My Clandestine Love (SHORT STORY - COMPLETED)

6

Lakad-takbo ang ginawa ko. Unti-unti ay pumatak ang mahinang ulan. Malapad ang eskuwelahan namin. Hindi ko alam kung saan ko siya makikita o kung saan ako magsisimula sa paghahanap.

Patuloy lang akong naglakad, hindi iniinda ang pagpatak ng ulan at pagtama nito sa ulo ko. Maging ang uniform ko ay unti-unti na ring nababasa.

Bitbit ko sa mga kamay ko ang panyo at sulat niya. Kaytagal kong hinintay ang pagkakataong ito. Hindi ko kailanman naisip na siya ang nagpapadala sa akin ng mga sulat na ito. Afterall, sino ba naman ako?

Noon andami kong iniisip. Kung ano ba ang una kong sasabihin sa kanya kapag nakilala ko na siya. Paano ko kaya siya kakausapin? Ano kaya ang magiging reaction ko? Will my heart be able to recognize the man behind the notes that makes it beat fast? But then I realized, whether it is him or not, my heart will always beat crazy around him. He will always be the reason for my erratic heartbeat.

Hindi kalayuan, nakita ko siyang nakatayo. Nakayuko siya habang unti unting bumabakat ang basa sa kanyang uniform. Kinuha ko ang payong ko mula sa bag at dahan-dahang naglakad patungo sa kanya.

Bigla siyang bumaling sa akin nang maramdaman niya ang presensya ko. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang sasabihin ko sa kanya.

"Don't you have an umbrella?"

I asked him out of the blue. I don't know why I said it but he smiled.

"I forgot to bring it."

Binalik niya rin sa akin ang sinabi ko sa kanya noon. Weird, I suddenly felt as if there are butterflies in my stomach. So this is it, huh? Is this what they call love?

I felt nervous. Hindi ko alam kung saan ako magsisimula. Paano ba?

Ibinigay ko sa kanya ang panyo at ang sulat. Nakita kong nabasa na ito ng ulan, at medyo malabo na ang ilang salita.

"So, it was you, huh?"

"Yeah."

He said then he looked away. I could see him turning red, his ears are also red. I don't know why but I find it cute when he blushed.

"Why? Bakit hindi mo na lang ako kinausap?"

He cannot look at me. I mustered all the courage I have and held his hand.

He was a little surprised but he smiled and intertwined our hands instead. It was now my turn to blush.

"Because I was afraid to talk to you. I'm not even sure if you're looking at me, the same way that I look at you. When I look at your face, I could always see your light. It's like your whole being is illuminated. Whenever you smile, it feels as though you glow. Like you're an angel from above. I don't know when it started but I knew the moment my eyes laid on you, my heart started to beat so fast. I don't why. I don't even understand how, but suddenly, looking at you became an escape. And the fondness I felt grew and grew until I couldn't contain it anymore. I started writing you. Pouring my feelings to you. I thought maybe this way, my feelings will become less. But heck, I didn't realize I was falling madly in love with you. I've fallen hard, fast and deep."

Wow, if you only knew how hard I've fallen for you too.

I was speechless for a moment. I've been dreaming of this moment for a long time. And now that it's here, I don't even know how to react.

"It's okay. I'm not asking you to love me back. I'm telling you this because for once, I want to be honest to myself and to you. I don't want to be afraid anymore. I want to tell you how much I love you and how much you mean to me. All this years, I hid my feelings for you. I tried to stop myself, but it was useless. I was so smitten, so in love. So I just followed the flow of my heart. I don't want to regret everything someday. Even if you won't love me now, atleast I know I tried. I told you and that's enough. Just please, let me love you. I love you Athena."

I was caught off guard. I never imagined this would happen.

I don't know if this was because of so much happiness or what. I am overwhelmed by his sudden confession.

My heart is bursting with so much emotions that my eyes started to water. All along, he loves me too. And there I thought that he could never like someone like me.

"Hey, why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?"

He panicked when he saw my swollen eyes. God, I've been crying since this morning. But now, I'm crying out of pure bliss and happiness.

I looked at him and shook my head.

"No Achi. You didn't say anything wrong. I'm crying because I'm happy. I am overwhelmed with so much emotion. I can't believe you're in love with me. No, I can't believe that you're also in love with me. Achi, I've been dreaming of this day."

"What? Do you mean to say..?"

"Yes Achi. I am in love with you too. For too long, I kept my feelings inside because I thought you'd never like me back. I mean, who am I compared to the girls around you? I'm not popular, I'm not that smart. I'm just a regular girl. Nothing special, just a plain ordinary girl."

He shook his head.

"That's not true. You're special. You're special because you're not like them. You don't try to fit into the demands of the society, you don't care about popularity. You don't have to pretend like you're some cool chic just to be accepted. You are you, and that's what makes you special. You have that bright light within you. A smile that could make any man's heart flutter. You are kind hearted. You may not see it, but you are beautiful and perfect just the way you are."

I cried once again. He just wrapped his hands on me and pulled me on a hug.

For a moment, I didn't mind the people that were staring at us. Bahala na sila kung anong iisipin nila. I just want to live this moment.

"Pero teka lang, why do you always write "K" in your letters? I mean your name is Achilles Vincent. Where did the K came from?"

I heard him chuckle and he scratched his head.

"Uhmm, ano kasi. I don't want you to know it's me. If I put A.V. then it would have been easier for you to guess it was me. Let's say natotorpe ako pagdating sa'yo. Hindi ko alam ang gagawin ko if ever na nalaman mong ako yun. So instead of writing my initials, I wrote K. It's actually short for Achi."

Napakamot siya sa batok niya. God, ang tagal kong inisip kung sino si K. Achi pala ang ibig sabihin nun.

Hinampas ko siya sa dibdib na ikinabigla naman niya.

"Alam mo bang halos mabaliw-baliw ako sa kakaisip kung sino si K. Kung sino ba yung nagpapadala sa akin ng notes. Akala ko hindi na normal, kasi nahuhulog ako sa mga sulat mo."

Suminghot ako at tumawa. Mukha na siguro akong baliw.

"Pero siguro, ikaw talaga ang nakatakdang mahalin ng puso ko. Kasi Achi, even if it wasn't you, my heart has been beating for you. All this years, my heart only knows your name."

"And my heart always belonged to you too Athena. From the moment that I first saw you smile, you've invaded not only my mind but also my heart. You may not see it, but I always look at you. I love watching you reading, or when your hair danced with the wind. I love everything about you."

Achilles and I stood there. I let go of my umbrella and wrapped my arms around his neck. His hands on my waist and his head rested on top of mine.

When I looked up at him, I saw him staring at me too. There's a glint of happiness shining in his eyes. And then there's an emotion that's so familiar to me. It's love, we both had that same emotion in our eyes.

The sky is still dark. The rain is still pouring but we couldn't care less. People are staring as we intertwined our hands. He lowered his face and sealed our love with a kiss under the rain. Ah, the sweet taste of love.