Taped-Up Heart

XLII. Close Your Eyes

Chapter Forty One

Close Your Eyes

FOUR YEARS AGO.

No.

Hindi niya ako pwedeng iwan ng gan'on gan'on na lang!

Tumayo ako. It only happened yesterday, of course, I'm still hurt. Tapos ngayon malalaman ko na lilipad na siya papuntang China?

"Asia, where are you—"

Hindi ko na pinakinggan si Yannie. Dali dali kong kinuha ang susi ng kotse ko at nagdiretso sa parking lot. I drove as fast as I could to the airport. I tried dialling his number, but I got no response.

Hindi pwede.

Mahal niya naman ako, 'di ba?

Sabihin niya lang na nagsisinungaling siya, papatawarin ko siya. Tatanggapin ko ulit siya sa buhay ko... kasi siya ang papaniwalaan ko.

He made me trust him; I gave him my whole trust and heart, because he said that he would never hurt me, and I still want to believe in that.

Dahil hanggang ngayon pinagkakatiwalaan ko pa rin siya. Bet? Pustahan? I don't believe in those shits. He even said it himself that I'm the first girl in his life. Alam ba nila na may OCD siya? Hindi, 'di ba?

So, ano?

Pati ba 'yun kasinungalingan lang din?

Was it all a lie?

Was his love for me a whole lie?

I wiped my tears away. I should focus on driving, wala pa akong balak mamatay. Kailangan ko pa linawin lahat. Gusto kong pag-usapan naming dalawa, kasi ako? I would never give him up that easy.

Even in a short span of time, we already made a lot of memories. Good ones. Lahat ng araw na kasama ko siya ay masaya, kaya imposible na niloloko niya lang ako kasi naramdaman ko naman na mahal niya talaga ako, gusto niya talaga ako.

Hanggang condo ka lang. I shook the thought away. According to the Tiu brothers' rules: never take your girls home. Pero hindi naman, 'di ba? Hindi niya naman ginawa lahat ng 'yun para lang may makuha sa akin.

Pinakilala ka na ba niya sa magulang niya? No, he didn't, but that's because we didn't have the time to do it. His brothers know me, kung ganoon magkaka-sabwat ba silang lahat? Ang effort naman nilang lahat na lokohin ako!

Achaia's engaged with someone else. Engaged?! He even said it himself that he doesn't let any other girls touch him. I was the first girl in his life. 'Yan pa rin ang gusto kong paniwalaan.

Kaagad akong bumaba ng sasakyan nang makarating ako sa airport. Mabilis akong tumakbo papasok at hinanap ang mga flight pa-China.

I kept on looking for him everywhere even when I knew that it was possible. This was already dead end. I wiped the tears away, para akong tanga na umiiyak dito. Pinagtitinginan na ako ng ibang tao.

"Asia?"

Parang nabuhayan ako nang marinig ko ang boses na 'yon. Kaagad akong lumingon. "Acha—" but I stopped when I saw Adami.

"What are you doing in here?"

"S-si Achaia?" I asked, nagsisimula na ulit magtubig ang mga mata ko.

He stopped. The expression on his face changed. "He already left," he said.

"Saan siya pupunta?"

"Asia, I—"

I cut him off. "I want to talk to him, please?"

He sighed. "He's heading to China to take care of our business there..."