Mahal Kita, Pero Book 2: ALL MY LOVE IS FOR YOU / รักหมดทั้งใจให้คุณ

Chapter 20: Wonderstruck

Chapter 20: Wonderstruck

Present Day, NAIA

"WHAT THE HELL?"

Yeah, surprisingly, nagkita na naman kami ng Nazareth na ito. At dito pa talaga sa Pilipinas.

"Nakikinig ka rin pala ng The Veronicas? You know what, I once met a client from Australia na kamag-anak daw ni Lisa at Jessica Origliasso."

"Who?"

"The client?"

And I remembered again what he does, na hindi ko maisip na may ganoon palang trabaho. "No, the names you mentioned."

"The Veronicas," tugon ni Nazareth.

"Ah, 'yon pala ang pangalan nila," I nonchalantly uttered.

"Fun fact. They're twins," dagdag pa ni Nazareth.

That, I can tell. "Bakit ka ba nandito?"

"Gala ako, eh. Ikaw?" tanong niya, saka tumingin sa bandang unahan ng zone namin. There was a TV signage of the flights for that zone, and it said ours. "Ah, papunta ka pala sa Bangkok, ha. Mukhang hindi pa ito ang huling beses na magkikita tayo."

I grunted. "What the... Pa-Bangkok ka rin?"

"Yes, pero doon ako sa kabila. Mas mura kasi doon, eh. Dito, medyo pang-mayaman. Rich kid ka pala, ha?" He then bumped my arm with his fist.

Napabuntong-hininga na lang ako. Seryoso ba ito? Pa-Bangkok din ito?

"'Wag na tayong magkita, please," hiling ko. This guy has given me some sleepless nights.

There were times that I woke up in the middle of the night. In my dreams, he appears almost every time without any freaking reason. Saying some sort of senseless shit I seriously don't recall.

Bigla na nga lang daw akong nagje-jerk, sabi ni Pero. The next thing I know niyuyugyog na lang ako niya at baka nga binabangungot ako.

I've been feeling something bizarre about this guy. I mean, oo, guwapo ito. He could be a ramp or print model with his guns, his built, his entirety. I'm not sure if I'm having a crush on him.

Pero ewan ko. Ang odd lang talaga. Yet, the thing is, he sort of pulls me onward to him.

Mas nangingibabaw lang ang pag-ibig ko kay Pero kaya I can resist him. Yes! Pero pa rin! Forever!

Tumawa lang si Nazareth. "Naniniwala talaga akong magkikita pa tayo, Leaving. Sa San Francisco, ilang beses tayong nagkita? Tatlo? Apat?"

"I-D-K. I-D-C. IDGAF," sabi ko.

Napailing na lang si Nazareth. "Ang sungit mo pa rin hanggang ngayon, Leaving. Pilipinas na ito, oh. Wala na tayo sa San Francisco. How about a little love, yeah?"

I sarcastically laugh. "Seryoso? Leaving pa rin ang tawag mo sa akin?"

"Nagpakilala ako sa 'yo. Ang sabi ko, I'm Nazareth. Ang sabi mo, I'm Leaving," he then flashed his priceless smile.

"Ewan ko sa 'yo," I just said.

"Eh, kasi naman, ilang beses na tayong nagkita pero hindi ko pa rin alam ang pangalan mo." He then stared at the documents I'm holding. "Patingin nga ng boarding pass mo."

Kukunin na ni Nazareth ang hawak kong dokumento pero bigla itong napahinto.

"All passengers of flight BKK420, please proceed to Zone Eleven. The flight will take place in less than ten minutes," announced the voice-over PA.

"Ang suwerte mo, Leaving. Kailangan ko nang umalis. Kita-kits na lang sa Bangkok, ha. Get ready for it." Ginulo pa ni Nazareth ang buhok ko, saka tumayo sa kinauupuan. He winked and marched the hallway with his leather messenger bag.

"See you never," bulong ko.

Inayos ko na lang agad ang buhok at baka makita pa ako ni Pero na ganito ang hitsura. I don't want him to think of anything else.

Sa totoo lang, ang mga encounter namin ni Nazareth ay hindi ko sinasabi kay Pero. It's not that I'm cheating or hiding this from him. Ayoko lang na mapraning siya or may maisip pang iba.

A few minutes more, Pero arrived with another character development. My goodness, what's with this new and improved look?

"Hello, Mahal," sabi ni Pero.

"M-Mahal? Ano'ng nangyari sa 'yo?" usal ko.

Well, to begin with, he was wearing this striped shirt that was tucked in front and the back was laying free. Same skinny black pants approaching until his ankle, plus the white shoes. Pero ngayon ay may suot na itong... salamin. It was a oversized rounded eyeglasses with black stems. Ito 'yong binili namin sa Paterno Street sa Quiapo, matapos kaming magpapalit ng Thai baht sa Ermita.

He even pushed his hair back. Nag-effort pa itong magsuklay at mag-wax. And even from where he is standing, amoy na amoy ko ang pabango niya, na sobrang sarap langhapin. I'm wonderstruck by his delectable appearance. Yes, delectable. I used the right word.

"Guwapo ako?" tanong ni Pero, saka ngumiti.

"Hala, mukha ka na talagang oppa. Pero parang may kulang," sabi ko, saka may kinuha ako sa bag ko. It was my lip moisturizer. I opened it and applied it in his lips to make it shinier.

"Oh, okay. Ayan, guwapo na?" He even bumped his lips together.

"Gumuwapo pa lalo. Oppang-oppa na," saad ko. Who says he can't have a physical character development? "Masakit pa ba ang tiyan mo?"

Nginisian lang ako ni Pero. I knew it. Excuse lang niya ang pagna-Number 2 para makapag-ayos ng sarili. Last time kasi, noong nasa Battery Spencer kami, inabutan din ito roon, eh.

Piningot ko naman ito. "Loko ka talaga."

"Hehe, anyway, mahal, ngayon pa lang magso-sorry na ako, ha," he confidently said.

Kumunot naman ang noo ko. "Bakit?"

"Baka kasi pagkaguluhan ako sa Thailand pagbaba natin ng eroplano. Pasensya ka na kung 'di kita makakausap, ha. Pero mahal pa rin kita, don't worry. Please don't be in love with someone else, okay?"

Naningkit naman bigla ang mga mata ko. "Medyo tumodo ang level of confidence natin, ah?"

"'To naman, biro lang, mahal. Pero if ever mangyari 'yon, get ready for it," he then grinned like a cute K-Pop star, and yes, he did not forget that Korean heart sign.

Get ready for it. Déjà vu? Parang narinig ko lang ito kanina, ah.

Mukhang kailangan ko talagang mag-ready. Paano kung magkita si Pero at si Nazareth? Ano na lang ang iisipin sa akin ni Pero?

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