#NewClassicPFL

Chapter 26
Shower

Because Aleena had no idea that Isaiah and Jirro would also arrive with Zendaya and Cloé that day, she only cooked enough food for us four. Kaya naman nag-volunteer na kaming tatlong mga babae na tulungan siya para mapabilis at makakain na kami ng tanghalian.

Cloé was also a good cook, so she was a great help to Aleena. Kami naman ni Zendaya ang nag-ayos ng mga ibang bagay sa kusina at dining area. The guys, on the other hand, stayed at the living room to talk among themselves. Gusto rin sana nilang tumulong sa amin, but the kitchen would be too crowded. Baka rin mas tumagal pa kapag nangialam sila.

After almost fifteen minutes, we were finally done cooking and preparing lunch for all of us. We called the guys and sat on the long dining table where we could see the overlooking view of the beach. It was like a huge live 3D painting displayed on the wall.

"Can I borrow your phone?" Sic asked while we were eating lunch with everyone. Tapos na siyang kumain at mukhang wala nang ibang magawa.

Looking confused, I turned to him. "Why?"

"May gagawin lang ako," sagot niya na parang hindi mapagkakatiwalaan.

But because he was still wearing a slight frown, I didn't want to push his buttons more. I pulled the phone out from my pocket and gave it to him.

"Thanks," he briefly said, then immediately started to navigate my phone.

Napatagilid ang aking ulo habang pinapanood siya nang biglang tawagin ni Aleena ang aking atensyon.

"Lavi, punta tayong apat mamayang hapon sa Roxas," aya niya. "Ipapakilala kita kay Auntie Divina. Puwede rin tayong mamasyal sa bayan at mag-stay saglit sa resort."

"Kayong apat lang?" singit na tanong ni Ike.

Aleena sheepishly smiled at him and nodded. Ike just sighed and didn't complain, while Isaiah vocally expressed his thoughts.

"This isn't how I imagined our vacation would be," he said.

"Talaga ba?" natatawang tanong ni Jirro. "I already expected this."

"Now you know how I feel," Sic languidly said.

Napalingon ako sa kanya. Nakasimangot siya habang inaabot sa akin pabalik ang cellphone. Nag-aalangan kong kinuha 'yon nang nagsalita si Zendaya.

"You guys, this is our first time hanging out with Lavi," Zendaya said in a soft voice, wearing a smile, that you wouldn't dare to object. "Please let us be."

Isaiah slightly pursed his lips and didn't say anything. As soon as Zendaya spoke her mind, he kept his mouth shut.

With that, we decided to rest for an hour after eating lunch and settle down at the beach house. I resumed organizing my things while Sic was outside the veranda, talking to someone on his phone. Mukhang seryoso at importante ang pinag-uusapan kaya hindi ko na inabala.

Once I was done, I sat on the sofa and grabbed my phone. I was planning to update my Instagram story with the videos I took while we were riding the seaplane. Pagkatingin ko nga lang sa notifications ko ay agad nanlaki ang aking mga mata. I was bombarded with mentions. They also tagged me on their stories, sharing the same posts from Sic.

Agad kong pinindot ang isa sa mga tagged comments sa akin. My lips parted and eyes widened when I saw his post. It was a photo dump of my photos from the seaplane. Almost all of the ten images he picked were the ones I didn't really like.

So, this is why he borrowed my phone...

sicjaranilla you always look beautiful to me

That was the caption he wrote on the post. He didn't tag nor mention me, but that made it seem more genuine.

Habang paulit-ulit na tinitingnan ang mga picture kong pinost niya at binabasa ang simpleng caption, nadinig ko ang pagbukas ng sliding door. The sound of the wind blowing and waves crashing could also be heard. Nag-angat ako ng tingin kay Sic na kakapasok lamang ng kuwarto. He was already done with his call.

With the phone in my hand, I couldn't help but just stare at him in awe. And once his eyes laid on me, he frowned a bit, looking confused.

"What did I do now?" Sic asked, thinking that he did something wrong.

Ngumuso ako upang subukang magpigil ng ngiti. Hindi nga lang ako nagtagumpay. In the end, I just wore a playful smile and raised my brow to conceal how happy I was with what he did.

"You posted my pictures," I said, wearing a smug look. "Sabi mo hindi ako maganda do'n."

"Oh, that..." He acted nonchalant and closed the door before walking towards me. "I told you the shot didn't look pretty, but you still are."

Mas lalo akong nagtaas ng kilay sa kanya habang nakahalukipkip. "You really find me pretty, no?"

"I never said you aren't," he said, then I was a bit flustered when he suddenly grinned playfully and wrapped his arm on my shoulders. "Pero bakit? Kinilig ka ba?"

I sarcastically laughed and slightly pushed him away with no effort. I didn't bother answering his question because I knew he was just teasing me.

"I'm gonna get ready now. Malapit na kaming umalis," sabi ko naman at inilapag ang cellphone sa ibabaw ng lamp desk.

"You're really going to come with them?" he asked.

"Of course!" I stood up, leaving him on the sofa, and picked up the dress I prepared on the bed.

It was a Dior short summer dress with a plaid design in colors raspberry and white. I also brought my white thong sandals from Chanel. Alam kong sandali lang kami mamaya sa mainland, but I just couldn't miss the opportunity to dress up. I wanted to make myself feel better during our vacation, and aside from splurging money on designer stuff, dressing up is something also very therapeutic for me.

"What about our plans?" Sic asked again.

I turned to him with a confused look. "We have plans?"

Umigting ang kanyang panga sa aking sinabi, pero hindi ko mahanap kung saan ako mali. Wala naman siyang sinasabing plano sa akin. On the other hand, the girls and I already planned for the trip way back. It was something I had been looking forward to.

"Whatever..." sabi na lang niya saka nag-iwas ng tingin at humiga sa sofa. "Just go now. Iwanan mo na ako. Baka mahuli ka pa."

I pouted my lips while looking at him. Para siyang batang nagtatampo. Pero para hindi na humaba ang usapan, hindi ko na lang siya pinansin. Dumiretso ako sa banyo at naghanda. I wore the dress, retouched my natural makeup, and styled my hair in a half waterfall braid. Sanay na akong ayusan ang sarili kaya hindi ako nahirapan.

Once I got out of the bathroom, Sic was nowhere to be found in our room. I also checked the veranda but he wasn't there. Napanguso naman ako ay ipinagkibit-balikat na lang 'yon. I quickly put my essentials inside a round rattan sling bag I bought from my trip in Bali. I had four different designs but I chose my most favorite.

Pagkatapos kong mag-ayos ay agad din akong lumabas ng kuwarto at bumaba. I was surprised to see all of them in the living room. Nakaayos din pati ang mga lalaki at kasama na roon si Sic. Aleena awkwardly smiled when she saw me.

"Mag-iikot din daw sila sa mainland," sabi niya sa akin.

I couldn't stop myself from raising an eyebrow and grinning. "Really?" I asked as my eyes fixed on Sic, still acting nonchalant while fiddling on his phone.

He was wearing a white loose and see-through Bohemian shirt, paired with khaki cotton shorts. I noticed how we were almost the same colors. I bet he didn't have anything raspberry, so he settled for khaki.

"Let's go now?" pag-aya ni Ike nang nakitang handa na rin ako. "The yacht's already waiting for us on the dock."

Since all of us were ready and good to go, we headed to the docking area. Mabilis na lumapit si Sic sa akin upang hawakan ang aking kamay bago pa makalabas ng bahay. He even intertwined our hands together, making it not easy for me to let go of him.

Like expected, the guys didn't really have their own plans. Ayaw lang talaga nilang maiwan sa isla. Nakasunod lang sila sa amin. Kung saan kami pumunta ay naroon din sila. Although they followed us like loyal dogs or bodyguards, they still put distance between us. Kahit seryosong nagmamanman sa gilid, hinayaan pa rin nila kami. Even when we ate dinner at the restaurant where Aleena used to do her gigs before, we were seated on separate tables.

Aleena's Auntie Divina accommodated us like VIP guests. Nakilala ko rin ang best friend niya na si Gian at ang girlfriend nitong si Cassidey na fan na fan ng New Classic. She didn't miss the chance to take pictures with the band and fangirl over them.

It was around nine in the evening when we got back to the island. Kanya-kanya na kaming diretso sa mga kuwarto upang magpahinga. We would leave early in the morning the next day, so we decided to just rest.

We would do island hopping to the islands nearby and freediving. I wasn't a good swimmer as I only knew how to swim in pools, but I was excited for what the activity had in store for us so I was really looking forward to it.

After taking a quick shower and getting ready for bed, Sic was waiting right outside the bathroom for his turn. The moment our eyes locked, I could feel the heat rushing to my cheeks. I saw his Adam's apple move as he swallowed hard before averting his gaze.

"I'll take a shower," he said, refusing to meet eye contact with me while acting indifferent.

"Oh, okay." Tumabi ako sa daanan papasok sa banyo upang makapasok siya.

Sic took a step forward, but he immediately stopped and turned his head to me. "Mauna ka nang matulog," sabi niya. "You should rest early."

"Okay..." nag-aalangan kong sabi.

"That's all. Night," he bid and finally entered the bathroom.

Napakunot ang noo ko nang sinarado niya ang pintuan. Nilingon ko naman ang banyo kung saan siya pumasok.

It was the most awkward conversation I ever had with someone. It almost felt like I was speaking with a robot. Naisip kong mukhang tama nga ang hinala ko. He was very hesitant to sleep on the same bed with me. He was only able to hold his pride high that afternoon as he managed to intimidate me a little.

Kaya naman kaysa matulog ay hinintay ko siyang matapos sa paliligo. It took longer than expected. I thought guys usually shower faster than girls, but Sic spent almost two hours inside the bathroom. However, I wasn't stupid not to know that he was only taking his time. He wanted to make sure that I was already asleep by the time he was done showering and that's why he was so surprised to see me still awake.

"You're not asleep yet?" Sic asked, his tone raised an octave and eyes slightly widened.

I locked my phone and put it aside as I looked up to him. "Mukha bang tulog na ako?" balik kong tanong sa kanya dahil obvious naman ang sagot.

"Bakit hindi ka pa natutulog?" Napakunot ang noo niya saka itinabi ang towel. "I told you to sleep already."

Itinagilid ko ang aking ulo. "Hindi pa ako inaantok," sabi ko na lang kahit na hinintay ko talaga siyang matapos.

"Dapat ay natulog ka pa rin dahil gabi na."

"Bakit ba pinipilit mo akong matulog agad?"

Sic opened his mouth to speak, then pressed it into a line right away. His jaw also clenched repeatedly. It was obvious that he wanted to say something, but he was holding himself back.

"Nothing," he said, gritting his teeth. "Do whatever you want."

Kaysa pumunta sa aming kama ay naupo siya sa sofa pagkatapos kuhanin ang cellphone. Nakakunot ang kanyang noo at mukhang seryosong-seryoso.

Wanting to tease him, I quietly went down from the bed and slowly walked towards him. As I sat right next to him, I snuggled closely and saw that he was just reading the comments on his Instagram post of my picture. I even caught him liking one comment saying that they support our relationship. Gusto ko pa sanang makibasa, pero agad niya ring itinabi ang cellphone saka ako nilingon.

"What?" he asked.

Napangiti naman ako saka kumapit sa kanyang braso. I felt him stiffen a little. He rarely acted like that, so I was enjoying every moment.

"Nahihiya ka ba sa akin?" marahan kong tanong na may halong pang-iinis.

His eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about? Why would I be?" He sounded so defensive that I couldn't help but laugh. "Why are you laughing?"

Hindi ko mapigilan ang pagtawa habang tinitingnan siya nang mabuti. He looked so awkward that I really found it funny. However, my laughter was cut short when he suddenly scooped me in his arms and carried me in a princess-style way. His arms secured my thighs and waist against his body. Scared that I might fall to the ground, I hooked my arms onto his neck.

Without ado, he went to turn off the light switch using his shoulder before heading to the bed and carefully laying me down. When the beam from the lamp shone on his face, I saw him wearing a serious expression, far from his usual look when he was just trying to tease me.

Nanlalaki ang aking mga mata habang titig na titig sa kanya. The sound of his heavy breathing caused my heart to pound wildly against my chest. Napakit pa ako sa comforter nang mahigpit. But then, just like what happened when he slept on my bed that day, he stopped being aggressive and lied down beside me.

Marahan niyang ipinalupot ang kanyang braso sa akin. His face was so close to me that the tip of his nose was touching my cheek. "You really shouldn't test me like that..." he whispered softly, his hot breath grazing my skin. "It's for your own sake."

My lips parted at his words. I tried to turn my neck and look at him but he locked my head down, preventing me from seeing his face.

"Let's just sleep," he said and his embrace got tighter. "I don't want to take a cold shower again."