Chapter 50
My right hand flew over my mouth and my eyes widened in shock upon hearing his confession.
"You what?" I gasped in disbelief.
Narinig ko ang sinabi niya pero . . . hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala. Pakiramdam ko ay nananaginip ako. Siguro dahil ang tagal kong hinintay at pinangarap na marinig mula sa kaniya ang mga salitang 'yun.
I have yearned and waited for so long to hear those three words from him, and now that he finally did, I feel like my heart is going to explode. I am so happy that it's rendering me speechless. And in as much as I'd like to say there's no exact word to describe what I'm feeling, I know it would be a lie. Because there is. It's ineffable. A feeling too great to be expressed in words. A feeling I only feel towards Japheth.
His lips quivered before he spoke again. "I said I love you," he said softly while looking at me. He didn't even bat an eyelid when he uttered those words. And his voice was filled with so much conviction and audacity.
It feels like my heart is bathing in an ocean of warmth and joy.
Today, Japheth did not hesitate. He did not second-guess. He did not doubt. He came through.
My tears were rummaging my cheeks when I tried to speak. "H-how did you know about that phrase? I mean . . . about the moon?" I managed to ask him but with a shaky voice.
"Uh . . ." he trailed. "I learned about it both from my Literature subject and Nick," he explained.
"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked with my eyebrows furrowed.
"Tsuki ga kire desu ne is made popular by the Japanese novelist named Natsume Soseki. I encountered his name during one of our Literature classes. And Nick happened to be both fascinated with Literature and the moon so he was the one who told me about that phrase," he expounded. "Do you know why Japanese people use that when they confess?" he asked, smiling a little. The tears on his cheeks have already dried up.
"I actually don't know. I just encountered that phrase when I watched an anime series," I honestly told him. Pretending to know something I don't have an idea about has never been my cup of tea. So, I decided to be candid with him.
"Do you want to know?"
Napaisip tuloy ako. Teka lang, nandito ako para sana makipag-date sa kapatid ko. Hindi naman prepared ang ganda ko para sa pa-Literature subject ni sir today. Jusko po. "I guess?" I said, sounding hesitant. "May exam ba mamaya pagkatapos ng lesson na 'to?" biro ko. "Baka kasi bumagsak ako. Alam mo naman, summa-ma sa gala lang ang Latin honor ko no'ng college."
Japheth chuckled because of that. I can't believe just how much the sound of his laughter flattered my stomach.
"I missed your jokes," he candidly commented.
Scrunching my nose, I sulked, "Jokes ko lang?"
He shook his head. "No. I missed you more than your jokes."
Naramdaman ko ang pag-init ng pisngi ko dahil do'n. Kinagat ko ang labi ko para pigilan ang sarili ko sa pagngiti. I tried to remind myself that I'm not the same fragile person as I was before. I'm a changed woman now.
"Pansin ka," I said, pouting a little. He's messing with my mind again and my strong resolve is slowly weakening. Before I even get carried away with my emotions, I told him, "Sige na. Ano na 'yung ibig sabihin no'ng phrase na 'yun?"
He went on, "During the old days, Japanese people were more reserved and they hesitated to express their feelings of love directly—"
Before he could even finish his sentence, I decided to cut him off. "Oh, how come you're not a Japanese and you weren't born during that time, but you still live in that era?" I teased him, smirking a little.
BINABASA MO ANG
I Would Hate To Be You
Teen Fiction"I would hate to be you when people find out what this story is about." - ABC
