Fall For You

*Chapter 59*

=Kevin=

"Stop calling me Theo. I'm Kevin Chan."

Syempre, halata ang gulat sa mukha niya. Gulat na hindi na niya maitatago pa.

"I don't get what-"

"Stop pretending, Maxine," I cut her off. "Stop fooling yourself. I don't have the time and interest to continue this talk. I can't even bear to see your face anymore after all you've done. As I've said, I'm just here to end this."

"So, you're really saying we're done now?"

"We're not done because there was never an us to begin with."

"Wait, please, Theo," she tried to reach my hand pero daglian ko itong itinakwil.

"I said stop calling me Theo!" napalakas na ang boses ko. "There was never an us, Maxine. Do you know how hard it was for me to try to love you, to force myself to be in love you, thinking that I should be? I've pretended to love you for so long just as how you pretended to be my fiancee. So please, stop."

There, I've said it. Iyon ay mga salitang matagal nang nakagapos sa loob ng damdamin ko. I coudn't release it back then kasi akala ko ako ang mali. Kung bakit di ko siya kayang mahalin nang totoo. Believe me, I forced myself to try loving her, but there's something within me that could not actually do so. And now it all makes sense.

It's because I'm in love with someone else and my heart still remembers what my mind couldn't.

I went out of the restaurant. I was actually preventing myself from saying harsher things. I'm so mad, knowing that Maxine actually wanted me to take medicine that could gradually weaken my memory, instead of enhancing it. Niloko niya ako. For almost three years. But I saved her a face and did not mention that. Hindi na niya kailangan malaman kung hanggang saan ang nalalaman ko tungkol sa panloloko nila.

The only thing she has to know is that my memory is back. And I have no single intention on continuing the engagement.

Nakabalik ako sa condo and naabutan ko si Prez na nagluluto sa kusina.

"Hey, tulog pa yung dalawa?"

"Si Dylan may binili lang para sa brunch natin. Si Venice tulog pa. Where have you been?"

"I talked to Maxine," I went nearer to her.

Napatingin siya sa akin with a worried face.

"It's okay. I told her everything. Wag kang mag-alala, I wasn't as harsh as you're imagining."

"A-Alam ko namang di ka harsh. Pero kasi, syempre, baka galit ka pa masyado."

"Well, I was able to suppress my anger. I just ended everything between us. Yun lang. I made it clear to her."

Napaiwas siya ng tingin at inilipat na niya ang niluto niyang adobo sa isang bowl.

"What's the matter?"

"Ha? Wala naman. Ano lang kasi," she trailed off.

"C'mon, tell me, Prez."

"Maxine loved you," she looked at me sincerely. Hindi ko inexpect na yun ang sasabihin niya. "If there's anything real that time, it was her love for you. Although may mga mali siyang nagawa, that was just to keep you."

"Don't tell me you're blaming yourself again?"

"I...I feel like I'm stealing away somebody else's happiness."

"Hey," agad ko siyang sinaway at pinaharap sa akin. "You're not stealing anything from anyone, okay?" I cupped her face. "I'm yours. Ever since."

I embraced her and held the back of her head.