Before We Fell Apart [Before Trilogy #2]

03

The days turned into weeks, the weeks turned into months. 

And yes, Marcus Vergara still pissed me of every single day. I was immune to him by now. I must admit, I admired him for being so consistent. It was like he never got tired of me. I didn't know why. 

Nang makalapit muli ako sa gate ng school, natanaw kong naghihintay si Marcus. Walang araw na lumilipas na hindi ko siya kasabay pumasok. Lumingon siya sa direksyon ko at agad tumaas ang gilid ng kanyang labi ng magtama ang tingin namin. 

"Hi," bati niya paglapit ko. 

Pinilit kong binubuksan ang mata ko kahit hinihili nito ang kanilang sarili pababa. "Good morning." 

He stared at my face for a long time before frowning slightly. "Puyat ka ba?" I nodded. "Anong oras ka natulog?"

"4 am," I answered honestly. Halata naman kaya hindi na ako magsisinungaling sa kanya. 

He looked concerned and disappointed at the same time. "Ba't naman inabot ka ng madaling araw?" 

This guy never ran out of questions to ask me. "May ginawa lang ako," I answered vaguely. I had no energy to elaborate. 

"Teka lang. Dito ka lang ha. 'Wag ka aalis." He didn't wait for my reply and he dashed into the convenience store. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was still early. Fine, I'll wait for him. It's not like I had anything better to do. 

Hindi nagtagal at bumalik siya. May inabot siya sa'king malamig na bote. Tinignan ko ito at bahagyang umawang ang labi ko. It was iced coffee...my favorite brand too. Ito 'yung palagi kong binibili kapag puyat ako. Paano niya nahulaang ito ang iniinom ko?

"Tama ba 'yung nabili ko? Nabanggit mo kasi dati na out of stock 'yan  tas na-bad trip ka kaya hinulaan ko na 'yan 'yung gusto mo—" 

"Kailan ko sinabi 'yan?" I mentally cursed myself for sounding so rude. I was curious but I came off ungrateful.

He looked so scared that he got it wrong. "Um... 3 weeks ago? Ayaw mo ba nyan? Pwede naman ako bumalik tas bibilhan nalang kita ng iba." 

"Hindi. Tama 'yung nabili mo," I looked down to avoid his eyes. If I looked at him, my guard would come crashing down. "I'm surprised you remembered. T-thank you." 

He even noticed the little things. I didn't even recall that I told him that information. It was so long ago but he still remembered. I didn't know why, but my heart warmed instantly.

"You're welcome," he chirped. Nilabas ko ang wallet ko para bayaran ang kape ngunit hinawakan niya ang pulsuhan ko para pigilan ako. "Wait. Ano yan?" 

"Um, wallet? Duh?" I rose a brow him, handing him the 50 peso bill. "Here oh." 

"Hindi na. Itabi mo nalang 'yan," he pushed my hand away. 

Hindi naman ako nagpatalo at sinubukan ko pa ring ibigay ito sa kanya. "Tanggapin mo na. Mura lang naman eh." 

"Exactly. Mura lang kaya 'di mo na ako kailangan bayaran. Libre ko na, ayos lang."

"Sige na kasi. Kunin mo na," I tried to convince him. 

"Ay mahal ang kulit," mahina siyang tumawa. "Sagot ko na nga."

"Ang kulit mo rin," balik ko. 

"Gusto mo magtalo pa tayo o gusto mo na pumasok?" tinaasan niya ako ng kilay. Ayaw niya talaga tanggapin kaya tinabi ko nalang pera ko. Napangiti siya sa ginawa ko. "Ipunin mo nalang 'yan para kinabukasan natin," he teased. 

I rolled my eyes and walked with him inside. "Stubborn." 

The campus was relatively empty when we got there. We were early since we had to prepare for a presentation for our first subject. The silence was soothing. Mabuti nalang at tumahimik rin ng saglit si Marcus.