A Pure Heart: Missing Piece

Kabanata 56

Last night, Bryan AirDropped the photos he took yesterday, allowing me to have copies on my phone. Kahapon kasi ay hinayaan na kami ni Manang Dolor na maggala rito sa kanilang baryo, pero bago iyon bumili pa kami ng masusuot ko na mas kumportable dahil sa bundok namin binalak na pumunta. When he came across a stunning panorama, he opted to capture the moment by taking a photo of me, despite my lack of interest. Hindi naman niya ako pinilit ngunit nakita ko ang magandang kuha niya sa akin na nakatalikod, nakaupo, at nakatingin sa araw.

"You look good, but next time, smile at the camera," he commented when he saw me looking at the photos on my phone.

"I know how to wash dishes, so you should get ready. Leave it to me," I told him, ignoring his remark.

He grinned foolishly, as if teasing me, as if he had just heard this from me for the first time. Napairap naman ako dahil doon.

"Ngayon lang ito," dagdag ko.

He chuckled. "No, just sit there on the side and wait for me. I'll take care of this."

"I don't want to wait. I want to move and work even if it's just this."

"I don't want you to get tired."

"Washing dishes isn't tiring, Bryan."

"Still no. Just take a rest for a while," he smiled. He proceeded to arrange the dishes and place them in the sink. "Nakapag-igib naman na ako ng paligo ko. I'll just finish this and I'll take a bath after."

I sighed, opting not to argue with him. If that's what he prefers, then fine. I headed to the living room and settled on the sofa, feeling a bit sulky.

A few minutes later, I checked my phone again. Despite not looking at the camera, I decided to post the photo because I liked it. I opened Instagram, tweeted the picture, and changed my Facebook profile picture. While I credited Bryan, I didn't mention him since I didn't know his username, and we weren't Facebook friends either. But just in case that we're friends, I wouldn't mention him to avoid bothering him with notifications. I smirked, realizing it was a rare social media update for me.

Notifications flooded in as friends liked and commented on the photo, but I ignored most of it. Pero ang mga gago nagsipagkalat pa sa Twitter. I checked the time and it's already forty-five past nine, so probably it's already their break at FU.

era @EWeinz_
   ay kabog! pero bakit kayo magkasama ni Bryan? saan ‘yan, teh?

thania @_TJanine
   where is that? i want that kind of shot too!

zey @zeanrussell
   the photo is nice. i should at least do some photoshoots when i was there. sayang.

cho @ch_444
   ayos ng kuha ‘shi! ayos rin ba photographer mo? hahahaha

JL @JLr0_o
   magkasama kayo ni bryan? saan iyan? magselos ka na kalil hahahaha

JB @jveeber
   @buenokalil nalalamangan ka na tanga hahahahahaha

shanley @synlb
   nice shot.

I shook my head at the Twitter comments, choosing not to engage. However, one comment grabbed my attention. Unexpectedly, it was Claust!

C @i_claust
   Damn sexy.

I smirked, tapping the heart button to like Claust's comment, and then I replied. I couldn't help but grin, feeling a surge of nostalgia as I read his unexpected comment. Sa lahat, sa kanya lang ako tumugon.