Barcelona Escapade

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Protect

Chapter Twenty-Nine
Protect

Tinitigan ko ang blangkong papel ko na hanggang ngayon ay wala pang bakas ng tinta ng ballpen. I haven't even started the exam yet. My mind's running in circles and doesn't know when to stop thinking about what happened just yesterday.

I walked out from Eros. He texted and called but I didn't answer because I kept on sulking. Hindi ko alam kung konsensya ang nararamdaman ko. Hanggang ngayon, pakiramdam ko ay may tampo pa rin ako dahil sa pag-uusap namin kahapon.

I don't really get what's hard to risk on his part when he's not even guilty of what he's done. Matagal ko nang iniisip 'yon pero sinubukan ko namang intindihin at sumakay sa gusto niyang mangyari.

But things are running differently now. I don't want to put him in secrecy anymore. We've done enough hiding and running away.

"Start the exam and keep your mind off those things first," bulong ni Hiro sa gilid ko. Hindi man siya lumilingon sa banda ko at baka mahuli siyang nangangausap sa'kin, alam kong para sa'kin 'yon.

"Yeah, sorry..." bulong ko rin nang hindi siya nililingon. Instead, I started to read over the test and tried what he advised me to.

Nang matapos, ipinasa ko rin kaagad bago lumabas ng room. I waited for Jayden and Hiro in the floor's lobby dahil may meeting pa sila kasama ang professor para sa magaganap na quiz bee sa department.

The familiar Owen Fabella, Eros' neighbor, was also there when my butt landed on the seat. Napansin kong sinusundan niya ako ng tingin kaya sumulyap ako sa gilid. She smiled cheerfully like the usual.

For several months, I've seen her always around Hiro. Hindi naman ako chismosa but I wonder what's up. Hiro sometimes mentions her which made it sound like she interests him in some sort of reasons. Tapos ngayon, nandito si Owen sa building ng Engineering kahit ang alam ko ay Architecture student siya.

"Tapos na exam niyo?" she started, asking me.

"Yeah. I finished mine."

Saglit niya akong tiningnan bago ibalik ang atensyon niya sa phone. Mukhang naglalaro siya dahil panay ang pindot niya sa phone niya gamit ang dalawang kamay. I sighed as thoughts came rushing through my mind. Hindi ko naman close si Owen pero nagdadalawang-isip ako kung kakausapin ko siya o tatanungin dahil mukha namang may oras siya ngayon.

"You know Jilliene, right?"

She must know something about Jilliene. She might feed my curiousity. Kahit kakilala lang, baka may makuha akong idea tungkol sa kaniya, kung bakit mukhang sa paningin ni Eros kailangan siyang tulungan o kaya bakit kailangan manatili ni Eros sa tabi niya.

"Oo, bakit?"

"Do you know any histories she have? Tungkol sa anak niya or sort of that?"

Mukhang natapos siya sa nilalaro niya at hindi na maglalaro pa kaya pinatay niya ang phone niya.

"Si Minzy ba?" tanong niya. "Ang alam ko lang nabuntis siya no'ng college ng mayamang lalaki pero hindi siya pinanagutan kasi ayaw ng pamilya. Ang rinig ko sa mga chismis 'yung tatay ng anak niya-"

"It's not Eros," pagpuputol ko kaagad.

She lifted her brows to me with amusement. Napaiwas ako ng tingin. I don't really know if she presumes I have something with Eros since I've been visiting their house a lot of times already. Ilang beses ko rin siyang nakikita kapag pumupunta roon.

"Nasabi nga ni Jilliene."

I nodded convincingly. "She didn't tell you why she keeps on chaining Eros?"