Broken Man 1: Rest In Medellin

5

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I felt a presence beside me.

I paused eating then slowly turned my head to the side.

My eyes widened in fraction when I saw who it is. Gahibla lamang ang lapit ng mukha niya sa akin kaya halos mawalan ako ng hininga.

He was smiling brightly while I remained stunned. His deep dimples showed and it almost made my heart jump.

Iniatras ko ng kaunti ang aking ulo para magkaroon kami ng distansya. His distance almost took my sanity away!

"Hi, Astrid!" Natutuwang bati nito.

There was a glint of playfulness in his eyes. I know he recognized his effect on me. Same old Astrid, he must have thought.

Maingat akong humugot ng hininga.

"Benjamin," I breathlessly uttered his name. It slipped off my tongue as if it has been a decade since the last time. When in fact, it was just a year ago since the last time.

Kapag nagkikita kasi kami somewhere, kaswal lang. More on smiling or waving at each other. No hi nor hello. Just small interactions. Walang ni isang salita. In fact, this is the first. And this has been the closest distance we've had since we separated.

My face heated when he gave me a chaste kiss on the cheek. Napahawak ako roon. I was stunned!

Tumayo ito ng tuwid habang ako ay halos maiwan na nakatulala. Pinilit kong ibalik ang sarili sa kasalukuyan.

He took the vacant seat across the table.

"Okay lang ba?" He asks with a smile, pertaining to the vacant chair he wanted to occupy.

I absentmindedly nodded.

Nagtawag siya ng waiter. I observed how he ordered his food. His gestures. Every movement of his lips as he talks. His mannerism. He loves, loves, to touch his lower lip when he talks to someone. And it makes him more attractive.

It's been a year.

Looking at him right now, I can see how much things had changed. But I can also still point out what remained the same.

His hair changed. He's now sporting a clean cut, unlike his usual undercut. He still loves leather jackets. I almost smiled when I heard him order two halo halo. He never forgot.

I love halo halo. And probably because we've been together for eight years, plus the years that we spent being friends, we started to love things each of us loves. As for me, nagustuhan ko na rin ang tsaa sa umaga. He loves tea in the morning eh.

"How are you?" He starts right after the waiter left.

I smiled a little.

"I've been good."

"Of course. I saw the magazines. Congratulations."

Kaagad kong nakuha ang ibig niyang sabihin. It was about my blooming career.

Ang dami namin kaagad na napag usapan. We were basically catching up. He asks me how I felt during my board exams, my specialization. The way his eyes laced concern when I said it wasn't easy. Then it immediately relaxes when I told him that it was worth it.

But it was hard.

Especially when he left me during my finals.

I didn't tell him.

I didn't tell him how I mental blocked during my final exam because he had to do it an hour before. He actually had to break up with me an hour before my finals. He had to call me to meet at a near café after having no time to see me for a week. I got so excited to go but I got so devastated when I left.