YATD8
I was thinking deeply while leaning on the side of my table. My fingers are slowly tapping on the table, and I only stopped when my eyes went to Abraham who was also silent while touching his lips. My forehead creased.
"Am I your first kiss?" I asked.
Mabilis niyang tinanggal ang daliri sa labi at lumingon saakin. His forehead creased. "How can you be so calm talking about this? And what the heck is that for?"
"Am I your first kiss?" ulit ko at hindi pinansin ang tanong niya.
"No, but—" Even before he could continue, I butt in.
"Hindi naman pala eh. It was mine."
"Then, why? If it's as important as your first, then why suddenly do it?" He became more frustrated.
"Is it important?"
He was suddenly taken aback by my answer. "Sainyong mga babae. Hindi ba?"
I shrugged. "I just had to confirm something," I said and turn my back to finally settle on my seat, trying to act normal, when in fact, even though it was just a couple of seconds, I can still feel the touch of his lips on mine, every clear beating of my heart, and my cold hands.
"Confirm what?" There was a mixture of emotion in his voice. He's shocked, confused, curious, and somehow annoyed, too. Well, I don't blame him.
I opened my bag to fish out my prepared lunch. I unconsciously lick my lower lip. "If I like you."
"Ha?" agad niyang sabi at napatigil sa planong paglapit saakin. Still, he ended in front of me, but with the table in between us.
"What did you say, Chess?"
When I look up at him, his eyes are already serious, and it somehow tells me that he would get easily offended if I told him I'm just kidding.
I avoided his eyes. It's not just a good time to watch every change in expression his face does. Damn, now that I have realized my feelings, I also cannot ignore things like this anymore. I must get used to it.
"And it turns out that I do."
"Ha?" pangalawang banggit niya na sa salitang iyon ngayon.
"I like you."
There was a huge silence that followed. The sound of the curtain dancing because of the wind has more noise than any of us. When seconds passed and I still don't hear even a small noise caused by a human movement, I already look up to check if he was still alive.
It seems like he came back to his senses when our eyes met. I witness his disbelief through his gasp and confused face.
"Why are you always like that?" he asked.
"Like what?"
He tilted his head and turn away from me. Naghila siya ng isang upuan at pinuwesto iyon sa harap ko. I internally sigh. Really, does he have to sit there?
"Can we slow down?" tanong niya pagkaupo sa harap ko.
"Kumain ka na?"
He stared at me, shocked again, before closing his eyes, bowing down, and sighing like he can't believe me. My eyebrow raised while opening my lunch.
"Just in case you're giving a different meaning to my question, I'm just asking because I'll eat. It's weird to have you like an audience in front of me."
He nodded at me and raised his head again. "Go and eat."
"Why are you always so straightforward? Back then, you told me you won't ever like me even before I can tell you I like you. And now..." he sounds so stressed about keeping up with everything. I paid only some of my attention to him because it doesn't look like he was directly talking to me. It's more like a monologue.
