Mary Grace

Thirty-Three

Thirty-Three

Hanggang sa makauwi kami sa Basco galing Mavulis Island ay hindi kami nag-imikan ni Harry. Sa tuwing tumitingin siya sa akin ay iniiwas ko ang tingin ko sa kanya. There are times when I also caught him looking at me but he quickly averted his gaze, his ears turning pink again.

I wanted to slap myself. What were you thinking, Mary Grace? You're such an idiot.

Bigla akong na-guilty nang maisip ko si Jeremy at ang ate ko. Sobrang tanga ko. Nagpadala na naman ako.

Ngayon naman ay nangangamba ako dahil papaalis na kami sa bahay nila Mang Adolfo, I will be left alone with Harry on our way to Pampanga. Talk about awkward moments inside the car. I just pretended to sleep all the way until I noticed that the car eventually stopped. Nasa harapan kami ng isang maliit na inn. My neck had started to ache from trying to sleep. I groggily climb out of the car and followed Harry inside.

Thankfully, may isang kwarto na may twin beds kaming nakuha. He wouldn't sleep on the floor again. But it would be great if we have separate rooms though, hindi ko na alam kung paano ko pa siya kakausapin mamaya.

I headed straight to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. Namumula na ako. After that little incident, Harry and I stayed inside the tent for a while. When we both realized what we just did, para na akong napapaso sa mga tingin at hawak niya sa akin. Kaagad naming iniligpit ang tent at dali-daling bumalik sa bahay nila Mang Adolfo.

"Gusto mong kumain?" Bungad niya sa akin nang makalabas na ako ng CR. I opened my mouth but no words came out. I just nodded my head in embarassment, my cheeks burning. Napakamot din siya sa batok niya at tumango habang nag-iiwas ng tingin. Bigla akong nakaramdam ng lungkot. Kung magpapatuloy ito, for sure iiwasan na din ako ni Harry. Baka ito na ang huling beses na magkakasama kaming dalawa.

I padded towards my bed and turned my back from him, staring at the window. I must've been staring at nothing for a long time because I didn't notice he was in front of me already.

"Uh... Mary Grace, I want to talk about what happened—" He shifted on his feet awkwardly like a lost little boy.

"Ha?" I nodded my head too quickly, looking like an idiot. Biglang nanginig ang mga labi ko. "Ah, eh..."

He sighed, his cheeks are burning as well. "Well, I wasn't really expecting it to happen and we got carried away and the alcohol—" He was talking too fast I found myself standing up to meet his gaze. I stood in my full five feet eight inches to at least show that it wasn't affecting me when in fact, my heart is pounding wildly inside of my chest.

"N...Nagsisisi ka ba sa nangyari?" Lakas-loob kong tanong sa kanya. My mind is in chaos. I needed to know the answer. I need to know why he did it or why I responded in the first place.

It took him a few agonizing moments to answer I felt like crying. But he gently shook his head. "No." He answered finally. My heart felt as if it's going to melt. He held my hands again and squeeze it gently. "Wala akong pinagsisihan sa nangyari."

I sighed then chuckled. "Good." I choked out. "Cool." Natawa ulit ako. "Mapapahiya na sana ako kung ako lang ang magsasabing hindi ko pinagsisihan ang nangyari."

His face brightened up instantly. "You mean—"

"Yes, Harry." I finally confessed. "I've been thinking about you since the day you started talking to me in Karlo's. I've been thinking about you and the silly things that we could do. But then there's Jeremy. And Ate Annie. And the whole world against us."

"God." He rested his forehead to mine. "You don't know how you drive me crazy, Mary Grace." Mas humigpit pa ang hawak niya sa kamay ko. "I feel the same way too, you know?"

"Plus," I said, staring at him. "Friends don't stare at each other too long and kiss like this," Without hesitation, I tip-toed and covered his lips with mine. His hands automatically went up to touch my burning cheeks while his other hand wrapped around my waist, stroking it up and down. Kissing him feels as if something had exploded inside of me. We stumbled to the bed, kissing and gasping and touching each other.

I could even feel his hardness down there when he went on top of me. But unlike last time, he did not attempt to lift off my shirt or touch me. His hands remained on my face and hair.

He pulled away, breathing. "I think I wouldn't be able to hold back anymore, Mary Grace." He whispered to my ear. I wanted to protest when he lifted himself up from the bed. Naupo din ako. "Nirerespeto kita at si Jeremy. I don't want to be the guy stealing someone's girlfriend." He said.

I nodded my head, fully aware of how complicated our situation is.

"Hindi ko alam kung anong gagawin ko kay Jeremy," I admitted, fidgeting with my fingers.

"Well, as much as I wanted to encourage you to break up with him, run away with me, and have my babies," He chuckled and shook his head, as if the thought is too silly for him to absorb. "I will leave all the decisions to you." He stroked my hair and kissed my forehead. Napapikit ako. This felt surreal. I didn't even feel mortified or scared the first time we kissed. It feels as if the right thing to do.

"For now, I'm contented to know that we feel the same way about each other." His eyes shone with delight and affection I could've cried. No one looks at me that way it sent my heart bursting again and again inside of my chest. "Now, I should really buy some food for the both of us before I do something we'll both regret in the morning." He said, a hint of playfulness lacing through his voice. We both grinned as I slapped his chest lightly. He pulled me and kissed me softly on the lips again before standing up. "I'll be back. Lock the door, will you?"

I nodded, still grinning like an idiot. I can't remember feeling this happy for a long time. Sinundan ko siya papalabas. I locked the door before him and collapsed dreamily on the bed.

This shouldn't feel right, but I'm really fucking happy. 

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Merry Christmas y'all!