It's a bar chord for Liam Ramirez whether Leo Quintero's shift from hater to fan is genuine or conceals darker motives─hard to play, so he simply goes along with it.
A-Side: from rival bands in high school, Liam as a newfound vocalist of the reignin...
AUTHOR'S NOTE: We're down to last three chapters of #SAGS gaes! Hang on and we're almost there! Btw, thank you for reading this story! Your votes and comments means a lot to me. Mwah!
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WARNING: This chapter contains mature content with explicit language which may not be suitable for very young readers.
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HINDI ko na alam kung pang-ilang larawan na 'to o stuffed toy na inilaglag ko sa fire drum dahil tinutulungan ko si Leo na magsunog ng mga gamit na binalik sa kanya ni Colleen. Iyon ang mga laman ng storage box na dala-dala niya kanina no'ng makita ko siya sa labas ng bahay kasama si Sirius.
Hindi niya raw namalayan na nadala niya rito sa'min 'yon kanina, basta ang alam niya lang daw no'ng nakipag-break siya kay Colleen ay ang puntahan ako. Ako kaagad ang unang naisip niya, siya na rin mismo ang nagsabi na ako ang pinili niya.
Makalipas ang ilang minuto, nasunog na namin lahat ng mga gift na binigay niya kay Colleen mula nang maging sila. Hindi ko akalain na gagawin ko ito kasama siya. Nakita ko kung paano ang mga picture nila together maging abo.
"Are you hurting right now?" I asked, ang tagal kong pinag-isipan kung itatanong ko pa ba sa kanya 'yon.
"Isn't it more agonizing to endure the pain of loving someone who doesn't value you?" his voice trembled as he spoke.
"But you love her," I replied softly, trying to understand his turmoil.
"I realized I should love myself more. Along with that, I realized there's someone who sees all my efforts and genuinely appreciates me," his eyes glistened with unshed tears, revealing his vulnerability behind those words.
"This will undoubtedly be hard for you, Leo... are you sure about this?" My brows furrowrd with worry as I voiced out my genuine concern.
"There's nothing too challenging as long as it's you, Liam. Everything is worth it, and I'll definitely work hard for you," his determination shone through his black eyes, his gaze fixed as he made his pledge.
"But what if..." I began, but he cut me off, his hand reaching out to gently silence my words.
"Tara na ro'n sa pool," anyaya niya at kinuha ang cooler box. Nauna siyang maglakad, hindi na nagsalita pa.
Sinundan ko na lang ang mga yapak niya. Nakita kong nauna siyang naupo sa edge ng pool at kinukuha niya na 'yong mga alak; isinasalansan niya nang maayos and then he said, nakalimutan niya kumuha ng kutsilyo pambalat sa fruits.
Sabi ko, okay na 'yon, may kamay naman kami.
We were sitting by the edge of the pool, our feet dipped in the water as we clinked our bottles together. The drinks just flowed freely, kanina ay sobrang seryoso lang ng usapan namin but not too long enough, we found ourselves laughing and sharing funny stories from our lives.
"Remember that time during our first semester when I fell asleep during the class presentation?" Leo chuckled, taking a sip of my drink.
Napapa-English na rin kasi ako kanina pa kaya naman sinasabayan niya na rin ako, which means masama na 'to. Ibig sabihin lang kasi nito, lasing na ako.
I burst into laughter. "Oh, how could I forget! You were snoring so loud, the professor had to wake you up in front of everyone! Akala mo yata si Miss Donna pa rin ang prof natin that time."
"Yeah, that was embarrassing, baby," Leo admitted, shaking his head. "But what about you? Imposibleng wala kang mga gano'ng memories?"
I grinned mischievously. "Well, there was this one time at a family reunion when I accidentally spilled spaghetti on my aunt's white dress!"
Leo doubled over with laughter. "No way! What did she say?"
"Of course, she was not happy," I laughed, recalling the memory. "But hey, at least hindi ako napagalitan ni papa kasi naka-100 ako sa pataasan ng score sa videoke! Natalo ko ang mga pinsan ko, pati 'yong anak ng tita ko na natapunan ko ng spaghetti."
We continued talking until it shifted to our school's security guard, recalling the times we had to sneak in late at night because Leo had forgotten my lunchbox in the classroom.
"And remember that one time we had to take a shower in the other department's building because our floor was flooded?" Leo chuckled, shaking his head at the memory. Alam kong tandang-tanda niya rin 'yon. I mean, sino ba kasing makalilimot sa'min no'n?
I laughed in agreement. "Yeah, the whole floor was soaked! We had to tiptoe around to avoid slipping." Walang nakagamit din ng CR sa CMBT building dahil napabaha rin namin ang sahig.
Patuloy akong tumawa sa mga napagkwentuhan namin pero habang tumatagal ay parang painit nang painit ang pisngi ko kahit na nakababad ang binti ko sa swimming pool, mainit pa rin sa pakiramdam talaga. I think, isang bote pa ng alak ay tutumba na ako.
Kumuha ako ng isang pulp ng orange fruit at habang sinisipsip ko 'yon ay napansin kong nakatitig lang si Leo sa'kin, tahimik lang siya.
Is he craving for an orange fruit?
I wish I could read his mind.
Kapag ganito siya katahimik ay kinakabahan ako, e.
Sinasabi ko na nga ba at may naiisip siyang gawin. Bigla niyang kinuha ang kamay ko, mabuti na lang naisubo ko na at kagat-kagat ko na 'yong pulp ng orange fruit sa bibig ko.
Sobrang bilis nang pangyayari at naramdaman ko na lang ang kamay niyang humahaplos sa likod ng leeg ko. Hinila niya ako palapit sa kanya at gamit ang labi niya, tinulungan niya akong sipsipin ang katas ng orange na nasa bibig ko.
Hindi sapat. Nang maubos ay kumuha pa siya ng isa, isinubo niya naman sa bibig niya 'yon at muli niya akong hinalikan. Nakagat ko ang kalahati ng pulp ng orange na nasa bibig niya, sinipsip ko 'yon.
Matapos naming maubos ang katas ng orange sa bibig namin ay nagpatuloy ang mga labi namin sa pagsimot ng natitirang tamis sa aming bibig at laway. Malayang naglaban ang mga dila namin at pahigpit nang pahigpit ang kanyang paghalik at paghawak sa mukha ko.
Leo pushed me down the swimming pool, at sumunod siyang bumaba para ipitin ako't hindi pakawalan sa sulok ng pool, lumalaban pa rin ang init na aming nararamdaman even if our bodies were soaked in the cold water. We continued kissing, our tongues dancing and exploring each other's mouths under the vast night sky where the moon, stars and the universe were only our witness, or si Smeagol, if ever nakatambay siya sa rooftop o sa balcony.
Leo's hands wandered down my chest, teasing my wet nipples na inaagusan ng malamig na tubig mula sa swimming pool, nanginig ako sa lamig at init na naghahalo sa aking core.
I moaned into his mouth, my fingers tangling in his hair as I guided him lower.
