The Antiquity of Us (La Fortuna Series #2)

Kabanata 38

Warning: Explicit content. Read at your own risk.

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Kabanata 38

Miss

"I'm not going home," mariing utas ko.

"Don't be hardheaded Iowa," he countered. Nagtagal ang tingin niya sa 'kin at nang umismid siya'y iritadong-iritado na. The veins of his neck even corded. "You're drunk. Uuwi na tayo."

He tried to grab my wrist but I averted it from him. "Ano ba? Can't you see that I'm socializing?"

"Socializing is different from flirting. Know the difference."

"I don't need to know the difference because it doesn't matter! This is a free country, jerk!" I said slowly, probably driven by the liquor or my sleepiness or both.

Nagsalubong ang kilay niya. "Sana kinulong nalang kita."

"Huh? Saan?"

"Sa kuwarto ko," kaswal na aniya at hinablot na ang palapulsuhan ko. Banayad na ngayon ang kaniyang mukha. "Halika na. Let's go home."

"I won't! Ano ba?"

"Please, love?" he asked softly, his eyes gleaming with tenderness.

Umurong ang dila ko habang pinagmamasdan ang mukha niya. He licked his lower lip and swallowed hard. My heart thumped wildly. Hindi ko alam kung bakit pero nangilid bigla ang mga luha ko habang nagkakatitigan kami. There were changes in him that I hoped I could've watched as they happened. I wanted to know the in-betweens of the person that he was before and who he was now.

Nasasaktan ako. Nasasaktan ako dahil kahit anong tanggi ko sa sarili ko, alam kong nasasabik ako sa kaniya. I missed him and I wanted to tell him just that, but with everything that's happened, it was impossible to do so. Nagbago kaming pareho.

And it occurred to me that it wasn't the changes that hurt, it was the tug of familiarity, the thought that somehow, somewhere, we belonged to each other. We were soulmates. Pero kahit anong gawin ko ngayon, 'di ko na mababalik ang nakaraan. Wala nang kami.

"'Kay," suko ko at hinayaan siyang hilahin ako patayo.

Nagpaalam ako kay Markus at Manuel. They let me go easily, and they had to because Atlas looked like he came to our table to knock out both their sets of teeth. 'Tsaka ko lamang napagtantong totoong lasing na ako nang nagpagewang-gewang ako habang naglalakad. Nasa bewang ko ang kamay ni Atlas habang inaalalayan niya ako. I pressed my lips in a grim line to stop myself from giggling. Nakikiliti ako sa hawak niya.

Nasa hamba na kami ng entrance nang harangan kami ni Maeve. She had this panicky expression all over her face as if she didn't like what was happening between me and Atlas. Para siyang bouncer na handa kaming ibalik sa loob ng hall.

"W-where are you guys going?" she stammered.

"We're going home," Atlas answered. "Tell Doug our regards. Thanks for inviting us and enjoy the rest of the night, Maeve."

Agresibo siyang umiling. "No! I mean, Io's drunk and you had three glasses of whiskey earlier! You shouldn't be driving! Baka ano pang gawin niyo at baka ano pang mangyari sa inyo sa daan!"

"I need to take her home. Kaya ko."

"But you're driving and you drank earlier!"

"Yes, but since I'm driving, it means that I don't get drunk. Uuwi na kami."

I couldn't follow through what they were talking about. Desidido si Maeve na huwag kaming pauwiin at nakita siguro 'yon ni Douglas na nasa malapit lang kaya dinaluhan niya na kami. Nagtagal ang mga mata niya sa 'kin at saka sinulyapan ang kamay ni Atlas sa bewang ko. A naughty smirk flashed across his face when he turned to him.