To The One I Loved

Chapter 9

Hindi tinantanan ng dalawa si Lia. Pilit nilang pinapakwento ito kung ano nangyari sa muling pagkikita ng dating magkasintahan. Nasa living room ang tatlong magkakaibigan ng pamilya Guano.

“Nothing happened. Ano ba kayo!”

“Pwede ba namang wala?! Helloooo?! Minsan na kaya ninyong minahal ng sobra ang isa't isa.” The witness of Lia and Peter's romance blurted out.

"Ano ba gusto nyong malaman? Sinasagot ko naman e." She pouted. Sa katunayan ay naekwento na nya ang lahat sa dalawang kaibigan ngunit tila hindi kumbinsido ang dalawa. "I actually expected him to be mad and snob but I guessed nangibabaw ang manners nya. Akala ko kasi hindi sya mamamansinin or magiging cold ang trato nya but he was like... ahm it kinda feels like... I was his long time no see friend.. No! Scratch that! Hindi pala kaibigan kungdi parang kakilala nya lang ako... na parang hindi kami nagkaroon ng libo-libong alaala. I didn't feel any longing.” tinignan niya ang dalawa matapos magsalita.

Bumagsak ang balikat ng dalawa. Akala pa man din nila ay may mangyayaring maganda. ini expect kasi nilang maging special ang trato ni Peter o magiging sweet. As a journalist at editor ng isang publishing company, hindi maikakailang sanay ang mga ito sa human nature.

“ah! Baka nag refrain si Gov kasi may other people.”

“o baka nagulat sa biglaang paglitaw mo but deep down he must be so happy to finally see you. I'm not convinced he wasn't pleased at all, that he wasn't hopeful and yearning.” pag sang-ayon ni Kelly.

Lia rolled her eyes. “If you guys put it that way.” then she shrugs.

“e ikaw, anong naramdaman mo?” tanong ni Kelly.

Lia leaned her back. Inalala nya ang pagkikitang muli sa dating kasintahan. Malakas ang tibok ng puso nya ng makita ang portrait pa lamang ni Peter at halos mabingi na ito nang mismong pumasok ang binata sa opisina.

Was it normal? Given bang iyon ang maramdaman kapag muling nakaharap ang dating bumuo ng mundo mo? Tila takot itong magkamali at ayaw nyang may masabi ang binata sa kilos nya, ayaw nyang magmukhang awkward at affected.

Nanibago rin ito sa trato sa kanya. Too casual. It was really as if she was just a person he once knew. But it would also strange if Peter treated her like how they were.

“I was... nervous.”

“That's a given.” Kelly

“Who wouldn't diba. Tell us something else.”

“Yun lang naman.”

“Yun lang naman?” the two said in unison. Tumango si Lia bilang sagot.

“Wag mo nga kaming pinagloloko. Matagal mong iniyakan 'yun. Impossibleng wala kanang ibang naramdaman. Weren't you felt any longing? Or wanting to hug him tight?”

She did. Ginusto nya itong mayakap o mahawakan at pagmasdan ng matagal para malaman nyang totoo ang  binata at hindi imahinasyon lamang nya.

“Siguro... panghihinayang. It's tragic that we ended this way after all the dreams we made together. And now we are actually living the dreams, we became strangers with memories. Isn't that ironic?”