Kaori

Days went by so fast. Finals na namin. Nalalanta tuwing uuwi ng bahay dahil sa dami ng projects at test, may oral at examination pa. I won't last long for real.

"Bakit nakahiga ka lang diyan?! Kaori, finals niyo na!" sigaw ni Kady.

"Oo nga eh," matamlay kong sagot.

Kapag naka-graduate na ako, ib-block ko na silang lahat sa social media. Magpapakalayo-layo ako at mamumuhay mag-isa. Joke lang.

Sumasakit ang ulo ko kaka-memorize. I am not fond of memorization. And will never be. Imagine memorizing ten back to back words written in a bond paper! Ang hirap.

But I chose this course. No one pushed me. Kaya feel ko deserve ko talaga 'to. Sabado ngayon at wala akong klase. Bukas wala rin. Plano kong magliwaliw ngayon bitbit ang bond paper ko.

"Labas muna ako, Keyds. Baka ma-memorize ko 'to lahat kapag nagliwaliw ako sa labas."

"Mawawala ka sa focus. Maingay ang paligid mo hindi ka makakapag-memorize ng maayos niyan."

"Babye!"

Nagtatakbo ako palabas ng apartment. Maaliwalas ang panahon. Hindi masyadong mainit at malakas ang hangin. Nakakakalma. Pero nag-iinit ang ulo ko kasi wala si Hussein sa tabi ko.

He's too busy with work. Wala naman akong reklamo kasi trabaho 'yon pero sana naman bigyan niya rin ako ng time. Kahit update lang from time to time. Ayos naman na 'yon.

Pumasok ako sa isang antique book cafe. Wala masyadong tao. Ganda ng ambiance.

"Do you speak english, Ma'am?"

Nagulat ako dahil do'n. Mukha bang hindi?

"Nagtatagalog din po," natatawang sagot ko.

Mukhang nagulat ito sa sagot ko. Yes, it wasn't really visible since I'm a full blooded Japanese. My white as snow complexion and cat eyes is the proof.

"O-order po ba kayo?"

"Sige."

She handed me the menu. I ordered one chocolate crepe cake, two large Dairy Milk, and a chocolate ice cream. Mabuti nalang at may check up ako sa dentist ko once every month. I like sweets and it definitely is not healthy for my teeth.

Habang naghihintay sa order ko at tinititigang ang reviewer ko ay tumunog ang cellphone ko. Nag-vibrate pala.

"No need to check up on me every now and then, Kady." I hissed.

"Hindi ka na bata para i-check ko pa. Hindi ko alam na feeler ka rin pala. Nandito ang boyfriend mo, hinahanap ka."

"Pasabi i-track niya nalang cellphone ko. Bye!"

Binabaan ko si Kady. Alam ko naga-alburuto na naman 'yon sa inis. Bahala siya.

Bigla ay nakaramdam ako ng pangungulila sa mga magulang ko. Ang tagal na no'ng huling nakita ko sila. Wala ni isa sa kanila ang nakakaalam na may boyfriend ako. Hindi ko sinabi kahit kanino. Matagal rin bago nalaman ni Kady na boyfriend ko si Hussein. My mom constantly checks on me. I am vocal with everything, but I can't tell them yet. Kinakabahan kasi ako sa magiging reaksyon nila.

"I'm sorry. I've been busy with the business and hardly have time for you."

"Why are you here? Akala ko ba ay busy ka pa?" mahinahong tanong ko.

Umupo siya sa harap ko. May bitbit na paper bag. Kulay itim at kumikinang pa. Saan niya ba nabili 'yan? 'Tsaka anong laman?

"I missed you so bad," he bluntly answered. "And I'd be damned if I won't see you."

Napaka-arte. Hindi naman lumagpas ng buwan.

"You could've just called me or something. Alam kong busy ka at naiintindihan ko 'yon. You don't have to come here and see me. Text o tawag lang, ayos na 'yon."

Napatiim bagang ito. Nag-iwas ako ng tingin dahil mainit ang uri ng titig nito sa 'kin. He looked mad. Although there's nothing to be mad about. I missed him too, but I understand that he's busy and I don't want to be a burden to him. I won't act childish just to steal his time from his work. Busy nga siya at kahit nam-miss ko siya ay pilit kong sinasaksak iyon sa kukote ko.

"I'm busy but I'll always have time..." napalunok ito. "for you. You are my priority."

"I want you to prioritize yourself before me. Magiging busy na ako simula next week. I'm planning to ace this semester para may mapatunayan ako. I'm still studying, while you are working. Parang totoong sugar daddy kita at sa 'yo ako kumukuha ng sustento," litanya ko.

Mukha siyang galit pero mahinahon pa rin magsalita. Hindi naman siya mukhang nagtitimpi kaya nakakapagtaka. The way his jaw moves and how his eyes becomes darker and darker everytime I open my mouth.

"Because I really am."

"You're not," tutol ko. "boyfriend kita. Girlfriend mo ako, boyfriend kita. At nakakahiya namang successful sa buhay ang boyfriend ko tapos ako umaasa pa sa magulang. At least I can show everyone that I am deserving for you by acing this semester. After nito ay babalik ako sa Japan. I'll be focusing on my career."

"Where the fuck is this coming from, Kaori? What are you up to now, huh?" lumalim ang paghinga nito. At this point, mukha na talaga siyang nagtitimpi. "No one thinks of you that way. Why are you telling me this so suddenly?" he added.

I shrugged. "Sinasabi ko lang kung anong nasa utak ko. Deserve mo ako na parang hindi. Basta, intindihin mo nalang 'yon."

Napahinga ako ng malalim. Ang eme ko talaga. Dapat worth it ang bayad ko for this semester. I'm going to ace everything and I'll graduate with flying colors. Walang ka-proud proud sa 'kin kasi kahit achievements sa school ay wala ako. And that's embarrassing. I saw how successful he is. How great he is with his work. And I'm just here, a mere student with no achievement at all.

"Love, you don't have to do that just to prove yourself that you're worth it."

"But that's what I want." Mariing sagot ko. "And that's what I'll have."

"Okay, sweetheart. If that's what you really want. As long as I'll be with you, then it's fine."

Napangiti ako. Inubos ko ang in-order ko at inaya siya sa labas. We walked hand in hand. Nagtataka ako kung bakit wala ang kotse niya at 'yong mga bodyguard niya. Turns out they're just scattered everywhere, unseen. Iyon kotse naman niya ay kinuha ni Arthur.

"You don't have to memorize all of this. You have to familiarize them. Prioritize learning over memorization. Para mong pinipilit ang sarili mo na tanggapin lahat ng nakasulat dito."

Napahinto ako sa biglaang pagtatagalog nito. I was taken by surprise! I didn't know he could also speak this language. Ang akala ko ay nakakaintindi lang siya.

"You looked surprised, my queen. Don't underestimate what your boyfriend can do. Marami akong kayang gawin," tumaas ang gilid ng labi nito.

Dayum hot! What's more surprising is that he's fluent with it. How come?!

"Learning to adapt this new environment was tough, but pretty exciting. I learned it on the way. I love this place and was eager to understand its culture better. Now I love this place better because you're here. You're so cute."

"Nagulat lang ako. Ngayon ka lang nagsalita ng tagalog."

"Is my pronunciation bad?" he asked, worry was visible in his handsome perfect face.

"You're fluent with it. When did you learn it?"

"A couple of years."

"Wow! It must've been hard, right? Just like the way I used to! I wasn't comfortable with wearing normal clothes like this! Sinanay ako noong bata pa sa pagsusuot ng kimono. That's the reason why I used to find this weird."

He chuckled. His huge arms enveloped me. That simple move made my heart flushed. Mas matangkad nga siya sa 'kin at malaki ang katawan. Clearly towering me. Nakakatakot noon, pero ayos na sa 'kin ngayon. Mas komportable nga ako kapag palagi siyang malapit sa 'kin. I always find myself frowning whenever he sits or walks too far from me. Ayoko ng gano'n. I want to always keep him close to me whenever we're together. Gusto kong palagi siyang nasa tabi ko.

"This is the first time I used that language. I always find it weird and I might say the wrong words. I'm afraid too, you know. But those words unexpectedly came out and I cannot take it back again. I just hope I said the right thing."

"You did! Ang gwapo mo talaga. Nakakainis."

His smile grew wider. Parang proud na proud pa at pinuri ko siya.

"Stop with that creepy smile of yours," sita ko.

"Does my face bothers you?" he sweetly asked.

"Hindi. Naiinis lang ako kasi ang daming tumitingin sa 'yo."

Natawa lang ito sa inasta ko. Well, that's basically the truth! Kasama na nga ako, hello? Girlfriend ako. Respeto naman. Lalandi ng tingin niyo sa boyfriend ko.

"Hm. This face is all yours. You can do anything with it."

"Shut it! Lumayas ka na. Mag-aaral pa ako."

"I can help you with that."

"Bumalik ka na sa trabaho mo. You can't keep wasting your time here, big boy."

"You're worth my time, sweetheart. Come on. You familiarize these things, I'll create some practice tests for you. It'll exercise your brain better. Don't cram information into your brain." He planted a soft kiss on my forehead, just like what he always do.

Palagi kong napapansin na palaging sa noo o sa likod ng tainga ko dumadampi ang labi niya kapag hinahalikan niya ako. Hindi ko alam kung bakit paborito niyang gawin 'yon. He likes holding my hands too. Gently massaging them while we talk. Oh and the tap. He does that everytime I sleep beside him. He's addicted to cuddles while watching movies or even in sleeping.

"I love you."

My voice sounded sweet and sincere. It brought smile to his face. Malamlam ang mga mata habang nakatingin siya sa 'kin.

"Damn. How lucky I am to have you." Dinampian ulit ng halik ang noo ko, pababa sa likod ng tainga ko, at huminto sa leeg ko.

"No hickeys! Ang landi mo."

Tawa lang ang sinagot nito.

"I can give you more than just hickeys."

*****