Bad Times at Sunrise (La Fortuna Series #3)

Kabanata 7

Kabanata 7

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Ligaglig ang isipan ko habang kumakain kami ng hapunan sa restaurant ng villa. My co-models were already having fun introducing themselves to each other but I couldn't seem to vibe with them at all. Granted, they were all nice and kind. It's just that they felt so different compared to me when it came to the way they carried themselves. They were all elegant and classy and I knew I wasn't like that.

Pero 'di lang naman 'yon ang dahilan kung ba't ako aligaga, e. Nag-aalala ako para kay Ico lalo na't nang makaalis siya kanina'y biglang lumakas ang pagbuhos ng ulan. Open restaurant ang kinakainan namin ngayon kaya kanina pa ako lingon nang lingon sa parking lot, nagbabaka-sakaling bumalik siya. I felt so damn guilty.

"Earth to, Sunny!" Kit snapped his fingers in front of me.

Napakurap-kurap ako't hilaw na napangisi. "Uh, I'm sorry... may iniisip lang."

"Speaking, where is your boyfriend? Wala na ang sasakyan niya, ah?" Pinanliitan niya ako ng mga mata. "Nag-away ba kayo? Umalis ba siya?"

I got tongue-tied. Sa totoo lang ay wala na akong pakealam kung galit man sa 'kin si Ico. What I cared about was his safety, more so because his Raptor wasn't in good condition. Paano kung nasiraan siya? Paano kung na-stranded siya sa isang liblib na lugar? Paano kung may nangyaring masama sa kaniya?

"Oh, you have a boyfriend, Sunny?" Lovie, one of my co-models, said. Isinubo niya ang isang tinidor ng Caesar salad bago mapaglarong ngumuso. "Sana all! Gusto ko rin ng boyfriend!"

"True," sagot naman ni Cara ngayon. "Like, it's just hard to get a boyfriend these days! Ang busy busy kasi ng schedule ko!" She made a face and threw her hands in the air in disbelief. "Like, after this project, I have a go-see to attend to and after the go-see, I have another project in Boracay. Like, what? How inconvenient is that for my love life?"

"Right!" Lovie nodded. "Hay! Sana may pogi dito sa villa para naman... oh my god! Is that him?"

She trailed off because her eyes darted at something or someone over my shoulder. Nagsalubong ang kilay ko lalo na no'ng nagpalitan sila ng tingin ni Cara. They shrieked at each other, with Lovie getting a bit teary-eyed in joy and Cara covering her mouth with her palm in shock.

"Icarus Benavidos!" they both said in unison.

The utensils stilled on my hands. Sa naghuhuramentadong puso ay lumingon din ako. Ico, who had just gotten out of his car, was fucking wet and... hot. Manipis ang tela ng dress shirt niya kaya bumabakat ang mga muscles niya sa likod. For someone who struck me as a genius nerd, he sure was fit as hell. Hindi ko masisisi sina Cara at Lovie sa pagtili nila dahil kahit ako nga'y napanganga.

"Dzai, boyfriend mo, oh! Nababasa!" malaswang wika ni Kit.

Cara and Lovie's eyes widened. In synchrony, they said, "Boyfriend?!"

"He's your boyfriend?!" Lovie glared at me accusingly. Para bang may ninakaw akong pagmamay-ari niya. "Is he really?"

"Uh, oo," tango ko.

Cara whined. "Like, boyfriend boyfriend or like, not boyfriend boyfriend?"

I was confused about what she really meant by that so instead of answering her, I decided to stand up, grab an umbrella on the side, and brisk toward Ico. Nang makalapit ay agad ko siyang pinayungan kahit wala naman nang silbi 'yon kasi basang-basa na siya. He was fumbling over something inside his car so he didn't notice my presence.

Nang sa wakas ay nakuha niya ang hinahanap niya'y sinarado niya ang pinto ng Raptor. Akmang maglalakad na siya nang bahagya siyang mapatalon nang makita ako sa gilid niya. Mula sa pagsandal sa sasakya'y napaayos ako ng tayo. Napunta ang tingin ko sa hawak niya at natantong mga damit pala 'yon. Dito siya magpapalipas ng gabi kung gano'n?