Between the Rainbow (Strawberries and Cigarettes Series #1)

Chapter 19

Work

"Bakit ka makikipaghiwalay? Nag-away lang, makikipaghiwalay agad?" irita kong sabi nang magkakayayaang uminom sa bahay nila Connor sa linggong lumipas.

My punching bag is brokenhearted.

"Dude nakipaghiwalay na! Anong magagawa ko? At bahala siya. Akala niya siguro hahabulin ko siya?" Iling ni Connor at inubos ang Cuervo sa shot glass niya.

Shiloh's fantasy would really come true if this fucker was single.

"Ano ba kasing pinag-awayan niyo? Nahuli ka siguro?" Hagalpak ni Mavric.

"Dahil sa trip. Hindi ako nagpaalam nang maayos." He shook his head.

Kumuha ako ng pulutan habang lumilipad pa ang isip ko.

"Ano bang paalam mo na all boys?" si Rick na nakasandal sa upuan niya.

"Oo. Hindi 'yon papayag eh pag sinabi kong nandoon sila Angela. Alam mo namang pinagseselosan no'n si Patricia." Iling niya.

"Edi sana sinama mo ang girlfriend mo," si Tyler.

"That's the problem. She doesn't want it. You know she doesn't trust all of you. Mga gago raw kayo."

Tumingin agad silang lahat sa akin. I arched my brow. Ako nalang talaga lagi ang nakikita ng mga hayop na 'to. Akala mo ang titino eh mga gago din naman.

"Text her and say sorry. Kasalanan mo naman pala," I coaxed.

"Ayoko na, Brent. Bahala siya. Lagi nalang akong pinagdududahan purket may kaibigan akong mga babae."

"Build her trust with our friends. That's it," sabi ko.

"Paano ib-build kung ayaw niya nga maging ka close, Brent?" Natawa si Connor ng hilaw habang tinitingnan ang pagsalin ng inumin ni Tyler sa shot glass niya lalo na't nasa tabi niya lang ito.

"You know assurance is very important, not just through your actions but also in words, Con. Her heart will acknowledge all of your efforts, but your words will linger in her mind, so stabilize both. Tell her the truth so she won't overthink things," sabi ko.

"Ganyan ka ba sa lahat ng girls, Brent? Kaya baliw na baliw sila sa'yo?" si Mavric na tumawa.

I shrugged. I still have a lot of things to learn...

"You know what's the complicated part about girls? Laging nagdududa. I had an ex that came from a toxic relationship. Sa akin binubunton lahat ng trauma niya sa lalake. I broke up with her because it's not healthy anymore," si Ronan na naiiling.

"Eh kung ikaw nakarelasyon ko pagdududahan din naman kita, Ron," natatawang si Rick kaya nagbatuhan sila saglit ng lighter.

"If you know she's mentally unstable, why did you even court her, Ron?" si Tyler.

"Coz she's hot. Let's admit it, we court girls for petty reasons. Malay ko ba kung... ganoon ang isip niya," kibit ni Ronan.

"Edi kasalanan mo rin. You shove yourself into a relationship that needs a lifetime of patience to put up with her, and you won't even man up?" si Mavric na nailing.

"That's why I learned my lesson, alright? Kaya tingnan mo ngayon, tikim tikim nalang. I don't need to deal with their shit because it's just one night. Right, Brent? We hate the drama." Ngisi ni Ronan sa akin.

Hindi ako nakasagot at ngumiti lang. Mavric glanced at me.

"Marunong naman 'tong magseryoso, hindi lang nagseseryoso," aniya.

Right.

But this time, I might have the lifetime patience to put up with someone I want. Maybe that's the hardest part of being in a relationship. You have a lot of things to work on if you want them to stay in your life.