Forbidden Pleasure

Chapter 5

"I can't keep loving you this way; planning out the future, while you're digging our grave."
— Jessica Kanoff

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CHAPTER 5

"Sammy, naman!" nakabusangot na saad ni ate Resha sa harap ko habang ako ay busy kaka-scroll sa timeline ng isang tao.

Well, he's quite known. Sino ba naman kasing hindi makakakilala sa isang Isaiah Kaius Imperial, 'di ba? He's the epitome of a perfect sculpture made by the most talented artist I've known. Mayaman din siya at magaling sa sports. Sikat nga siya sa paaralang pinag-aaralan ko sa kasalukuyan. He's damn handsome!

"Ano ba kasing kailangan mo, Ate?" bagot kong tanong at tiniklop ang aking laptop.

She sat beside me and hugged me tight. "I'm getting married!"

I frowned. "What? Mag-aaral ka pa, 'di ba?"

Magkasing-edad lamang si ate at si Isaiah. Both graduated students and hell, nakakainggit! Though mag-aaral pa raw ulit si ate para sa kanyang master's degree. Habang ako, may isang taon pa para magtapos ng pag-aaral. Pero parang pag-aaral ang tatapos sa 'kin.

"Hell, yeah!" saad niya at tumawa. "But do you know why I am so excited about this marriage?"

"Ano?" hindi mawala-wala ang pagkakakunot ng noo kong tanong. I mean, sino bang matutuwa kapag ikakasal ka na sa taong hindi mo man lang nakasalamuha? O baka naman─

"I'm marrying my ultimate crush!" she exclaimed and handed me a picture of her so-called future husband.

Nanginig ang kamay ko sa litratong aking nakita. Para akong tinakasan ng lakas nang makita ang lalaking na sa litrato na 'yon.

Ate, bakit siya pa?

"Alam mo ba nang sabihin sa akin ni lolo na ipapakasal niya ako, parang gusto kong magwala. But then I got to meet my fiancée, and he turned out to be my crush! Sino namang hihindi, 'di ba?" She bit her lip and smiled shyly. "I'm sorry for not telling you that I really like our campus varsity player."

Parang may bumara sa lalamunan ko at nangangapa ako ng mga dapat kong sabihin.

"W-when..." Huminga ako ng malalim. "When are you getting married?"

"Our engagement party will be held next week. The wedding will be next month."

"I seriously don't know what to say after knowing everything." Pinahiran ko ang mga luha namalisbis sa aking pisngi. "It's like... it's like my world crushed. You know how much I like him since the very first time, Ads. Kaya parang hindi ako makahinga after knowing that he's bound to marry my sister."

Adele tapped my shoulders while gently caressing my arms. "Then w-what about your son? P-paano nangyaring nagkaroon ka ng anak sa kanya?"

Suminghot ako at pinilit ang sarili na ngumiti. "The night before their engagement party, we went into a bar, right?" sambit ko na ikinatango niya. "I purposely drunk myself. I was hurting. Wala na akong pakialam sa paligid ko. All I want is to temporarily remove the pain even just for that night."

"And you end up with him in bed?" mahinang usal niya na ikinatango ko.

"I end up with him in bed. Maybe I should still be grateful that I woke up first. Mas nauna akong nagising sa kanya. Imagine the terrified look I had after knowing it was him." Huminga ako ng malalim. "I ran away that morning with nothing in my pocket. I called my sister, but I never told her that I had a one-night stand with her fiancée. I choose to keep my mouth shut. She sent me money enough for me to live for three days. Siya rin ang umasikaso ng mga papeles ko para magpatuloy akong mag-aral sa Japan. There's also my friend: James. Tinulungan din niya ako together with my sister."