Where the Sun Sleeps

Chapter 02

CHAPTER 02

I stole a glance at him first before looking by the window again. Ang daming tumatakbo sa isipan ko ngayon pero hindi ko alam kung paano magsasalita kasi ang tahimik niya nga talaga!

Tumikhim ako at saka bahagyang umayos ng pagkakaupo bago magsalita, "Pero bakit bigla-bigla ka lang nagsusuot ng jacket mo sa bewang? Ganoon ka ba dumamoves?"

Okay, fuck. That was too sudden and straightforward.

Bakas sa mukha ni Kasper ang pagkagulat marahil hindi lang sa bigla akong nagsalita, ngunit sa mismong itinanong ko. But then, it turned into an amused smile, and then soft chuckles came after.

"I guess you really forgot me," he said before licking his lower lip. Hindi ko maiwasang panoorin ang pagsuklay niya ng buhok habang tumatawa. At napakurap ako nang sandaling magtama ang mga mata namin nang lingunin niya ako.

"We first met at the convenience store," Kasper started to fill me in pero nakakunot pa rin ang noo ko, nag-iisip. "I think you're working part-time there, tuwing gabi hanggang madaling-araw siguro sa mga araw na libre ang oras mo," he guessed it, and actually, he's right about it.

I work part-time at a convenience store near my house mostly every night on Fridays and sometimes weekends to provide for my needs and wants since I am living independently already.

And living alone was difficult for me, you know, having no one to lean on when I'm struggling academically, dahil alam ko naman sa sarili kong hindi ako magaling. The house feels empty, too, it doesn't even feel like home.

Well, I know I'm privileged enough, for I have shelter, clothes, food, and money coming from my parents and yet mostly from myself. Pero hindi ko alam, nahihirapan pa rin akong mabuhay, lalo dahil hindi ko alam kung saan o kung mayroon man akong patutunguhan.

Hindi na lang ako nagsalita at nagpatuloy naman siya. "I think you can barely remember since it happened two months ago. Gabi noong magkita tayo noon and I kinda..." Kasper trailed off and he glanced at me maybe to check my reaction pero he got nothing. "...kinda annoyed you," he chuckled.

Sandali akong natahimik para alalahanin iyong tinutukoy niya pero naiinis ako dahil sumasakit lang ang ulo ko sa kakaisip ngunit wala pa ring matandaan.

"Okay, hindi ko pa rin alam," I said. "Hindi naman ako madaling makalimot, pero hindi ko talaga maalala ang pangyayaring 'yon tsaka ang itsura mo."

"Maybe." Nanatiling nakatingin sa kalsada si Kasper at nagkibit-balikat lamang. "It wasn't worth remembering, too, though. We, like, argued for five minutes or so pero tinanong mo muna ako kung anong pangalan at pronouns ko."

"Hala! Sorry!" agad akong nag-react at napariin ang pikit ko sa hiya. "Buti hindi mo ako sinumbong sa manager namin, oh, my gosh. Sorry, sorry!" paulit-ulit akong tumungo.

Mahina siyang tumawa at saka kinaway ang kamay na parang sinasabing 'hindi'.

"No, it's okay. It was nothing big, huwag mo na alalahanin." I didn't talk but I was silently whining. I hate arguments, what even happened then?

At naputol ang pag-iisip ko nang tumigil na ang sasakyan at napansin kong nasa tapat na kami ng bahay ko na tinuro ko sa kanya kanina.

"Oh. So, this is yours," Kasper mumbled while looking at his left, where my house is.

"Yeah," I replied and looked at it, too, as if I haven't seen it ever.

Bumaba na rin ako ng sasakyan niya pagkatapos kong magpa-salamat ngunit nagulat ako nang sumunod siya.

Hindi ko alam kung dapat ko pa ba siyang imbitahin sa loob ng bahay ko. I still don't know him well.

"Do you live here permanently?" napakunot ang noo ko nang ituro niya ang bahay.