“So, the two of you have a past?” I asked the both of them. I'm still shock. I didn't know! Kung alam ko lang back then pa, edi sana may girl code kami! Fuck.

I bit my my lower lip when I saw them nod which made me even more shock. Ngumiti ako sa dalawa para pakalmahin sila. I let them sit in the couch to interview them. Of course, I'm interested about their past!

“Where did you met him?” I questioned Yzabella while pointing at my boyfriend.

Nakita kong huminga siya nang malalim at tumingin nang masama kay Clyne. “Last year pa, Cadence, kaka-break lang namin last month!”

My heart race when she stood up and about to pull Clyne’s hair but I stopped her. “Hmm, calm down,” I put her back to her sit.

So, fresh break up, huh? At last month lang kami nag-meet ni Clyne? How dare him to do this to me?

“Paano kayo nag break?” I looked at her getting interested now. My hands were trembling while waiting for her answer. “How?”

“Nakita kong may kausap siyang iba noon, I forgive him but nagulat ako nang nakita kong nakikipag halikan siya kay Gillian sa coffee shop!” Tumayo ulit siya at mukhang bubugbugin na niya ang lalaki pero pinigilan ko siya. “Ina ka! Tapos si Cadence naman next target mo? Ang liit nga ng bayag mo tapos may gana ka pang mag babae?!” I closed my eyes due to her loud voice. Halos mabitawan ko na siya because magpupumiglas sa hawak ko.

“Malandi ka! Malandi ka!” she pointed her finger many times at Clyne’s face. “Gaano na kayo katagal, Cadence?”

Napatigil ako at tumingin kay Clyne. He look like didn't care. “A month.”

“Isang buwan?!” she shouted shock which make her face red again so pinaupo ko ulit siya.

“Yza, calm down...” I said in a soft tone.

“Eh, paanong mag ca-calm down, eh, putang-ina niyan?! Last week may niyayabang siya sa akin na kalaplapan niya sa sarguhan!” because of the shock, I abruptly let go of her. She rushed up to Clyne and began pulling his hair. I didn't even stop her because I wasn't expecting what I heard.

I was still in awe when she started pulling and punching Clyne’s body. I don't what to do? Should I help her?

“Tang-ina ka! Pangit ka! Isusunod mo si Cadence na sophisticated tapos ikaw dugyot? Gago ka bang tanga ka? Baho-baho nga ng bayag mo!”

Yzabella even rose up to tweak Clyne’s hair, but I was astonished to see the man suddenly push Yza, causing her to fall. Napapikit ako sa lakas ng pagkabagsak niya.

Dali-dali akong tumayo para tulungan ang babae. Narinig ko rin ang mabilisan pagbaba ng mga kaibigan ko sa hagdan.

“What the...” biglang sabi ni Khryza. “Fox say...”

Nakita kong binatukan pa siya ni Kaidon ng mahina at hinila ito papalapit sa amin. I swiftly turned to Clyne. His look was filled with rage and frustration, as if he intended to harm Yzabella again.

“What’s wrong with you?” my brows collided while staring at him. “Nananakit ka ng babae.”

I heard him laugh sarcastically. “Who harmed first?”

I sighed and rolled my eyes as disbelief. Really? this is how his mind works?

“Halika nga. Mag-usap tayo,” I held his wrist and pull him outside of the house. Mukhang ititigas niya pa sarili niya since medyo pinabigat niya ang sarili.

I looked at Khryza and Kaidon to give them permission to alaga the girl. Nakita ko naman silang tumango kaya dumeretsiyo na ako sa labas habang hila-hila ang lalaki.

I took a sharp look at Clyne. I even grabbed his face para mapaharap sa akin. I was astonished to see his forehead furrowed, and he appeared angry at me.

Laking gulat ko nang itinulak niya ang kamay kong nakahawal sa mukha niya, “what’s your problem? Talagang pinaharam mo pa talaga kami ng babaeng iyon?” sigaw niya.

“Is this a plan?! Trap?! Gago ka bang babae ka?! O tanga?! The hell, Cadence. Anong karapatan mo para ipagsama kami ng babaeng 'yon sa iisang place?! Bobo ka ba?!” he cursed me. Malalakas ang kaniyang pagkasabi kaya nainis ako.

Tumingin ako sa mga mata niyang puno ng galit. Then that time, I know it's the time to end this bullshit relationship.

“Totoo ba mga sinabi niya?” I said nonchalantly. I heard him laugh sarcastically. Parang ginagago niya ako.

“Ano bang narinig mo?” lumapit siya sa akin sabay ngisi na parang baliw. “We all know that all I want is your body. Seriously? Naghahanap ka ng true love sa panahon na ito? Bobo ka talaga.”

I closed my eyes as soon as I heard what he said. My chest clenched while looking at his eyes. I didn't expect this.

“Sex. Iyon lang ang gusto ko. Don't tell me na gusto kita. Well, yeah... some parts of you. Pero ang tatandaan mo lang, gusto kita kasi virgin ka pa. Whi wouldn't like a virgin girls na madaling mauto, ’di ba?”

Nanigas ako nang bigla niyang hinawakan ang magkabilang balikat ko. “Oo, Cadence. Walang magmamahal sa ugali mo. Ang arte mo, ang tanga mo. Ang lahat na ng pangit nasa iyo. Yes, I fuck other girls habang tayo pa. Actually I have one last night. Ang saya nga, eh. She was good.”

Napaatras ako nang inilapit niya ang labi niya sa akin. Nakita kong napatigil siya at natawa. “Better than you. You are just a mediocre women who always act dump.”

“Oo, I have a lot of girlfriends, 5 to be exact?” Binitiwan niya ako para bilangin sa kamay niya ang limang babae niya. Nagulat ako nang tumigil siya sa pangatlo. He raised his middle finger in front of my face. “And this is you. My third girlfriend. The worse one.”

“Kaya huwag kang aasa na may magmamahal sa iy—” he hadn't finished what he was going to say when I heard a strong force which caused me to close my eyes.

When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see Clyne sitting down with his bleeding nose. My eyes widened when I noticed Dwayne standing in front of him. His eyes were bloodshot. That anyone looks at it will be terrified.

I was shocked when my hand began to tremble, so I squeezed it. I screamed when suddenly someone grabbed me. “Cadence, calm down. You're tremoring.” Hinawakan ni Kaidon ang kamay ko. Nakita kong nakasilip din sila Khryza at Yzabella sa pinto. Gulat na gulat din sila.

Nagulat ako nang nanghihinang tumayo si Clyne at mukhang bubugbugin pa si Dwayne kaso naunahan siya nito dahilan para mapa-upo ulit sa sakit ang lalaki. Agad pumunta sa puwesto namin ang mga ka-dorm ni Dwayne para paalisin na ang lalaki.

Hindi ito pumiglas o lumaban. Pero nanatiling nanginginig pa rin ang mga kamay ko.

Napansin kong napahinto si Dwayne at humarap sa akin. “Don't worry. Try namin siyang dalhin sa presinto. Mga kasama ko na ang bahalang maging saksi. We heard it all. Just take a rest, please,” ngumiti siya at nagpaalam sa akin.

When they got the man on board, the two women ran to me, their faces filled with concern. Agad lumapit sa akin si Khryza na may dalang suklay para suklayin ang buhok ko. Si Yzabella naman ay nagdala ng tubig.

“Anong ginagawa mo Khryza?” inis na sabi ni Kaidon. “Pumasok na kayo sa loob, ako na rito. Parang trauma siya. She need space.”

Magsasalita pa sana si Khryza kaso nilakihan siya ng mata ni Kaidon. They took a big breath and went inside. I gazed at Kaidon with a serious expression, which was briefly replaced with fear before tears welled up in my eyes.

“I will take you to your room. You need to rest muna.” Hinawakan ni Kaidon ang dalawang kamay ko at dahan-dahan niya akong ipinasok sa loob. Sabay sumunod ng tingin ang dalawang babae nang inakyat ako ni Kaidon sa loob. Sasama pa sana sila kaso pinigilan nila ng lalaki.

He softly laid me down on my bed. He turned on the air conditioner and took some water from my little fridge. “If gusto mo ng kausap tawagan mo ako. Pero kung gusto mo muna magpag-isa at you don't want to be distracted at anything, I can go now, hindi ko muna papapasukin sila Khryza rito.”

He was about to leave but I spoke. “Wait,” for the first time, nagsalita na ulit ako. Lumingon siya sa akin at tinaasan ako ng kilay. “Dito ka muna,” I mumbled like a little girl.

He took a big breath and removed my chair from my vanity table, placing it across from my bed. “Dito ka na umupo,” I tapped my bed but he shake his head as a sign of disagreement.

“Thank you,” biglang sabi ko. Tumingin siya sa akin na parang na weird-uhan. “Thank you for loving me... at si Khryza... platonically.”

May sumilay na ngiti sa labi niya nang binaggit ako ang pangalan ni Khryza. “Maliit na bagay. Ako ang lalaki sa in'yo. As I should. Ako lang naman ang p'wedeng tutulong sa in'yong dalawa sa ngayon.”

Napangiti ako nang kontim Kahit papano ay napakalma ko na ang sarili ko. Kahit nginig na lang ng kamay ko ang natitira.

“Hmm, ano'ng nararamdaman mo?” he said softly habang naka tingin nang deretsiyo sa mga mata ko.

Hindi niya bagay.

“P’wedeng bang tanungin mo muna kung okay ako,” tumawa ako ng konti para maalis ang pagka-seryoso niya.

Umiling siya at mas kumunot ang noo. “You ’re obviously not okay. That's why I'm asking you what do you feel. Aayusin natin.”

“Bakit mo aayusin? Hindi naman ikaw ang sumira, ’di ba?”

Mas lalong mukha siyang na-bad trip. Mukhang babalatan na niya ako ng buhay.

“Let's just state that I'm not the one who broke you; yet, it is my obligation as your buddy to repair you. We don't need the person who has broken us to fix us. For example, the hammer shattered the glass. Do you think a hammer can fix shattered glass?” he looked at me like an expert . “No, right? All you have to do is pick up your broken parts, find some glue, and keep away from the person who damaged you. Because if you keep going back to that antecedent, nothing will change. You will be broken and consumed over and over again. It's a cycle.”

Tumango ako. I get his point. Kahit papano ay nawala na ang pag-nginig ko. “Paano kapag hahanap-hanapin ko?”

“Do not let history repeat itself. It is for your own good. Do not seek consolation in things that can cause you great harm. Perhaps you are looking for it because you are accustomed to it. So you found comfort in those things. Even if there is a better circumstance, you keep returning to it due to familiarity. Don't allow yourself to become dependant on that scenario. So, if you refuse to give up your comfort in a messy situation. Then you'll be conditioned to it, and your mind will reject what true comfort is. So do not normalize it in your system. Go out of your miserable zone and hop into the new and truly comfortable zone.”

I suddenly felt relieved when I heard that. I nodded to him with a smile. I also saw the glimpse of his smile.

“Psych ka na niyan?” I joked. Kumunot ulit ang noo niya tapos inisnaban ulit ako. “Anyway, may gusto ka kay Khryza?”

I smirked when his eyes widened.

“Fuck you ka.” he stood up and left my room. I suddenly burst out laughing at his reaction. Trope!

“Fuck you, too!”

*****

Kinagabihan agad kaming nag harap-harap na apat sa sala. Kalalabas ko lang rin ng kuwarto since nag emote ako sa loob. Khryza didn't come in our room either, as if Kaidon had reprimanded her.

Nagluluto na ngayon ng dinner si Mami. Kauupo lang ni Kaidon nang mahuli ko siyang nag-agaw tingin kay Khryza. Naku, in love talaga ito.

“Uh, Cadence. Sorry pala sa nangyari kanina. Bigla kasing kumulo dugo ko nang nakita ko siya,” Yzabella looked at me sincerely. Bigla ko nanaman tuloy naalala ang nangyari kanina.

I took a deep breath. “It’s okay, don't worry. Actually, that one helped me.”

“No, sorry talaga. Nagpadalos-dalos ako sa emosyon ko,” seryoso niyang sambit. Umiling ako at hinawakan ang kamay niya.

“It's okay, baby,” I mouthed.

“Hay naku, huwag kang mag sorry kay Cadence. Ikaw pa dapat ang magalit since pinatulan niya ex mo? Walang girl code, oh!” Ihinarap ni Khyrza si Yzabella sa kaniya dahilan para kumunot noo ko.

“Luh?” I reacted immediately. “I didn't know na naging sila ni Yza. Ni hindi ko ine-expect na sila pala. Gagawin mo pa akong masamang tao!”

“Hala, defensive siya!” si Khryza.

My forehead creased. “I’m not!”

Sabay silang tumawa. What?!

“Hindi talaga kita ka humor, Cadence. Masyado kang seryoso!” bulaslas niya sabay hulukipkip.

“Paano ang pangit ng humor mo,” sabat ni Kaidon na nang-aasar. Napatingin ako naman sa kaniya. Now he got the attention. He looked at us awkwardly. Mukhang nahiya sa sinabi.

“Aysus, ang langkit mo ngang tumitig,” kagat labing sabi ni Khyrza. Bigla naman napakunot ang noo ng lalaki. “Huwag ako, Kaidon. Ipagkalat ko secret natin, eh.”

Biglang umiling si Kaidon at tumahimik na. Para tuloy siyang bata. Ano kaya secret nila? In a relationship na sila? Hmm?

“Anyway, here's the serious question,” basak ni Khyrza sa topic. “Ano na ngayon ang gagawin mo Cadence? What's your plan?”

They all looked at me. Halos hindi sila mag blink sa titig nila sa akin right now.

“Uh, focus on myself?” I shrugged. “Focus sa school siguro? You understand how my father is obsessed with my academic achievement. Mukha babalatan niya ako ng buhay if I failed. Mabuti na rin ’yon. Walang academic distraction. I can focus well.”

“No, what I mean is. Ano ang plan niyo sa in'yong dalawa?” ulit ng babae.

Bigla akong napatigil. Actually, kanina ko pa iyon iniisip hanggang sa nakatulog ako kanina. I guess, susundin ko ang mga advices ni Kaidon.

“Hmm, actually, wala naman na, eh. Buti hindi kami nagtagal. Saka hindi na rin maayos ’yon. At ayaw ko na rin ayusin. Wala naman na rin na.”

Napatango-tango naman sila. Lumapit sa akin si Khryza. “Correct ka riyan. Tara apir!” Inilapit niya at palad niya sa akin para makipag high five. Natawa na lang ako at umiling at ginawa ang gusto niya.

“Sabihin mo sa akin kapag lalapitan ka niya sa school. Ako ang bibira sa mukha niya!” he punch the air to give drama on what she said.

“How about you, Yza? Ayos ka lang?” I asked randomly. Gulat siyang napatingin sa amin.

“Ako? Saan?” she was still shock.

“Kayo ni Clyne, girl,” tawa ni Khyrza. “Sorry, hindi kasi specific magsabi si Cadence, mesa tanga rin ang babaeng ’yan, eh.”

Ngumiti siya ang awkward at tumingin sa akin. “Hmm, wala naman na akong nararamdaman kay Clyne. Concern lang ako kay Cadence noon kaya sobrang galit ko.”

Napatango-tango kami tatlo. Nagpatuloy lang sila sa pag-uusap nila hanggang sa may nag message sa phone ko.

From: Clyne

babawi ako sa iyo.

I just shook my head and listened to them. Their topic was different nanaman, I just lost it for a second, biglang nag-iba na. Grabe talaga kapag kausap mo si Khyrza, bilis mag shift.

Napakunot ulit ang noo ko nang may nag text nanaman sa phone ko. I immediately open it while my brows were totally collided.

From: Unknown number

hi cadence. c dwayne i2. labas k. may ibibigay aq sau

*****
The Way He Loved Me
#UnconditionalLoveTrilogy
—kyahhhgorgeous