CHAPTER THREE

ABIGAIL'S POV

Malakas na hampas sa braso ang sumalubong kay Jelly nang makarating siya sa table namin. "How dare you do that to me, Jelly‽ Shuta ka talaga," inis na inis na sabi ni Winslet.

The three of us just laughed at the two of them. Jelly was rubbing her arm, which turned a bit red. "Masakit 'yun ah," nakasimangot nitong sagot.

"Malamang. Hinampas lang naman kita at kahit yung palad ko eh masakit. Pero shuta ka pa rin! Sana 'di mo na lang sinagot 'yung tawag ko kung ipaparinig mo rin sa akin 'yun." Mabilis na inubos ni Winslet ang lamang ng bottle beer na hawak niya.

Ilaw lang mula sa dancefloor ang nagbibigay liwanag sa pwesto namin, but Jelly's red face did not escape our sights. "So... the first night of this vacation trip, how was it?" nakangiting tanong ni Korin.

I just shook my head at my best friend's nosiness. "You have to share it, Jelly. We need to know at least who," the champion of nosiness, Grace, said.

If it's possible, Jelly's face reddened even more. "H-Hindi niyo rin naman kilala," medyo mahinang sagot ng center of attention.

Winslet's eyebrow rose. "Kahit man lang clue, ipagdadamot pa rin? Narinig ko 'yung sinisigaw mong pangalan, gusto mong sabihin ko?"

Nanlalaki ang mga matang tiningnan ni Jelly si Wins. "Don't you dare."

Ngumisi naman si Winslet saka nagsimulang maramdaming magsalita't umungol. "Sh*t! Sh*t! I'm cumming! Ceyx—oh god! F*ck! Yes!"

Agad inabot ni Jelly ang walang lamang bote ng beer saka akmang papaluin si Winslet sa ulo nang mabilis namin siyang napigilan. Korin was laughing her ass off, while Gracey kept on blinking numerous times as she tried to calm Jelly down.

"Winslet, why'd you do that? You know how baby Gracey is," I pointed out.

Winslet just rolled her eyes at me. "Pasensya na. Next time, lalagyan ko na ng mature content warning," she sarcastically answered, which made me shake my head again.

I then faced Jelly. "And as for you, Jelly, why did you even pick up the call if you're in the middle of the action?" I asked her.

Jelly was finally calmed down and held a full bottle of beer. "He told me so, and besides, alam niyo namang hindi titigil sa katatawag 'yang babaeng 'yan hangga't 'di natin sinasagot," she referred to Winslet, which is true.

Si Korin naman ang nakita kong naiiling pero nakangiti. "Unang gabi pa lang at intense na ang bakasyon mo." Bigla naman siyang tumingin sa akin saka mas lumaki ang ngiti. "Speaking of intense ang first night." Ako naman ang nanlaki ang mga mata saka pasimpleng umiling kaya lang ay mas nginisihan niya ako. "Our Abby here has a suitor."

My shoulders fell and I slumped my body on the chair. I could feel four sets of eyes staring at me, probably waiting for my response or at least reaction.

I looked away and grabbed my bottle to drink quickly. "T-That's not true."

"Oh my! She can't straightly look at us! She's lying!" I heard Grace squeal, making me frown.

I gave up and looked at them. "Okay, so what if I have a self-proclaimed suitor? It's not like he'll remain serious about courting me. We barely even know each other—hell! We definitely do not know anything about each other except for the first name, age, relationship status, and birth month."

All of them grinned at me except for Winslet who was looking at me intently. I knew she was gonna say or ask something about it, and she did. "Suitor lang ba talaga? Hindi pa kayo nagjujugjugan?"

Kahit medyo malayo ay nakuha pa rin ni Jelly na hampasin sa braso si Winslet. "Alam mo? Para sa isang virgin, napakalala ng bibig mo."

Winslet just rolled her eyes again. "Mas okay nang ganito magsalita at umasta, kesa naman 'yung katulad mong idinamay na ako sa kahalayan, feeling virgin pa rin," she scoffed. Tinawanan lang naman siya ni Jelly. "Pero teka nga muna. Kung may Ceyx na itong si Jelly." Napailing si Jelly bago humarap sa akin si Wins at itinuro ako. "May manliligaw ka na." I raised an eyebrow, then she looked at Korin. "May Hanz itong si Korin." Korin just rolled her eyes and Wins faced Grace. "So... who's yours?"

Gracey blinked numerous times before opening her mouth. "I-Is it required?" Winslet just shrugged and both Korin and Jelly chuckled.

Saglit na hindi nakapagsagot si Grace at parang nag-iisip nang biglang umimik si Jelly habang nakangisi. Napailing na lang ako. This woman is drunk already. Bakit pa kasi nagyaya itong si Winslet ng inuman eh alam naman niyang mabilis malasing itong sina Grace at Jelly. "Kilala ko na ang para sa'yo, Grace."

Lahat kami ay nakaabang sa sasabihin ng lasing nang si Jelly. "Who?" all four of us asked when anticipation got ahead of us.

Mas ngumisi ang eredera. "A man is intently staring at you across the room, at kanina ko pa siya napapansin simula nang makarating ako rito."

Grace's eyebrows furrowed before turning around and searching for that man. I saw how her expression changed from curious to pissed. Nagmamadali itong humarap sa amin saka inabot ang beer na nasa harapan at mabilis iyong tinungga. "Woah. Kalma lang, Grace," Korin said.

Matagal naming tinitigan ang nananahimik at iritado naming kaibigan. "Ah... Now, I'm curious," rinig kong sabi ni Winslet. "Looks like our Gracey knows the man Jelly was talking about, and shockingly, he's the only guy who made her irritated in an instant."

All of us agreed at Winslet's words. It all made us curious, but it looked like Grace didn't want to talk about it. Mukhang hindi lang din naman ako ang nakaramdam noon dahil nagbago ng topic si Korin. "Since may napansin si Jelly, ako rin, meron." Napatingin naman kami sa kanya. Medyo kinabahan naman ako nang makahulugan siyang ngumiti sa akin. "Abby's suitor is here, baliws."

I blinked a couple of times before drinking my beer, acting as if she said nothing. Si Jelly naman ang nag-react. "Teka nga, sino ba 'yung manliligaw ni Abby?"

Winslet rolled her eyes. "Seryoso ka sa tanong na 'yan? Hindi pa ba obvious na 'yung kargador kanina sa pier?" Napailing na lang ako sa sinabi ni Winslet. Mukha lang 'yang gaganyan-ganyan pero siya ang summa cum laude sa class nila noong college.

"She's right," I admitted. No sense denying it if I'm friends with a bunch of nosy ladies. "That's the one."

Ngumisi naman sa akin si Korin. "Hay, ang honest nating kaibigan ay mukhang mapapasabak sa pang-anim niyang manliligaw after graduating her first course."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Tigilan mo 'ko, Korin. He's just one of those suitors. He'll give up easily."

"And if he doesn't? Another factor to consider is that for the first time, you admired a man. Not to mention that you looked at him lustfully at the first meeting," Winslet pointed out.

I looked away and stared at the dancing, drunk people. "I told him that I wanted to use him to forget. I was even thinking of doing what Jelly did tonight with that stranger." I humorlessly chuckled. "I honestly said that I'll use him, and it was fine with him. He was even smiling." Napailing ako. "Hindi ko alam kung malakas lang din ang sapak niya para pumayag siya sa setup na 'yun pero ewan. I want myself to believe that he was only bluffing when he introduced himself to Korin as my suitor, but... I don't know." I drank the remaining beer in the bottle. "I'll just go with the flow. I want this vacation to be stress-free and if he's willing to help me, then I'll just take advantage of it."

Matagal kaming natahimik lahat saka nagkanya-kanyang inom. Nang matapos ay nagkayayaan nang bumalik sa kanya-kanyang cabin. I could still handle myself so Korin guided Jelly, and Winslet guided Grace.

I was walking alone on the side of the beach, and the only sound I could hear was the waves. My only light was the moon and I felt relaxed and at peace. Tahimik lang akong naglalakad nang makarinig ako ng naglalakad sa likuran ko.

Just to make sure of my safety, I turned around to see who, and there I saw my self-proclaimed suitor. I raised my eyebrow when I saw him stop meters away from me. Just what the heck is he planning?

"What are you doing?" I asked, loud enough for him to hear me properly. Hindi naman siya naglakad papalapit kaya naman nagsalita akong muli. "Come here. Walk beside me."

Agad naman siyang sumunod saka naglakad papunta sa tabi ko. "I mean no harm. Sinisigurado ko lang ligtas kang makakarating sa cabin mo."

Napatango naman ako saka muling naglakad. Just the same slow pace, trying to embrace the moment. "Wala ka bang trabaho?" I opened the conversation.

"That was my last work for the week." Napatango akong muli saka nanahimik. Zendrix was the next one to break the silence. "Gaano ka katagal dito sa Boracay?"

I shrugged. "Two nights, three days lang binook ng kaibigan ko, but my mom told me that I could extend it for as long as I want."

Saglit ulit kaming binalot ng katahimikan. "G-Gaano katagal mo 'kong balak gamitin?"

"Just the vacation time frame," I honestly answered.

Bahagya siyang natigilan. "And after that?"

"I plan to leave you here and go on with my life." I continued walking, indulging the sounds of the waves hitting the shore.

Hindi naman na siya umimik hanggang sa makarating kami sa cabin ko. I reached for the doorknob and invited him inside but he declined. "I'll just come here first thing in the morning, and maybe ask you to have breakfast with me?"

A small smile escaped my lips. "Sure, I would like that."

Finally, he smiled at me and stared at me for a couple of minutes. "Ahm... A-Abby?"

"Hmm?" I stared back at him. "What is it?"

I noticed his face nearing mine, which made me gulp. "I... Can I kiss you?"

Huminga ako nang malalim saka ngumiti para lang pakalmahin ang sistema kong nagsisimula nang magwala. "Hanggang kiss lang?"

Zendrix chuckled. "Yeah, just a kiss. I still told you that I'll court you, Abby."

My breath hitched at his mention of my name. His words seemed so soft and genuine. "O-Okay... y-you can."

A bright smile formed on his lips before our distance closed. His hand cupped my chin, and I felt his firm yet soft lips against mine. It was just a peck, a short kiss, but it made my body burn. After he let go, he smiled at me again and spoke. "I'm sorry, Abby, but I don't think I can let you go even after your vacation."

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