ISTLINYO

5

I calmed myself to prevent from crying, I closed my eyes meron pa ring nakatakas parin na isang butil ng luha,

Di ba crush lang naman? Bat ba ako nagkakaganito?

I immediately wiped it away. Pagkalabas sa pintuan I bumped into someone. Hindi ko siya nakita dahil naka yuko lang ako. I utter a sorry and ready to go, when someone held my wrist and drag me somewhere.

Di ko inaangat ang mukha ko, cause i don't want someone to see me like this, miserable as hell.

Then we stop. Dun na ako nag angat ng tingin para matignan kung nasaan na kami. Were at the south wing of the campus, sa imbakan ng mga sirang upuan sa gilid ng shop namin.

"Hey" kinalabit niya ako, kaya napalingon ako.

It's Krist.

Kinuha niya ang upuang hindi sira sa gilid nito at ibinigay sa akin at kumuha naman sya ng sa kanya, he sit not so far.

"I amh accidentally heard your convo with him.. are you okay?" he started.

Sa sinabi niyang yun bigla akong napayuko. I don't want him to know na ang babaw ko.

Inangat ko ang ulo ko, i sight and utter the most common lie. "I'm fine."

He sight and look infront of us, may mga shops sa kalayuan.

I wonder, nakaalis na kaya sya?

"I saw him came out right after nating makarating dito" my brows furrow on what he said.

Am i that obvious?

"Don't say you're fine when it's not. Hindi masama ang pagiging mahina, it indicates na tao ka rin at nasasaktan, unless if hindi ka tao. So stop pretending."

That's the last string. Nag-uunahang tumulo ang mga luhang kanina ko pa pinipigilan.

"Crush ko lang naman siya pero.. bakit ako nagkakaganito? napaka liit lang na bagay iyon, pero nasaktan ako eh!" I look at him, confusion was evident in my eyes.

He look at me for almost thirty seconds, like his trying to read the depths in me.

"Maybe it's not a crush anymore" he conclude, that made me stilled.

Memories came flashing like a lightning speed. The time when my heart eratically beats when his near, the unexplainable happiness i am feeling when im with him, and the jealousy im feeling towards the girls around him. Then it hit me, im really falling for him.

"I think I... love him" this time he stilled and I saw a lot of emotions crossed his eyes but it was easily disappeared with a blink of an eye.

Guni-guni ko lang siguro yon. anang bahagi ng utak ko.

"That explains the.. amh tears" he then look away.

Silence fell on us, but minutes later he stand up and look at me.

"I think we should go" ibinalik nito ang inupuan sa kinalalagyan, i did the same. After that we started walking.

"Thank you!" I said while were walking, ipinilig nito ang ulo nito and just shrugged at me.

We walk silently. When we reach at the lobby of the seniors Krist stop at bumaling sa akin.

"Amhh Czah!" I look at him.

He was looking on the side with a serious face. "Wag kang mag mahal ng subra... baka masaktan ka lang." maka hulugan nitong sabi.

I laugh at his words.

"Wag kang mag-alala hindi ako masasaktan" he just tap my shoulder and left. His weird pero di ko nalang iyon pinansin.

I was on my way to the science park when I saw him, with his friends, infront of the welding shop. He saw me so I look away at lumakad na. I wanted to talk to him but not now.