Love Above It All

Chapter 8

"That is not a very nice way para sagutin mo ako!" He wailed while still coughing. Grabe, ang pampered ng Connor.

Agad siyang dinaluhan ng mga kasambahay niya at pinainom ng tubig. I chuckled. Tinukod ko ang siko sa lamesa at tinakpan ang mukha para maitago ang tawa ko.

"What kind of girlfriend are you, letting your boyfriend die because of shock and food choking!" he said half shouting half whispering. "You didn't even made me enjoy my first taste if kare-kare." He's sulking again.

"That's my plan. We have to discuss about it. But let's eat first. How's my cooking?" I asked like he didn't just choke a while ago and put food inside my bowl. Even the utensils looked expensive. Ayaw kong makabasag dito.

"You ruined my first taste!" Galit-galitan na sabi niya. Kinuha ko ang kutsara ko at isinubo 'yon sa kanya. Wala siyang choice kung hindi bumukas at ngumuya. I smiled cheekily at him. His angry expression faltered.

"Very peanuty, masarap." 'Yon lang ang sabi niya at kumain na ng tuluyan. I looked at his helpers who's looking at us, too. Mukhang masaya naman sila sa ginagawa ni Connor ngayon.

"Kain na po tayo, mainit pa po ang pagkain," anyaya ko. They smiled and me and shook their heads. Yumukod pa ng bahagya ang iba.

"Maya-maya pa po ang lunch namin. Salamat nalang po," The older woman said and smiled at me warmly. Then glanced at Connor who's already on his second serving of rice.

"Fuck, do you think you can make this once a week for me? It's fucking great!"

"Language," suway ko. Nasa harap kami ng hapag. Sumimangot siya.

"You know tinola?" he mumbled, sinilip niya ang mukha ko at ngumuso. Lumayo ako ng kaunti. And he looked at me like he wants me to cook the dish. I hummed.

"Cook me tinola next time please," he requested. Umirap ako at nagsimula nang kumain. Naiilang ako sa mga tao ngunit parang masaya naman silang nagbabantay lang kaya sige.

"What made you change your mind all of a sudden?" he asked and threw himself on his bed. He grunted when he landed. Nandito kami ngayon sa malawak niyang kuwarto.

His walls are painted gray. The room is clean and very masculine in the eyes. Puro neutral colors ang naroon. May dalawang pinto pa, baka banyo at walk in closet niya tulad kay Astrid.

There's a lot of picture frames. I even saw his picture and Astrid at one. I saw him in his motocross uniform, in a very muddy field. One with his whole family, a funny picture of his brother in a big frame. Napangisi ako nang makita ang bata niyang larawan.

"We kinda told your mom that we are together." I shower my two fingers and wriggled it. Napangiwi ako.

"We didn't even deny. Also, it's a win win situation for us, like you said."

Napukaw ng atensyon ko ay ang disenyo ng dingding sa likod ng kama niya. Unlike the other walls that are plain, this is a mural painting of misty gray mountains. It goes together with the theme of the room. It's beautiful.

"But I have my conditions..." sabi ko. Bumangon siya at tinignan ako.

"Me as well," he replied. He followed my line of vision and saw me staring at his wall.

"I painted that almost two years ago, got into mural painting because of influence of some friends," kwento niya. Tumango ako at tumingin sa kanya.

"Can we get a massage first? My back hurts," he groaned and stretched. Naningkit ang mga mata ko. Sige na, sige na.

"I'll take a bath first, sabay ka?" tanong niya. Binato ko siya ng unan at tumakbo siya sa isang pinto habang tumatawa.

"Hintayin kita sa sala niyo sa baba!" I informed him. May sala rin kasi sila sa second floor. Bumaba ako sa hagdan habang pinagmamasdan ang kabuoan ng bahay. Ang lawak. Parang hindi na kayo magkakakitaan ng pamilya mo rito.