Head in the Sand (Erudite Series #3)

Kapitulo 24

The restaurant Kuya and Ate chose was packed. The only remaining tables were apart from each other, so magkasama kami ni Graham at magkasama, siyempre, ang Kuya ko pati si Ate.

"Order anything you want," Kuya told Graham and me before he sat in front of ate Maya.

I nodded and looked at the menu while the waiter was waiting near the table. A variety of sweets was on its last page, and the one that caught my attention the most was the creme brulee. It's my favorite dessert, after all.

"One order of creme brulee," I told the waiter before handing him the menu. Then, Graham told the waiter what he wanted. "Chocolate mousse."

Tumango ang waiter at umalis na. Tinignan ko si Kuya at Ate na ngayon ay umo-order na rin ng pagkain nila.

"Gray."

I didn't want to talk about his brother here, there were other people and it wasn't the most convenient place to share something private.

"When did you begin to like me?"

So, I stuck with talking about his feelings.

"Simula no'ng..." he tried to remember as I looked at him straight.

Guwapo nito, nakakainis.

"Nagkita tayo sa cafe sa España, no'ng nag-share tayo ng table dahil wala ka na mahanap pagdating mo."

Ngumuso ako. "Bakit no'n?"

He scratched his nape, looking like he was shy to admit why. I got more interested, so I put my elbows on the table and waited.

"You drank very loudly. You know, your coffee, you drank very loudly. Pet peeve ko 'yon, 'yong pagsipsip ng maingay," tumango ako kahit hindi nage-gets kung bakit nasama 'yon sa usapan.

"Okay, what does that have to do with you liking me?" I questioned. "Pet peeve ko 'yon, pero no'ng ikaw 'yong gumagawa no'n, I didn't mind."

Automatically, umiwas ako ng tingin at ngumiti. "That's so silly," I whispered, but he heard me.

"I know, but I knew I liked you then because of that. Hindi kasi ako 'yong tipong mananatili kapag gano'n ang kasama ko sa isang table, kaya kahit mga kaibigan ko ay tahimik kumain."

Pakiramdam ko ay espesiyal ako sa sinasabi nito. He didn't mind that I was sipping my coffee loudly. He didn't mind. It was silly and even funny to think about, but that was what made him realize he liked me.

Ang cute isipin o siguro ganito lang ako dahil sa nararamdaman ko para sa kaniya.

"It's not that I'm tolerating you, it's that I'm fine, like, it's okay for me that you sip so loudly. It's... okay. There's no irk. Walang inis o ano which was unusual no'ng na-realize ko. Kaya... naisip ko na baka gusto kita. Kaya ako mayro'ng longer patience and understanding para sa 'yo dahil gusto kita."

Oh, yeah, I'm definitely special.

I grinned at him and nodded.

"You make it sound like I was so hard to be with before you liked me," I teased him which he agreed to. 

"Oo... inaamin ko, 'di kita gusto no'ng una talaga. Na-explain ko naman na sa 'yo kung bakit. Hindi rin naman mabilis na nawala 'yon, kalaunan na lang dahil alam kong mali ako. Mali na magalit ako sa 'yo at maging inconsiderate dahil lang sa mga prinsipyo ko."

"Ano ba 'yang mga prinsipyo na 'yan? Explain mo na sa akin ngayon," I told him.

Graham was... calm while telling me what I wanted to hear. Even low, humble. Halatang mayro'n siyang pinaghuhugutan ng mga paniniwala niya, at alam na alam ko na kung ano 'yon. But I let him admit it to me.