n. nostalgia for a time you've never known. Imagine stepping through the frame into a sepia-tinted haze, where you could sit on the side of the road and watch the locals passing by. Who lived and died before any of us arrived here, who sleep in some of the same houses we do, who look up at the same moon, who breathe the same air, feel the same blood in their veins—and live in a completely different world.

* * *

In the end, I allow Isidro as my dancing partner. Despite the flaws of my dancing, he had been an avid tutor. Telling me to just follow his lead, and keep my eyes on him. He surely had noticed my eyes darting back and forth to where Goyo is, Remedios Nable Jose in his arms as they dance and talk in murmurs.

"Sa iba ka na naman nakatingin," Isidro tells me, forcing me to return my eyes to him. He smiles. "Naiinggit ka ba?"

I pout a little. "Hindi no. Wala naman talaga akong plano na sumayaw. Pero ikaw itong nagyaya sa akin."

"Kailangan kitang iligtas doon sa lalaki na iyon. Ano pang gawin niya sa iyo, at kung anong iskandalo ang simulan niya. Halatang madami na siyang nainom."

"Kaya ko naman ang sarili ko."

"Hmm? Sana pala hinintay ko pa ang ilang segundo bago ka yayain sa sayaw." He laughs, surely knowing that I'll not be able to just reject the offer of that stranger so easily. And, in the end, he'll still need to save me.

I sigh a little. "Salamat. Tama ka. Siguro, kung hindi ka sumingit kanina, baka hanggang ngayon nakikipagtalo pa rin ako sa lalaki na iyon."

"O baka nasapak na siya ni Goyo," he remarks.

"Hmm? Hindi mapapansin ni Goyo yun, kahit gustuhin niyang tumulong. Nakatuon ang kanyang mga mata kay Remedios." I shyly turn to look at the pair. "Tignan mo naman ang pilyong ngiti na iyon niya ngayon. Nakakagulat na sa dami ng mga babae sa bayan na nahuhumaling kay Goyo, ang napili niya pang ligawan ay siyang walang interes sa kanya."

"Baka nga makikita kay Goyo ang ngiti ngayon. Pero iba ang sinisigaw ng mga mata niya. (Y/N)," he speaks my name before I even dare to turn to where Goyo is. "Alalahanin mo na hindi porket masaya ang isang tao ay tunay siyang masaya. Ang tao ay mapagkunwari sa ibang tao; higit sa lahat sa kanyang sarili. Ang tanging panuntunan kung totoong masaya ang isang tao ay ang kislap sa kanyang mga mata na kahit hindi siya ngumiti o tumawa, ay makikita kaagad."

I bite my lower lip and lower my head a little. "Sinasabi mo ba na hindi talaga masaya si Goyo gaya ng inaakala ko?"

Isidro smiles softly. "Sabihin na natin na, oo, masaya siya. Pero, hindi kasing saya ng kanyang ninanais na iparamdam sa iba. May iba na mas nagpapasaya kay Goyo kaysa sa binibini, (Y/N)."

As the dance is about to conclude, Isidro bowing at me as I curtsy, my eyes slightly turn to Goyo and Remedios another time. Instead of bowing and curtsying at each other, Goyo kisses Remedios's knuckles and ushers her to her father who is standing by the corner with President Aguinaldo.

I turn my attention back to Isidro, timidly smiling. "Salamat muli, Isidro."

"'Wag mo akong pasalamatan, (Y/N). Pasalamatan mo si Goyo." He looks on at where Goyo is, now conversing with the President, Don Mariano Nable Jose, and the other rich and powerful men in town. He adds, "Si Goyo ang nagsabi sa amin na bantayan ka. Sa kanya ka magpasalamat. Alalahanin mo rin ang sinabi ko. May iba na mas nagpapasaya kay Goyo kaysa kay Binibining Remedios, (Y/N)."

# # #

The party continues until it slowly becomes suffocating and so I decide to duck away from the watchful eyes of the other guests and head outside Don Nable Jose's house. Their house, being situated close to the sea makes it refreshing. The breeze a little cool despite late evening's warmth, and the calming sound of the waves seem to lull me.

I draw closer to it, removing my wooden clogs as I feel the fine and coarse sand underneath my feet, and drawing closer a little more as I hold on to my skirts that the cold water finally touches until my ankles. I slowly sit and watch the waves as it moves back and forth.

I don't want to raise my assumptions, in the first place. After all, it is only now that I can finally say that the feelings I have is inevitable to happen. At the same time that it is forbidden. Everyone else in here belongs to this game as historical, and I am the one out of nowhere. But, I've been running away and returning back every once in a while as if it will be enough to quench the soaring of my heart. Like how the waves kisses the shoreline and be pushed away another time. My feelings for Goyo had been like that.

"Arf!"

I am interrupted in my thoughts by a small bark. Turning to the source of the sound, I find a puppy that is already settling next to me. I suddenly remember my pet before and I smile in glee, reaching a hand to twine my fingers onto the puppy's soft white and brown spots of furs. "Oh! Bakit ka nandito?" I ask the puppy that had been waggling its tail at me in delight. I slowly take him and place him on my thighs. "Nasaan ang amo mo, hmm? O di kaya yung mommy mo?" I giggle a little when the dog licks my fingers.

"Anong binubulong-bulong mo diyan, Pendejo?"

I stop myself and slowly turn to the direction of the voice. I stammer upon seeing him smiling, "G-Goyo!"

His smile immediately disappears upon seeing the puppy on my thighs. His eyes even darken at that.

"Hmm? Hindi ka ba mahilig sa mga aso?" I ask him, noticing that his sudden change of demeanor is caused by the puppy.

He shakes his head before looking on at the view of the sea. "May naalala lang." He looks back at me. "Maari ba kitang tabihan?"

I blink and nod a little. "Hindi ko naman pagmamay-ari, di ba?"

Goyo laughs and finally takes a sit next to me. He then stares on at the sea and asks after a few seconds of silence and the two of us being enveloped by the sound of the clashing waves, "Ikaw? Mahilig ka sa aso?"

I turn back to the puppy that seems to like my companion, enjoying as I brush my fingers to its furs. I smile a little. "Naalala ko lang yung alaga ko dati. Kaso, pinamigay ni mama dahil kailangan ko raw magseryoso sa pag-aaral. Ilang buwan pagkatapos noon, napapunta naman ako dito. At ayaw niya rin sa mga ganitong laro."

"Gusto mo bang bumalik?" he asks, looking at me this time.

I nod in honesty. But I didn't tell him that I am finishing this game first before returning.

"Sa totoo lang, nagtataka ako sa mundo mo." He smiles softly. "Minsan napapaisip ako... na gusto kong makita yung klase ng mundo kung saan ang isang pendejo na kagaya mo ay nakakapamuhay ng maayos."

"Hmph! Tigilan mo nga iyan." I pout. "Masasabi ko lang sa iyo na mas madaming lalaki ang gaya mo sa mundo ko. Babaero."

He blinks at me. "Teka nga lang. Anong sinasabi mong babaero diyan? Hindi ako babaero, ano?"

"Pero kumpara sa iyo na ayaw sa aso, madami ang may alaga ng aso." I turn to the puppy, lifting it toward him. "Simula ngayon pangalan niya 'Goyo'."

"Bakit mo ipapangalan ang aso sa akin, ha?" He looks stressed over the matter.

"Bakit? Anong masama? At hindi ba totoo?" I turn the puppy back to me, laughing. "Ano, Goyo?"

Goyo sighs heavily, withholding himself from turning his anger at me. He brushes his hair with his fingers and says, "Dahil ba sa mga kinakausap ko na mga babae?"

I return the puppy back to my thighs. "Kung talagang liniligawan mo si Remedios, dapat sa kanya ka lang nakatingin. Kung may ibang babae tapos nandoon siya, sa kanya lang dapat ang atensyon mo. Ganoon. Huwag mong hayaang may ibang isipin ang ibang babae dahil talagang magmumukha ka lamang na babaero." I look on at the sea. "Isipin mo na lamang kung anong mararamdaman ni Remedios kapag nalaman niya na ikaw ang namili ng damit ko tapos sinabihan mo pa sila Isidro na bantayan ako."

"Aba. Ginawa ko lang naman iyon dahil gusto ni Kuya na makadalo ka sa pista, tapos hindi siya marunong mamili ng nararapat na damit. Tapos, yung kala Isidro, hindi ko inaakala na talagang may magtatangkang alukin ka ng sayaw," he explains.

"Hmph! Magpaliwanag ka na lamang kay Goyo."

"Hay naku." He reaches a hand to touch the puppy that immediately jumps away and runs off.

"Tapos ngayon tinakot mo pa si Goyo lalo." I sigh heavily.

He bites his lower lip and sighs, defeated. "Baka ayaw niya lang sa akin."

I eye him and breathe out. "Pero, sa lahat-lahat, salamat pa rin."

"Huh?"

"Dahil talagang maganda ang pinili mong damit kahit hindi naman mukhang bagay sa akin. Tapos, kung hindi dahil kay Isidro, baka kung ano na ang tinangka nung lalaki na iyon."

"Ah..." He shyly chuckles and stands, brushing the sand from his pants. He then reaches out a hand at me, causing me to look at his hand and to him. "Matatanggap ko lamang ang salamat mo kung pahihintulutan mo akong isayaw ka."

"Mag-isa ka."

"Nakasayaw mo nga si Isidro kanina. At mas magaling ako magturo kaysa sa kanya, ano. Dali na."

A few more bickering past before I finally accept his offer. His hand holding my hand tightly as his other, the one behind my back pulling me much closer to him that I am breathing in the same air as he does. And under the moonlight and starlit sky, with my feet and his boots splashing a little with the waves, we dance. He looks at me intently with that small hint of a smile, and I can't help but to pin my eyes on him.

For God's sake, Goyo. I only keep liking you.

* * *

A/N: Again! Try reading my other story, FLIGHT PLAN as well! Follow me on twitter @23meraki for more updates. ;)

#GoyoDeadReckoning || #GoyoAngBatangHeneralStories || #ProjectAguilaStories