to use this than cash or credit card. Ayoko rin ng kautangan. May nakasabay pa akong isang lalaki na kakaiba kung makatingin. Maybe, he wondered why I'm buying lots of Men's items. Hindi ko nalang pinansin.

Bago umuwi ay dumaan din ako sa Aunti Anne's at nag-take out ng pretzels.

Both of my arms are fully occupied by paper bags. Yet, I'm happy that I can do this for him. Gustong gusto ko na naaasikaso ko siya. He may look tough outside but he's really a soft baby inside. Some might say na sobrang spoiled sa akin ni Ken but I love doing that to him, kahit na noong nagaaral palang kami.

We were schoolmates in College. Transferee siya from a school in Zamboanga habang ako naman ay Loyalty Awardee na. He took Architecture while I finished Commerce.

We first met nang maligaw siya sa building namin. First day niya 'yun kaya hindi niya pa alam ang mga buildings sa University. Medyo mahiyain rin siya at probinsyano ang datingan. Ako ang una niyang pinagtanungan at sinamahan ko naman siya. Sa mga sumunod na araw, naging Feeling Close na siya sa akin. Palagi niya akong tinatawag at kung minsan ay sinasamahan sa tuwing makikita ako. We became close friends to the point that my classmates teased us romantically.

I ignored that until Ken confessed his feelings for me.

"Cat." Tawag niya sa pangalan ko kaya lumingon ako sa kanya. "Pwede ba ako manligaw?" Sunod niyang tanong. Nakatingin lang ako sa kanya bago tumawa.

"Luh. Gutom ka na naman? Tara, kain tayo sa canteen." Sagot ko nalang. Pagkatapos ng araw na iyon, hindi na siya nagparamdam. Mga isang linggo rin siguro. Nakita ko nalang ulit siya noong nag-perform ang Dance Club sa Foundation Week. He was one of them. Naging instant heartthrob siya after kaya mas hindi na kami nagkausap pa. Lumapit lang siya sa akin isang araw habang nasa library ako at doon muling tinanong ang mga salitang iyon.

Who would have thought that I would fall in love with him, deeply in love with him? I even hide our relationship from my parents. Ayaw kasi nila na mag-boyfriend ako habang nagaaral pa.

Our relationship has never been easy. Our college life was never easy. But I never regret being with him.

He needed to be a working student to support himself and his studies. Hindi na kasi siya kayang pagaralin ng lolo at lola niya. At dahil medyo nakakaluwag luwag din naman ako at nasa abroad ang parents ko, tinulungan ko siya.

I used to work as Online English teacher and all of my salary was for his studies. Sa loob ng apat na taon ako ang nagbayad ng tuition fee niya, habang ang sinasahod niya naman ay para sa inuupahan niyang kwarto at sariling panggastos.

Nang malaman iyon ng mga magulang ko, mas lalo silang nagalit. Umuwi pa sila dito para lang paghiwalayin kaming dalawa pero hindi ako pumayag. They even tried to cut my allowance but I found ways. I applied and passed a  scholarship. Nag-full time din ako sa pagtuturo ng English language online. Nagtatrabaho ako sa gabi at sa umaga naman ako nagaaral.