Half a Heart ☑️

Chapter 23

(Caspian's POV)

We were kissing under the tree near the lake and I couldn't ask for more. This was too great and I know that it'll stay on my mind most of the time. Everything went well and we were too enthralled on each other's presence. Hindi ko rin naririnig ang paligid dahil tanging ang tunog mula sa mga labi namin ang namamayagpag.

Ngunit sa kalagitnaan ng aming ginagawa ay bigla na lamang siyang napahinto. Wala man ang buwan ay kita ko parin ang kanyang reaksyon dahil sa mga ilaw sa paligid.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Hindi ko maintindihan at mabasa kung ano ang kanyang kasalukuyang reaksyon. Para siyang gulat, takot, at . . . nagsisisi. Then, he stood.

Nang tumayo sya ay doon ko lang napagtanto kung ano ang nangyayari. Upon seeing Sir Drey standing a couple of meters away from us, I could feel that my blood was like draining out of me.

"I-I-I can explain," ang nauutal na sabi ni Ello. Wala naman akong nagawa kundi ang yumuko na lamang. Heto na ang isa sa mga kinatatakutan kong pangyayari—ang malaman ni Sir Drey ang tungkol sa aming dalawa.

Hindi ko lubos makita ang mukha ni Sir Drey kase nakatalikod sya sa ilaw. Hindi ko tuloy alam kung gaano siya kagalit ngayon. Pero alam at ramdam ko na tinitignan niya ako ngayon.

I knew I kinda betrayed him. Not that I exactly did, but you know . . . he trusted me to handle Ello and here I was, burying my face to his son just a couple of seconds ago. Walang lumabas na salita sa aking bibig at katahimikan lamang ang aking ambag.

I saw how Sir Drey shook his head and, without a word, immediately turned his back towards us. Naglakad siya papalayo at ako naman ay parang napako sa aking kinatatayuan.

Ello tried to chase him, but I called him.

"Ello! Wag mo na muna siyang habulin! Come back here, let's think of it through!" sigaw ko sa kanya. I was glad that it was already enough for him to stop from his chase.

Nang makalapit na siya sa akin ay agad niya akong niyakap.

"I'm . . . sorry. I didn't want him to know about us this way. I'm really really really sorry," he apologized. Base sa kanyang tono ay alam kong nalulungkot siya. Idagdag na rin ang paghigpit ng kanyang pagkakayakap sa akin.

"No, don't be sorry. We did not ask for this to happen, okay? Stop apologizing."

And then, there he goes. Naramdaman ko ang paghikbi niya sa aking balikat. Ito ang unang beses na nakita kong umiyak sya. Kaya ayaw kong nanunuod ng mga drama lalo na yung may iyakan kase naiiyak din ako kapag may nakikita akong umiiyak. How much more if it's Ello, diba? Nagtagal pa ang pag-iyak niya nang ilang sandali at hindi ko rin napigilang lumuha ng bahagya.

After all, I am involved in this.

"Ano nang gagawin natin? H-he knows about us already. I don't want to be kicked out from our house, and I . . . I can't afford to lose you, too. Ano nang gagawin natin?" ang mahinang tanong niya. He was still crying and the view of it was really foreign to me. As to what he asked, I didn't want for that to happen, too. Hindi ako makapag-isip ng mabuti lalo pa't hindi ko rin alam ang gagawin namin.

Hindi pa man ako nakakasagot kay Ello, nang biglang bumuhos ang katamtamang ulan.

And from what I know and heard from him, Ello doesn't like rain.

"Shit!" he said as he immediately ran back into the hall. I knew he was crying still.

Nagkakasundo man kami sa karamihang bagay ay magkaiba naman kami ng pananaw pagdating sa ulan. If he doesn't really like it, well, I do. Maraming masasamang pangyayari sa buhay niya ang nangyari at kasabay pa nito ay palaging umuulan. Kaya hindi ko rin siya masisisi.