“Why did you bring me here?” tanong ni Aisha nang huminto ang sasakyan ni Sven sa isang mall. She agreed to hang out with Sven during the weekends, but she didn't expect that he would bring her to a mall this time.
“We’re going to do what we missed when we were younger,” nakangiting saad ng binata at hinatak na siya papasok matapos ibigay sa valet ang susi nito.
She just let him lead the way and smiled. Sven looked like an excited child and it was a refreshing sight. Bihira niya lang makita ang ganitong side ni Sven kaya naman masaya siya na isa siya sa mga taong pinapakitaan nito ng isa sa mga parte ng pagkatao nito na hindi niya masyadong pinapakita sa iba.
“Tada!” excited na sabi ng binata nang huminto sila sa tapat ng isang arcade.
She stared at him amusedly. “You didn’t get to play in an arcade when you were younger?”
She laughed when she saw Sven’s reaction. His expression was crumpled into
Maganda ang mood ni Aisha nang pumasok ito pagdating ng lunes. Hindi pa man niya nakikita si Sven ay malawak na ang ngiti niya kaya nawala sa isip niya na kaklase niya nga pala ang Royals sa marketing class niya. It’s already too late to prepare herself because Scar is already burning with anger and is ready to eat her alive when she walked inside the room. Pinipigilan ni Meth at Bryce si Scar ngunit nakapiglas ito at nakaalis sa pagkakahawak ng dalawa sa kanya. “I won’t do anything to her! We just need to talk,” iritadong sabi nito sa mga kaibigan bago siya tuluyang nilapitan. “Let’s talk,” halata ang pagpipigil nito nang sabihin iyon. Tumango naman siya at sumunod dito na nauna nang lumabas ng room. Huminto ito nang makarating sila sa likod ng building. “What are you scheming? Do you hate me that much?” Napaisip siya sa sinabi ni Scar at naalala niya ang pag-uusap nila ng lolo niya tungkol sa business transaction nila sa Blackpearl Clothing.
“Hey! What happened to you? You didn’t come to any of your classes and you’re not even answering your phone. Don’t you know how worried I was?” inis na bungad niya kay Sven nang makita niya itong nag-hihintay sa tapat ng classroom niyaIt’s true that she is worried for him. Kanina niya pa ito tinatawagan ngunit hindi man lang ito sumagot. Nakailang text din siya rito ngunit hindi man lang ito nag-reply sa kahit isang message niya. Did he expect her to run to him and hug him as soon as she saw him?“Hey, stop nagging. You’re not even my wife yet,” reklamo nito ngunit nakangiti naman.She was rendered speechless with his retort. Nang makabawi siya sa pagkagulat ay hinampas niya ang balikat nito. “Who told you that I’ll be your wife, you dummy!”She tried to hide her embarrassment and her flushed face. How could he say something cheesy as soon as they saw each other? They weren’t e
Kahit pa maayos naman ang pakikitungo ng mga Royals kay Aisha ay pilit pa ring umiiwas ang dalaga sa mga ito. Bukod sa pagkakataon na natiyempuhan nila ang Royals at kumain siya sa kasama nila ay hindi na siya muling pumunta ng cafeteria ng lunch time. Nakailang pilit na si Sven sa kanya ngunit palagi niyang sinasabi na naiilang pa rin siya at nag-aalangan pa rin siyang makitungo sa kanila.“Until when do we need to eat lunch at 2:00 PM?” reklamo ni Sven isang araw na sabay silang nag-lunch. Hindi siya nagrereklamo dahil sa late na oras ng lunch nila kundi dahil sa ginugutom ng dalaga ang sarili para lang maiwasan ang Royals.“Until I find the courage to interact with them comfortably.”Umismid ang binata sa tinuran niya. “How will you find the courage if you’re not even trying?” sermon nito sa kanya.Nangalumbaba siya at tumingin sa kisame, “I don’t know. I just can’t do it,” malungkot na
Tahimik na nagba-browse si Scar sa social media nang mapansin niyang nagbubulungan si Meth at Bryce sa tabi niya. Maya-maya pa ay kinalabit ni Stephen si Bryce at may tinuro sa may pinto. Agad namang lumingon si Meth sa direksyong itinuro ni Stephen at naglakad papunta doon.“What are you guys up to?” tanong niya kay Bryce.“Huh? Nothing. Someone is just looking for Meth,” pasimpleng sagot ni Bryce.Tinignan niya ang direksyon na pinuntahan ni Meth ngunit hindi niya na makita kung sino ang kausap nito. Maya-maya pa ay pumasok na itong muli sa classroom na may dalang inumin.“Kanino galing `yan?” panunuya niya at nang-aasar na tinignan si Meth at ang dala-dala nito.Ngumiti si Meth at inilagay ang hawak na inumin sa harap niya. “That’s for you.”“From whom?” she eyed Methuselah suspiciously.“You know who,” may bahid ng pang-aasar ang tinig nito bago umupo ul
Dahil sa pag-uusap nila ni Stephen, mas nagkalakas ng loob si Aisha na lumapit nang muli sa mga Royals. She realized that even if 10 years already passed and many things about them changed, they will always be her childhood friends. They were the people with whom she spent her precious memories with and she wanted it back. Even though they couldn’t go back to how they were before, they could create a new set of memories for who they are now.Especially for Scar. Kahit pa alam niyang iniiwasan siya ng dalaga ay gumagawa na siya ng paraan para pansinin siya ulit nito. She noticed that Scar still has a soft spot for her and she really wanted her friend back into her life. Scar is one of those irreplaceable people that she cherished so she wouldn’t give up on her.Napangiti siya nang makita niya si Scar na mag-isang nakaupo sa bench sa ilalim ng puno.“What are you doing here in the middle of the day?” sabi niya rito at nilapag ang sandwhich
Huminto ang sasakyan ni Meth sa Galaxy hotel kung saan gaganapin ang isang dinner na kailangan daw ay kasama ang buong pamilya. Inilibot niya ang kanyang mata at nakita niya sa Bryce na nag-aabang sa main entrance.“Dad, whom are we meeting?” tanong niya sa ama pero hindi siya pinansin nito. Nagpatuloy lang ito sa paglalakad at sinalubong ang pamilya ni Bryce. Wala na siyang nagawa kundi sumunod dito.“Meth, hija. You’ve grown to be a fine lady,” mahinhing bati ng ina ni Bryce sa kanya.Gumanti siya nang ngiti. “Thanks, Mrs. Ward. You look stunning today.”Mrs. Ward still looked like she’s in her late 20’s though she knows that she’s already in her early 40’s. It felt like she just grows lovelier with age and she somehow felt envious because she looked like she was a happy wife.“Eric, your daughter sure knows how to flatter an elderly,” biro naman ni Mr. Ward.Mah
Habang nasa swing ay nakangiti si Aisha habang pinapakiramdaman ang malamig na hangin at pinagmamasdan ang buwan. She is in their neighborhood park because she suddenly felt lonely at home. Dahil nagpunta ng Korea ang lolo niya at tanging mga maids lamang ang kasama niya sa bahay ay naisipan niyang mag-ikot sa kanilang subdivision.Inilibot niya ang paningin sa paligid niya at bigla ay naalala niya ang kanyang kabataan. She used to be a happy and bubbly kid who would run around and fill the place with laughter. Maybe it was because she had a loving and supportive mother who made sure that she was always happy.Her mother would always allow her to go in that park because she knew that Scar would also be playing there. She always told her that she needed to socialize with kids her age and make friends with them. However, instead of making friends with Scar, she ended up fighting with he rmost of the time. Naalala niya na ang madalas nilang pag-awayan noon ay ang pagsakay
Dahil sa nangyari ay maganda ang mood ni Aisha kinabukasan. Nakangiti siya habang tinatahak ang daan papunta sa una niyang subject para sa araw na iyon.“Did something good happened yesterday?” masayang tanong ni Sven nang makasalubong siya nito. Agad-agad ay sinabayan siya nito kahit pa nasa kabilang direksyon ang unang klase nito.“Yeah. I’m somehow breaking through,” nangingiting sagot niya.“Okay! Since it’s a good day, let’s ditch class,” wika nito at hinila siya papunta sa parking lot.“Hey! Where are we going?” tanong niya rito.He just shrugged and opened his car door for her. Agad naman siyang pumasok sa sasakyan nito at nagtatakang pinanood itong magmaniobra palabas ng University.“Don’t you know how much my grandfather paid for that class?” she said with a hint of guilt. Since she had been working as a part-timer, she knew the value of money and sh