Chapter 14

/ LEOX ACHERON SOLACE /

Before going to Dal's house, I dropped by the Elder's Association to borrow one of their jet skis. My next destination was the neighboring town—an island, actually—and we needed a small boat to get there.

Kanina, tinanong ko si Dal kung may yate ba sila, pero naisip ko rin na kung meron man, baka luma na or sira.

Nang malaman nila kung saan ko balak magpunta, nagprisinta pa sila na ihatid ako pero, agad ko naman itong tinanggihan. Sinabihan ko lang sila na may kasama ako.

Tonight is a date.

When I arrived at Dal’s house, he was already on the porch, standing there with his arms crossed. I stayed in the car for a moment, just to appreciate the view. Sitting in the driver’s seat, I found myself silently smiling, admiring Dal’s almost-perfect body proportions.

Damn.

He was wearing a navy blue, short-sleeved linen button-up shirt, loose white beach trousers, and brown mule sandals. His messy hair only added to his charm.

Honestly, he looked like he came from an old-money family.

I finally got out of the car, unable to wipe the smile off my face. Dal was too handsome; I couldn’t take my eyes off him. But instead of a warm welcome, I was met with a gloomy stare.

“Ang tagal mo,” ramdam ko ang pagkabagot sa boses niya.

"Were you waiting for me here? I mean… you're excited for our date?" Biro ko.

His eyes sharpened at my words.

“Can you tone down your shamelessness, Acheron?” he muttered and looked away, as if I didn’t see his cheeks turning red.

“Fine. Let’s go, babe!”

I didn’t hesitate to gently take his hand and pull him close. “Don’t let go,” I whispered, guiding him toward the beach.

“Saan ba tayo pupunta?” he asked, trying to pull away, but failing. “And don’t call me ‘babe’. It’s gross!”

“You look so handsome tonight. Did you dress up for our date?” I said, completely ignoring his complaints.

“Shut up!”

I let out a giggle. Dal's face was absolutely adorable with all that flustered emotion. But of course, it wasn’t just about his face. There was something about his presence… and his scent. Ahh… the scent.

“Did you change your shampoo?” I asked as I leaned in to sniff his hair, but he quickly pushed me away.

“W-what the hell are you doing?” Panic flashed in his eyes. I immediately noticed something, but decided not to bring it up. Dal looked genuinely uncomfortable.

“Wala. Sorry, nagulat kita. I was just smelling your hair. You don’t smell like vanilla,” I said calmly, gently taking his hand again.

His hand was trembling. Marahan ko itong pinisil, trying to silently say, you’re safe. He didn't say anything, but the way he clung to me after that—it told me enough.

“Let’s go?” I coaxed him, since he wasn’t moving. When our eyes met, I smiled softly and pulled him gently to my side. “We’re going to the neighboring island. They have night markets full of seafood and all kinds of street food.”

I was trying to distract him with talk of food. Luckily, it worked. Ngumiti ako nang makita kong marahan siyang tumango.

“A-ano’ng sasakyan natin?”

He was calming down a bit. I didn’t know why he reacted like that. Back at the falls, when I kissed him, he didn’t panic. He’s really weird sometimes… but this time, I could tell something wasn’t right.

“Look straight ahead,” I said.

It was high tide tonight, but the sea wasn’t rough. The wind was gentle too, safe enough to travel.

“Wait… wait. Are you telling me that’s what we’re taking to the island?” he said, pointing.

“Oo.”

“Is that even safe?” he asked, frowning at the jet ski. “Marunong ka bang mag-drive? What if you lose balance? It’s nighttime, Acheron. Anything could happen out there.”

I stood in front of him, arms crossed, just listening. I understood where his fear was coming from, but I couldn’t help smiling.

“Oh! Bakit ka nakangiti? I'm serious! Let’s just go in the morning.”

“It’s called a night market for a reason, Dal,” I replied.

“Kahit na!”

I didn’t want to cancel this trip. And besides, I was sure the ride would be just fine. I just had to ease his worries.

“As long as I’m around,” I said softly, “nothing bad will happen.”

Pero imbis na makumbinsi siya, sinamaan lang niya ako ng tingin. The panic was gone—now Dal was just looking at me with disgust.

"I’ve had enough of your shamelessness. Please stop!" he snapped.

Tinawanan ko lang siya, then pulled him so we could get on the jet ski. Buti na lang, in the end, sumama rin siya. I mean… I never told him we’d go home right after the night market.

I have plans.

“Wrap your arms around my waist tightly,” I reminded him gently.

He was about to let go, but I grabbed his arms and showed him how to properly wrap them around me. His face ended up resting on my shoulder, and I could feel his warm breath. Kanina lang nag-panic siya nang inaamoy ko ‘yung buhok niya, pero ngayon, he just let me do whatever.

That’s why I say he’s weird.

“Stop moving!”

“Nababasa ako, gago!” he shouted, so loud and close to my ear that I flinched a bit.

“Tsk. Don’t let go,” I said, and leaned down to fold the bottom of his trousers so they wouldn’t get wet. I did the same on the other side. “Ayos ka na?”

“Y-you don’t have to do that,” he whispered, and the way he said it gave me a strange, tingling feeling.

“Malapit na ba tayo?” he asked softly.

His breath was so warm, it gave me goosebumps all over. While I focused on driving the jet ski, I reached back and gently tapped his leg, holding it for a second.

“Tangina, Acheron! 'Yang kamay mo kung saan-saan na dumadapo!” he snapped, quickly brushing my hand off his thigh.

I just laughed and grabbed his arm instead. “I told you not to let go,” I said, turning my head to the side.

We both froze. Our lips were just inches apart.

“Dang,” I whispered, grinning.

I made a turn to the right, and after that, we saw the night market full of people. But we were a few kilometers away from the area.

As far as I remember, this area was man-made. They went through a long process to build the market—making sure the waves couldn’t come in and that the foundation wouldn’t grow weak or collapse.

Hindi ko lang alam kung sino ang nagpagawa nito, ang alam ko lang ay mayamang tao sila.

"Woah!" I heard Dal's voice full of awe. "I only see this kind of night market in the movies, I didn't know there's something like this in Lindenvale."

The lights of the night market spilled out like stars brought down to earth. Warm yellow bulbs swing gently from poles, casting a soft, flickering glow over the crowd. Paper lanterns painted with delicate patterns glow orange and red, their light bouncing off the polished surfaces of food carts and hanging decorations.

Some stalls shimmer under cool white LEDs, giving their goods a crisp, clean gleam. Together, the mix of warm and cool lights creates a cozy, energetic atmosphere. Like the market itself was breathing, pulsing with life in the stillness of the night.

The night market stretched from the edge of the shore all the way into the water, like a glowing pathway leading to the heart of the bay. Bamboo walkways and wooden platforms stood above the surface, held up by sturdy posts driven deep into the waterbed. Each step farther from land brought cooler air and the gentle sound of waves beneath the floor.

Stalls lined both sides, their lights casting golden reflections that shimmered on the rippling water below. Lanterns swayed with the breeze, and the scent of grilled food mixed with the faint smell of the sea. It felt like walking through a floating village of light, noise, and color—half on land, half drifting in the night.

I parked the jet ski by the shore. There was a young boy who was one of the watchers for the sea vehicles. Binigyan ko siya ng pera para bantayan ang jet ski namin at sobrang tuwa niya nang makita nang buo kung magkano ito.

"Akoy bahala, boss!" He said in a dialect I grew up.

Pagsampa namin ay si Dal na ang nangunguna sa paglalakad. He went to a stall that had a huge squid sign. I saw Dal talking to a local, but after a while he looked at my side, asking for help.

I shook my head while smiling.

"What's the matter?" I asked, but I know the reason why he's looking at me that way.

"Hindi niya ako naiintidihan," bulong nito sa akin.

I tapped his head, turned to the woman selling a grilled squid. "Tagpila ang buok, nang?"  I asked pointing a dried squid on a stick.

"Katloan, dong."

Before answering the local vendor, I turned to Dal and asked him how many he wanted to eat. He showed me his fingers.

"Napulo nya ako paliton."

The local vendor nodded her head and put ten skewers on the grill. While waiting for the skewers to be cooked, I pulled Dal and we went to the stall beside. I bought three pieces of xiao longbao that was put in recyclable plate.

"Hey, I have something to ask," he said while we were eating xiao long bao.

"Hmm?"

"I just noticed that almost everyone here is a local. The place is actually good for tourists, but I don’t see any."

Ah, yeah. This place was only set up last month, and there are still a lot of preparations needed before the night market officially opens and gets advertised. Their number one problem right now is the language barrier.

The founder chose to help the unfortunate ones. Their lives had always been focused on surviving each day—nothing more. That also means these locals only speak one dialect. And because they’ve been too busy just getting by, they never had the time to learn other languages.

"It's not totally open yet, and the locals are preparing something."

"Ano naman?"

Alam ko ang lahat ng ito kasi pumunta rito ang nanay ko noong nakaraang buwan, at nagbigay rin siya ng pondo para sa mga pangangailangan nila. Nagustuhan daw kasi niya ang ideya ng night market.

"They’re teaching other languages to the locals."

"Wait… what?"

"You heard it right. Napansin mo naman kanina noong kinausap mo ’yung nagtitinda ng pusit. They’re trying to educate them for their own good."

"Are they indigenous people?" Tila namamangha niyang tanong habang nakatingin sa mga nagtitinda.

He was probably realizing that these people were Lindenvalians

"They are the unfortunate ones. Hindi palaging marami ang huli sa dagat kaya tinulungan sila at binigyan ng mapagkakitaan. Some of them were farmers who didn't even own their land."

"Wow!"

When the skewers were finally cooked, the local vendor handed us a big plastic cup filled with vinegar sauce and lots of onions. We stayed at the far end of the night market, leaning against a wooden railing, silently chewing on the grilled squid.

I was the one holding the big plastic cup since Dal was struggling to carry all the food he had bought.

"Hey! I realized something!" he suddenly said after downing a whole cup of sugarcane juice.

"Ano?"

"The places we’ve been to don’t have a lot of people. Sinasadya mo ba ’yon o nagkataon lang?"

I looked at his side profile. He was now chewing on another grilled squid.

"I have a feeling you don’t want people to know about your whereabouts."

"So do you."

Pfft. I really didn’t expect this to happen. We both escaped from the limelight and ended up in this faraway town to hide and forget our problems. I think we both found our comfort here.

"Hey, look up!"

"Wow. Full moon."

I like this feeling. I really do. And I’m afraid it’ll be gone one day.
If I had the choice,
I’d stay with him.

- B M -