Every Tick of Serendipity ( Ruler of Fate Series #3 )

KABANATA 24

Kabanata 24

The second twelve

"Right..?" I smiled at him. "Captain?"

He bit the tip of his tongue and averted his eyes from me. He held his earlobe, just before it started turning red.

"You're kinikilig, ah!" I poked him, but immediately regretted it when my finger touched his bare abs. Nabaling ang mga mata niya sa'kin dahil do'n, kaya ako naman ang nag-iwas ng tingin. I chuckled forcefully.

My cheeks started burning, so I ran to the ball and picked it up. Bumalik ako sa harapan niya nang hindi siya tinitignan. "G-Game! Uhm..." My breath hitched when his hand crawled on mine again. Napatayo ako nang deretso at napalunok nang magdikit ulit ang katawan naming dalawa.

For the third time, Kairos guided me, even though I am still out of myself. Hindi ko na tuloy nagawang pansinin ang bawat galaw namin, dahil hanggang ngayon, pakiramdam ko nakadikit pa rin ang daliri ko doon. I can still feel how hard it was — that it even made my skinny finger feel like a sinking mattress.

My eyes blinked when I heard the sound of the ball continuously bouncing. Bumalik lang ako sa katinuan. ko nang lumayo si Kairos para kunin 'yon.

He bent down and picked up the ball. "You only have one last chance, Little Brat..." He said, before looking at me.

My lips parted. "Anong one last chance?" I raised three of my fingers. "You said three tries with you and two tries na me lang yung magsho-shoot." I said, before folding one of them.

He spins the ball on the tip of his finger. "You already tried shooting on your own, right?"

I frowned when I realized what he meant. Tumayo siya sa harapan ko ang nilahad ang bola, pero hindi ko tinanggap 'yon. I stomped my feet and crossed my arms together. "You're so duga naman, eh!"

He bit the tip of his tongue. "It was you who said that you don't need my help anymore." He shook his head, which made some of the strands covering his forehead move. "You were confident a while ago, right?"

Sinamaan ko siya ng tingin. "I said joke lang a while ago, right?" Inirapan ko siya matapos sabihin 'yon.

He pursed his lips. "So, I guess... " He shrugged his shoulders. "The deal is off—"

My eyes widened. Bagi niya pa man matuloy ang sinasabi niya, kaagad kong hinablot ang bola na paglalaruan niya ulit sana. My nose scrunched in annoyance, seeing a small smile form on his lips. "Shoo nga!"

He placed both of his hands on either side of him and took a few steps backward.

Mas lalong sumama ang tingin ko sakanya nang tumayo siya sa mismong lugar kung hanggang saan lang umaabot ang bola kapag sarili ko lang ang nagsho-shoot no'n. He was really there, expecting and ready to catch the ball.

Humipit ang hawak ko sa bola, nang tignan ko ang ring. I heaved a deep sigh and closed both of my eyes, silently wishing for some miracles to happen.

Nang imulat ko ang mga mata ko, pinaghalong kaba at pagkabalisa ang nanaig sa'kin. I could feel my hands sweating as I looked at how tall the ring is. Sa bawat segundong dumadaan, ay pakiramdam ko mas lalo pang tumataas at nagiging malayo 'yon mula sa pwesto ko.

I bit my lip and lowered my eyes toward him. Our eyes met, but I couldn't see anything from him. Segurado akong nababasa niya kung anong nararamdaman ko, pero ang sakanya ay parang wala lang.

Maybe he's expecting me to fail, kaya pumayag siya sa proposal ko. Kairos wouldn't want to pursue or do anything for me. He already said that, and it's best for us to stay away from each other. But here I am, once again... Building another tower made of hopes.