Paris
The weekend passed and truth be told, Ezzio and I did have our lunch together the following week. Hindi lang during Monday kung hindi sa mga sumunod na araw rin. The students were starting to notice, even the professors or the people from the faculty. Venny was no exception.
"You know, my friends are asking me about you two. Kulang na lang kasi maging Official Lunch Buddies na kayo!"
I rolled my eyes at her attempt to tease me. "Edi mas mabuti. Option #2 nga, 'di ba?"
Nagsalubong ang kanyang kilay. Huminto pa siya sa pags-switch ng channel sa TV at tumingin sa'kin.
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Paris"Kailan ang next clubbing niyo?"tanong ko sa walang pag aalinlangan. Susubo na sana siya ng kanin ngunit bahagya siyang napatigil dahil doon. I saw his brows furrow. Bakas ang pagtataka sa kanyang mukha nang dahan-dahan niyang ilapag ang kutsara. And then in a second, a smirk appeared on his face."So, you're interested in my whereabouts now?"he asked.I shrugged coolly. Kung alam niya lang, ilang beses ko 'tong pinraktis sa harapan ng salamin."I just want to know."Sinabi ko 'yon upang maibsan ang pagtataka niya kahit papaano but unfortunately, mukhang mas napukaw ko pa ang interes niya. Very attentiv
ParisMy feet were glued on the ground. Imbes na tuluyang sumunod kina Ezzio ay tumigil ako. Suddenly, it became harder to breathe. I went here, already expecting all these people and the dimmed flashes of lights. But I certainly didn't expect King to be here. Heck, I didn't even consider the idea!I was still looking at King's way when Ezzio noticed I wasn't following him. He turned around and came back to me."Hey,"he said."Okay ka lang?"tanong niya, pansin ang pagkakatulala ko. I shook my head as if it would help me clear up my mind."Uh, yeah,"tumango-tango ako. Mataman siyang nakatingin sa akin nang bumaling ako sa kanya."Don't worry. My friends are good company and soon enough, you'll eventually get used to this place."Hearing his words made me realize that he must have thought those two things were what's bo
ParisNagtagal ang paningin ko roon. Ni wala na akong balak sagutin pa ang tanong ni King. Tila ba sa isang iglap ay kay Ezzio at sa babae na napunta ang buo kong atensyon.Who the hell is that girl?My mind was filled with questions, kasabay roon ang pagbugso ng sobrang inis para kay Martinez. The bastard just couldn't help himself, could he?!"Paris?"I heard the faint sound of my name. May kasunod pa ito."Hello? Earth to Paris?"Napakurap-kurap ako nang nakita ang kamay na iwinawagayway sa harap ng mukha ko. I faced King. I could tell he was puzzled."Okay ka lang?"he asked."You spaced out."I opened my mouth, closed it, and then opened it again to finally say something."Sorry. May naisip lang,"I said and diverted the topic."Where were we?"I asked K
ParisKumalat ang video. I already expected it to happen but I just couldn't help but be appalled by how fast the social media platforms worked. Isang post lang, kalat na agad. And to think na Friday pa lang ngayon! Hindi man lang naabutan ng ilang araw.Ezzio muttered a soft curse."That ass, though,"I heard him say, grinning playfully while biting his lip. Nang-aasar na naman ang gago!Nanlisik ang mga mata ko at tiningnan siya ng masama. He was chuckling quietly with his eyes fixed on the phone. Ngunit liningon din niya ako nang mapansin niyang tinitingnan ko siya. But instead of stopping, he just gave me a smirk."Oh, come on, Paris,"iniharap niya sa'kin ang phone."You look good here. Ako na mismo nagsasabi kaya dapat maniwala ka."He laughed at his cockiness whileI cringed for the nth time as I saw myself on his phone. Yep. Ang video iyo
ParisEzzio was true to his words. Tumulong nga siya sa booth-making. I honestly didn't want him there pero naisip ko, okay na rin. We could use some extra hands. At isa pa, hindi ko na rin naman nabago pa ang isipan niya dahil talagang ayaw niyang magpapigil!Besides, I thought he'd only help on that specific day. Kaya hinayaan ko. Pero laking gulat ko na lang talaga nang makita ko siyang dumating sa booth sa sumunod na araw."Ano na naman bang kailangan mo?"I asked when he went to me. We spent lunch together this day so why's he here? Kapag ito pumunta lang rito para mangulit, sisipain ko 'to palabas.Kumunot ang noo niya."Tutulong,"he replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He walked past me. Sinundan ko siya ng tingin at napansin ko ang pasekretong baling ng mga kasama ko sa akin at kay Ezzio. Kunwari busy sila sa ginagawa pero alam kong nakikinig s
ParisPareho kaming napalingon ni King sa gawi ni Ezzio. Nang makita ko siya ay tumatakbo na siya papunta sa amin. Napaawang ang bibig ko dahil sa gulat.Really? Talagang eksaktong ngayon siya dumating?"Paris," aniya nang makaabot. He only gave King a short nod to acknowledge his presence. Hindi ko alam kung bakit tila nailang ako bigla. Alright! There's the three of us in the kiosk now. Totally not awkward."Let's go?" tanong ni Ezzio. Hindi ako agad nakasagot. Isang tango lang ang naibigay ko.I looked at King to bid him goodbye."Una na kami," was all I could manage to say. May parte sa akin na nanghinayang dahil hindi ko tuluyang nasabi sa kanya ang totoo kong nararamdaman. But for some reason, a part of me was also relieved because I was starting to think it was a bad idea. Mabuti n
ParisI couldn't sleep. Halos nagpagulong-gulong na ako sa kama pero hindi pa rin ako makatulog. Everytime I try to close my eyes, I hear Ezzio's voice and the words he uttered. Sa tuwing pumipikit ako, bumabalik sa akin ang mga nangyari sa gilid ng fountain. The serious talk. The fight. The hug. Paulit-ulit.I shook my head, trying to snap out of it.For the love of God, Paris! Just go to sleep!Nakasimangot akong tumingin sa wall clock. 1:35am. I had been trying to sleep since 10. Pero heto't hindi pa rin ako makatulog.I put a pillow over my face and groaned in frustration. Bakit kasi sinabi niya pa 'yon? The mere thought of him, liking me, seemed pretty impossible. Sa dami ng mga chix niya, ba't sa akin siya nagkagusto at hindi roon sa mga 'yon?Naisip ko ulit ang nangyari kanina. I remembered how I went speechless after he said it. Kumalas pa ako sa pagkakayakap mula sa kanya dahil sa gulat. I
Paris> Not gonna make it for lunchtoday. Eat well?I slowly shut my locker's door as I read Ezzio's text. He's been texting me the same thing for five consecutive days now. Our semi-final exam was done already but he'd still been so busy balancing schoolworks and practices. But I wasn't complaining. It's just that, I didn't think it's necessary for him to text me this. Ayos lang naman sa'kin kahit hindi na. But the guy can be very persistent.Nagsimula akong maglakad matapos akong makapag-reply kay Ezzio. I already saw it coming, anyway. Lalo na dahil last day of practice na nila ngayon. Tomorrow's the final game. Everyone's hyped up about it. Nagsisimula nang mag-ingay sa social media ang iilang mga estudyante, hindi lang sa LMU kundi pati na rin ang mga estudyante ng eskwelahang makakalaban ng Wolves. Surprisingly, I, too was excited. I've never watched a football match befo