His

"Malapit na kitang pagdudahan, anak ko," pagbubukas ni Don Emmanuel ng usapan.

Nabitin ang ginagawa kong pag-scroll sa cellphone ko. I was shopping online for some clothes that I would bring to our trip, which I still don't know where.

Nasa sala kaming tatlo at kumakain ng meryenda dahil katatapos lang namin mag tanghalian. Dapat nga sana ay sa villa ko ako pupunta kaso hindi nila ako hinayaang makaalis ng mismong Casa.

"What is it this time, Dad?" Señorito gave his father a flat stare. Abala siyang nagbabasa ng quarterly report ng per department ng Ramiscal's. "Don't accuse me of being gay because I am not. I'm just not interested in women, alright?" he defended.

"Then why are you still not introducing someone to me, son?" he appealed. "I'm not young anymore, son. I need to witness you live a content life."

Señorito sighed at his father's remarks. "You're just being impatient, Pops. You know I'm working on it slowly. Just give me time."

May kinaiintereasng babae si Señorito?

Napatingin ako sa kaniya. Seryoso na ulit siyang kumakain ngayon matapos iwan ang misteryong iyon. The way he spat those words suggests that he has been pursuing someone for a period of time.

Pero sino naman? Kilala ko ang halos lahat ng tao sa buhay niya. I've known him more than half of my life and working with him allowed me to know every person he's involved with. But none of those were women he could possibly be courting.

"What's wrong?" Señorito mumbled softly. He even crunched his body a bit to reach my ear.

His voice sounded so soft like a child whispering a secret to his friend. It even felt like a child blowing his birthday candle with his fragile strength.

"Wala naman po," pagmamaang-maangan ko.

"Apparently, it doesn't look like it," he stressed. "Come on, what is it?"

Pasimple kong tiningnan si Don Emmanuel. Okupado na ulit siya sa cellphone niya habang nagse-cell phone. Sigurado ako na Facebook na naman ang pinagkakainteresan niya. Mahilig kasi siya manuod ng mga reels at madalas ay iyon ang pamatay niya ng oras.

Nang masiguro na wala sa amin ang atensyon niya, bumaling muli ako kay Señorito.

Nakaabang na siya sa akin. He was leaning sidewards for him to hear me better.

"May nililigawan ka?" mahina kong tanong. Muntikan pa nga akong pumiyok dahil sa sadiyang pagpapahina ko ng boses ko.

The corner of his lips rose up. Bahagya niyang itiniklop ang laptop sa knaiyang kanduan at inayoos ang upo paharap sa akin. A hint of grin began to form in his lips as if he's enjoying where our conversation was leading.

"Wala," walang paligoy-ligoy niyang sagot.

"Pero sabi mo..."

Hindi ko na nagawang ituloy pa ang sasabihin ko. Ang maliit na ngiti sa mga labi niya ay unti-unting lumawak hanggang sa nauwi sa isang ngisi.

"I never said anything. Maybe you're just assuming things," he teased.

Nalukot ang mukha ko. Obvious naman na niloloko na lang niya ako ngayon. Why am I even interested in the first place?! Ano naman kung may nililigawan siya? Buhay naman niya iyan at wala na dapat akong say.

Pero bakit naghihimutok ang kalooban ko ngayon?! Bakit hindi ko matanggap na may napupusuan na si Señorito?!

"Anong pinagbubulungan ninyong dalawa riyan?" Don Emmanuel butted in.

Nagkatinginan kami ni Señorito. Kabubuka pa lamang ng bibig ko ngunit nauna na ang pagsagot niya.

"Tori said she'd help me pack my things," he lied.

"Please do so, Tori. Ayaw kong makitang lukot-lukot na naman ang mga damit ni Tobias dahil basta pasok lang iyan ng damit sa bag niya," halos nakikiusap na niyang sabi.

"Señorito, hindi naman iyan ang pinag-usapan namin," bulong ko sa kaniya. "At saka, akala ko po ba si Kuya Rhett na ang mag-aayos ng gamit ninyo? Iyon po kasi ang nasabi niya kanina sa akin."

Nakita ko kasi siyang dala ang leather hand carry bag ni Señorito kanina nang makasalubong ko siya.

"You just heard him, Tori. No more arguments," he finalized.

Pasimple ko siyang sinimangutan. I don't want to spend hours of my life being awkward with him. Mas gusto ko pang makipagdaldalan kay Don Emmanuel.

Sa kabila kasi ng ilang taong pagkakakilala namin, hindi ko pa rin magawang alisin ang ilang tuwung naiiwan kaming magkasama.

Nare-rattle ako palagi at naoobligang pumiga ng topic na puwedeng pag-usapan. Señorito isn't the talkative one so I must take the initiative not to make the atmosphere dry.

"I'll get going. I still have to visit Ramiscal's," Don Emmanuel bid goodbye.

Sunday ngayon pero may pasok ang mga iilang empleyado. It's not like the company could stop operating even just for a day. Lalo na sa operation. May 30% increase naman ang mga pumapasok ng Sunday kaya ang iba ay gusto pa iyon.

"Ako na," presinta ni Señorito.

"No, son. Just spend your day here with Tori. Make sure to pay for her clothes." Don Emmanuel tapped the shoulder of his son. "I'll go ahead. Ikaw na ang bahala sa anak ko, Kianna."

"Ingat po, Don Emmanuel," paalam ko sa kaniya.

"Take care, Dad. Don't overwork yourself."

Naiwan kami roon ni Señorito. At tulad ng inaasahan ko, katahimikan ang siyang unang namagitan sa amin. Bumalik siya sa pagbabasa ng report habang ako naman ay hindi na magawang balikan pa ng payapa ang pagtitingin-tingin ng damit.

Mostly, shirts lang ang pinipili ko. Hindi ko naman kasi alam kung saan ang tungo namin kaya hindi ko rin alam kung ano ang pipiliin.

I made sure that everything I would pick was not expensive. Mostly, 50-200 pesos lang ang pinipili ko at ilang piraso lang.

"Tell me if you're done. I'll input my bank details," Señorito broke the silence.

"Tapos na po," sabi ko.

Tuluyan na niyang isinara ang laptop niya at ibinaba sa coffee table sa aming harapan. He extended his hand towards me. "Let me see."

"You should've picked more." Señorito shook his head.

"Iyan lang naman kasi ang sa tingin kong kailangan ko," dahilan ko.

Hindi na siya nagsalita ulit. Nagpipindot siya ng kung ano-ano sa cellphone ko. Dahil sa hindi maitatangging dating na dala ng simpleng pag-upo niya lang sa tabi ko ay hindi ko napigilan ang aking sarili na siya'y pagmasdan.

He was sitting cross-legs while comfortably resting his back on the sofa. Ilang minuto ang ginugol niya sa pagtingin sa cellphone ko. And each passing second I am starting to get bothered seeing how serious he was at what he was doing.

"Here." He gave me back my phone.

Agad na tinungo ko ang orders ko. Gano'n na lang ang panlalaki ng mga mata ko nang makita na ang tatatlong pirasong item na ch-in-eck out ko ay naging kinse na.

"Señorito!" Malakas ko siyang nahampas sa braso niya. "Bakit dinagdagan mo?!" hindi makapaniwalang tanong ko.

"Listen, Tori." Hinuli ni Señorito anf kamay kong pinangpalo ko sa braso niya.

Akala ko ay bibitawan din niya agad iyon pero ilang segundo na ang lumipas ay hawak niya pa rin iyon. Muli siyang umayos ng upo paharap sa akin.

"We will be having a week-long out of town trip. Hindi sasapat ang pinamili mo. It's better to have excess clothes than to wear nothing," he consoled. "Besides, I am paying for it. Don't stress yourself about it."

"Pero ang mamahal ng pinili mo, Señorito," nababagabang kong tugon.

"So? It's the money I worked for and I want to spend it for you. What's there to be bothered about?" He cluelessly looked at me with questioning eyes.

"That's the point, Señorito! Pera mo iyan kaya bakit mo igagasta sa akin. Yes, sabi ni Don Emmanuel. Pero thirty thousand pesos is just too much!" I emphasized.

"Don't worry, wala namang magagalit," pagpapagaan niya ng loob ko.

My forehead creased. Isn't he pursuing someone? "That wasn't the context of what you said to Don Emmanuel earlier."

"About what?" he confusedly asked.

"You said you're working on it slowly. That Don Emmanuel should be patient," I narrated in a slowly decreasing volume of voice.

I saw how Señorito's lips twitched because of the grin he's stopping to surpass. But the playfulness in his eyes couldn't be hidden. Obvious na obvious iyon lalo na't buhay na buhay ang kinang doon.

"So this is all about that," he trailed off while nodding his head.

Señorito might've been weirded out by my sudden nonsense. Hindi ko rin naman kasi maintindihan ang tinatakbo ng isip ko.

If I would be honest with myself. I know that I was bothered by the thought of Señorito having connections to someone, a woman on that note, that has no relation with work.

Pinagdadamot ko na ba siya sa lagay na 'to? Not as if I have control on his life and whom he'd want to be friends with. It's just that... I got so used seeing him distant that it feels somehow foreign knowing that he could be possibly courting someone.

"I told you, I am not courting someone," he assured. "At least not yet."

I failed to construct a proper answer to what he said. Nanatili lamang na tikom ang bibig ko.

"You're not going to ask anything?" Señorito Señorito

"Wala naman akong itatanong," tanggi ko.

But at the back of my mind I was itching to ask who the lucky girl was. What kind of person could she be for Señorito to be interested in her?

Sino sa mga babaeng investors, business partners, o associates ang pumukaw ng atensyon niya? I could give out a full list of all the women Señorito has associations with. But I couldn't pinpoint who was the one.

"Tori," he called.

Umayos ako ng upo at saka lang napagtantong hawak niya pa rin pala ang kamay ko. Nagkunwari akong kinuha ang cellphone kong nabitawan ko na pala para makawala sa pagkakahawak niya.

"Stop frowning," he told off. Gamit ang hinlalaki niya, tinuwid niya ang kunot ng noo ko.

I instantly felt the thrill upon the connection of my skin to his. Saglit na dampi lang naman iyon pero parang nandoon pa rin ang kamay niya sa noo ko.

"B-Babalik lang po ako sa villa ko," pag-iwas ko.

"Says who?"

Maagap na nahawakan niya ako sa braso nang balakin kong tumayo. Kaya ang ending ay hindi ako nakakilos.

"I thought you'd help me pack my things?" Señorito flashed me an innocent stare.

"Anong araw pa lang po, Señorito. May isang linggo pa tayo bago umalis," pagpapaalala ko.

"I know, but I won't have much leisure time to spend for the next few days. I have a lot of work to finish before our trip. I don't want to leave Ramiscal's with unfinished works. Mababasa lang sa mga empleyado," he explained.

"According to my schedules, you have nothing planned nor any business meetings you need to attend." I looked at him with confusion.

Ako ang gumagawa ng schedule niya kaya alam ko at bakante siya, at si DOn Emmanuel, sa loob ng dalawang linggo.

"Of course, Pops told you to deny all meeting requests for this month. I'm not talking about those. I am pertaining to the papers I need to sign and approve for this week until next week. Para kahit ang mga empleyado ng Ramiscal's ay makapagpahinga rin kahit papaano," mahabang paliwanag niya.

Señorito in his teenage years would probably be shocked if he'd meet the person I am sitting with right now. That was probably the longest line I ever heard from him to date.

It's amazing how I could witness how he has changed into his better version. It just proves that behind the image he has built due to his personality, a strange and intimidating man, lies a person who cares and is kind.

"Saan po ba tayo?" pagsubok ko na kumuha ng impormasyon.

"You'll know when we set foot in that place. But I'm sure you'll enjoy your time there," he said with confidence.

"Wala bang hint?" pagsubok ko ulit.

"Wala," mabilis niyang sagot. Inunahan niya ako sa pagtayo. Namulsa siya bago sinimulang tunguhin ang hagdan. "Come on. Help me with my things."

Sumunod ako sa kaniya sa second floor. Doon kasi ang kuwarto nilang dalawa ni Don Emmanuel.

Ngunit unti-unti ring bumagal ang paglalakad ko nang mapagtantong kuwarto niya ang aming destinasyon. I've been living here in Casa Ramiscal for more than half of my life, but I never dared enter his room nor the master's.

"Here, hold me," Señorito offered. Huminto siya isang hakbang mula sa kinatutuntungan ko.

"A-Ano?" utal kong tanong, nabibigla at hindi siya naiintindihan.

Instead of elaborating his confusing words, he just took it to action.

Kinuha niya ang kamay ko na siyang umalalay sa pagpanik ko. Bumaba siya ng ilang hakbang hanggang sa nasa likod ko na siya. Mula roon ay marahan at maingat niya akong tinulak paakyat.

"I haven't had the time to clean my room. It's a bit messy so please understand."

"Bakit hindi mo po ipalinis?" suhestiyon ko.

"You know how my Mom hates that. Baka paluin pa ako no'n sa panaginip ko."

Napangisi ako. Donya Margarita really is something.

Ilang hakbang pa ang ginawa namin ay narating na namin ng ikalawang palapag. May malaking sala roon kung saan ang pader sa kanan ay puno ng mga medalya at tropeyo. Karamihan doon ay kay Señorito noong nag-aaral pa siya, mula elementarya hanggang kolehiyo.

"Rhett," he called upon seeing his right hand man in front of his room's door.

"Sir, I already booked a place and hired someone to prepare everything," he informed.

"Alright. Thanks for the hard work. Let's talk about this later."

"Understood, Sir," he rogered.

Tinapik muna siya ni Señorito sa balikat bago dumiretso sa pintuan.

Kuya Rhett went past me but immediately halted his steps. Nagtataka ko siyang tiningnan dahil ramdam kong nakatingin siya sa akin.

"Bakit?" tanong ko.

"Name, ibigay mo na sa akin."

"Grabe, isang taon ka ng ganiyan." Sinimangutan ko siya. "Huling balita ko may boyfriend iyon. Ayaw kong makasira ng relasyon."

"Come on, Kismet. I won't cross the line if she's still with someone," he pleaded. "Isa pa, hindi ko naman sasabihin na ikaw nagbigay ng pangalan niya."

Napasimangot ako. Nahati ang isip ko sa kungano ang mas mainam na desisyon. Kung ibibigay ko ba sa kaniya ang pangalan na matagal na niyang hinihingi o ang huwag na lang siyang sagutin.

Wala namang problema sa akin iyon. Ang cute niya pa nga, eh. Biruin mong isang taon nang nanghihingi ng pangalan sa akin.

"Please, Kismet," pakiusap niya pa.

I sighed heavily. "Yrah," I gave in. "Yrah Silvestre."

Kuya Rhett beamed at me. "Finally! Thank you, Kismet!" he gleefully screamed.

"What's going on?" Señorito interrupted.

Binalikan niya muli ako. Mukhang ngayon lang niya napansin na hindi na pala ako nakasunod sa kaniya.

"Wala po, Señorito. May hinihingi lang po si Kuya Rhett." Kinawayan ko si Kuya sa paraang tinataboy na siya. "Huwag mo sabihing ako ang nagsabi," banta ko.

He saluted me before finally taking his exit.

"What was that?" Señorito asked.

"It's nothing, Señorito," I answered instead. "Tara na, para matapos tayo agad."

Mukhang hindi siya kumbinsido sa pag-iwas ko sa tanong niya. Pero sa huli, ipinagsawalangbahala na lamang niya iyon. Pinagbuksan niya ako ng pintuan.

Unang tumambad sa akin ang malawak na espasyo sa pinakagitna ng kuwarto. There lies a king-sized bed covered in black comforter and pillows. Pero agad na nalipat ang mga mata ko sa nakamamanghang koleksyon niya ng mga libro.

The wall opposite to the door has a built-in bookshelf. Sa laki no'n, kalahati ng pader ang nasakop. Mas mataas iyon ng kaunti kay Señorito kaya talagang maraming libro ang makikita.

"Nabasa mo na ang lahat ng iyan?" namamangha kong tanong.

"Yes, there's more in the library. Pinalipat doon ni Pops dahil masyado raw masikip tingnan kung dito lang ilalagay," paliwanag niya.

"Like... how many is that?" I could feel the urge to doubt him but I know how possible it was. Lalo na at noong bata kami ay halos hindi na siya lumabas ng kuwarto at palaging nagbuburo sa pagbabasa.

"I lost count. Probably more than two to three thousand?" he guessed.

"At nabasa mo lahat?" pag-uulit ko. "No wonder you still haven't been in a relationship. You confined yourself too much that you lack connection towards other people."

"Half of my answer would be that, but that's not entirely the reason." He walked past me and sat on his bed.

"Ano iyong kalahati?" puno ng kuryosidad na tanong ko.

"Only my parents know," he dismissed. Kinuha niya ang bag na nasa gitna ng kama. "Come, help me."

Lumapit ako sa kaniya. I climbed my way up to his bed and sat nead the end. Kumuha ako ng kumpol ng damit at inilapit sa akin. I began to fold his clothes at the same time, placing it tidily on his bag.

"I need you to be with me at the office tomorrow. I need a hand," he informed.

"Noted, Señorito. Sasabay na lang ako kay Kuya Seth," sagot ko.

"Sinong may sabi?" Pinagkunutan niya ako ng noo. "You'll be coming with me. We'll go to work together."

Tinambol sa kaba ang puso ko. Agad na pumasok ang kung ano-anong scenario sa isip ko. Last month pa ang huling punta ko roon kaya hindi ko alam kung anong klaseng raksyon na naman ang aanihin ko.

Last time, mga nanunuring tingin ang inani ko. Ikaw ba naman ang maglakad sa hallway kasama ang Presidente at CEO ng Ramiscal's talagang pagtitinginan ka.

"Ano na naman kayang sasabihin ng mga tao kapag nagsabay tayo?" napapaisip kong tanong sa kaniya.

"What do you mean?" Señorito's forehead knotted.

"I mean, the last time I went there I heard people talking about me," I opened up.

"About what, specifically?"

"Regarding how I am a nuisance to other people?" I replied unsurely.

Mas lumalim pa gitla sa kaniyang noo. He probably didn't expect that. Although both Señorito and Don Emmanuel have good leadership and were looked up to by their employees, that doesn't mean that the entirety of the company is a reflection.

Impossible naman kasi iyon. It's always done to the person and his choices.

"What made them say that?"

"Like my usual problems, tuwing may hindi ako kayang abutin. Wala rin naman akong means para makuha ang mga kailangan ko unless magpapatulong ako. Maybe I got in their way, that's why some thought like that," I explained.

Half of my mind understands, while the other remains seeking for answers and peace.

"Tell me who those people were, I'll talk to them." I was just about to rebut but he sharpley looked at me. "That's a command. Nothing would change if things like this would still continue to happen. Understand?"

"Okay," pagsuko ko.

"And please, try not to get affected," he pleaded. "Even if I have to cover your ears for you to only hear the good things, I would. Just know that no amount of judgment would dictate your value."

Señorito gave me a weak smile. Bahagya siyang umusog palapit sa akin upang magawa niyang abutin ang aking mukha.

Using his thumb, he gently caresses my chin. And those little rubs speak more than the words I would hear from him.

"You are not what they called you. You are Kismet Torianna, alright? Our Kianna. My Tori. Remember that."

His Tori.

Did I really hear him correctly? I am what?---------------------------------------------------

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