Ethereal Love

Chapter 24

Chapter 24
   
Crush
   
    
"Kumain kana ba? I know a good restaurant around here, we could—"

"Hindi na, ihatid mo nalang ako sa condo ko at sabihin ang gusto mong sabihin." madiin kong sabi upang pigilin ang namumuong ideya niya.

Azekiel glanced at me with a raised eyebrow. He laughed a bit and shook his head.

"You're still into him, huh?"

Umayos ako ng upo at nakasimangot na nag-iwas ng tingin.

"Tell me, what is it about him that made you like him this much? You two broke up for years now, Zaylee."

I glared at him. He smiled bitterly.

"I think it's good if you'd forget about him. Try dating other guys, I'm sure you'll find another one who you will love again. Subukan mo lang, Zaylee. You can't move on from him if you keep on caging yourself in the past,"

Iritado akong bumuntong hininga. I know he's only saying these for my sake, pero hindi ko maiwasang makaramdam ng iritasyon lalo na't alam kong kahit papaano ay may punto ang sinasabi niya.

"Eto ba ang gusto mong sabihin sa 'kin?" I asked.

"No, but—"

Hindi ko na siya pinatapos pa. "Stop the car, lalabas ako." I said as I hold the door handle on my side.

He gritted his teeth as he glanced at me darkly. "Fine, we won't eat."

I crossed my arms. Iritado akong tumingin sa kaniya. He glanced at me with the same intensity before he slowly shook his head, tila nadismaya sa inasta ko.

"Ang tigas talaga ng ulo mo..." he mumbled.

He didn't say anything after that. Hindi rin ako nagsalita. Sa totoo lang, tama siya. If I want to move on, there are a lot of ways for me to move on. Pero iniisip ko pa lang ang mga paraan na iyon ay umaatras na agad ako. Or maybe this is guilt I am feeling? Because I knew, I did him wrong.

I unbuckled my seat belt as soon as we reached the basement of the condominium. Bumaling ako sa kaniya.

"Ano 'yung sasabihin mo?" I asked.

He groaned. Sumandal siya sa backrest ng driver's seat, ang kaniyang mga kamay ay nananatiling nakahawak sa manibela. He turned to me with a bitter smile. Sandali kaming nagkatitigan. Azekiel sighed.

"I don't really want to tell this to you but... I can't stand seeing you like that." he said softly.

Kumunot ang noo ko. He looked at me in a taunting way with a bitter smile painted on his lips, making me unsure what he truly feels.

"Acting tough and keeping everything by yourself. Pinahihirapan mo ang sarili mo, Zaylee." he said in a worried tone.

I looked away, feeling guilty by what he said.

Bumuntong hininga siya. "On your graduation, everyone was happy samantalang ikaw, mukhang namatayan,"

Lalong kumunot ang noo ko. "You went to my graduation?"

Azekiel sighed as he looked away. He clicked his tongue as if he just said something he shouldn't have.

"Y-Yes..." he answered hesitantly.

"Paano mo nalaman? Are you stalking me?"

He laughed at my accusation. "I have a reliable source." pagmamayabang niya. "And I'm not stalking you. Kung alam mo lang..." he chuckled.

Nakasimangot ko siyang tinitigan, hinahanapan ng butas ang mga sinabi niya na parang palusot lamang iyon. Lumaki ang ngiti sa kaniyang labi at nakipagtitigan, tila nasisiyahan sa pagtitig na ginagawad ko sa kaniya. Sa huli, ako pa ang nag-iwas ng tingin sa kaniya. He chuckled for what I did.