The End of Daylight

Under the Tree

—

"Stef, matagal ka pa ba?"

Stefhany panicked a little when she heard my voice. She immediately put her notebooks and ballpen placed on top of her table inside her bag. She then closed it and walked towards my direction afterwards. Napangiti ako ng bahagya.

"Lagi mo 'kong prinepressure!" Asik niya nang makalabas at malapitan ako. I laughed a bit and raised my fingers to show her a peace sign. Ngayon ulit ang duty namin ni Stefhany kaya as usual magbabantay na naman kami and as usual, sinundo ko na naman siya sa building nila.

We started walking towards my building.

"You know what? You should ask Joshua to accompany you. Willing 'yon na samahan ka kahit saan—"

"Hep!" I raised my hand that made her stopped from blabbering that thing. I seriously glared at her.

"No, no, no. I won't do that." Paulit-ulit akong umiling.

"Bakit? Hindi 'yon makakatanggi sa'yo. Alam naman naming lahat na gusto ka—"

"Hep!" I cut her off immediately. "I know okay? I know that thing. I can feel it but no, I won't take advantage of it."

Yes, Joshua likes me. He admitted it while I was still running as a representative last year. Nasa iisang partylist kami kaya lagi kaming magkasama. I am nice to everybody! But I wasn't aware that he was taking it seriously! Although, hindi ako nakaramdam ng ilang sa kanya. He didn't even court me or what. He just admitted his feelings and we became friends afterwards. I am not allowed to have a boyfriend though so I don't mind him admitting his feelings.

"Napakabait mo naman po." She sarcastically praised me. Tinulak ko tuloy siya gamit ang balikat ko kaya muntik na siyang mabunggo sa estudyanteng naglalakad. Hinampas niya ang braso ko bilang ganti.

We are just standing while watching the students. They have their own world while eating and chitchatting. Then all of a sudden, a group of girls passed by me. I noticed something sparkling inside the pocket of the girl wearing a jacket so it made me curious.

Mabilis akong humakbang sa harapan nila kaya't napatigil sila sa paglalakad. And there, I saw Natasja in front of me. She's taller than me so I need to look up. Paniguradong kaibigan niya ang mga babaeng ito.

"What is it?" She asked, looking furious. She shot up a brow on me like what I did was something weird.

I was stunned by her beauty. She's indeed a good looking lady. Hindi na ako magtataka kung bakit nagustuhan siya ni Jieven. Papasa siyang model kung ako ang tatanungin. Her glass like skin was so much alluring.

I stepped backwards so we could have some distance. Lumapit naman sa akin si Stefhany pero kaagad kong pinalayo dahil baka may makalusot na ibang estudyante kapag nakita nilang distracted kaming dalawa.

I ignored Natasja since she's not my business but I smiled at her a little so I won't look rude. I pointed out the girl I found suspicious rather. "Remove your jacket please." I softly asked.

Mukhang kinabahan ang babae dahil sa sinabi ko. Napatingin siya sa mga kaibigan niya na parang humihingi ng tulong. Including Natasja looked at her, wondering what is wrong with her precious friend.

"Why would she?" Natasja glared at me, confusion is written all over her face. Siya ang nagsalita para sa kaibigan niyang mukhang nagulat sa ginawa ko.

Nakipagtagisan ako ng tingin. "She brought something that is prohibited inside." Binalik ko ang tingin sa babae. "Remove it now." I commanded more seriously.

Akmang tatangalin na nung babae ang jacket niya nang magsalita si Natasja.

"No." Sumingit si Natasja.

I raised a brow. What the?

"Don't remove your jacket." She added. Natasja walked towards her friend and then she opened the pocket of her jacket. We saw one chip inside. Mabilis na nilabas iyon ni Natasja at binato sa sahig.

She looked at me afterwards and smirked. "You happy now?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes before leaving. Nilampasan niya ako at kaagad na sumunod ang mga kaibigan niya sa kanya.

Napailing nalang ako bago ko pinulot ang chip saka ito tinapon sa malapit na basurahan.

"Ano 'yon?" Stefhany asked curiously, she tried to reach Natasja but she failed. She then looked at me instead, waiting for my answer.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Simple argument. Nothing important."

"Si Natasja 'yun 'di ba? From Business Admin? Bakit siya nandito sa building niyo?"

So, she's really popular huh? Ako lang ata at si Maegan ang hindi nakakakilala sa kanya noon.

Ganoon na ba kami kaluma?

"I don't know either. Baka may binibisita or hinatid." Sagot ko nalang.

"Ah baka nga."

Our duty ended but my sudden encounter with Natasja kept on bothering me. She wasn't so nice but she wasn't rude either. Wait, was she not rude? I don't know. Bakit ganon ang ugali niya? Bakit ang sungit niya?

The last time I checked I did not do anything to harm her. We don't even know each other but she acted like I killed her own family.

"Bakit tulala ka?" Sinalubong ako ni Claudine pagdating ko sa tapat ng classroom namin.

"Ha?"

"Hatdog."

Inirapan at nilampasan ko siya. Nauna na akong pumasok sa loob ng classroom. When my classmates noticed my presence, they waved and greeted me and I just did the same.

"You okay?" Umupo si Claudine sa tabi ko dahil malamang katabi ko siya.

I nodded. "Oo naman. Bakit sana hindi?" I don't have plans on telling her what happened, it might bother her too.

"So why are you absent minded? May nangyari ba?" Nag-aalala niyang tanong.

I looked at her, debating with my mind whether to tell her what happened or not but in the end, I sighed in defeat.

"Masungit ba talaga si Natasja?"

Mukhang nagulat siya sa tanong ko. "Natasja? Bakit tinatanong mo ex ni Jieven?"

"Wala lang." I smiled to convince her.

"She's beautiful but rude!" Claudine exclaimed and I think that was a fact but I didn't respond, I was just looking at her.

"Why? Inaway ka? Tell me." May pagbabanta sa boses niya. She leaned closer to me and stared at my face, trying to analyze my reaction. I softly pushed her face away from me. Geez, this makes me feel uneasy.

"No. I was just asking." Pagsisinungaling ko.

She was about to talk but one of our classmate called her name. I just leaned over my seat and sigh heavily to calm myself.

I feel bad, I don't know. Was I wrong? Mali ba ang ginawa ko kanina? I was just doing my duty as part of the council. Why would she act that way towards me? I suddenly felt the urge of saying sorry but why would I do that? Freak. This is making me insane.

I erased the thought of her in my mind and just smiled. Wala pa naman ang aming prof kaya nilabas ko muna ang cellphone ko at nagscroll sa ig.

acostajieven and 5 others started following you.

kevin_palermo liked your post.

KenOcampo liked your post.

Hindi ko pinansin ang ibang notifications, bumalik ang tingin ko sa una kong nabasa. It caught my attention. Hindi ko alam pero bumilis ang kabog ng dibdib ko.

I immediately clicked his name.

He has 9k followers, he's following 139 people, and he posted 17 pictures.

Napatingin ako sa profile picture niya. Nakasuot siya ng red three piece suit habang nakasandal sa balcony. Balcony ata ng isang hotel? I don't know basta balcony. Madilim ang paligid kaya sa tingin ko ay gabi kinuhanan. Baka birthday party pinuntahan. Bahagya siyang nakangiti at masasabi kong ang gwapo niya sa suot niya.

I unconsciously clicked the follow button. I was about to close my phone but it beeped, meaning, I received a text or chat or something.

acostajieven: see me at the garden after your class.

I gasped in surprise. I instantly covered my mouth to refrain myself from making any noise. Mabuti nalang at wala sa tabi ko si Claudine dahil kapag meron siya ay paniguradong hihilain niya ang cellphone ko. But what the freak! He just messaged me!

Nanginginig tuloy ang kamay kong nireplyan siya.

TammyXR: Why? What's wrong? Anong meeon?

XR stands for Xyryl Rustia. Xyryl is my second name and Rustia is obviously, my surname.

Muli kong binasa ang reply ko at doon ko lang napansin ang typo! Omg! Meeon? Geez.

Babawiin ko pa sana pero wala pang isang minuto ay nakatanggap ako ng mensahe galing sa kanya.

acostajieven: see for yourself.

Magrereply pa sana ako pero biglang dumating ang professor namin kaya mabilis kong tinago ang cellphone sa loob ng bag ko.

After our morning class we went to the cafeteria. Maegan and Kendra are both present there, arguing again. It is their daily routine so I don't give a care anymore. Their fight was not that serious though.

I couldn't help myself to look around the cafeteria while eating to search for him, hoping I could see him here. I am curious about Jieven. Bakit niya ako pinapapunta sa garden? Magtatanim kaya kami?

"Hoy gaga, ano na? Nasaan utak mo?"

I looked at Claudine when she snapped her fingers in front of my face. Nagulat tuloy ako at napaatras dahil sa ginawa niya. Muntik pang tumama iyon sa ilong ko.

"What?" Halata ang pagkairita sa boses ko.

"Nagtatanong si Meagan pero hindi ka sumasagot. What's happening to you?"

I blinked two times before washing away my thoughts about Jieven. Mabilis kong tinignan si Maegan at ngumiti.

"Anong tanong mo?"

Kumakain siya ng hamburger kaya hindi siya makapagsalita. She raised her hand, lowkey saying that I must wait for her to finish her food. Tumango nalang ako at hinintay siyang matapos.

"Gaya nga ng sabi ko," Maegan cleared her throat. "Magbabayad ba talaga kami ng 30 pesos para sa sinalihan naming club? Hindi ba kami pineperahan n'yan?"

I immediately shook my head in response. "No! Hindi kayo pineperahan. That 30 pesos will be the foundation of the club so that they can start their own projects right away when their designated time came. Hindi kayo pineperahan. Ofcourse, they will be in need of financial support from their new members."

"Ganon ba dapat 'yon? Wala ba kayong ibibigay na fund sa bawat club? At saka," She glared at me, still confused. "May fund pa naman ang club last year, saan napupunta 'yon?"

Napasapo ako sa ulo ko. My gosh. Bakit napunta ang usapan namin ang fund?

"Maegan," I sighed. "It is not the Council's responsibility to give them financial support, but a moral support can be. And about the fund every end of the year, pinambibili iyon ng mga gamit ng school such as speakers, microphones, mono block chairs and more."

Nagulat kaming dalawa ni Maegan nang biglang pumalakpak si Kendra at Claudine. I looked at them with a confused face. Masaya nila kaming pinapalakpakan, lalo na ako dahil sa akin sila nakatingin.

"What the freak?" I mumbled.

"Galing ah," Claudine scoffed. "Pang Miss Universe sagutan natin ah." She teased.

"It is good pala that you're part of the council, Tammy. May natututunan kami from you. Let's give it around of applause." Kendra stated. Nagtanguan sila ni Claudine at sabay na pumalakpak.

Binato sila ni Maegan nang fries kaya natigil sila. "Mukha kayong tanga." She mumbled bluntly.

Binato siya pabalik ni Kendra. "How dare you call us stupid? You! You're boba!"

Nagbatuhan sila ng fries. Akala ko pipigilan sila ni Claudine pero sumali din ang gaga. Ako ang nasasayangan sa fries kaya pinatigil ko sila.

"Hey! Stop! Pera ko pinambayad d'yan!"

After class, I went to the office because Alyza called us. She announced yesterday that we will have a meeting today and I almost forgot about it.

Before I got to hold the sliding door of our office, it opened and Hero immediately ran away, mabilis na humabol sa kanya si Fred na binabato ng mura si Hero.

"Tangina mo Hero! Huwag ka lang talagang papahuli sa'kin!" Sigaw niya. He's not mad, he's laughing instead.

I just chuckled. Bago pa ako makatapak sa loob ay lumabas na naman si Joshua habang nakangiti sa akin. Really? Ayaw niyo ba akong papasukin?

"Hey, you're late."

Napangiwi ako. "Hindi pa naman nag-uumpisa ah." Sumilip ako ng bahagya sa loob. Nandoon ang ibang officers at nag-uusap.

"You're five minutes late." Dagdag niya pa. Uy, bilang na bilang.

"Prof?" I teased. Nagsalubong ang kilay niya sa sinabi ko. I just laughed and pushed him softly so that I could step inside.

"Hoy Tammy! Gago! Kanina ka pa hinihintay ni Joshua! Buti nandito ka na!" I dramatically held my chest when Chris cursed me. Geez, what is happening? People keep on cussing and I hate it.

I turned around and looked at Joshua behind me. He paused from walking and glared at Chris, brows furrowed a bit. Nagulat nalang ang lahat nang biglang may lumipad na white board marker papunta kay Chris, mabuti at nakailag siya.

"Uy taena!" He cursed again.

Joshua leaned on me and whispered something. "Huwag kang maniwala sa kanya."

I smiled reluctantly. "Yeah."

Nagsimula ang meeting nang dumating si Alyza. Pinag-usapan lang namin ang mga mangyayari next week para sa foundation day. Nag-assign na rin kami ng officers na magbabantay at nagplano na rin kami ng mga activities.

"All around tayong lahat. Para sa magbabantay sa booth natin, siguro salitan nalang." Alyza announced. "Ano sa tingin niyo? Kaya ba?" Mahinhin pero may diin nitong tanong.

"Okay ako sa salitan." Chabe replied.

"Me too." Pag sang-ayon ko nalang din hanggang sa lahat kami ay pumayag.

Each club are allowed to build their own booth, depending on their desired themes. The booth would be mandatory, this is for the club who wants to grow more in terms of their financial.

Fred raised his hand. "I suggest, Cherry Boom Boom Pow."

Napatingin ang lahat sa kanya. Humalakhak siya matapos sabihin iyon kaya napailing nalang kami. Napag-usapan kasi na magtitinda nalang kami ng palamig. Though it is not a typical palamig, iisang flavor lang ang meron. Ang pinaghalong sprite at cherry sweet wine ang ititinda namin. The ingredients are not typical though.

"Cherry Bomb nalang." Joshua suggested. Saglit akong natawa kaya napalingon siya sa akin. Katapat ko siya kaya mabilis niya akong makita. I raised my hand and gave him a piece sign.

He pouted like a kid. Too adorable.

Natapos ang meeting namin kaya naglalakad na ako ngayon palabas ng gate. Itetext ko na sana ang driver namin nang maalala ko si Jieven nang makita ko ang pangalan niya sa screen ng phone ko dahil hindi ko naiback ang conversation namin kanina.

Oh my gosh, si Jieven! I forgot him!

Mabilis akong bumalik sa dinaanan ko at tumakbo papunta sa Garden of Life. The sun went down already and the moon is waiving now, waiting for his stars to show up. I looked at my wrist watch and it was already 6 in the evening. I cursed myself countless of times inside my head because of my stupidity. How could I forgot about him? Gosh, baka nainip na 'yon at iniwan na ako.

But I think it's just a misconception because I saw Jieven in the garden. I was shookt. He is still there. Nandito pa rin siya at hinihintay ako ng mahigit isang oras.

He was peacefully sitting in the stoned bench. He was wearing a white hoodie and was busy looking at the sky. Mabilis akong tumakbo papalapit sa kanya. Maybe he noticed my presence that was why he looked at me and our gaze met. He stood up upon seeing me and let out a small smile.

Argh, that dazzling smile again.

"Oh." He instantly held my arm when I lost my balance. I was panting when I stopped right in front of him.

"Sorry! Sorry talaga! Sorry, nakalimutan ko! Katatapos lang kasi ng meeting tapos—"

"Hey," He said, making me stop. He then looked at me and gave me a comforting look. "It's okay. No pressure."

Tumango nalang ako bilang sagot. After a minute, he let go of my arm. Muli akong dumilat at tinignan siya sa mukha. "Ano palang sasabihin mo sa akin? Bakit mo ako pinapunta dito?"

He blinked as if I said something that brought him back to his senses. I saw how he bit and licked his lower lip. Napangisi ako dahil pakiramdam ko ay nahihiya siya.

"You'd been treating me these past few days." Panimula niya.

I raised brow, still waiting for his next words. "Come on Jieven, what is it? Go direct to the point."

He looked surprised because of what I've said. He then chuckled afterwards.

Nagulat ako nang hilain niya bigla ang kamay ko at naglakad kami paalis. "Wait what the?"

Sandali niya akong sinulyapan bago binalik ang tingin sa harapan. I saw him grinned when he noticed that confusion was visible on my face. Hindi niya naman ako kinakaladkad pero nakakagulat ang mga pangyayari.

"I will give back the favor, I don't want to have any indebtedness." He simply said before letting go of my hand. He stopped walking and unfortunately, I was too late to stop so I bumped into his back.

"Ow." I mumbled and stepped backwards holding my forehead. Wala man lang pasabi! Bigla bigla nalang humihinto!

He shot up a brow. "Are you going to come? It's free to decline."

He put both of his hands inside his pocket while waiting for my answer. Seryoso na naman ang mukha niya but I found it something challenging. I don't know. His smiles, I want to see them again. Bumalik na naman kasi ang dati niyang aura.

Sad. Vulnerable. Fragile. Malungkot pa rin ba siya?

I bit the insides of my cheek. Ano ang dapat kong sabihin? Ano ang isasagot ko? Hindi ko alam. Pakiramdam ko kapag lalabas ako ay sinusuway ko na si Daddy.

He chuckled after a minute of silence. "So it's a no." He nodded casually and cleared his throat, accepting that I rejected him even though I did not.

Nakaramdam kaagad ako ng inis dahil sa sarili ko. I feel so guilty! He waited for me for almost an hour. But I never asked him to pay me back or even to wait for me in the first place, I helped everyone willingly.

"Fine! Fine! Fine!" Parang bata na sagot ko.

The side of his lips rose and tilted his head on the side a little. "You looked pissed. Let's just not go."

"No!" Mabilis kong sagot. I won't let this pass. You're making me guilty.

Isang nakakalokong ngisi ang ibinigay niya sa akin. "No? What do you mean no?"

He's freaking playing with me! I massaged the side of my face. I could even fell my cheeks, burning in mixture of embarrassment and blushing.

"Let's just go, Jieven." I answered instead of playing with his tricks. He just shrugged and gestured me to follow him and so I did.

Habang naglalakad kami ay tinext ko ang driver namin na huwag na ako sunduin dahil sinabi kong lalabas kami nila Claudine. Nagdasal pa ako sa lahat ng santo na sana patawarin nila ako sa pagsisinungaling at sa pagdamay sa inosente kong kaibigan.

Sa parking lot kami huminto. Isang Black Audi ang nasa harapan namin. I know from the very beginning that he's a rich kid and I was right.

"Get in." He mumbled before opening the driver's seat.

Hindi niya ako pinagbuksan ng pinto kaya ako na ang gumawa para sa sarili ko. I'm not expecting though. I'm not his girlfriend, in the first place.

"Where are we going?"

I refrained myself from praising the insides of his car. I acted like it's normal even though I can smell his familiar manly scent inside. Fudge.

"Somewhere nearby as long as we can eat." He simply answered.

Sinimulan na niyang magmaneho. Nakatingin lang ako sa labas ng bintana buong byahe. Paminsan minsan akong sumusulyap sa kanya. May iilang hibla ng buhok ang nasa noo niya. They fell from his brush up styled hair. Nakapatong ang kaliwang braso niya sa bintana at pasimpleng minamasahe ang ulo habang hawak nang kanang kamay niya ang manibela.

He looked so fierce.

Sa isang japanese restaurant siya huminto. Pagkahinto niya ay mabilis na akong lumabas at ganun din siya. Hinintay ko lang siyang makarating sa pwesto ko at sabay kaming pumasok sa loob.

The waitress guided us in a two seater table. Magkatapat kami ni Jieven. Siya ang hinayaan kong mag order dahil libre niya naman.

He's nice, I could say.

I'm just looking at him while he's busy talking to the waiter, staring at his unconscious moves, unknown gestures and the way he talks. He is so well mannered, so conceited of everything he say. He looked so perfectly fine as if nothing happened to him.

You're a great pretender, Jieven.

"You want to ask something?" He asked all of a sudden, pagka-alis ng waitress na kausap niya, maybe he noticed me looking at him unconciously.

I blinked twice. "No. I'm not even saying any single word, how did you came up with that conclusion?"

"Your eyes says it all." He scoffed.

Wala sa sarili akong napahawak sa mata ko at kinusot iyon. "I just thought that you would treat me something cheap, like ice cream, doughnut, coffee and such. I'm fine with those."

"You just don't deserve an ice cream, doughnut, coffee and such." He said without any emotions at all.

My forehead creased. "Then what do I deserve?"

He played with his lower lip using his fingers while thinking. "Something.." he intentionally paused from talking. Nakatingin lang ako sa kanya, waiting for his next words.

"Something what?" I asked, sounded impatient.

"Special."

"Edi sana pinakain mo ako ng mamon." I rolled my eyes.

I got his point. I am just too overwhelmed that I don't want him to see that I'm blushing. I am trying my best to suppress my smile. Why would he say special? I don't deserve a special treatment. I'm fine with something simple.

He chuckled. "Mamon huh?"

"Anyway," biglang dumating ang order namin kaya natigil ako sa pagsasalita. Dalawang japanese noodles, may sushi, tempura at yakitori. Napataas ang kilay ko. Really?

"Oh kunin mo na 'yung camera, tara na magvlog, mukhang magmumukbang tayo ah." I craked a joke. Mabilis niyang naintindihan iyon kaya natawa siya but it didn't reached his eyes.

It's okay. You'll smile again, soon. The genuine one. I'll make it happen, no matter what.

"I prefer ASMR." He casually answered.

Hindi ko inaasahang sasakyan niya ang joke ko. Ako rin sakyan mo, Jieven. Joke.

Kinuha niya ang chopsticks ko at siya na ang nagbukas 'non. Inabot niya sa akin pagkatapos.

"What was your question a while ago?" He asked without looking at me, he was busy praising the foods in the table. His eyes were flickering in astonishment.

"Ah 'yun ba," I unconsciously mixed the noodles using my chopsticks. "I'm going to ask your year level."

"Third year." He simply answered.

I looked up to him and giggled. "Second year ako!"

He chuckled. "Alright. Study hard. Now eat." His mood changed from being playful to serious.

Napanguso ako at sumubo ng tempura. Para siyang si Daddy kapag nasa harapan kami ng pagkain. Omg, my dad. Naalala ko na naman si Dad.

"I heard you're the representative of your department." Pagsisimula niya. I nodded. I couldn't talk since my mouth is full.

"Good for you."

Napatingin ako bigla sa singsing na suot niya habang kumakain siya. Nilunok ko ang nginunguya ko at binaba ang chopstick.

"Can I ask about your personal life?"

He looked up, one brow up then it faded away. "Proceed."

"Where's your mom?"

"She's a doctor. Probably, she's in the hospital right now." Swabeng sagot niya habang sinasawsaw ang tempura sa sawsawan.

"Your dad?"

"Engineer. He travels from one site to another. Why do you ask?" Nagsalubong na ang kilay niya.

"Hehe," I scratched the back of my head. "Curious lang."

I'm just wondering about what family does he have. Because the situation of a family reflects on their child. Jieven looked so serious yet deadly. I know he's soft hearted but he's trying to cover it. I can sense it.

I sighed. How can someone broke his heart? He's nice and gentleman actually. He looked good and simple, in short he's a great guy. Kung ako si Natasja, I won't let him go and broke his heart. Ang pumatay nga lang ng daga ay labag na sa kalooban ko, paano pa kaya ang manakit ng ibang tao?

That was the main reason why I'm so nice to everyone. I don't know what's really happening inside them, so as a human being, treating them nice is just a simple act of humanity.

"Don't stare at me like that, Tammy." He tsked. Napatigil tuloy siya sa pagkain at nakipagtagisan ng tingin sa akin.

"Like what, Jieven?" I fired back.

"Like you're examining a new specie." Sagot niya kaya natawa ako. "Ask me anything you want, I won't mind." Dugtong niya.

I puffed a breath and put down my chopsticks. "You're obviously not okay."

"That's not a question." He blurted out.

"I know." Sagot ko.

Natawa siya ng bahagya. "I am okay, Tammy." Pagpupumilit niya.

"No, you're not—"

"But I am not happy." He added that made me stop from talking. "There's a difference between them." Aniya bago nilapag ang chopsticks sa lamesa. Mukhang nawalan ng gana.

Hala ka! Did I offended him? Geez, kung ano-ano kasing sinasabi ko eh, 'yan tuloy.

Magsasalita pa sana ako nang biglang may sumigaw kaya sabay kaming napalingon ni Jieven sa dalawang lalaking kumakaway habang naglalakad papalapit sa pwesto namin.

"Jieven! Bro!"

It was his friends, smirking while looking at us.

"Shit." Jieven mumbled.

—