Gambler

GAMBLE 77

"Hindi ko alam e, pero wala yatang maiiwan diyan ngayon, uuwi sila lahat sa mga bahay kasi weekend. Nahiram mo ba yung susi kay Gab?"

"Yeah, got it. I'll hung up now." That was what she said to Brandy before hanging up.

Xochitl swiftly got down from her car and went straight to the hideout's door. It's already 9pm pero kinailangan niya pang hiramin kay Gab ang susi ng hideout nila at bumalik ng ganitong oras dahil sa nakalimutang papers na bitbit niya kahapon noong nagkayayaan.

She was never like this, never naging makakalimutin si Xochitl when it comes to work but maybe because yesterday her whole system can't stay still for she's with Dous after all

Pagkabukas niya sa pinto madilim ang loob she was not planning to turn the lights on dahil nasa lamesa sa harap ng sofa lang naman yung kailangan niya, but then he saw a figure of someone lying on the sofa. She can't see it clearly because it's a little dark and it's covered in a quilt.

She slightly knocked on the door a few times, letting that someone know that she's there, when there were no movements she turned on the lights.

Pagkalapit sa sofa she saw Dous, his eyes were tightly closed and trembling a bit.

"Rush..?"

Worried, dinampi niya ang palad sa noo nito, may lagnat.

Dali dali niyang hinubad ang coat niya at nilagay sa isang couch saka pumunta sa kusina ng hideout. Malamig na kasi ang panahon kaya uso ang lagnat.

Pagbalik sa harap ni Dous she sat beside him and patted his face slightly, waking him up.

"Rush."

"Hmm?" Namumungay pa ang mata nito at matamlay ang pagkakasabi. He's been sick, kaya pala. Yesterday he looked like that, like something's wrong with him while staring at her.

"Did you eat?"

"Hmm."

"Anong oras?"

"Seven."

"Gamot, uminom ka na?" Which he answered with a 'no.'

"Then, drink this first."

"Okay." Ang daling kausap?

Binitawan niya saglit ang hawak na baso at gamot, tinulungan na bumangon si Dous para makaupo.

Pagkainom ng gamot humiga naman ulit ito.

Mabuti na lang masunurin siya kapag nilalagnat. Then Xochitl thought about yesterday again. He's not really mad at her, baka kahapon pa nahihilo na talaga siya.

Tatayo na sana siya para ilagay sa sink ang baso at itapon ang pinagbuksan ng gamot but then she felt a tight grasp on her wrist.

She looked down and saw her wrist being held by him.

"Stay. Xochitl ako muna.. please."

She wanted to reason na hindi pa naman siya aalis at ibabalik lang ang baso sa sink but then di na lang siya nagsalita. His words lingered in her mind for awhile, she felt both touched and guilty. Guilty because he thought he still needs to beg for her to stay.

She put down the glass and sat beside him.

"Hindi ako aalis. Here you can hold this to make sure." Binigay niya ang phone niya kay Dous which the latter actually accepted.

Silly.

She was just there thinking about something related to the two of them when she suddenly felt she was being hugged by a warm body.

Xochitl's taken aback.

She always had a calm temperament and was born with both fine appearance and fine thinking. Even when she experienced hardship with her parents and what she once thought her home and even had gone through a huge shift within her family she adjusted her mentality but that doesn't mean she's not in pain, that doesn't mean she has a straight face everytime.

The pain and sufferings that she felt stayed hidden and sank into the depths of her heart, she never thought of being taken cared of. But everytime she's alone with him and in these kind of moments it's as if she's reminded that she's also a human being, she's someone who deserves to feel.

One slight touch with him and those pain and hatred's slowly dissipating. That although she felt darkness her whole life, the love and redemption she never thought she'd ever receive was now in her embrace.

"Cold?"

"A bit."

She hugged him back.

"Better?"

"Hmm. Better."

After that no one talked again. It's as if they're back with their old self, even without anyone talking they understood each other. Which was their mistake once.

Akala ni Xochitl okay palagi yung ganon, which led to so many misunderstandings and pain. But something's definitely changed now, and she now knows what to do with it.