Beneath Him

Prologue

"Allyson, ano ba?" Javier grabbed him by the wrist, clearly stopping him from leaving. Frustration is visible and it's eating him up alive.

Allyson then withdrew his arm. "Pwede ba? Bitiwan mo 'ko?" The tone was low, almost whispering but the voice's still stern.

"Can you please let me talk first? And stop running away from me?" Allyson rolled his eyes before attempting to back-face Javier again. "What's the problem?" He looks puzzled.

Allyson heaves a sigh, as if he had been keeping it all his life, "Ayoko na."

Javier suddenly stopped from his track; tilting his head in the process as he tried to consume those words.

Did he hear him right?

Even after the loud music and the loud noises Javier had heard tonight, he found himself in midst of nothing but all crickets engulfing him. The silence is too deafening after those words slipped out from Allyson's mouth.

What?

Two words; seven letters, yet it gave Javier the heaviest energy he had carried in his entire life.

Tangina?

Allyson recalled the last time he felt the world collapsing right before his eyes; the same time Javier tried recalling when was the last time he took a firm hold of his hands.

Javier never imagined Allyson would forswear it this soon.

Allyson looked back at him.

"Anong ayaw mo?" The way Javier frowns his forehead is too obvious, confusion was written all over his face. Despite a strong hunch, he still tried asking, "Anong ayaw mo na, Allyson?"

"Javier, ayoko na."

"Seveda, what do you mean?"

"Simpleng salita hindi mo maintindihan? Do you want me to translate it for you?" Allyson's voice rose up. "Let's end this."

Javier tries reaching out for Allyson's wrists but the latter just keeps on avoiding it.

"Tangina?" Javier frustratingly passed his lengthy fingers through his hair, laughing sarcastically. "After you ghosted me for days? Not talking to me without me knowing your reasons? And then this? Seveda, iiwan mo na naman ako?" Javier couldn't hold it anymore. "Baby... why?" He whispered, voice's a bit shaking when asked, scared of the possibilities Allyson might drop in any minute from now.

Allyson immediately wiped the teardrop from his left eye. "First of all, bumalik ako kasi gusto mo, 'di ba? And you begged for it—"

Javier cuts him off, "I'm sorry?" It feels like a loud bell rang upon his ears. He couldn't believe what Allyson just thrown up at him. "Bakit? Ayaw mo ba? Naawa ka lang sakin? Tangina..." He exhales a heavy sigh before biting on his lower lip, hard. "You could have told me, Allyson." Regardless of the situation, the mixed emotions, and the heavy lump drawing up through his chest, Javier remained still calm; trying his best not to raise his voice to Allyson. "Hindi yung ginagawa mo akong tanga." He whispered, sounded defeated.