Stuck With You

Kabanata 4

Kabanata 4

Commotion

"What the hell are you doing here, Troy?" tanong ko ng makabawi.

I know this guy. He's Troy Radley Montreal, and he's a great friend of mine. Nagkakilala kami sa isang gig sa New York. Pareho kaming modelo at agad din namang nagkagaanan ng loob kalaunan dahil halos magkasundo kami sa lahat ng bagay lalo na pagdating sa kalukuhan.

"Vacation, Hillary. How about you? I didn't expect to see you here," he told me. Bahagya pa niyang nilapit ang kanyang mukha at bibig sa may tainga ko para magkarinigan kami.

"Why here?" usisa ko ulit. Well, I'm just really curious. I mean, madami naman siyang choices na pwedeng puntahan.

"Why not? The Philippines is a better choice. The people here are very approachable and accommodating; there are lots of tourist destinations na pwede kong puntahan; and one more thing, my mom lives here too, Hillary," paliwanag niya sa akin. "How about you? Why are you here? Are you on vacation too?" tanong niya pabalik.

"No, I'm staying here for good, Troy. Hindi ba sinabi ni Andi sa'yo?" I asked him.

Umiling siya bilang sagot.

"Honestly, hindi pa kami nagkita ulit ni Andi, Hillary. Naging hectic kasi ang schedule ko these past few months," he explained in a lazy tone at nagkibit-balikat. "Ikaw, bakit ka umuwi? I thought you hate this country?"

Napangiwi ako sa salitang ginamit niya. I never said that. Siraulo talaga 'to.

"It's my dad's decision, Troy, and I don't have any choice but to follow his order or I'll be dead," I said meaningfully, which earned a hearty laugh from him.

I shook my head and laughed a bit too.

"I didn't know na masunurin ka rin pa lang anak, Hillary," tudyo niya pa sa akin habang nakangisi.

Inirapan ko nalang siya.

"Anyway, are you looking for someone? Kanina ko pa kasi napapansin na halos magkandahaba na 'yang leeg mo kakatingin sa paligid. Is it your friend? That cute girl na palagi mong kasama sa New York? I saw her a while ago over there," sabi niya sabay nguso sa may DJ banda.

Oh, damn it! I almost forgot, may hinahanap pa pala ako.

"Yeah, I'm looking for someone but not her," pag-amin ko.

"If it's not her, then who is it? Don't tell me it's a guy?" May pagdududa sa mga titig niya, and I don't know if imahinasyon ko lang ba iyon, but may nakita akong multong ngiti sa mga labi nito.

"Stop being so nosy, Troy," natatawa kong saway sa kanya habang pasimpleng hinawi ang kamay niyang nakahawak pa pala sa baywang ko.

My god! For sure, issue na naman ito. Lalo na at alam na ng media na nandito na ako sa Pilipinas. Nagviral nga 'yong picture ko sa airport kasama sina Atticus at Zach, eh. Ang sagwa pa ng caption. 'Famous model Hillary Louisse Delaverga was caught kissing two non-showbiz men at NAIA.' The hell, Hindi ba? It's incest. Yuck! Tawang-tawa nga si Atticus ng mabasa, 'yon habang hindi naman maipinta, 'yong mukha ni Zachary. Nakakadiri naman kasi. Mabuti na lang talaga na clear na 'yong issue. Bobo rin ang nagsulat nun e.

And I bet there are some crazy paparazzi on this club right now, hiding like a freaking stalker somewhere. Lalo na at si Troy Montreal lang naman itong kasama ko. Isang sikat at in demand na modelo ng mga high-end brands, both local and international. Minsan na kaming na link at malamang sa ayos namin kanina na medyo magkadikit, gagawan na naman iyon ng issue ng media for sure. Isama niyo pa 'yong moment namin ni Rafhael kanina sa itaas. Napailing na lang ako.