When Rain Falls (Friend Series #1)

Epilogue

Rain will always be my definition of carefree. A blithe woman who is a bundle of laughs.

She's so carefree and that's what pushed me to be very careful with her. Like how my mother warned me to be careful with knives when I was a kid. Walang pinagkaiba ang bantang hatid niya sa isang kutsilyo, na kapag hinawakan mo ay may posibilidad na masugatan ka.

I could still remember the first time I laid my eyes on her. It was the day of enrollment of freshmen. Papa ordered me to run an important errand for Mama. Kaya kahit kakabangon ko pa lang sa kama ay tumuloy pa rin ako sa unibersidad.

I was enthralled first by her raven colored long and straight hair. I don't have a fetish for hair until her... I was fascinated with her elongated hair hanging in a flowing mass down to her waist like a dancing curtain in the wind. After that day, I began to imagine myself nuzzling my face on her hair or her hair sprawling on my bed. Goddamn it.

Akala ko ay sa buhok lang niya ako mabibighani. Kaya nang marinig ko siyang magsalita sa harap ni Mama, I know I'm destined to disaster. I said to myself as I stared at her in wonder. A beautiful disaster.

I can't hide my amazement when she talked back to my mother unwaveringly. Hindi nga namin iyon magawa ni Papa sa babaeng pinakamamahal namin, pero ang babaeng 'to, walang-wala lang sa kanya kung salungatin ang magiging Dean ng kanyang college.

Akala ko noong una ay suplada dahil sa matatalim niyang tingin na iginagawad sa mga babae. May iksemsyon pala. Sa mga babae lang siya suplada. At hindi kasama roon ang mga lalaki. I've got to prove that when she messed with me on the lounge of St. Joseph amid the pouring rain.

Magaling siyang magsalita. And I don't like it. Hindi ko agad gusto ang ideya na ganito rin siya makipag-usap sa lahat ng lalaki.

She threw punch lines that weren't new to me and yet she got me with that. Nakuha na niya ako sa unang subok pa lang. Hindi. Mali. Dahil wala pa man siyang ginagawa ay nakuha na niya ako.

My brows drew together in displeasure when I viewed Luke Saldiviar story that day. It was a picture of her in bed with a caption "girlfriend". I scowled at her photo and threw my phone down the couch.

My jaw clenched when I remembered how she flirted me so good earlier and she's probably in his bed right now? Ang bilis naman yata niya.

"Kuya, who's this?" My five year-old sister asked. Hindi ko napansin na nasa tabi ko na pala ito at kinuha ang cellphone na itinapon ko.

"Gir...girl...fri...end?" she hardly read the small caption in the picture. Inosente niya akong tiningnan nang matapos basahin ang isang salita.

"She's your girlfriend, Kuya?" Zoe asked. I carefully lifted and placed her on my lap.

"No, she's not." I denied and nuzzled my nose on her hair. Hindi ko inalis ang tingin sa kanyang larawan habang yakap-yakap ang kapatid. Somehow, Rain and the idea that she's not my girlfriend both disappointed me.

Kaya nang makita ko siya ulit kinaumagahan ay mas lalo ko siyang sinungitan. Hindi ko pa rin nakakalimutan na may Luke na siya. Tss.

"Hi!"

Masungit ako. Normal iyon sa'kin. Pero ngayong araw ay mas dumoble ang kasungitan ko. Pansin iyon ng mga kaibigan ko at ang makita siya rito sa loob ng kapiterya ay mas tumriple pa ang kasungitan ko.

Pinakilala niya ang sarili sa mga kaibigan ko. Nakaramdam ako ng pagkadismaya habang tinitingnan ang mga kaibigan kong aliw na aliw sa kanya.

"So straightforward. I like you. Kai." Kai said.

My face flinched. This is bad. Nikolai Almendarez is already hitting on her. Does she know?

"Rain."

"Nice name."