SEVEN AND ARROW (Montana Series 2 | BXB)

21: Trumpery

─────⋆˚ ༘👠ˋ°.⍣─────

For almost two months, Arrow and I had lived together. We shared stories about our families and our pasts. A deep friendship had formed again after ten years, though I didn't realize how deep it was. Then one day, it hit me. I didn't expect something special was going to shape within me as I stayed in their house.

"Si Arrow ba ang pinaguusapan natin?" tanong ni Dandrix sa'kin. I didn't give him an answer and I just tore my eyes away from him.

"Bakit hindi ka makasagot, Rino?" muli niyang tanong.

"Maybe I'm just overwhelmed because I finally found someone who could understand me. Someone with the same situation as mine. Someone who also carries something heavy from the past."

"You're wrong, Rino," he said that made me snap him a look. "Maraming nakakaintindi sa'yo, at isa na ako sa kanila. But you chose someone, and it's Arrow, not because you have similar burdens, but because your heart found its connection to him."

Nanatili akong tahimik, dahil sa tingin ko'y marami pang nais sabihin si Dandrix. "Naalala mo, noong mga panahong nawala ang mga magulang mo, I tried reaching you out. Halos araw-araw kitang tinatawagan, pero hindi ka sumasagot."

"Dahil ayaw ko ng may iba pang madamay sa sarili kong problema," sambit ko.

"See?" he said. "You tend to hide your problems and true feelings to yourself. Kahit anong pilit ng ibang tao ay hindi mo magawang maging totoo sa nararamdaman mo. But with Arrow, you have the courage to be honest. It's because you drew a strength from him."

"Bakit parang pakiramdam ko ay pinipilit mong may nararamdaman nga ako para kay Arrow?" tanong ko.

"Wala ba?" pagbabalik niya. "Rino, matagal na tayong magkakilala. Lagi mong sinasabi sa ibang tao na magpakatotoo sa nararamdaman nila, pero ikaw mismo ang hindi sumusunod sa sarili mong payo."

I felt like I was being caught on my own trap. I drew out a heavy breath and asked, "Then, what am I going to do?"

"Gawin mo kung ano ang hindi ko nagawa noon," sagot niya.

"Anong ibig mong sabihin?" tanong ko.

"Maghintay at siguraduhin kung totoo ba ang nararamdaman mo para sa kanya, at alamin mo kung may pag-asa ba para sa inyong dalawa. Because in my case, I was so consumed with my feelings for you back then. Hindi ko na naisip kung pareho ba tayo ng nararamdaman o hindi."

"Are you saying you regret confessing to me?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Nope, but I just hope I waited for the right moment to confess."

I didn't know if I should smile or feel sad about his statement, because the way he spoke those words, it felt like he had completely pulled through with what happened to us from the past.

Just like what he said, he confessed to me before. I rejected him because I couldn't picture our friendship trying to make the leap into romance and it didn't work out. I could not take the risk of facing possible awkwardness and emotional pain with my own friend.

"Ano? Nalinawan ka na ba?" tanong niya sabay tayo sa kanyang inuupuan.

"A bit," I replied. "I shouldn't be thinking about this since I have a bigger problem."

"You have another problem?" he asked, then I realized I shouldn't said that.

I was referring to the unknown guy who kissed me during Maureen's birthday party. Kaibigan ko si Dandrix, ngunit nakakahiyang ipaalam sa kanya na dahil sa kalasingan ay gumawa ako ng kababalaghan.