Trailing Deep Waters (University Royalties #3) - Chapter 11
"Isaac babe, I baked you cupcakes!" malanding sabi ng babae. Napatingin kami ni Isaac sa isang babaeng naka-skirt at white polo, naka-ponytail ang buhok niya na parang bata. May apron din siyang suot, kaya sa tingin ko sa Culinary Arts siya. May box siyang hawak, nandoon ang cupcakes na tinutukoy niya, which I assume.
Isaac babe, I baked you cupcakes! I mimicked her voice in my head. Ang landi naman niya.
Napatayo si Isaac at hinarap ang babae, parang uod tuloy na inasinan ang babae dahil sa kilig. "You shouldn't have bothered, Raine," Isaac stated in his monotone voice.
Raine pala ang pangalan ni ate girl niyo. Kaya pala mukha siyang binagyo.
"Sorry if wala ako nitong mga nakaraang days, I got a fever kasi, e," the girl explained. Hindi naman tinatanong ni Isaac pero ang dami niyang sinasabi. "I missed you!" dagdag pa ni ate girl.
"Thank you," Isaac coldly replied.
"Anything for you, Isaac," malanding sabi ng babae habang nag-pepretty eyes. Mukha naman siyang napuwing na frog sa ginagawa niya.
Napailing na lang ako dahil sa panlalait ko. Venice, dapat Women Empowerment.
"Who's that?" turo ni Raine sa akin.
"She's my junior, her name is Venice. I'm helping her with her department's Research, Raine," pinakilala ako ni Isaac. Nilugay ko ang buhok ko para may dramatic effect habang pinapakilala niya ako. Tinignan naman ako ni Raine na parang nandidiri at hinuhusgahan ang buong pagkatao ko. Echusera!
Tinanggap ni Isaac ang cupcake box at nag-thank you, tatalikod na sana siya pero bigla siyang hinalikan sa pisnge ni Raine. Napatayo ako sa ginawa ng babae, kahit si Isaac hindi naka-galaw sa kinatatayuan niya.
Aba, tarantado 'yun, ah?!
"Raine, what's that for?!" Med'yo tumaas ang boses ni Isaac. Ramdam ko sa boses niyang galit siya, ngayon ko lang 'yun narinig. Ewan ko pero ang g'wapo niya pa rin kahit galit, mas naging pogi pa nga, e.
"I'm sorry, babe..." Yumuko si Raine.
Isaac massaged the bridge of his nose. "Stop calling me 'babe', Raine. You're not my girlfriend."
Napa-ohh ako sa utak ko dahil na-burn ang babae, hindi nga nakapag-salita, e! Med'yo deserve.
Kaso maya-maya, natakot ako bigla. Napaka-straightforward naman mang-reject ni Isaac, hindi halata sa mukha dahil mabiro siya at kalmado palagi. Scary, ha.
Nakita ko na lang na tumakbo palayo ang babae, si Isaac naman bumalik sa tabi ko upang umupo. Isinasagawa kasi namin ngayon ang interview, gumawa ako kagabi ng fake questionnaire na nasa laptop na nasa harapan ko para makita ni Isaac.
"I'm so sorry if you had to see and hear that," Isaac apologized while wiping his cheek with a wet tissue. Napatingin tuloy ako sa kaniya. Ang respectful naman niya.
Tsaka, hindi naman niya kailangan mag-sorry, ang entertaining kaya.
"What's your question again?" he asked.
Napatingin ako sa laptop ko at tinuro ang cursor sa question na hindi niya nasagot dahil bigla ngang sumulpot si Raine.
"A multitude of pressures connected to academic, social, and financial commitments must be managed by college students. Collegiate athletes have additional obligations beyond those of the majority of college students, such as spending a lot of time honing their athletic skills. Can you say that you're doing great in your studies despite having varsity trainings?" I asked.
"I'm not that satisfied in my studies. Political Science isn't actually the course I want, so I couldn't enjoy it. I couldn't give my all in studying this course, Swimming makes me feel enjoyment and satisfaction more than my studies," sagot niya. He was looking elsewhere while answering kaya naisip ko na baka malalim ang dahilan kung bakit pinili niya ang Political Science kahit 'di naman niya gusto.
"Okay ka lang ba?" I asked out of nowhere. Hindi ko alam kung bakit ko naitanong iyon, lumabas na lang nang kusa sa bibig ko.
"Did you know... that you're the first one to ask me that this week?" he chuckled bitterly. I started to worry. "Alam kong hindi naman parte iyan ng Research questions, pero sasagutin ko. I'm not okay, Venice. Thank you for asking, at least I know that somebody cares."
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Trailing Deep Waters (University Royalties #3)
RomanceUNIVERSITY ROYALTIES #3 After a long chase, I was already enjoying his deep waters. It was worth the trail. Down there, I found my peace. Venice Aurelia Mendoza, the queen of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, despite the stereotypes of people...
