Fourth of October (Juntarsiego Series #1)

Chapter 19

Halos hindi ko naiproseso ng maayos ang kanyang sinabi sa akin. I was not hallucinating earlier. Tumatak lang sa isipan ko na hinalikan nga niya ako.

It's not a big deal for me but as I saw his grin, I automatically felt the rush of my blood coming to my face.

"Hindi naman kailangang halik ang gawin," pagsita ko sa kanya ng walang halong inis. Doon lang niya binalik ulit ang tingin sa akin, tila nangungusap na ngayon.

Walang panahon na hindi ako nagandahan sa kanyang mga mata. It's as if that every time I am looking at it, there is something inside that's pulling me to stare at him deeper. There is this unfamiliar feeling as always, making me weak just by seeing the deep color of it.

"You do not like me kissing you here?" He touched my cheek and I flinched by feeling his soft hand. He chuckled for the first time and I cannot concentrate to witness that because of what he's making me feel.

"Hindi naman sa ganoon. Kiss is not the solution—"

"Then I might kiss your lips instead. For sure, that would be better." He cut me off and I almost hit the nearest tree with my back. Nagpakawala ako ng mahinang tawa upang hindi niya mapansin ang kaunting kaba sa akin.

We were like this before but I never felt this kind of feeling because he's a newbie in this place, on where I grew up and lived.

Bumaba ang kanyang kulay asul na mga mata sa labi ko, tila tinatantya kung sakaling dumapo ang kanyang labi roon ay masusunod ko rin ba ang galaw niya.

Napakuyom ang kamao ko dahil sa natagalan ang kanyang pagtitig sa labi ko. If I only have my paints here, I am really sure that I can paint his sweaty image right away. He still looks perfect with that situation and I admit, my knees started going down slowly, being weak and cannot stand his presence, will be contented to look up at him so that I can have a better view of his perfections.

I sighed softly and only gave him a small smile. This version of him is different from before, different from the very first time I saw him at this place.

I can see a bit of spark like how my beloved sun reflected the deep blue sea, the orangey color mixing with the blue one.

"Hindi ka naman siguro mamimilit sa akin, 'di ba?" mahinahon kong tanong at alam niya ang ibig kong sabihin.

"I won't. Kung gusto mong patigilin ako ngayon pa lang, gagawin ko kung gano'n ang gusto mo." There's this urgent warning in me that resulted in shaking my head. Gulat ako sa kinilos kung kaya't hindi ko na nabawi pa ng tuluyan.

Lumapit pa ito ng kaunti sa akin. Beauties of the world are surrounding me now: the nature and him.

"Are you sure?" he asked for assurance that will make me not regret everything. Tumango ako bilang sagot sa kanya, guminhawa kahit papaano ang pakiramdam.

That was my encounter with him that made me fall deeper to where I am standing, to where I felt that the world is on my side now. He respects my decision. The usual Jaeden that doesn't need any force. Walang pagpipilit sa kanya para sa isang kagustuhan.

"Mahilig ka ba sa mga baril?" I asked him when I got a chance to finally go inside his house. Pagpasok ko pa lang ay bumungad sa akin ang mga nakahilerang baril sa isang mesa.

His door is not locked and he permitted me to enter without giving me a warning that he's doing something with those guns. Mukhang nililinisan niya ang mga ito at pansin ko roon iyong baril na nakita ko sa kanyang sasakyan.

I remembered it. The structure of it cannot be forgotten because that was the first time I saw a real gun, a tool that some people uses for killing their own kind.