"Thyron! Bakit andaming beer naman dito? Balak niyo bang i-refill ang pool ng alak?" hestirikal na tanong ni Tita Sidra nang makita niyang naglalapag ulit ng panibagong case si Thyron sa baba.
Thyron looks up and grins widely.
"Si Tita naman, paminsan lang e."
She heaves an exasperated sigh and stomps out of the room. Nagkatinginan kaming dalawa ni Thyron at natawa. We agreed to hire a nanny to watch over the kids during the party. Ayaw kong nakikita ni Castian ang mga guests na umiinom at baka magtanong-tanong pa kung ano iyon. He's so curious about everything.
Rigor is also loading the beer from the delivery truck. Marami-rami na ring tao ang narito. I could spot some models, independent singers, YouTube stars, and some celebrities. Elton is here, too. Ang dami-daming bumati sa kaniya pagdating niya kanina kasama ang nobya na akala mo'y siya ang may birthday.
Pasimple kong pinicture-an si Stormie at sinend iyon kay Shantel. Napaka-creepy pakinggan dahil nagmumukha akong stalker pero binalewala ko nalang.
To: Shantel
kapatid mo oh
Wala pang isang minuto ay kaagad na siyang nag-reply.
From: Shantel
is she okay? why is she so thin? kumakain pa ba siya? bakit wala si philo sa tabi niya?
Napailing ako sa text niya. Hindi pa ako nakakareply ay may text ulit siya.
From: Shantel
HE'S NOT CHEATING ON HER ISN'T HE? BECAUSE I WILL KILL HIM
I start chuckling then. Para akong baliw na tumatawa mag-isa dito. Napatalon ako sa gulat nang maramdaman ang mainit na kamay ni Rigor sa baywang ko.
"Who are you texting?" medyo irita niyang tanong sa akin. Mas lalong lumawak ang ngisi ko. itinaas ko ang phone at ipinakita sa kaniya ang sunod-sunod na mga text ni Shantel.
Kaagad nawala ang kunot sa noo niya at inilapit pa ang mukha sa screen para mabasa iyon nang maayos.
"Oh," his voice is softer now. "It's Shantel."
"Always worried about her sister," I shrug and then typed a quick reply to her before shoving my phone inside. Tuluyan ko nang hinarap si Rigor.
"Happy Birthday," I say genuinely. We slept side by side last night, with Castian in the middle. Hula ko'y natutulog pa ngayon ang bata dahil pinilit niyang maghintay ng 12 o'clock para ma-greet ang Daddy niya ng happy birthday. Ako naman, nakatulog nang maaga dahil sa pagod.
I could feel the heavy weight of my modest gift to him inside of my purse. Tumakas lang ako kahapon para pumunta sa bayan dahil halos hindi maiwan ang mga bata. Getting him a gift stress me out. What could you possibly give to a man who almost have everything?
In the end, I got him a wooden paintbrush made by a local seller. He allowed me to customize it so I copied the word from his tattoo, sinta, and had it carved delicately into the shaft of the brush. Medyo nahihiya pa akong magbigay sa kaniya lalo na nang makita ko si Stormie kaninang naglapag ng LV paper bag doon sa lamesa kung saan nakalagay ang mga regalo niya.
"Thank you," his lips grazes against my cheeks as he lean closer. Amoy ko kaagad ang pabango niyang hindi binago mula noong una kaming nagkakilala. I sigh with my whole body. "I can't wait for this party to be over," he looks down at my champagne silk dress and smirks. Pabiro ko siyang hinampas ng purse ko at umatras.
"Tigilan mo ko, Rigor," banta ko sa kaniya.
He chuckles and pulls me back to him. Napangiti nalang ako. He went around with me and introduce me to some of his guests. Pangiti-ngiti lang ako nang tahimik. They would look at me with a calculated gaze. The assumptions are evident in their eyes but no one dares to voice their opinion. They'd just glance at our linked hands and then smile broadly.
BINABASA MO ANG
Deceret Series #2: Bleed for Love
Teen Fictiondeceret (n.) latin word for "body to body" Czarina wants to commit suicide. Death is ready for her, she could feel it. Czarina, with her best friend, Sorcha, agreed that they would jump off a building together to end their shitty lives. Just when sh...
