(WRITTEN SERIES #3)
Having their hearts broken after an expected affair, Penny and Clifford unexpectedly found comfort from each other. But as the bond between the two of them deepens, secrets resurface as conflicts wreck havoc to their present. Can...
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PENNY
"THATʼS not how it works, dum-dum! Youʼre supposed to put oil in the pancake mix, not on the pan!" Nakangiwing inagaw ko mula kay Clifford ang hawak niyang bote ng mantika. Mabuti na lang at hindi niya pa nalalagyan ng laman ang pan na gagamitin namin.
Bahagyang nanlaki naman ang mga mata niya at napatingin sa bowl kung nasaan ang pancake mix na hinahalo ko. Pabalik-balik siya ng tingin sa pan at sa bowl. Nang mukhang matauhan, nahihiyang tumawa lang siya at sinapo ang kaniyang batok.
I groaned out of annoyance as I took a spoonful of oil and poured it onto the bowl. Meanwhile, he just smiled sheepishly as his eyes watched me.
Few days have passed ever since Clifford and I agreed on a deal — to become friends with benefits. Akala ko noʼng una, magiging awkward lang kami sa isaʼt isa. But to my surprise, we ended up bonding more as we spent most of our time together. It was as if we grew close to one another, better than before.
Sa mga nagdaang araw, lagi siyang nandito sa tabi ko — literally and figuratively. Wala na yatang dumaang araw na hindi siya nagpupunta dito sa condo unit ko. He would always come here and bother me. Though, heʼs a really great help to me, especially since Iʼm still adjusting to the independent life.
And today is one of those days when he just came here, knocking on my door, unannounced.
"This is how you cook pancakes, okay?" I reminded him as I continued to stir the contents of the bowl.
Tumango-tango naman siya na para bang isang napakabuting bata. Aish! Siya 'tong pabili-bili ng pancake 'tapos hindi niya naman pala alam kung paano lutuin.
Nang maturuan ko na siya kung paano magluto, ibinigay ko na sa kaniya ang bowl. Mabuti na lang at mabilis niya itong na-gets, or else weʼll be eating something else for breakfast.
"'Nga pala, Penny..." he called, his eyes shifting back and forth to me and to the pancakes heʼs cooking. Nasa tabi niya naman ako na abapa sa paghuhugas ng plato, pati na rin sa pagbabantay sa kaniyang niluluto.
"Isinearch ko nga pala sa Goggle 'yong ibig sabihin ng friends with benefits," bigla niyang sambit dahilan para muntik na akong mabilaukan sa sarili kong hininga.
Nakangiwing lumingon ako sa kaniya habang siya naman, nakatuon pa rin ang tingin sa kaniyang niluluto na para bang ayaw akong tingnan.
"Kapag pala ganoʼn... may nangyayaring milagro."
God knows how much I wanted to break my own neck at the moment. Dumb bitch! Why would he even bring that up early in the morning?! What was the reason?!
"Pero 'di natin gagawin 'yon." I stopped from my mini internal crisis when he talked again. Dahan-dahan siyang lumingon sa 'kin at kumurba sa kaniyang mga labi ang isang maliit na ngiti.
