Frozen Fire

Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Notes and Tragedies

"Winter?" I asked when I saw him in our front porch the next day. He smiled at me half-heartedly.

"Why are you here?" tanong ko. He looked unsure at first pero sinagot niya rin naman ang tanong ko.

"Can we go for a walk?" he asked. I pursed my lips at his question. 

All I wanted to do today is to lay in bed and rethink all the decisions I had done the past few days. Ngunit baka nga ay kailangan ko ring gumalaw galaw. I heaved a sigh and nodded.

"I'll just get ready," I said. Pinapasok ko siya sa bahay upang doon maghintay.

I glanced at the clock and saw that it was already 1PM. I'm supposed to go to the hospital at 4PM para makauwi naman saglit si mom. She hasn't left dad's side simula ng naconfine ito doon. Umuuwi lang siya to take a bath at babalik na rin agad sa ospital. She just couldn't stay away from my dad for too long.

Minsan rin ay si Saffron naman ang pumunta doon. But she hates hospitals kaya ay hindi rin niya natagalan.

It's 1PM and all I have done was lie in bed. Buong maghapon na naman akong nakatulala lamang sa kawalan.

I took a short bath and clothed myself with a plain black shirt and denim pants. I paired it with white sneakers and grabbed my phone. Bumaba na rin agad ako upang hindi na maghintay pa ng matagal si Winter.

Agad naman siyang tumayo nang makita ako.

We wordlessly went outside the house. We both walked aimlessly. Pareho kaming tahimik lamang.

I just found myself walking towards the mini park of the subdivision samantalang si Winter ay sumusunod lang sa akin. We both sat on the bench that was under a tree kaya hindi ito masyadong naaarawan.

We remained silent for a moment.

I heaved out a sigh and looked at the guy who was with me. We mirrored each other's states. He had bags under his eyes as if he hadn't been sleeping too. This is stressing him out kahit na hindi dapat.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I just stared at him.

A simple question but I'm having a hard time pondering on the answer.

Am I okay?

I shook my head in response. There is no point in lying. Nakita niya ang lahat ng nangyari. Besides, kahit wala siyang alam, he would sense it. He's just too observant. Tahimik lang ito ngunit alam niya ang nangyayari sa paligid niya. He knows how to read a person based on his or her actions and expressions.

He always does this to me and I'm always left wondering how he could read me when I literally show no emotions.

It's his talent, I guess.

"What a great way to start the year," I said. Sarcasm laced the tone of my voice. Sumandal ako sa upuan.

"My father confined in a hospital and an arranged marriage," ani ko.

"You would think these things only happen in the ancient times when women had no rights." I chuckled humorlessly. Hindi siya nakapagsalita nang saglit.

"I really don't know what to do," ani nito na tila pagod na. He heaved a deep sigh.

"I'm sorry," he said after a while of silence. Napatingin naman ako sa kanya na nagtataka.

"What for?" I asked.

"You've been blatant about your defiance regarding this bullcrap and I've been nothing but silent," he said as he looked at me apologetically.