Kabanata 28
Might Be Territorial
ALI
"How long do you wanna stay like this?" he asked.
We've been like this for minutes. Tingin ko nga lampas at tapos na ang swimsuit competition dahil tugtog na puro bass at remix na ang naririnig ko. Probably another interlude comission from the performers.
"Mga ten seconds na lang." sagot ko.
I was mentally counting after answering him.
Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
Six.
Five.
Really? Five seconds na lang?
Bagalan natin.
Four.
Four point ninety-nine... point ninety-eight...
"I don't think you're still going to do that ten shitty seconds of yours--" utal niya at sabay tayo. Alam niya rin naman pala. Kaya baga siya. Mangyayapos tapos siya ang aayaw? Tsk. Mahina.
"Stop. Can't you see? I'm still counting from one to ten." reklamo ko.
"Really? Anong number ka na ba sa countdown mo?"
"Four point eighty-five..." bulong ko.
"What?!"
"Shhh! Four point eighty-four..."
He groaned in frustration and kept on removing hiself from me but bitch, mas matibay ang kapit ko ngayon. Try mong kumawala.
"Arghhh! You have no hope, kid!" saad niya at saka ako binuhat. He lifted my arms on the way to his shoulders at saka ako binuha papalabas ng theatre.
Oh! Shit!
"No! No, let go na! I was just kidding!" reklamo ko. "Bababa na ako. First, please! Let me down!" sigaw ko.
Nasa labas na kami ngayon ng theatre room at alam ko nang marami nang nakatingin sa amin. Lalo na at para akong manipis na manika dahil sa laki ng katawan ng bumubuhat sa akin.
"Now you're kidding?"
"Uhmmm... Yeah?"
"Sorry, kid. Ako hindi. Now, settle." sabi niya at muling inayos ang pagkakakarga sa akin.
I screamed in disagreement. But it looks like mas seryoso siya. Look what you made him do, Ali! Arghhh!
Sobrang nahihiya na ako, hindi naman ako makasigaw dahil I'll probably attract more attention and I hate attention. Hindi ako famewhore na laging nagsasabi ng, "A bad publicity is good publicity."
"You know, kung ikaw nahihiya na dahil dito. Ako hindi. Itago mo na lang 'yang mukha mo."
"Seriously? Lagot ka sa mga kapatid ko. Isusumbong kita!"
"Kapag ginawa mo 'yan, wala ka nang milktea." pananakot niya.
Hmp! "As if naman hindi ko kayang bumili ng akin. Baka ikaw pa ang mawalan ng cookies galing kay Mama." pananakot ko rin.
"What?!"
"I mean it." Akala mo, ha? I'll be winning this argument. Kaya. Let. Me. Down.
"Still no." muli niya akong itinaas at itinago ang mukha ko sa balikat niya. Mukhang hindi niya babawiin ang pagbubuhat sa akin dahil sa lakad pa lang niya ay mukhang hindi man lang siya nabibigatan. "And whether you like it or not, I'll still have you Mom's baked goods."
BINABASA MO ANG
Where The Wild Things Are
Misterio / Suspenso"Falling in love with yourself first doesn't make you vain or selfish - it makes you indestructible." No one could ripped the youngest Huang apart from his principle. He's naive yet quick-witted, mysterious yet sassy, dramatic yet slow. He's the bes...
