Dedicated to sheehamram 💙
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"Hey, are you still busy?" I asked Zyle one Monday morning. He's on our unit because I prepared breakfast. Terrence was on his room, talking to someone over his phone.
"Wala na akong gagawin sa weekend," he said then sipped unto his coffee.
Ibinaba ko ang kutsara. Silog lang naman ang niluto ko. Hotdog then bacon.
"So, can we schedule my sketch now?"
Agad itong napatingin sa akin. "You're serious about that?"
Tumango ako. "It's kinda body empowering you know? Look at this photo I have together with the one you saw on my laptop."
Lumapit ako sa kaniya at ibiniga ang aking phone para makita niya ang isang folder sa gallery ko na may pangalang nude yoga. It was full of my pictures naked but not in a scandalous way. The photo emphasizes the body shapes and positions that need body flexibility.
Nakita kong napaawang ang bibig niya. "What do you think?"
"It's magnificent," he said swiping my pictures then stares at it for moments before swiping again. There are photos that I am with Fraille. "I haven't think of this photography yet." Napailing ito. "This was so nice. Body powering indeed."
"Yup, that's the purpose actually. Those position was actually done by other women too. Different faces, different body types. Flawless or flawed. I even met some woman that didn't care about their stretch marks and some said that they didn't care about their weight. I mean, there are models that have stretch marks too. There are some that have freckles on their faces. Some have black skin. But that didn't bother them." He looked at me with awe. I smiled.
"That day was nice. That photoshoot was for women empowerment for a magazine and I really love it that I became a part of it. The advocacy that woman are not objects for pleasure and that we can be naked without being sexual—that helped me to improve my confidence a lot."
He stared at me for long before smiling. "I feel proud knowing you."
That put an unconscious smile on my face. "Thank you."
"Let's do it on weekend then."
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Weekend came. Terrence had urgent on his other life kaya wala siya sa unit. Okay lang rin naman kasi may iba akong plano.
I moved out of the unit and rang Zyle's, while wearing just a robe. Underneath is a swimsuit I used last summer.
Bumungad siya sa akin, gulat. Agad niya akong pinapasok sa unit niya. Like what was planned a week ago, I went straight to his room.
Mukang kapapalit ang ng putting sapin ng kama nito dahil naamoy ko ang fabric conditioner. Ang mga gamit ay nakaayos, maging ang stand kung saan nakapatong ang isang canvas. Sa harap ay 'yung upuang kahoy na inuupuan niya noon una ko siyang nakitang nagpe-painting. Gumawi ang tingin ko sa viranda dahil medyo madilim ang kwarto niya. Ngayon ko lang napansin na may kurtina. Kadalasan kasi wala dahil tinted naman ang glass sa glass doors. Even the curtain looked new.
Did he buy it just for this?
I sat on the middle of his bed and waited for him to come in.
Pagkalipas ng ilang sandali ay pumasok na rin siya, iniwang nakabukas ang pinto. Napangiwi ako. Napansin niya 'ata kaya napatanong siya.
"Is leaving the door open making you uncomfortable?"
"Um, it's awkward I think?" I said honestly.
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