Naka-ilang buntong hininga na si Alayah simula nang maka-alis sila sa condo unit ni Jae. The latter is getting bothered by it. Kanina pa rin tila lunod sa iniisip ang dalaga. Nakatitig lang ito sa kawalan nang makasakay sila sa sasakyan.
"Where do you want to go, Alayah?"
"I don't know, Jae," the woman whispers.
"What's wrong?" Hindi niya na mapigilang magtanong, but the woman is preoccupied to even listen to him. Pati siya ay napabuntong hininga.
Alam niyang hindi ito basta-basta nakikipagkita sa kaniya ng walang dahilan. He'd happily oblige anyway. Pero hindi niya inaasahan na tila problemado ito ngayon. He wants to help her alleviate her problems, if there's any. Gusto niyang makatulong bilang isang kaibigan.
Dinala niya ang dalaga sa parke kung saan lagi siyang tumatambay in hopes of possibly calming her. Maybe the ambiance will also calm her. Ngunit hindi pa sila nakakababa, nagsalita na ito.
"Jae, can we go somewhere else? I cannot afford to be seen by the public like this. I'm so pathetic," mapait nitong saad.
"They'd see me and call me pathetic." Nakatanaw ito sa labas, kahabag-habag ang hitsura.
"What happened, Alayah?" He demands. Hindi ito usually ganito katamlay. Mukhang pasan-pasan nito ang mundo ngayon. Hindi siya sanay na makita ito sa ganitong estado.
Why does she think that people will judge her and call her pathetic? Is she getting bashed right now? May nagpapakalat ba ng fake news tungkol sa kaniya? He doesn't really know why she is this low-spirited. Hindi ganito ang kilala niyang Alayah.
"Have you talked to... Eth?" Anito na parang hirap na hirap bigkasin ang pangalan ni Ethan.
Are they having a lovers' quarrel? Jae mentally asks himself.
"No. What about him?" Nakita niya nga sa party ang kaibigan pero hindi naman nila nagawang mag-usap. Hindi niya nagugustuhan ang inaasta nito kagabi. And he doesn't have the time to stay longer because his dad wants to bury him with workload. Ang dami niyang mga papeles na kailangan aralin bago pirmahan. Even if his heart aches to be with Quinn, he can't do it. Marami pa siyang kailangang patunayan.
Nagbukas sarado ang bibig ni Alayah ngunit walang namutawi mula sa mga labi nito. She looks so defeated. Inilabas nito ang cellphone mula sa clutch bag. Pansin ni Jae na puro incoming calls ito ngunit hindi iyon binigyang pansin ng dalaga. Mas lalo niya itong ipinagtaka.
Not a minute later, Alayah plays a video. Dancing lights greet them. 'That looks familiar,' Jae thinks, where has he seen this getup?
Nagkakagulo ang lahat, hindi niya masundan ang nangyayari. They are gossiping and obsessing over something. Napuno ng hiyawan at kantyawan ang buong lugar. Hanggang sa itinutok ng videographer ang camera sa stage. Doon niya napagtanto na ito ang pinagdausan ng event kagabi. The hall was set up lavishly, he couldn't easily forget.
Una niyang namataan si Ethan, he looks like he's been proposing. Kaagad niyang sinilip ang reaksyon ni Alayah. But the woman is silently weeping. Her eyes are shut close like she cannot bear watching the video. Na-alarma si Jae.
"Hey, hey. Let's stop this." Kaagad niyang inagaw ang cellphone mula rito. The woman is profusely shaking. She can no longer contain the sobs. Jae immediately envelopes her in a hug.
What just happened? Ethan cannot act it out, no? Napakalaking bagay ang engagement. Akala ni Jae ay nagkamabutihan na sina Alayah.
This must be the reason why she's breaking down. And this is no joke!
He's about to shut the phone down to prevent her from totally breaking apart when he takes a glance at the video.
Para siyang nasemento sa kinauupuan nang mapansin ang pamilyar na mukha sa video. He cannot be mistaken. He knows that figure well.
ŞİMDİ OKUDUĞUN
The Girl Who Cannot Write Love Stories ✓
Genç KurguAdanna Quinn is a frustrated writer who apparently could not write love stories. Ang alam niya lang ay magpahirap at pumatay ng characters; that is her forte. One day, she bumps into a familiar man; only to realize later that it is Jae- her fiction...
