Chapter 12

Robitussin:

Huwag mo na akong sunduin, may meeting assembly.

Napahawak ako sa ibabang labi ko nang mabasa ko ang text ni Ruby. It's been two days already. I only have three days left here, why is she like this? Did I do something wrong?

I dialled her number but she quickly cancelled my call. What the fuck is wrong with us? Ano bang nagawa ko? Tuwing sinusundo ko rin, sinasabi ng Mommy niya na nakaalis na si Ruby. I know her schedule kaya alam ko ang oras ng alis niya. Bakit ba siya ganito?

I sighed as I typed my reply.

Me:

Talk to me. Do we have a problem?

Robitussin:

None.

I scoffed as I read her cold-as-ice reply to my text. Walang problema pero daig pa ang boss ko sa pagiging pormal mag-reply, ah?

Me:

Where are you? I'll go there.

Robitussin:

Wala. Basta. Just go home to Manila, please.

I rolled my eyes at the screen of my phone as I drive away from the parking lot of Hererra Architectural Firm – Benguet. I only have two days here and I can't believe that Ruby is treating me like this. Fuck it, this is making me frustrated.

Nang makarating ako sa SLU ay pinanood kong magsilabasan ang ibang mga estudyante ro'n. I looked for some familiar faces na alam kong kakilala o kaklase ni Ruby, and there I saw one familiar face.

Lumabas ako ng sasakyan at lumapit ako sa babae na kaklase ni Ruby. Nakita kong nagulat pa ito at nagtaka kung bakit ako lumapit sa kan'ya.

"Hi. Are you Ruby's classmate?" I asked. Her mouth parted a little as she nodded slowly. "Can I ask where she is right now?"

"Ahh, p-palabas na siguro. N-Nagpapalit yata."

She gulped as she looked away. Her face slightly turned red as I thanked her and let her walk away from me. I watched her look back at me before continuing to walk to the convenience store.

Ilang sandali pa akong naghintay na lumabas ng university si Ruby. I really thought that she won't come out or that the woman earlier just gave me false information, until I saw Ruby walking out of the gate.

I quickly went in front of her to stop her from walking.

"What the fuck," she whispered in a frustrated tone. "I told you not to pick me up, Jin."

Napalunok ako nang marinig kong tinawag niya ako sa pangalan ko. She always calls me Architect. It's really rare to hear her call me by my name.

"I just wanted to talk to you."

"I don't," matigas niyang sabi bago ako sinubukang lampasan.

I held her wrist to stop from walking away from me because it hurts me. She faced me with a frustrated look.

"What the fuck do you need ba?" she said, irritated.

"What's our problem?"

She scoffed. "Wala nga! Bakit ba ang kulit mo?"

Napalunok ako at nakaramdam ako ng kung anong sakit sa akin. Why is she like this? I've never really saw her this angry at me.

"W-What did I do wrong?" I asked, hoping for some clear answer.

"Wala," she looked away.

I can notice that some of her schoolmates are looking at us like some artist, having some taping for a movie. I don't really care but if it makes her uncomfortable, we will talk in private.

"Can you come with me?"

"For Pete's sake, 7:00 PM na."

"I don't care," I said, frustrated. "I don't want to leave Baguio, while you're treating me like this."

She gulped as she looked away, before removing my hand on her wrist, and began walking towards my car. She opened the door for shotgun seat and went inside. It made me feel at ease for a little while but having to know her answers to my questions, it makes me feel scared.

What if she doesn't want me anymore? What if she will not let me continue courting her anymore? I've fallen too hard for her. I don't know if I can stop doing what I started doing for her.

I erased the thoughts on my mind and walked to my car. I entered the driver's seat and started driving to the near restaurant.

Buong oras na kumakain kami ng dinner sa restaurant, Ruby barely look at me, or even talk to me. She just literally finished her food and waited for me to finish mine while she's browsing on her Instagram account.

What the fuck did I do, really? Hindi naman mababaw na tao si Ruby para magalit sa mababaw na dahilan. Ano bang nagawa ko? I know that the problem is with me, but the problem with her is that, she never talked to me about her problems. She never talked to me about her issues with me.

Nakalabas na kami ng restaurant, hindi pa rin siya nagsasalita. She just went straight to the car and entered the shotgun seat. Napabuntonghininga na lang ako bago sumakay ng driver's seat.

I looked at her and did not start the engine yet.

"Drive me home. I'm tired."

I almost smirk. Nakakapagod na palang kumain ngayon?

I sighed before taking her hand. She tried to get her hand back but she couldn't.

"Don't touch me," she said, irritated.

"Scarlett Ruby," she rolled her eyes at the mention of her first name. "This whole cold treatment thing will never make me give up on you."

She looked outside the window while her left hand is still trying to escape from mine. I intertwined our finger which made her look at me again. I smiled at her.

"I will never give up on you."

For a quick moment, I felt her hands weakened as her eyes slightly watered. I don't know what I did to hurt her like this, that she started treating me like some strangers she don't even want to have business with. But I will never give up just because of this.

I've fallen too hard enough. Giving up is never an option to me anymore.

I drove to the nearest convenience store to buy some canned beers, like before, and went to Mount Cabuyao, just like the first time that we had our midnight drives and rendezvous.

Nang makarating kami sa usual spot namin ay huminto na ako sa pagdi-drive. Tinanggal na niya ang seatbelt at nauna nang lumabas sa akin. I watched her sat on the hood of my car as I took the paper bag full of canned beers at the backseat. I went out of the car and sat beside her.

"Beer."

I took two canned beers inside the paper bag and give her one before putting the paper bag at the top of my car. She took the beer from me and opened it before drinking it straight.

That's my girl.

Well, she's still not talking to me but I think, she's showing me her real feelings now—her anger, not the cold treatment. Her disappointments, not just plain ignorance to me.

We've been drinking beers here in Mount Cabuyao for more than an hour, and Ruby's face started to turn red.

"Malalasing ka niyan," I said.

Ang dami ko rin kasing binili. Pakiramdam ko, kailangan niya 'to—namin 'to. Kung may sosobra man, I'll just take it to my apartment at doon na lang ako mag-iinom mag-isa. But by the looks of Ruby right now, kulang pa yata ang nabili ko.

"Care to tell me what I did wrong? I don't really have an idea."

She scoffed before she threw the can away. She went down on the floor and stand in front of me.

"Fuck you!" she told me as she started pointing at me like I'm some criminal.

"What the fuck did I do?" I asked, confused.

"I was trying to visit you in your project for the first time kasi sabi mo, final site visitation na!" she shouted at me using her tipsy voice. "Why the fuck would I see you hugging that slut?!"

Is she referring to Sarah? Nakita niyang yakap ko si Sarah? And then, what? That's just nothing. The woman is crying and I can't do anything other than hug her.

"Ruby—"

"Stop it with your stupid excuses!" she started crying. "I am done with you. You know how much I hate cheaters and that includes Sarah. She's been tolerating guys from the past whenever she finds out that the guy she dated was not really single. Ngayon, anong iisipin ko?!"

She wiped her tears but it never stops from falling.

"Alam ko namang hindi pa tayo, at ayaw ko pa kasi ng relasiyon sa ngayon. Stressed ako sa SLU sa dami ng requirements. I thought you would understand but, pwede mo namang sabihin kung ayaw mo maghintay sa walang kasiguraduhan, Jin. Hindi naman kita pipiliting maghintay sa akin. Hindi ko naman pipilitin na manatili ka sa akin. Pero huwag mo naman akong gagawing tanga!"

"Hindi kita pinagmumukhang tanga."

"Sinungaling!"

Bumaba na rin ako mula sa hood at hinarap siya. This time, halos nakatingala na siya. Hinawakan ko ang magkabilang braso niya at iniharap siya nang mabuti sa akin.

"Sarah is crying because she was yelled by her friend."

"I don't care about her anymore!"

"Hindi niya alam na may girlfriend 'yung lalaki sa ibang bansa. That is why she's crying because she thinks that no one believes her anymore. She was crying in front of me and I couldn't do anything but to hug her. That was just that. After that, when she's calmed, we continued with the work and finished the final details for the project."

She scoffed. She still won't believe me.

"Damn, Ruby. She even knows that I am courting you. When I told her that, she was the one to tell me first not to come near her. Kilala ka niya, at alam niya ang iniisip mo sa kan'ya. Alam niya ang disappointments mo sa kan'ya kaya siya na mismo ang nagsabi na huwag akong masiyadong malapit sa kan'ya kung ayaw kong mawala ka sa akin."

I sighed as I started to feel relieve. Ito lang naman palang selos niya ang problema. Now I know how to deal with it soon, when things like this happen again.

"D-Do you think I will easily b-believe you?"

I chuckled. This woman is too cute now that she's proven her allegations all wrong. Damn, I love her.

I watched her red lips trembled. She's cold, siguro dahil sa sobrang lamig na nga rito sa Benguet, ang lamig pa ng hangin dito sa Mount Cabuyao. But that's not that. It's her red trembling lips that's making me tremble now.

"What?" tanong niya na parang naghahamon dahil sa pagtitig ko sa kan'ya. "I am not going to believe you that fast. H-Hindi ako marupok."

I smiled a little before I crouched and kiss her trembling lips. She quickly broke the kiss and took a step back.

"W-Why did you—" napahawak siya sa bibig niya bago ako itinuro gamit ang isang kamay niya. "Kiss me?"

"I solemnly swear that I will never, ever, kiss anyone's lips anymore. It was only yours that made me tremble like this."

Her mouth went agape as she looked away. "B-But I am not ready for the relationship yet..."

I chuckled. "Do you believe me now? Ruby, I only want you."

I sat on the hood of my car again and pulled her closer to me. She nodded. I tucked her hair behind her ears and made her sit on my lap.

"Ikaw lang ang gusto ko rito. At hindi ako susuko sa 'yo dahil lang sa selos mo. Please, don't push me away. Don't push me like that."

I held her waist so that I can feel her closer to me. My heart started beating wildly again. Damn, the effect of this cute little woman, sitting on top of my lap, at me.

She put both of her hands on my shoulders. "I'm sorry, I told you I was clingy."

I laughed. "I like you more because of that," she glared at me. "And I'm sorry for making you feel like that."

She smiled. She looked away from me but I made her look at me again. She slapped my chest because of that. I laughed.

"Are you clingy because you made me your possession now?" I asked.

She looked away, and her blush made me answer my question. "Asa."

I laughed. "No, seriously."

She looked at me with full seriousness in my eyes as she answered me. "Oo."

Napalunok ako sa kaba. Hindi ko alam na ang dalawang letrang 'yon lang pala ang mas magpapakaba pa sa akin.

"What's mine is only mine, Jin. And I am including you on my possession too."

I chuckled. "Ako dapat ang nagsasabi niyan."

"I am serious. I only want time until this semester ends. After this sem, I will date you and be—"

I didn't let her talk more. This eyes that watch her lips move as she talked about her feelings about me is making me feel crazy. I want her to me, and only for me. I will never let someone have her if it's not me.

I felt her arms wrapped around my nape as she kissed me back. I pulled her waist to make her closer to me, as I kissed her more, hungrily, and most importantly, more passionately.

A moment later, we broke the kiss. I hugged her tight.

"I will wait until your exam and assessment ends."

She chuckled slightly.

"You are mine, Ruby. You're lips are mine. Everything about you is mine. Hmm?"

She nodded. And then I hugged her tight.