Brave the Storm (La Familia Series #1)

Chapter 12

"Kirsche ano ba?" napipikon ng sabi ni Cove.

Hindi ko siya pinansin at patuloy na kinuha ang mga gamit ko. Free cut naman kami kaya aalis nalang ako.

Napabuntong hininga siya. Sabi ko sa sarili ko na nothing will change dahil masyadong magulo ang sinabi niya. Hindi malinaw at hindi ako dapat magconclude nalang pero iba ang inakto ko pagkakita ko sakanya.

Umaga pa lang pilit kong pinapalabas na sa tuwing kakausapin niya ako o lalapit siya ay itutuon ko ang pansin ko sa iba. I tried for it to seem as coincidence but who am I fooling? Halata naman na iniiwasan ko siya. I just can't process what he said last night. It was shallow or so I think.

Papalabas na ko sa pintuan ng humarang siya sa gitna, pumunta ako sa kanan pero hinarangan niya rin, pumunta ako sa kaliwa pero ganon rin ang ginawa niya. Alam kong hindi siya titigil kaya naman hinarap ko na siya, nakakunoot ang noo niya at seryosong nakatingin sakin. At eto nanaman ang mabilis na pagtibok ng puso ko.

"Dadaan ako, Cove," ang tanging sinabi ko kahit pa alam ko na hindi yun ang gusto niya marinig.

Hindi siya gumalaw at nanatili lang nakatingin sakin. Tinitigan ko na rin siya, I will not lose in this starring battle.

"This is about yesterday, that's why you're suddenly acting weird." Hindi yun tanong kundi paglalahad niya na akala mo'y sigurado siya na ayon nga ang dahilan ko.

Agad akong nailing sa sinabi niya, ayokong pag-usapan kung ano ang gusto niyang sabihin. I'm not ready. I don't know what to say to him. I don't know how I will act after he drop the bomb. Pero tila nabasa niya lahat ng iniisip ko dahil sa sinabi niya.

"I like you, Kirsh. What's so surprising about that?" agad akong nabilaukan sa sinabi niya kahit wala naman akong iniinom o kinakain.

What's so surprising about that? Was he serious? Pero hindi man lang nagbago ang itsura niya, the bubbly Cove was gone. All I could see was his seriousness and so I collected myself.

"Like comes in many forms, Cove. Of course, you like me as your friend. You need not say that matic naman na yun." I chuckled trying to lighten up the atmosphere but it's to no avail.

For pete's sake! Kung puwede lang kumawala ang puso ko sa dibdib ko kanina niya pa ginawa because of this confrontation!

"I like you, Kirsh. Romantically, not in a friendly way. Kaya wag mo nang subukan na umiwas sa 'kin dahil walang kwenta yan. I will stick with you whether you like it or not. I will win you over." Tila pinal na sabi niya.

That doesn't give me quite an option, huh. Paano kung gusto ko pala ng space? Time? To absorb everything and to figure out kung yung mga nararamdaman ko ay parehas ng nararamdaman niya.

"I don't know what to say," pag-amin ko pagkatapos ng ilang segundo.

Tumango siya sakin at ngumiti, now I can see the Cove I knew.

"You need not say anything. Hindi naman porket gusto kita dapat gustuhin mo na ko. There's no need to be pressured. Take your time. I just really want to say those things to you because you're quite dense," and he chuckled.

He told me not to be pressured but I'm seriously pressured right now! Screw this guy for messing with my system.

He smiled at me and he tousled my hair before leaving me there, dumbfounded.

Days passed and Cove was still the same pwera nalang sa pagiging maasikaso niya sakin, him being a gentleman after that confession, flooding me with messages and all those cheesy things that a "suitor" do daw.

Noong una sobra akong na-awkward-an sa mga ginagawa niya. It was so cringey pero sabi niya hindi lang daw ako sanay dahil wala naman daw nanliligaw sakin dati. And so, I just let him be, yun lang din naman ang request niya sakin. For me to let him do things for me dahil katulad ng sinabi niya, I can take my time.

"Grabe Kirsche ha, napakaswerte mo diyan kay Cove. Ano hindi mo pa ba sasagotin yan? Akin nalang yan," sabi ni Rya ng dalhan ako ni Cove ng lunch.

"Oo nga sis. Jusko what's not to like? Gwapo, mabait, matalino tsaka sis the muscles. Ugh," hirit naman ni Kaiei.

Napailing nalang ako sa mga sinabi nila. Minsan iniisip ko kung paano ko sila naging kaibigan at paano kami nagkasundo-sundo.

They were actually my classmates nung first sem pa and one-day lumapit sila sa 'kin, we talked and later on magkakasama na kami sa mga lumipas na araw. I learned to be more open to people thanks to Cove, he taught me how to socialize. Conversing wasn't that hard dahil sa hindi ko malaman na dahilan I can actually converse pretty well with others. Once na maging kumportable ako sakanila it all comes out naturally.

And these girls were giving me their piece of mind about my relationship with Cove. Randi said that I take all the time that I need. Kaiei, Rya, and Cosima told me to grab the chance dahil grasya na daw ang lumalapit sa 'kin e tinatanggihan ko pa. Eli on the other hand just gave me a shrug, said that it's my life so it's my call.

But I've been asking myself kung ano na nga ba ang dapat kong gawin. Sure, it hasn't been a month or so since nanligaw si Cove pero I knew him ever since class starts. At kung ako ang tatanongin he wasn't trying to impress me, well, he was trying to impress me in some ways pero hindi yung magpapanggap siya na gusto niya ng ganito kahit ayaw naman talaga niya. He's become more transparent to me and he became more outspoken with how he feels. And I like that. I'm happy every time he confides in me or kahit nagrarant lang siya ng maliliit na bagay. The things that annoy me before are the things that I find cute now.

Maybe he's winning already.