Chapter 42 | Kiss

"Sir Lukan, may tao po labas," a maid informed me when she came in.

"Sino raw?" I asked her.

"Si sir Eros po, may ibibigay yata," she answered.

I nodded and stood up from my seat to see Eros. Wala naman akong natandaang may inutos sa kanya kaya baka si Mia ang punta nito rito.

"Bakit?" I asked when I was already in front of him.

"Damit ni Mia, she called me fifteen minutes ago to deliver her clothes. Nababaliw na yata at nagising siyang na sa kuwarto mo," natatawang sagot ni Eros.

"Gising na pala, hindi ko pa kasi binibisita," I unconsciously commented.

"Kagigising niya lang. Dalhin mo na lang 'to sa kanya, hindi ko na siya kamo hihintayin. Ikaw na ang bahala," he told me.

"Ano na lang ang sasabihin ni Mia? Baka isipin niyang pinagt-trip-an mo siya," natatawa kong sabi.

He shrugged and said, "Ginusto ka niya, e, panagutan niya ang mga ginawa niya kagabi."

"Sige, balik na ako sa loob," I said and he handed me a branded paper bag where Mia's clothes were in.

"Lukan, by the way," Eros called me.

"Oh?"

"Congratulations," he said.

I smirked and nodded in response.

"Salamat," tipid ko ring sabi pabalik.

I half ran toward our house, my mother wasn't still around. She told me through phone na umalis pala siya kagabi upang magsaya rin sa isang mamahaling hotel kasama si doctor Selezter. I didn't mind and it was a good choice anyway, if she woke up with such mess, ako ang masisisi.

"Saan ka, Lukan?" Trinity asked me, finally went out of the guest room.

"Kay Mia lang, ayos ka na?" I asked her.

She nodded and said, "Kakain ako ulit."

I chuckled and responded, "Go lang. Umalis na si Gierro, don't worry. Si Fred may pinabili lang ako saglit sa labas. Olivver is in the kitchen too, eating."

"Alright, doon lang din ako. Tawagin mo ako kung mag-uusap na kami ni baby mo. Handa na ako," she said and laughed.

"Sana all baby," sabi ng kadadating lamang na si Fred.

"Aw, baby din naman kita, ha?" lambing ni Trinity na aking ikina-iling.

"Akyat muna ako," I informed them and they teased me, Fred even whistled as if I'd do something naughty.

Hindi naman naka-lock ang pinto ng aking kuwarto ngunit kumatok pa rin ako upang malaman niyang may tao sa labas at nais pumasok.

She didn't response kaya nagdalawang isip pa ako kung tama bang pumasok na gayong hindi siya sumagot. I tried knocking again, this time was louder yet I she didn't even speak.

Ang pangamba ko ay napalitan ng kaba, what if something happened to her? My room had no harmful things but seeing Mia hurt crossed my mind.

I unconsciously opened the door and went inside. Wala na si Mia sa kama at ngayon ko lamang narinig ang tunog ng shower sa aking banyo. Right. She was just taking a bath, Lukan.

"Mia?" I called her.

The water from the shower stopped, as if she turned it off when she heard a voice calling her.

"Mia, na sa shower ka?" I asked again.

"Uh, y-yes!" she answered, finally.

"Na sa akin ang damit mo, isasabit ko na lang rito sa doorknob para makuha mo," I informed her.

"S-sige!" she uttered.

"What do you want to eat? Late ka ng nagising kaya baka hindi mo na gusto ang pagkaing pang-breakfast," I asked her, trying to sound casual so she won't think I was mocking or something.

"I'm. . . good with anything," she responded.

"May menudo'ng niluto ngayong tanghali, iyon na lang?" I asked her assurance.

"Oo, puwede na iyon," sagot niya.

"Dalhin ko ba rito o sa baba ka na kakain?" walang katapusang tanong ko.

"Sa... baba na lang siguro," she answered.

"Okay, hintayin kitang matapos," I said.

Hindi na siya muling sumagot at binuksan muli ang shower. I smirked imagining she might be ashamed of last night. I hoped she'd remember at least some details specially her rants.

I busied myself on fixing my bed, hindi ko naman talaga ito gawain noon. Ngayon ko lang inayos para may palusot sa paghintay kay Mia.

Pagkatapos kong ayusin ang kama ay nagkunwari pa akong nagwawalis. Hindi naman makalat, gusto ko lang maabutan niyang ganito kung lalabas na siya.

Patapos na ako sa kalokohang ginagawa nang buksan ni Mia ang pinto ng comfort room upang kunin ang kanyang mga damit. She closed it immediately as if I'd sneak in. Hindi ko napigilang hindi bahagyang humalakhak noong naipit pa ang kanyang daliri sa pagmamadali.

I rested on the edge of my bed while waiting. Matagal ba talaga siyang maghanda o sinadya niyang bagalan? Whatever her reason would be, I didn't mind. Kung ako ang na sa kalagayan niya ay mahihiya rin ako.

"Uh," she said when she finally went out.

Her black cross v-neck crop top exposed some of her skin and paired perfectly with a simple loose maong pants above her ankle. I realized why the paper bag was heavier than usual because of the Gucci leather slippers she was now wearing.

"I'm sorry for... the, uh—"

"Don't be," sabi ko.

She literally didn't know what to do in front of me. With her red lipstick and chic outfit, hindi mo aakalaing mahiyain pala ang babaeng ito.

"I can't exactly remember how I end up on your bed but... was I bad last night?" she asked me.

I couldn't keep my chuckle anymore.

"Tell me the things you remember," I challenged her.

"I was drinking with Trinity," she started, "we had... a challenge."

"Then?"

"I can't vividly tell but I remember standing up to... quit our silly game," she continued and thought of the next scene that happened.

"Then I went inside the house... I saw you, right?" she asked me.

I nodded and answered, "I was eating."

"With someone," dagdag niya.

I sighed and said, "She was disturbing me."

"Anyway, I ran when I saw you," kuwento niya.

"Why did you do that?"

She lifted both of her arms mid air and shrugged, "I don't know, I was drunk."

"Did you follow me? I couldn't exactly tell what I remember but I felt emotional last night," she told me.

"I followed you and you told me things last night," I confessed.

"Anong mga sinabi ko?" she asked, now worried.

"Just some things—"

"Like?"

"You hate Trinity," I answered.

She closed her eyes and I got shocked when she suddenly slapped herself.

"Bakit mo sinampal ang sarili mo?" I asked.

"Such an idiot," bulong niya sa kanyang sarili.

Then she faced me, "Bakit ako nagising rito sa kuwarto mo? I mean, how?"

I smiled wickedly that made her frown, "As you said, you were drunk. Dapat ipauuwi kita kay Eros kaso sabi ka nang sabing ayaw mong umuwi."

Her jaw dropped open.

"Tapos tinanong kita kung saan mo ba gusto, you answered me inside your room," I continued telling her what happened.

"Did I really? Oh my gosh," hindi makapaniwalang reaction ni Mia.

I nodded and said, "So I did what you want. Isa pa, hindi rin kita puwedeng ilagay sa guest rooms dahil ang mga kaibigan ko ang natulog doon."

"Did we do something unusual?" she asked me.

"Like?" I mocked.

"You know," she trailed off, "some adult stuff, perhaps?"

I blasted a laugh, she looked so lost and unsure of things. What an amazing sight to see.

"Come on! Did we?" she asked me.

"Ano bang naalala mo? Mayroon ba?" I asked back, "what made you think we'd do such adult stuff?"

"Because you're Lukan? And I was drunk, I even invited myself inside your room. Malay ko ba kung nagpaka-pokpok ako pagkatapos?" she hissed.

Oh, good heavens... the words she spoke were far from the old Mia I knew yet made me fell much deeper than before.

"To clarify things, we didn't do such a thing... at hindi ka naman nagpaka-pokpok kagabi... you just wanted me to lay down beside you—"

"What the hell," she commented, "tumabi ka ba?"

"Hindi. I slept with the guys," I answered her.

"Mabuti naman," she said.

I chuckled, remembering what she'd done.

"Ayaw mo pa akong paalisin kagabi tapos ngayon ganyan ang sasabihin mo?" I teased.

"Wala akong kamalay-malay sa mga ginawa ko," she spoke, "sorry for being a pain in the ass."

"You learned how to curse, huh?"

"I only cuss when necessary like when I feel angry, irritated or in an exteme emotion," she reasoned.

"What happened to the cuss hater Mia?" I teased.

"She kind of grew older and realized cussing doesn't make you less of a person. Kahit gaano ka pa kalutong magmura ay hindi iyan tamang basehan upang sabihan kang masama. She adapted things, you know," Mia answered.

I nodded repeatedly and said, "That's good, then. Seeing her now confident yet still shy in front of me—"

"I'm not shy," she cut in.

"Really?" I mocked.

"I can even kiss you," she said.

My eyes widened in amusement and said, "Aggressive."

"Sa 'yo lang," she said and winked at me.

I couldn't move on her sudden attack. Noon ay pahirapan pa nga akong makahingi sa kanya ng ngiti ngunit ngayon...

Mia was laughing when she turned around to go out of my room. I immediately walked toward her before she could even hold the doorknob.

She faced so close to me, her chest against mine.

"Mia, if you want to kiss someone, do it," I whispered.

"What—"

"Your lipstick is beautiful. Is it kiss proof?" I asked.

She slowly plastered a smile and used her index finger to trace the edge of my jaw.

"Test it," she whispered back and damped my lips with hers.

Such an unexpected moment yet worth doing. The kiss was different from last night.

We weren't aggressive, instead, both of us were passionate in every flick and turns. Her hands were caressing my nape down to my jaw in a repetitive manner while I tickled her waist with my light touches. When my fingers accidentally reached her right boob, she moaned cutely and stopped kissing me.

We gently looked at each other with dazed eyes and I whispered, "Such a tease. Ang bilis mong matutong humalik, parang kagabi lang..."

She chuckled and said, "Now I remember, after my emotional break down, I felt warm and happy."

"I made you happy?"

"You always do," she answered.

"Cheesy," I teased.

Pinalo niya ang aking balikat.

"I'm being sweet, idiot," she hissed, "is Trinity downstairs?"

I nodded. She slowly distanced herself from me.

"Kakain na ako, Lukan... and I want to clear things with her," she informed me.

"Nice, she has things to say too. Tara na," I guided her outside.

Nauna akong maglakad patungo sa kusina nang mabilis niya akong hinabol.

"Bakit ka tumatakbo?" I asked.

"Bilis mong maglakad, e," she answered and swiftly intertwined our hands.

I raised a brow when I felt her hand against mine. I lifted our holding hands to see in a better view.

"Cheesy," I teased her.

She only made a face and didn't mind my comment. Truth was, the small gesture made me happy.

"Oh, wow!" Olivver acted shock seeing us together.

Fred almost bursted his water out of his mouth when he saw us close to each other.

"That's the power of Trinity, char," Trinity joked.

"I see the long delayed couple finally together," parinig ni Olivver.

We both sat in front of them. I secretly glanced at Mia if she wasn't comfortable yet her smile was genuine as if she missed my friends too.

"Grabe, ang tagal din nating hindi nagkasama," she told them.

"Aw, na-miss mo rin kami?" Fred asked.

"Of course!" Mia answered that touched me.

"Lukan, tol, parang namumula yata ang mga labi mo?" puna ni Olivver.

Fred examined my lips too that made Mia laugh loudly.

"Namumula nga, sinong lumaplap?" Fred disgustingly asked.

"Tarantado, bakit naman ganyan ang tanong mo? Napaghahalataan tuloy sila," Olivver hissed.

"Ay, pasensya na," pakikisabay ni Fred.

I shrugged and muttered to Mia, "I guess your lipstick isn't that kiss proof."

They all went silent and were confused on where to look at, sa akin ba o kay Mia. They all had this o shaped mouths and were speechless.

"Or maybe I kissed good that it melted on your lips," she casually said.

The three went "Ooh!" as they heard Mia spitting bars.

"Palaban," Fred complimented Mia.

"Ano, Lukan? Rebat?" Olivver asked me.

Nakangisi akong umiling at hinayaan silang asarin na lamang ako. Dumating sa puntong kaming tatlo na lang ang nag-uusap dahil pansamantalang umalis sina Mia at Trinity upang mag-usap.

Hindi sila nagtagal ngunit mga nakangiti na nang bumalik.

"Ayos na kayo?" Fred asked the both of them.

"Yeah, we're cool. Hindi naman pala siya nagselos noon, nairita lang sa akin but still! Effective!" Trinity told me.

"Oo na, Trinity," I lazily drawled.

"Itong si Lukan kasi, Mia, noong una super denial pa. Sabi-sabi pa siyang huwag daw kitang i-mention sa usapan dahil nawawala siya sa mood—"

"Bigla-bigla mo na lang kasing sinasali kahit hindi naman konektado—"

"Nagrarason pa, oh!" sumbong ni Trinity.

I groaned and didn't say anything after.

"Tapos, ano pa?" Mia asked Trinity, nakisabay pa nga.

"He didn't even want to accept you sa hospital—"

"Hoy, foul!" I cut in.

"I didn't want it at first, okay, pero may reason naman behind—"

"Wala, wala," Trinity hissed, Mia was now laughing at us.

"Grabe, gano'n ka kagalit sa akin?" Mia asked me.

"Hindi ako galit sa 'yo noon," I answered.

We spent the whole afternoon catching up and Mia knowing my friends. I didn't mind the time passing by because everything seemed finally in their own places.

Napagdesisyunan na lamang ni Mia umalis nang alas singko ng hapon. I drove her home and she didn't mind.

"Daan tayo sa dating church," she asked me.

"You want?" I asked back.

She nodded, "Mabilis lang... I didn't visit it for the last six years. Ikaw ba?"

"I didn't too..." I answered.

"So this is like our first time going there again? How romantic," she chuckled.

"Bakit hindi ka bumisita nitong mga nakaraang taon?" I asked her while I was parking the car in a vacant space.

"I don't... feel like going back," she answered.

I nodded and totally understood what she meant.

We both went out of the car and she waited for me to come near. She intertwined again our hands and walked toward the old church we used to see each other frequently... and where I first knew the loveliest girl beside me.

"Nostalgic," she whispered as she roamed her eyes around the ceiling.

The place didn't change yet some parts were painted differently to appeal better. We decided to take the fourth row left seats as we silently stare at the altar.

"You used to wear those sacristan uniforms that I truly liked," she started.

I chuckled, sabi ko na nga ba't malakas ang dating no'n para sa kanya.

"Alam ko namang na-guwapuhan ka na sa akin noon," I said back.

"Yabang but true. I was just shy to admit back then. Ngayon, kahit ayaw mong marinig ay sasabihin ko pa rin. Na-realize ko kasi noon kung gaano ka-regretful ang hindi magsabi ng totoo sa taong gusto mo. Then you'll only see his worth once he isn't beside you anymore," sabi niya.

"And?"

"And you'll only miss him when he isn't looking at you anymore..." she trailed off.

"Pinag-isipan mo talaga ito, ha," I said.

"Of course... but you know, I really want to know everything about you," she told me.

"Wow," was all I could say.

"Gulat na gulat? Ganito kita na-miss, I don't want to sound cringy but it's the truth," she said.

"Naisip ko rin noon kung gaano ako ka-self centered... it kind of annoys me whenever the old Mia flashes back in my mind," she added.

"That's alright, we were young back then," I said.

"Tell me things about you," she shifted the topic.

She hugged my arm while she waited for me to tell my life story, "Saan ba ako magsisimula?"

"Umpisa... iyong kailanman ay hindi ko alam na nangyari pala," she trailed off.

"This time, Lukan, I want to know you more... I realized that loving isn't just falling for the man, it's falling for his soul and life," she whispered.

I nodded and opened up things to her without coating anything. I started from how I knew my real father was, my teenage struggles until the day I finally went out of the cage.

And it felt light... confessing to her in front of the Lord was perfect.

We left the church peacefully and it was almost seven in the evening when we arrived in their renovated house.

"Tara, I'll quickly introduce you to my parents," she invited me.

"Seryoso ka ba?"

"Oo nga," she answered and grabbed my hand.

We walked toward their gate and the guard immediately opened for us. Hindi ako makapagsalita habang tinahak ang daan palapit sa kanilang door entrance.

"Ma," Mia called when we got in.

The day when we supposed to reveal ourselves on her birthday flashed inside my mind. Parang kailan lang ay dito niya ako tinalikuran ngunit ngayon... pinakikilala na.

I smiled when tita Rhea saw me. She got alerted of my presence and immediately acknowledged me.

"Mia! Nandito si Lukan," she said.

"Opo, ma... magkasama kami nitong umaga—"

"Wow! That's good to hear," tita commented.

"Sakto at ihahanda na ang gabihan. Lukan, you can stay for dinner—"

"Ah, tita, not to be rude but salamat na lang po," I said.

"Wala pa kasi si Niko kaya hindi ka naabutan," tita told me.

"Oh, okay lang po, tita. We can still have dinner next time... may gagawin lang po talaga ako ngayong gabi," sabi ko.

"Okay, Lukan... thank you for bringing Mia here," tita said.

I smiled and looked at Mia who wanted to say something.

"Ma, we're... dating," she announced.

"Oh my! Nakaramdam na ako niyan pero nagulat pa rin ako," natatawang sabi ni tita Rhea.

"Ako rin po nagulat," I joked.

Mia gazed at me with her sharp yet cute looking eyes.

"Hatid na nga kita sa labas," masungit na sabi ni Mia.

I laughed at her sudden change of mood. Nauna pa siyang maglakad papuntang gate.

"Bakit nagagalit?" I asked her.

"Buti na lang at wala ang tatay ko," she said, "sinabi kong nagd-date tayo tapos gano'n ang respond mo? Wala man lang, yes, we're dating and I'm planning to keep her for a long time," she hissed.

I laughed and softly touched her elbows.

"Wala man lang pabangong salita, Lukan," she ranted more.

"Well, I honestly wanted to kiss you the moment you said that... but it's inappropriate to do in front of your mother," I whispered so no one could hear except her.

I smirked when she got speechless.

"Okay," she said seconds after.

"Anong okay?" natatawa kong tanong.

"Uwi ka na, ingat," she became sweet again.

Jusko, nahawa na ba siya ng mood swing ni Trinity?

I walked toward my car after planting a kiss on her the forehead. I was about to get inside when Eros showed up from nowhere.

"Lukan, guard your hospital," he commanded me.

"Why?" nagtataka kong tanong, "it's guarded."

"Dad," he whispered as an answer.