20
***
I woke up in the middle of the night. Mainit ang buga ng hininga ko pero hindi na masakit ang ulo. Sinubukan kong gumalaw. My breathing was snatched after I felt something pressing on top of me. My jaw dropped the moment I learnt that Sab was hugging me from behind.
His arms were all over me! Ang binti niya rin! Nakapatong ang mga iyon sa akin! Literally caging me with his whole body! Kulang na nga lamang ay daganan niya ako!
Bakit siya nandito?! Bakit ko siya katabi?!
Napapikit ako at napadasal sa utak nang mas siniksik ako ni Sab. I can feel his breathing on my ear!
Pagmulat ko ay sakto namang lumapat sa orasan sa dingding, sa itaas lang ng maliit na drawer. It’s currently 3:05 AM. Madaling araw na pala.
Nilingon ko si Sab. With the dim light, the shadows perfectly illuminated his face. Kayang-kaya ko siyang iguhit o ipinta kung gugustuhin ko. I could perfectly do it without missing a detail. It would come out like an intimate moment though. The way I know what colors to use, what strokes to apply.
Ngayon ko lang siya napagmasdan ng ganitong kalapit. Nang ganito kalaya. Nang walang pag-aalinlangan. Nang walang inhibisyon. Inangat ko ang kamay ko at hinawakan ang strands ng buhok na tumatama sa kaniyang pilik-mata.
His breathing was heavy yet calm. A sign that he’s in a deep sleep.
Ngumiti ako at hinayaan ang katawan na tuluyang humarap sa kaniya. With a raging heart, hot breathing and tears about to burst from overwhelming feelings… I gently slid my hand on his side, claiming his waist. Pumikit ako at mas lalong umusog palapit kay Sebastian. Now, I’m hugging him at 3 AM.
“Gusto naman talaga kita… natatakot lang ako mag-risk,” mahinang bulong ko.
Hindi ko alam bakit takot na takot akong sumugal. Maybe because if I did, I'd give it all. Ayokong mangyari 'yon. I would never risk it all for love. That's the promise I imprinted in my soul. Ayokong matulad sa mga magulang ko.
Akala ko hindi na ako makakatulog dahil sa bilis ng tibok ng puso ko. Pero si Sebastian ‘yong katabi ko, e. His presence was enough to give me peace.
The next day, I woke up without Sab. Magaling na ako. Hinanap ko siya sa loob ng flat niya pero wala. Wala rin akong nakitang notes. Kaya ako na lang ang nag-iwan. Bumalik ako sa bahay na wala ang mga kapatid ko, pumasok na siguro sa school.
I cleaned the house to distract myself. Nababahala ako sa mga nangyari kahapon kapag naaalala ko. Ayaw akong patahimikin ng utak ko kaya pinagod ko na lang ulit ang katawan ko. After spending time cleaning the area, I decided to paint.
My thoughts were literally all over my room. Wala sa sarili akong pumipinta. Tumigil ako sandali at nagulantang sa painting na ginawa ko. Did I just subconsciously paint Sebastian?! Ito 'ang nakita ko kagabi! 'Yung tulog siya!
Ibinaba ko ang paint brush at tumayo. Anong nangyayari sa 'kin? Bakit puro Sebastian ang nasa isip ko?
My phone rang out of nowhere. Nasa labas iyon ng kwarto. I picked it up from the sofa. Si Asher ang tumatawag.
"Oh? May kailangan ka?" I asked while getting back inside my room.
[I ordered food for you. It will be delivered in a few. Just giving you heads up.]
"Nag-abala ka pa. Pero thanks," sagot ko. Naupo ako sa study table.
[What are you doing? How are you feeling? Rest please. You need that. Don't tire yourself. Don't work muna. I'll ask Sab to give you a few days off. I'm sorry we couldn't go to check up on you. Everything's hard here.]
ŞİMDİ OKUDUĞUN
Midnight Sounds
RomantizmCelestine Claire Villaverde, an engineering student that has been doing art commissions for how many years. She's good both at digital and traditional art. She's making a living through it but her clients come and go. Not until she met someone, Seb...
