The Girl who Lived

19. The Disclosure

Hindi ko nagawang gumalaw at nanatili lang akong nakatayo. Nalilito ako sa kung ano ang dapat kong gawin at iasal. Nililigawan ako ni Dominic. So what now? Do I have to reject him or allow him to court me?

Nagpatuloy sa paghuhuramentado ang aking puso dahil hawak pa rin ng lalaki ang aking kamay. Nagpatianod ako nang maglakad siya papasok sa elevator. My heart dropped when I saw that there was no one else in here aside from us. He pushed the uppermost button on the side and I realized that he’s taking me to the rooftop.

“Hindi ka pa ba nakakakain ng hapunan?” tanong niya sa akin na sinuklian ko naman ng iling. I was looking at the closing doors of the elevator all the time because I don’t want to meet Dominic’s meaningful gaze. Nang tuluyang sumara ang elevator ay mabilis na namayani ang nakakailang na katahimikan sa pagitan naming dalawa.

My hand that he was currently holding was becoming sweaty and I felt uncomfortable because of it. Dominic might’ve sensed my uneasiness because he gently unclasped his hand from mine. Tuluyan naman akong nakahinga nang maluwag dahil doon.

But without his touch, I felt mysteriously sad and cold.

Naiinip na akong napapadyak dahil mukhang ilang palapag din ang ospital na ito kaya natagalan kami sa loob ng elevator. Awkwardness was still lingering between us because of what Dominic had said to me.

But I already guessed before that he somehow has feelings for me. Pero ngayong bulgaran na niyang ipinapakita sa akin ang kanyang nararamdaman ay ako naman ang nataranta.

“Bakit mo ako nililigawan?” I asked him. I want to clear things up as early as possible. Gusto kong malaman kung ano ang pakay niya dahil hindi nawawala ang posibilidad na baka pinagtitripan niya lang ako.

Even though I had no memories of our friendship before, I knew that Dominic has a playful attitude. A part of me wants to deny something that I found obvious about him but I just couldn’t bring myself to ignore it. Mukha rin kasi siyang babaero.

Napatingin siya sa akin kaya napataas ako ng kilay para itago ang aking pagkahingal dahil parang may mga nagkakarerahang kabayo pa rin sa loob ng puso ko. Kailangan ko na talagang kontrolin ang emosyon ko hangga’t maaga pa. Maybe I’m just flustered about what’s happening to me right now. I’m an empath and it’s natural for me to absorb the emotions of people around me.

Yes, maybe that’s indeed the reason why my heart is having this abnormality. Baka nararamdaman ko lang ngayon kung ano ang nararamdaman ni Dominic. So I shouldn’t get affected too much.

“Bakit nga ba? What do you think is the reason why a boy pursues a girl?” Dominic just asked while also raising an eyebrow at me. I composed myself so I can contain my irritation. Malinaw na nga ang tanong ko pero mukhang hindi talaga siyang marunong sumagot. He keeps on answering my questions with other questions even before, so what’s new?

“Because he wants to own that girl? Or he wants to show her off?” sagot ko na lang sa kanya. Dominic laughed at me like his usual self but heck! Since when did his laugh become music to my ears?

“Iba ka talaga mag-isip Mimi. But actually, you don’t need to be a genius to know the answer.” Tumunog ulit ang elevator kaya nauna na si Dominic na lumabas.

Napasimangot ako nang hindi niya ako nilingon. Hahatakin niya ako rito tapos iiwan niya lang ako nang basta-basta? He’s really unbelievable! May sayad yata siya sa utak!

Mukhang wala siyang balak balikan ako kaya sumunod na lang din ako sa kanya. His legs were long so I found it hard to match his strides. “Sagutin mo na lang kasi ako!” sigaw ko sa kanya. Madilim ang paligid dito sa taas ng ospital pero dahil sa liwanag ng buwan ay nakakakita pa rin ako.