Crawl Out of Love (COMPLETED)

Chapter 34

Chapter 34

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Right after I finished my meal, Iain got me a tall slice of red velvet cake with the words happy birthday on the side of it.

"It's not much but I hope you appreciate it," he said.

Napangiti ako. The cake is so eye pleasing. Ang ganda ng ayos. I could just stare at it. Parang ayokong kainin.

"Are you kidding? This is cute. Thank you..."

Talagang nag-abala pa siya. I mean, the greeting was enough. No need for a cake but I still liked it.

"How are you doing?" tanong niya. He sliced the cake into smaller pieces and gave me a fork. He urged me to try it so I did.

"I think I'm fine," I replied. At least for now. Sigurado ako na kapag umuwi ako, hindi na magiging maayos ang lagay ko. I have to deal with the many things I left behind.

"Really?"

He looks like he's not convinced. Hindi ba ako kapani-paniwala?

"Totoo. I feel relaxed."

He nodded. Mukhang hindi pa rin siya kumbinsido.

We stayed silent for a while. We were never like this. Iain and I... we never run out of things to talk about. Siguro ganito lang kami ngayon kasi ilang taon na ang lumipas. He changed. I changed. We're not the same anymore.

"I'm sorry," we both said at the same time. Nagkatinginan kami at parehong natawa.

"Go on. You go first," he urged.

Where do I start? There's a lot to apologize for!

"Uh... I'm sorry for basically everything. Honestly, I think sorry won't cut it. But... I sincerely am sorry."

Hindi siya nagsalita at hinayaan akong magpatuloy.

"I'm sorry for keeping things from you... About me studying abroad. About my unofficial engagement to Kylo Tancinco... And also because I left again without telling you. Though, in my defense I tried to reach you before I left pero parang iniiwasan mo ako no'n..."

Iain bit his lower lip. The outdoor lighting makes him more attractive. Mas lalong nahi-highlight ang features niya. His thick brows are a bit furrowed as he listens to me.

"I know it's your dream to study abroad. Sinabi mo iyon sa akin noon. So I wasn't surprised about you leaving."

"Yeah, I know. Pero dapat sinabi ko pa rin sayo noong nalaman ko na natanggap ako. You deserved to know earlier. Ang sama ko lang kasi sinabi ko noong paalis na ako. I was really a coward back then... and scared that you'd get mad."

Napayuko ako. Ngayong naiisip ko ang nakaraan ay parang gusto kong bumalik doon at sabunutan ang nakababatang sarili. I was a very different person back then. Ni hindi ko maisip ngayon na ganoon kapangit ang mga desisyon ko noon.

"Hey, I didn't get mad. I was pissed... but not mad. I understood that it was hard for you to tell me. We got past it, right? We were okay when you left."

Tumango ako. Oo nga naman at maayos kami noong unang alis ko.

"How about when you heard about Kylo? Pablo told me that you knew about it."

Huminga siya ng malalim at mariin akong tinitigan.

"That... Yeah, I heard about it. Hindi ako naniwala noong una. I figured I'd believe it if it came from you or your parents. It was a quick confirmation. I overheard your father telling the news to some close associates."