I STOPPED EATING when I heard of what Lolo Sherwood wanted Shanta to do. My mouth slowly fell open as I shifted my gaze from him to his granddaughter.
Akala ko ay sisimangot siya at tututol dahil hindi niya gusto ang pinangungunahan siya. But from what I could espy, she seemed pumped up and delighted.
Shanta's pretty smile reached to her ears as she wiped her lips with a clean napkin and paused eating. Her body was leaning forward, obviously showing that she's interested with this grandson of a business partner of his grandfather.
I squinted my eyes and followed her every movement. Sumisingkit ang mga mata niya habang nakangiti. I snorted on my seat with her thin figure on the surface of my eyes.
THE MAN WAS GRINNING with his curved bushy brows. My gaze intensified as it remained at him. Even his chinky eyes never left me, which I didn't understand. It was curious all throughout and made me uncomfortable. Pero kahit na magkatitigan kaming dalawa, we both have different ways of looking at each other. His means included teasing and being arrogant whilst mine involved being pissed and vexed. Pakiramdam ko ay sinasadya niya akong asarin dahil may napapansin siya na hindi ko nakikita. And whatever that was, he's succeeding in making me angry. "I have already met Dalmi Shantana before, Lolo Sherwood," he said softly. Ang mga mata niya ay nasa akin pa rin. Mas nagkasalubong ang mga kilay ko. "She's fun to talk with and has a sense of humor, really. I admit that she's making me happy. I hope to spend more time with her."
SHANTA? Is that you?" I asked the woman in black dress walking towards me while I was feeling elevated and ecstatic inside. "I was fucking looking for you! Saan ka ba nagpunta? I'm worried! You should be looking after me first, not the guy! Okay?! Hmm?"Ngumiti ako nang napakaluwag kahit malabo siya sa paningin ko. And as my body swayed and felt heavy, my dearest still managed to lift my soul up. Kung hindi lang mahigpit ang hawak nina Clavis at Jirario sa katawan ko, tumakbo na ako at kinulong siya sa mga bisig ko.And in those times, I would cherish her comfort. I'd never let her go and she would be living inside my heart. She'd be staying only by my side and in between my arms. Because she'll remain protected when she's with me."Dalmi, pumasok ka na sa loob. Kami n
HEY, GOOD MORNING…” I greeted lively as I walked down the stairs. Nagtungo ako sa gate at binuksan mismo iyon kahit na naroon ang guwardiya sa kanyang bahay-bahayan. “Umm… Hi… What brings you here?”Shanta welcomed me with a half grin. She was leaning against the hood of her car when I was on our lawn, but when I got out, she stood up instantly.“Hmm. Good morning…” She murmured.I then slid my hands inside my jagger pocket and looked down stiffly. Her eyes were electric shocks that electrified me. I pursed my lips due to the awkward silence.I only got recovered a few minutes ago by this unwieldy reaction body of mine due to her irresistible and
SA ATIN…” maingat at mabagal na saad ko. “Did something happen… between us… last night?” Silence. Silence lingered with her thin brows involuntarily flickering. The way she stared at me said that something bothering was taking her so long to answer. Ngunit hindi ko ininda iyon. My eyes didn’t leave her sight. The two black stones sank into her shallowest thoughts, searching for that one piece that would halt me from further questioning. “Shanta-” “Wala,” mabilis na tugon niya. “Walang nangyari sa atin kagabi.” “Is that it?” I eyed her. “Hmm.” Tumango siya. Her back straightened and her gaze focused somewhere. “Walang nangyari… Hindi ako ang naghat
TWO DAYS had passed and I still had no contact with Shanta. She's been ignoring since the day before yesterday, iyong araw na dinalhan niya ako ng lugaw. At kung kailan naging iba't ibang klase ng tao siya. I just knew she's still mad at me. Kasi halata naman sa mga ginagawa niya. I had flooded her messages, saying that I was sorry for the night I was drunk. At kung ano man ang sinabi ko, kalimutan niya na kung iyon ang kanyang gusto. But all of it had gone down the drain. She still hadn't replied to my messages. At para ko nang kinakausap ang sarili ko. Nagmumukha na akong tanga. At malaman ko lang na nabasa niya ang mga mensahe ko, naiiyak ako sa kahihiyan. Maybe, that gorgeous girl was constantly laughing at me. It was in Messenger that I sent all of those messages.
SAAN KAYO GALING?” Ang bungad ni Katlego noong makarating kami ni Lachlan sa canteen. “Kanina pa namin kayo hinihintay. Tumae lang ako saglit tapos wala na ‘tong gagong ‘to. Hoy, where ya been?” Lahat sila ay nakaupo na sa palibot ng mesa. Katlego sat beside Jirario. Both of their eyes were suspicious as it shifted back and forth between me and Lachlan. Alam ko na ang nasa isip nila. Their smirk failed to hide it. Meanwhile, I could feel Shanta’s gaze on me. She’s seated beside Clavis who was also questioning our whereabouts. Hanggang pakiramdam na lang ako sa kanya dahil hindi ko siya magawang tingnan. Maging sulyap ay wala akong lakas ng loob. I was still embarrassed by my behavior. I didn’t want her to think that I was completely pursuing her. Dahil wala pang kasiguraduhan iyon.
HEY, OLIVIA. Are you free tonight?” Unang bungad ko sa kabilang linya noong makapasok ako sa kotse. “I… I think I need your help.”“Why? Did something happen?” takhang tanong niya.Napapikit ako nang mariin. I didn’t want to sound like a loser. I didn’t want her to think that I was defenseless and desperate. Dahil ang totoo niyan, malaki na talaga ang problemang ginawa ko. At kasalanan ko iyon dahil nakipag-away pa ako kay Shanta. I even involved another person.“It’s about… Shanta and you know who…” I said while massaging my temples. Alam kong masama ang gumamit ng tao, pero susubukan ko namang maging klaro sa kanya. “If it's okay with you, can you come later tonight? It’s… u
HINDI KO na mabilang kung ilang beses na akong umirap nang palihim habang pinapanood sila sa kanilang ginagawa. Never in a second did Shanta stop smiling while flaunting her lustrous neck at the man she’s seated with. Gumagalaw-galaw pa nang pasimple ang magandang balikat niya habang sinisipat iyon nang mabuti ni Grayson. Alam ko ang lahat ng ito dahil kakaiba ang kakayahan ng mga mata ko. My vision was as excellent as the eyesight of a red-tailed hawk. Walang maliit na galaw ang nakakawala sa paningin ko. Every detail was zoomed in my eyes, like how he tucked in her short hair even when it was already parted at the other side of her shoulder. Duling ba siya? Partida, ako na ang nasa malayo at siya ang pinakamalapit. Imposibleng hindi niya napapansin. Ako pa talaga ang nakakakitang wala namang mali sa leeg ni Shanta.