#DS5Unbowed #EmbRace #PuppyCouple #DaggerSeries

CHAPTER 23: EVEN

EMBER'S POV

Hindi ko alam kung totoo ang alien abduction pero sa mga oras na 'to ay parang iyon ang gusto ko na mangyari sa akin. I don't care if the aliens will ditch me on a non-habitable planet. I'll survive somehow. I probably will adapt there more than here, where I'm having a strong urge to dig a hole and bury myself.

Gusto ko na lang magkulong sa kuwarto ko pero kasalukuyang nandoon si Trace at inaayos ang bintana ko. Paunti-unti niyang pinapalitan ang mga bintana rito sa bahay at hinuli niya ang akin. He said that the windows installed when he bought the house were fitting for cold weather but not so much for the summer. He wanted to replace them with windows that are more suitable for places with mixed climates.

I felt something wet touch my leg. It was followed by a light bite on my ankle, and a weight jumping on my stomach, but I didn't move from the floor where I was sprawled on.

"Play somewhere else babies," I said miserably. "I don't want the aliens to get you all too. I can't bring you three with me. Walang treats sa alien planet."

Muling dumagan sa tiyan ko ang bigat ni Potchi na mukhang maraming naipon na energy. Bingo's still nibbling my foot, and Sir Francis Bacon is wiggling on my side as if wanting to be warm.

Umikot ako sa pagkakahiga at tumagilid ako. I reached for Potchi, and I pulled her towards me. She resisted for a moment, still vibrating with energy, as if wanting to escape my hug. When I didn't let her go, she let out what could only be described as a doggy sigh, and she finally settled in my arms.

We stayed like that for such a long time that it was a surprise that I didn't fall asleep. Kaya lang ay sadiyang aktibo ang utak ko na hindi pa rin magawang kumalma dahil sa nakita ko kanina. That girth could ruin a planet.

I groaned and buried my face on Potchi's neck. "Potchi kill me. Turn into a giant dog and swallow me whole."

Swallow. No one could take all that inside their throat—

Pinakawalan ko si Potchi at dumapa ako para sumubsob sa inuunanan ko na throw pillow. It muffled the sound of my screams.

"Hi Miss Asencio! Hello beautiful world! Hello beautiful people except for Trace!" I felt the trio of animals ran out of my hiding place. Saktong pag-angat ko ng tingin ay siyang pagsilip ni Lucienne sa kinaroroonan ko. "What a cute fort."

Nang kumatok kasi si Trace sa pintuan ng kuwarto ko ay kasalukuyan kong inililibing ang sarili ko sa ilalim ng malaki kong kumot. Nang sabihin niya ang tungkol sa pagkakabit ng bintana at pinto ko ay lumabas ako ng kuwarto habang nakataklob pa rin ng kumot para hindi ko siya makita. I ignored his quiet laughter, and thankfully, he didn't force me to talk to him while I was still contemplating how to leave this planet immediately.

When I went to the living room, I saw that Trace had made a DIY fort by attaching a blanket to the sofa and the coffee table. Mukhang alam niyang maghahanap ako ng pagtataguan.

I could go to the barn except for the fact that I knew that he would follow me. Ayaw niya kasing lumalabas ako ng mag-isa lalo na kapag sa kamalig ang punta ko.

"Can I go in?"

I nodded at Lucienne. First, because I truly don't mind. Second, because even if I do mind, I don't have the heart to say no to her. Parang hindi rin siya papayag na tanggihan siya. Siya kasi iyong tao na may kakayahang mangumbinsi na gawin mo ang gusto niya.

She wormed her way inside the small fort. Since we're both small, it wasn't that crowded when she lay on her stomach beside me. If it's Trace I'm here with it would have been a tight fit—

Muli kong sinubsob ang mukha ko sa unan. For some reason ay lahat ng isipin ko ay parang may double meaning at napupunta kaagad ang utak ko sa bagay na dapat ko ng kalimutan.

"Parang problemado ka mareng Ember ah." Pumalatak ang babae at pagkatapos ay nilakasan niya ng bahagya ang boses niya. "Sabagay. Kung sa araw-araw ay mukha ni Trace ang una mong makikita eh magiging problemado ka talaga."

"I can hear you!"

Napapitlag ako nang marinig ko ang boses ni Trace na sumigaw mula sa kuwarto ko.

"Pinaparinig ko talaga sa'yo!" malakas din na sabi ni Lucienne bago bumaling sa akin. She softly patted my head. "So... what happened? Kailangan ko na bang ipakulam si Trace? Marami pa namang picture na nagkalat ang isang 'yon"

Umiling ako pero hindi pa rin ako nagsalita. From outside the makeshift fort, Lia's smiling face peeks in. "May dala akong pagkain."

Sandaling nagkatinginan sila ni Lucienne nang tumingin lang ako sa babae at mahinang nagpasalamat. Umupo siya sa semento at may nilingon siya. Inangat niya ang kamay niya at hindi nagtagal ay may pares ng mga kamay ang nag-abot sa kaniya ng container. Pagkakuha ni Lia niyon ay saglit na nawala ang mga kamay at nang bumalik iyon ay nakita kong may hawak na iyon na throw pillow.

Lia smiled at the man who could only be her husband, and then she lifted her body a bit so that she could sit on the pillow.

Binuksan niya ang container at bago pa ako makaupo ay parang bata ang kaharap na dumampot ang babae ng pagkain at inumang iyon sa bibig ko. I automatically opened my mouth and took the food she was giving me.

My eyes widened, and for a moment... for one single moment, I forgot about my current dilemma. "So good."

"It's zucchini fritters."

Para bang naging pako ang kinakain ko dahil naging mahirap iyon na nguyain. I forced myself to swallow before I plopped my head back on the pillow.

"Ano na namang ginawa ng chihuahua na 'yon at parang ang laki ng pinagdadaanan mo?" tanong ni Lucienne sa akin.

Malaki talaga.

"Nag-away ba kayo?" pabulong na tanong ni Lia. "Nang tumawag ako para i-invite kayo sa bahay dahil nandoon si Lucienne ay tumanggi si Trace. I told him I cooked for you as well, and he asked me if one of his brothers could just bring some here."

"Kaya nga kami pumunta rito eh. Para sumagap ng tea. So... what's the tea?" sabi ni Lucienne.

Ibang T ang problema ko. Nag-angat ako ng tingin sa kanila at imbis na sagutin ang tanong nila ay tanong din ang lumabas mula sa mga labi ko. "Do you think alien abduction is real?"

Nagtataka man ay nagsalita si Lia. "No."

"Yes!" Ngumisi si Lucienne at nag-peace sign. "Maybe? Umaasa akong totoo. Ang daming mga tao na deserve kidnappin ng aliens at itapon sa ibang planeta."

That's me. I deserve to be thrown off a different planet. "Do you believe there is genuine hypnosis that can make you forget about something? "

"I don't think so," Lia answered again.

Pinakatitigan ako ni Lucienne na isinandal pa ang baba niya sa kamay niya. "Why?"

"May gusto lang akong makalimutan."

"Madali lang 'yan. Alisin mo lang iyong magpapaalala sa'yo ng gusto mong kalimutan." Ngumisi siya na parang may naisip. "Sure ako na involve si Trace sa gumugulo sa'yo. So bakit hindi natin siya alisin sa mundo? Mas madali 'yon kesa sa alien abduction. Mahal ang gas ngayon kaya mahihirapang mag-travel ang mga 'yon papunta rito."

I was about to face plant on the pillow again when Lia gave me another variety of food that, of course, tastes good. I think she's using food to make me talk.

Lia looked at me worriedly. "What happened?"

Gusto ko siyang sagutin pero napatingin ako kay Lucienne. Lia turned to her as well and the other woman innocently blinked her eyes. Kapag sinabi ko kasi sa kanila ay sigurado akong ipagkakalat iyon ni Lucienne. Baka hindi pa lumilipas ang isang araw ay alam na sa buong opisina ng Dagger ang nangyari.

Bumuntong-hininga ang manunulat. She plugged her ears with her fingers. "Hindi ako makikinig."

Nagpalingon-lingon si Lia bago mahinang nagsalita. "Kasama ni Trace sina Gun at Thorn." She gave me a sweet smile. "You can tell me."

"I might have done... something embarassing."

"Like?"

"Like hide in a closet." Nang dumaan ang pagkalito sa mga mata niya ay muli akong nagsalita, "A closet that's not mine while the owner was taking a bath."

Napakurap siya. I could see that it was starting to dawn on her.

"And I might have seen something that I shouldn't nang pumunta ang tao na iyon sa pinagtataguan ko para magbihis—"

"OMG!"

Hindi kay Lia nanggaling iyon kundi kay Lucienne na nanlalaki ang mga mata habang nakatakip pa rin sa magkabilang tenga niya.

"Sabi mo hindi ka makikinig," natatawang sabi ni Lia.

Binaba ni Lucienne ang kamay niya. "Hindi naman ako nakinig. Pero hindi niyo namang sinabi na hindi ako pwedeng mag-lip read."

I groan, and I put my face on my hands. Naramdaman ko na tinapik-tapik ako ni Lucienne sa likod na parang inaalo ako.

"Don't worry hindi ko ipagkakalat. Lalo na sa asawa ko na for sure eh dadaldal sa mga kapatid niya. Mukha lang tahimik si Thorn pero tsismoso ang isang 'yon. But I could keep secrets from him, you know? May quota nga lang ako a year. Love ko 'yon eh."

"I love you too."

Sandaling nakalimutan ko ang problema ko nang may mga paa ng lalaki na sumulpot mula sa direksyon ng mga kuwarto at may kinuha bago bumalik ulit kung saan naroon ang mga kapatid niya. I peeked from where I was hiding, and I saw that there's a baby carrier on Thorn's chest, where his daughter is comfortably sleeping. How cute is that? Sigurado ako na ang kambal nila Lia ay kasama rin ng ama nila.

"So..." panimula ni Lucienne nang makaalis ang asawa. "You've seen Trace's vienna sausage?"

Alam kong namumula ang mukha ko ng tumango ako. "It's not... it's not vienna sausage. It's more of—" Lia pressed her lips together as if swallowing her laughter, while Lucienne opened hers as if to stop me from speaking, but the words fell from my lips as if they were hurrying to come out. "He's not even... you know... but it was long, thick, and veiny—"

Ikinulong ni Lucienne ang magkabilang mga pisngi ko sa mga kamay niya. She mush my cheeks together, preventing me from speaking. "You just gave me a mental picture. Now I need to bleach my brain."

"Will that work?" I asked desperately.

"I'm willing to try."

We both look at Lia when we heard her giggle. Siya lang ata ang hindi apektado sa aming tatlo. I couldn't stop my eyes from narrowing at the singer. "Have you seen his... you know?"

"Oh no. No," she said with a shake of her head. "Iisa lang ang nakita ko na gano'n sa buong buhay ko at ang kay Gun lang iyon."

"But you're not bothered by hearing that Trace has a long—" Umaktong nasusuka si Lucienne na hindi naituloy ang sasabihin. "Makapag-research nga kung kailan may available na alien flight. Sagot ko na ang gas."

Lia chuckled and shook her head again. Sinubuan niya kaming dalawa ni Lucienne ng pagkain na para bang makakatulong iyon sa pinagdadaanan namin. "I'm not bothered because it's an obvious thing. Those brothers are giants. Do you really expect anything less?"

Lucienne just pursed her lips.

Bumaling sa akin si Lia. "You're probably dying of embarrassment. That's okay. Given the situation, I couldn't blame you. I don't think he'll tease you about it, not much at least, but I also don't think that you'll forget about it anytime soon." She gave me another piece of the fritters. "Just pretend that you don't remember what happened. Your brain will believe it soon enough, and you'll be less shy about it."

"Or get even. Para hindi lang ikaw ang nahihiya."

Napatitig ako kay Lucienne. I could hear Lia disapproving, but her words were all I could think about.

Bago pa may makakilos sa kanila ay nakatayo na ako. Para bang may sariling buhay ang mga paa na naglakad ako papunta sa kuwarto ko kung saan naroon si Trace.

Sina Gun at Thorn ang unang nakapansin sa pagpasok ko dahil abala ang taong pakay ko sa ginagawa niya. Kumunot ang mga noo nila pero hindi na nila nagawang tanungin kung anong kailangan ko nang maramdaman ko ang mga yabag na nakasunod sa akin. Nilagpasan ako nina Lia at Lucienne at hinila nila parehas ang mga asawa nila palabas ng kuwarto. They would have stopped me, but I think they know that they couldn't.

It was then that Trace looked up and saw me.

"Princess, what—"

He couldn't finish his question. His eyes widened and his jaw went slack when I unceremoniously grabbed the hem of the shirt I was wearing and pulled it up together with the lace bra I was wearing underneath.

Para bang napako sa kinatatayuan ang lalaki habang tila kumawala mula sa katawan niya ang kaluluwa niya. The life in his eyes only returned when he accidentally dropped the hammer he was holding. Mabuti na lang ay naiiwas niya kaagad ang paa niya kundi ay doon iyon bumagsak.

Nilingon ni Trace ang bintana na bukas na bukas at nagbago ang ekspresyon sa mukha niya. He crossed our distance with three strides, and he pulled my clothes back down.

"What the hell, Ember?!" he snapped.

I couldn't remember if there was ever a time that he used such a tone toward me, but it feels like it's the first time that it's been directed at me.

Ipinilig ko ang ulo ko. "I... I don't know what came over me..."

Umaangat-baba ang dibdib niya na para bang tumakbo siya ng malayong distansiya at hindi ang iilang hakbang na layo niya lang sa akin kanina. His eyes are flaring, but I don't think that it's solely out of anger.

None of us moved for a moment. We're just looking at each other as if the answer to the universe could be found there.

"It didn't happened."

"W-What?" I whispered.

"What you saw. It didn't happen. You don't need to be shy around me. I'm not going to bring it up again."

Napalunok ako at nagbaba ako ng tingin. "Hindi ko talaga sinasadiya. I was looking for you, and I stupidly went into your room. The bathroom door was not closed properly, and... and I saw you. I panicked—"

"I know."

I chewed on the inside of my lower lip.

"You didn't need to do what you've done. Alam kong nahihiya ka kaya binibigyan kita ng space. I didn't need to see that. Someone could have passed by outside and seen you. Cristiano could have seen you, and if that happened, I would have committed murder."

Kumunot ang noo ko nang ang huli niyang sinabi ang tumatak sa utak ko. "Why do you sound so... uneasy about seeing my... my... you know? I know it's not that big, and you've probably seen better pairs, but you don't need to sound like you hate them."

I couldn't finish my sentence when he dropped his forehead on mine while his hand went to the back of my head. "There's a limit to what I can take, princess."

"W-What?"

"I could have recited the entire Constitution book and the entire revised penal code, and I wouldn't be able to erase the image you just gave me."

My cheeks flamed and my lips parted.

"Being near you is bad enough. What you showed me is torture."

"Umm..."

"I respect you, please know that, but I am just a man, and there are moments that I couldn't stop my body's reaction. I won't ever do anything that will make you feel uncomfortable, I won't ever cross any line without your consent, and you will never feel unsafe when you're with me. But don't ever think that there's a part of you that I will ever hate to see."

Alam ko na marami na siyang nakarelasyon. I'm pretty sure that he had seen his fair share of naked bodies and slept with a lot of beautiful women. Yet from the way he speaks, it was as if it were his first time, the way it was for me when I saw him.

"I want you. I never wanted anyone more in my life. I've needed a lot of things, and I got them in a way that may not be meaningless, but I knew that wouldn't last. With you, it's different. It will be different because there won't be a time, not even years later, when I will ever stop wanting to be with you."

I always thought that needs were more important than wants. We need food because it's a necessity, and we want other things because they improve the quality of our lives. I guess it's different when it comes to people.

Anyone could need you, they could take and take and take... but not everyone will want you—not for the things that really matter.

He straightened so that he could look at me. His eyes searched my face for a moment before he whispered, "You're too beautiful for your own good." Bumaba ang mga mata niya sa mga labi ko. "Help me out, princess, please?" He shook his head, and a small smile curved his lips. Inilapat niya ang mga labi niya sa noo ko sandali bago muling nagsalita, "I'm going to do right by you."

Naramdaman ko na lumuwag ang pagkakahawak niya sa akin na para bang bibitawan niya na ako. As if they had a mind of their own, my hands reached for him, and I pulled him closer. I heard his sharp intake of breath, and he pulled his torso back as if I had burned him.

"You're going to be the death of me," he said in a strangled voice. Muli niyang hinalikan ang noo ko. "Not now when you have a lot going on in your life. Not now that it's too early."

I don't know if what he's saying is for me or for himself. Maybe both.

"I'm going to do right by you," he repeated.

Pagkasabi niyon ay pinakawalan niya ako at naglakad siya palabas ng kuwarto.

"Hey, where are you going? Are you done installing the window?" I heard Gun call out to him.

"Hindi pa. I'll get back to it after I take a shower."

But he just took a shower— Oh.

Oh.

________________________________End of Chapter 23.