My Lover Is My Teacher (ON GOING)

A Sad Confession

The air between us as we walked toward the terminal was thick enough to choke on. The city lights blurred around us, each one a stark reminder that we were living on borrowed time.

​"Dito na lang, Leandro," I said, stopping a few meters away from the busy main road. "Ayokong makita ka ng kahit sino na kasama ko."

​He stopped, his posture rigid. He looked at the main road, then back at me, his eyes searching for something he couldn't quite find. "I understand. I just... I needed to make sure you were safe."

​"Safe?" I let out a dry, humorless laugh. "How can I be safe when everything is falling apart?"

​He reached out, his fingers brushing my arm-not a lover's touch, but a desperate, fleeting contact.

​"I'll check the status of my resignation letter first thing in the morning," he said, his voice calm, though I could see the tremor in his hands. "After that, I'm coming to your house. I'll face your parents, Venus. I won't let you carry this alone anymore."

​"Leandro, they'll hate you," I whispered, the rain still clinging to my hair. "They'll destroy you."

​He stepped forward, cupping my face with both hands, his thumbs stroking my cheekbones. "Let them. I've spent my life hiding behind a mask. Being your teacher, being 'Vaughn' in Makati... it was all cowardice. I'm done running." He leaned in, pressing a final, lingering kiss to my forehead. "Everything is going to be fine. I promise."

​He walked into the darkness, leaving me shivering. Fifteen minutes passed until a pair of headlights cut through the gloom. It wasn't Grae's car. It was our family's Toyota Fortuner. The screech of the tires against the pavement sounded like a warning.

​The back window rolled down, revealing Mama's face-contorted in pure disappointment. Grae was sitting beside her, his head hung low, staring at his lap as if he'd just committed a crime. Papa, behind the wheel, swung the passenger door open, his face a mask of cold, terrifying fury.

​I climbed in, the interior air heavy with an suffocating, electric tension.

​"Hindi ako makapaniwalang nagsinungaling ka sa'min, Venus!" sigaw ni Papa habang humaharurot ang kotse pauwi. "Ano bang nangyayari sa'yo?! At sino 'yong lalaking 'yon?!"

​"Pa, 18 na ako. Hindi niyo na ako kailangang bantayan," I retorted, my voice shaking.

​"Wow," singit ni Mama, her voice trembling with rage. "18 ka na nga, pero irresponsable ka pa rin! Bakit hindi mo sinabi ang totoo? Sabi mo nandoon ka sa kaibigan mo, pero tinawagan namin siya at wala ka roon! We asked Grae, and he was reluctant, but he finally told us the truth! Are you fucking insane?!"

​I glanced at Grae. He remained silent, staring ahead. The betrayal stung, but not as much as the fear.

​"Kaano-ano mo ang lalaking 'yon, Venus?" tanong ni Papa, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. "Kung si Grae ang boyfriend mo, sino siya?! Are you cheating on him?!"

​"NO!"

​"THEN WHY?!" bulyaw ni Papa. "Bakit mo kasama ang lalaking 'yon?! We gave you everything! Luho, pera, materials, lahat nasa'yo! Hindi ka namin pinaghihigpitan kasi akala namin matino ka, pero YOU DISAPPOINTED US."

​The tears started to fall. I looked at Grae, begging for a sign of mercy. "Akala ko ba magkakampi tayo?" I whispered.

​"VENUS!" sermon ni Mama, "Grae has nothing to do with this. He just did what he thought was right."

​Right? I couldn't take it anymore.

​"STOP THE CAR!" I screamed.

​Walang sumagot.

​"I SAID STOP THE CAR!"

​Inihinto ni Papa ang sasakyan sa gilid ng highway. Dali-dali kong binuksan ang pinto.

​"HINDI NINYO AKO MAINTINDIHAN! I DON'T NEED ANY OF THESE! ATTENSYON NIYO ANG KAILANGAN KO! ESPECIALLY FROM YOU, PAPA! Lagi na lang trabaho, trabaho! Lagi na lang akong naiiwanang mag-isa! I HATE BEING ALONE. I HATE LIVING THIS LIFE!"

​I slammed the door and bolted. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, sobbing, disappearing into the shadows of a nearby wall. I didn't care about the darkness, or the rain starting to fall again. My hands were shaking as I pulled out my phone.

​Leandro.

​I dialed. He picked up on the first ring.

​"Venus?!" He sounded frantic. "Nasaan ka?!"

​"Leandro..." I gasped, the world spinning, my vision blurring into black and gray. "Help me. Help me, Leandro. Please..."

​My knees gave out. The phone slipped from my grip, and the last thing I heard before the darkness swallowed me whole was his voice-terrified and desperate-screaming my name.