#NewClassicRTMC

Chapter 21
Intuition

I was totally clueless and confused.

Hindi pa kami nagtatagal sa paliligo sa dagat nang umahon kami ni Ike upang salubungin kung sino man ang biglang dumating. Wala ako ideya kung sino iyon, ngunit mukhang kilala na ni Ike.

We swam around the house to the shore. The cool sea breeze immediately seeped through my skin the moment I was out of the warm water. I couldn't help but shiver.

Good thing that Ike's very sensible. Mabilis siyang lumapit sa sun lounger upang kuhanin ang nakahandang bathrobes doon. Ibinigay niya sa akin ang isa. He even helped me wear it right away.

And while he was wearing his own robe, I looked up to the hill. The helicopter took off once again and left the island. From afar, two people were going down the stone path we trailed when we arrived.

"Let's go," pag-aya sa akin ni Ike.

He casually held my hand. The warmth from his hand spread all over me, shielding me from the cold just like the robe. Even though we were walking barefoot on the sand, with our feet slightly getting buried, my steps felt light.

If other people would see us, I was sure they would find us―and this moment―romantic. Hand in hand, we were walking along the shore, just like what couples do in romance books and films. It's something very ideal. It's something that women with romantic fantasies would want to experience.

Although we weren't in a relationship, I was lucky to experience it with the man I love.

Hindi niya binitiwan ang aking kamay hanggang sa makarating kami sa paanan ng burol. Muli akong nag-angat ng tingin sa dalawang taong pababa. We were only a few meters away from them. I could finally see them clearly.

An elegant woman, wearing a long summer dress, fedora, and an oversized aviator sunglasses, was leading the way. The man behind her was carrying her summer tote bag. He was also wearing a pair of wayfarers. He reminded me of someone I know well but I just couldn't pinpoint yet.

Lumapit ako kay Ike nang hindi ko malabanan ang kuryosidad. He lowered his head when he sensed that I'd be whispering something to him.

"Sino sila?"

He also brought his lips closer to my ear. "My parents."

My eyes widened. I was filled with shock. He just smiled when he saw my reaction before letting go of my hand. He walked away to help his mother when she was already near the ground.

Not knowing what to do, I froze on my position flabbergasted. I was cornered in an unexpected situation. I just acknowledged my feelings for him. I wasn't prepared to meet his parents so soon that I had to urge to turn my back, run away and hide. I was just wearing my swimsuit under the robe. I was far from looking decent with my wet and messy hair.

However, I also knew that walking away without introducing myself would leave a bad impression to them. I didn't want to appear as someone rude. I wanted to show them my best side.

Maingat na inalalayan ni Ike pababa sa mga natitirang baitang ang kanyang ina. Once she set her foot on the sand, her eyes immediately drifted to me.

I gasped, held my breath, and remained standing straight. She removed her aviator and fedora.

Ike's mother looks intimidatingly classy and beautiful. Her eyes caught my attention the most. I figured that Ike got the shape of his eyes from his mother.

Ilang sandaling nanatili ang kanyang mga mata sa akin. Hindi nagtagal ay nilingon nito muli ang anak at saka walang salitang  hinampas ang braso nito.

My lips parted because it was all too sudden. Ike was already used to it. He just laughed and held his mother's hand.

"Our caretaker's right! You really did bring a woman with you!" she gushed, and then turned to her husband who was already standing beside her. "I told you your son's hiding something from us! Hindi ka pa naniwala sa akin noong una! It's a good thing we came here to check on him."

Nalipat ang atensyon ko sa tatay ni Ike. There are a number of resemblances I could find. The only part of his mother that Ike inherited is her eyes. He looked almost exactly like his father―a carbon copy! It's almost like staring at Ike from ten or twenty years in the future.

"I tried to stop your mother, son. I really did," his father explained to him.

Mas lalong natawa si Ike at saka tumango. Napasimangot ang kanyang ina dahil nagkampihan ang mag-ama. Nagulat naman ako nang bigla siyang naglakad palapit sa akin matapos ipahawak sa asawa ang fedora at sunglasses.

"Hello! I'm Ike's mother," she introduced herself in glee, the frown on her face disappeared. Nakipagbeso rin siya sa akin. "You can call me Tita Ingrid. Ano ba ang pangalan mo?"

"A-Aleena po."

"Aleena." Her eyes lit up. "What a pretty name!"

I just smiled because I didn't know what else to say.

"Oh, you must be cold!" bigla niyang sabi nang bigyang pansin ang aking suot. "Let's go inside the house first. I heard Ike asked our caretaker to stock the fridge and pantry. Magluluto ako ng merienda para sa 'yo."

Without ado, Ike's mother took me by the hand and dragged me back to the beach house. Habang pabalik sa bahay ay nilingon ko si Ike. I let my eyes speak to him, asking for help. However, he just smiled and followed us with his father talking to him.

Wala akong nagawa. Parang bagyo akong tinangay ni Tita Ingrid. She told me to take a shower, change into comfortable clothes, and meet her at the kitchen.

Still feeling dumbfounded, I stared at my reflection on the mirror while combing my wet hair after I took a shower. Ayoko na sanang lumabas pa mula sa kuwarto kaya nga lang ay ayokong biguin si Tita Ingrid. Kaya naman pagkatapos kong ayusan ang sarili ay naglakas-loob akong lumabas na.

The moment I opened the door, I gasped and my heart banged on my chest when I was surprised to see Ike right in front of me. His fist was suspended in the air like he was just about to knock. Nang makita niya ako ay ibinaba niya sa gilid ang kanyang kamay.

"Uhm, my mother asked me to get you," he hesitated. "She's waiting in the kitchen."

"Oo nga. Pababa na ako. Medyo natagalan lang sa pagligo..."

"Okay..." He looked at me for a brief moment before he nodded. "Let's go down before she decides to get you herself."

Medyo natawa ako sa kanyang sinabi ngunit sumabay na rin ako pababa. Nang makita kaming papalapit ay sinalubong ako ni Tita Ingrid. Hawak-hawak ang aking palapulsulhan ay nilingon niya ang kanyang mag-ama.

"You two should do something together. Hunt for fish in the sea or climb the tree and get fresh coconuts. Whatever pleases the both of you," pagpapalayas ni Tita Ingrid sa kanilang dalawa. "Hayaan ninyo na kaming dalawa ni Aleena rito."

Ike stared at me fondly with a smile, and then to his mother. "Please go easy on Aleena, mom."

"Go easy? Ano ang akala mo sa akin?" Tita Ingrid sounded offended.

"Hayaan mo na ang mama mo," sabi na lang ng kanyang ama at pumagitna sa dalawa.

Ike chuckled and looked at me again. "We'll be back later."

Gaya ng gustong mangyari ni Tita Ingrid ay umalis ang dalawa sa bahay. We became busy in the kitchen. Naihanda na ni Tita ang mga kailangan sa aming lulutuing panghimagas. She gave me instructions that I immediately followed.

"I think we should start cooking for dinner, too," she told me while I mixed the dry ingredients with wet ingredients. "The sun's about to set. What do you think?"

Natigil ako saglit sa paghahalo upang mag-angat ng tingin sa kanya. Tumango ako bilang pagsang-ayon sa kanyang gustong mangyari.

"It's decided, then! Kukuhanin ko na rin ang mga kailangan natin para sa hapunan," sabi niya at agad na dumiretso sa fridge. "May mga hindi ka ba kinakain? Do you have any food allergies?"

I smiled sheepishly. "Hmm... Wala naman po. I'm also not a picky eater."

"Got that!"

Tita Ingrid quickly made the preparations for our dinner. On the other hand, I continued doing my task and carefully transferred the brownie mixture on the tray. A smile unconsciously appeared on my face while flattening out the top and made sure that there wouldn't be any bubbles.

"Have you already tried baking before?" Tita Ingrid suddenly popped a question. I lifted my head from the mixture to her. "Mukhang sanay ka na sa pagba-bake. You seem to not need my help at all."

"Nakapagbake na po ako noon," sagot ko. "Nagbabake din po iyong nanay ng best friend ko. Tumutulong po ako minsan."

With a calm nod, a smile touched her lips. "You know it's actually my dream to cook or bake with my son's girlfriend," she suddenly shared one of her fantasies. "I have waited so long for this moment. I can't believe it's finally happening after how many years. I almost gave up and thought that he planned to settle down on his own. I'm so happy that you came into his life!"

I felt my cheeks flush as her words caught me off guard. I couldn't hide my bewilderment that she frowned and got confused.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Uhm... H-hindi po ako girlfriend ni Ike..." nag-aalangan kong sabi, ngunit alam kong kailangan kong linawin ang relasyon naming dalawa at magsabi ng totoo.

The smile on Tita Ingrid's face faded gradually. It was like I just shattered her dreams and imagination. I felt guilty and responsible. I wanted to take my words back even if it was the truth.

As she slowly recovered from shock, she let out an awkward laugh. "Oh..." Her shoulders fell dejectedly, even when she was trying to act fine. "I'm sorry. Nakakahiya."

Umiling ako at ngumiti para mapagaan ang loob niya kahit papaano. She doesn't have to be embarrassed.

"I'm really sorry. I thought you're his girlfriend..." she apologized again.

"Ayos lang po," paninigurado ko sa kanya.

She exhaled a deep breath. "I really thought..." Hindi niya na itinuloy ang sinabi niya at saka umiling. "Naalala ko kasi iyong sinabi sa kanya ng daddy niya. His father told him that if he wants to go on a vacation with his girlfriend someday, he can bring his woman here in our rest house if he's worried about the media. Kaya ang akala ko ay girlfriend ka niya at gusto ninyo lang magbakasyon..."

Muli akong umiling. "Ayos lang po talaga," sabi ko. "Wala po kayong dapat ipaghingi ng pasensya."

I had no idea about the conversation Ike had with his father. I also didn't know the reason why he brought me to this island. It wasn't what we had planned. We were supposed to be at the studio, making music and preparing for the finals. But instead, we are on a private island, having a spontaneous vacation like we have no priorities back in Manila.

Bahagya siyang napanguso habang nakatingin sa akin at nangingiti. "But I think it won't take long before you two jump into a relationship." Hindi ko alam kung pinapagaan niya lang ba ang kanyang loob ngunit nakikita kong sobrang positibo siya sa naiisip.

Heat rose to my cheeks once again.

"Ikaw lang ang babaeng dinala rito ng anak ko." She raised her brows and smiled. "The way he treats and protects you, I can tell that you're special to him."

"Hindi po," agad kong pagtanggi. "Ganoon lang po talaga si Ike. He's very courteous and caring. He treats women who are close to him all the same."

I could vouch for it. Nakita ko iyon mismo. Kung paano niya ituring si Ida ay ganoon din siya sa akin. Although, I knew they shared a deep bond that he treated her somehow even better.

Napakunot muli ang noo ni Tita Ingrid. Kaya nga lang ay hindi nagtagal, muling sumilay ang ngiti sa kanyang mga labi. She looked happier. Humakbang siya papalapit sa akin at mahigpit na hinawakan ang aking mga kamay.

Her eyes were twinkling so brightly. "You like Ike, right?!"

At that moment, we seemed like best friends. It didn't feel like we have a huge age gap. Sa pagkabigla ko tuloy ay hindi ako nakasagot. Hindi ko rin alam kung ano ba dapat ang sabihin ko. For that matter, I couldn't decide if I should tell the truth or not. However, I also couldn't bring myself to deny my feelings for him.

My silence was the confirmation she needed. Tita Ingrid smiled wider and held my hands tighter. "I knew it! My intuition is right! Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed so enthusiastically and stared straight into my eyes. "I'll help you! I promise I'm going to help you, Aleena!"