Chapter 16

/ DAL LUBOMIR /

Hindi pa rin tumitila ang ulan at wala akong magawa bukod sa pagmasdan ang view sa labas... kahit blurry ito dahil sa lakas ng ulan. Wala rin naman akong maisip na gawin dito. Habang tumatakbo ang oras, palala nang palala ang pagkabagot ko.

Acheron had been in his room the whole day, and even though he told me earlier that it was fine to come in, I chose not to. Pero humingi ako ng ilang damit sa kanya dahil kailangan kong maligo at magbihis.

There are four rooms in this house. It doesn’t have a big space, but it looks like it does because the rooms are empty. Wala kasing mga kama sa loob ng mga kwarto. Tanging isang maliit na closet lang ang naroon.

The bathroom looked cozy though, and it took me an hour to soak in the tub. There are live plant decorations in the corner that create a unique vibe with the wooden walling. It wasn’t spacious, but it’s easy on the eyes.

Acheron lent me sweatpants and a white shirt that were a little big for my size. He’s muscular and I’m not, so his clothes are obviously big on me. Every time I walk, I have to hold my pants because they keep slipping down.

Now that I’m in the living room doing nothing, my thoughts tend to wander. I know Acheron is rich and he has almost everything you can name. He even has a company of his own. Pero bakit ganito ka-boring ang place niya?

Sure, it’s cozy, but how can he endure the sense of loneliness?

Ewan, baka nag-o-overthink lang ako. Baka ako lang ang nag-iisip na parang empty shell ang bahay na ‘to.

Anyway, I am really bored. Ni wala nga siyang TV dito or kahit Bluetooth speaker man lang.

Kinuha ko na lang ang cellphone ko sa mesa at nag-surf sa internet, although I was advised not to, given the situation I’m in. I read some articles regarding my scandal. Wala namang bago kahit na may foul play, ako pa rin ang nakikitang masama.

Yeah, I was hurt at first. I even tried to kill myself, but I was given the chance to see the other side of the world. I was given a choice… thanks to Acheron.

As I was looking for a good topic to read, I stumbled upon an interview of a famous actress who went on hiatus for a year. I’ve met her before for a magazine cover shoot, and I was amazed at how professional she was. She does her work so well that I didn’t even have to take another shot for the same pose. I mean, she’s walking perfection.

The press was asking her why she went on hiatus for a long time and why she decided to come back to the limelight. I clicked the video to watch the full interview.

---

"Where did you go during your hiatus? People are actually wondering what happened to Laura Gallac after your appearance in the film 'The Pattern'."

"I actually took a long break because my character had a huge impact on my mental health. You know me, as an artist, I don't give shallow acting—that’s why I delved into the character..."

---

That’s very difficult to handle. Kapag ang tunay na ikaw ay hindi mo na maibalik at yung karakter mo na ang nangingibabaw sa pagkatao mo, ay hindi madali. Ito ang isa sa mga disadvantage bilang isang artista. I get her, that she wants to deliver a great and realistic character for the fans, but she had to handle the consequences alone.

---

"Ano'ng nag-udyok sa’yo na bumalik ngayong taon sa showbiz? Are you doing fine already? Alam mo kasi, Laura, marami sa mga fans mo ang nag-aalala na baka hindi ka na talaga bumalik. Were your fans your reason to come back?"

"Actually, Sandi, habang nagpapagamot ako sa ibang bansa for my mental health, I still surfed the internet and read some articles. From time to time, nagsasagot ako ng mga tanong ng fans kung kumusta na ba ako. I gave updates as well sa social media accounts ko, but I didn’t give them an answer to why I suddenly disappeared. I know naman na napaka-understanding ng mga fans ko, lalo na at may manager din akong sobrang attentive. So for the whole year ng pagpapagamot, the doctors gave me a positive result and they also gave me advice and some techniques next time, if ever may kaparehong karakter ako sa 'The Pattern.' And yes… my fans are the reason kung bakit ako bumalik. Mahal na mahal ko sila and I am really grateful that even though I suddenly went on hiatus for a long time, they still continue to support me. So, salamat sa inyo..."

---

Now that I think about it, Laura Gallac is an artist under Crown Entertainment. She’s one of the highest-paid artists and famous as well, so I guess it’s a waste to just dispose of her presence in CE. Parang technique lang ito ng CE dahil sa issue na kinakaharap ni Acheron. Kailangan nilang makabawi.

Wow. What an obvious strategy.

---

"Aware ka ba sa issue na kinakaharap ng isa sa mga artist under Crown Entertainment? Are you close with Leox Acheron Solace?"

As the interviewer asked Laura the question, I saw reluctance in her face, but she covered it with an awkward laugh.

"Oh my god, hindi ko in-expect na itatanong iyan. Pero siguro people saw us together before kaya naitanong. Anyway, Leox is actually not just a co-worker, and it saddens me that there are a lot of people pinning him down just for a single photo circulating on the internet, even though they aren’t sure if it was really Leox in the picture. I’ve known him for too long, and I’ve witnessed how he worked with different personalities professionally, and I haven’t heard any issue about him—ngayon lang talaga."

"So, Laura, you don’t believe that it was him in the picture? Why?"

"I just know that he’s not into men."

"How is that?"

"I don’t want to create more issues, but I think I really need to tell this. At some point in our lives, we treated each other so dearly. That’s why I laughed at the issue—because I know Leox is straight."

---

What?

What the hell is she talking about?

Wait... what did she just say? They treated each other dearly? They were lovers before?

Suddenly, the air seemed limited and I started taking deep breaths as Laura Gallac’s words continued to sink into my head. I could feel my chest tighten and ache.

My memory of our first meeting flashed in my head. Those days we spent together, the conversations we had, the kiss, and the sweetness he showed me.

Did I really let Acheron ruin the walls I’ve been building? Do I like him? Did I fall?

"What the hell have you done, Dal?! This can't be happening! I shouldn't be hurting! I shouldn't be affected!" I mumbled while gripping my hair out of frustration.

Fuck!

But no matter how much I denied everything, my heart said otherwise. Since when did I let myself get swayed by his charm? At what point did I let him break the walls I put up?

This is not the right thing to focus on right now, Dal. You have so much on your plate and Acheron…

"I just finished with all the company work and noticed it's starting to get dark outside, but the rain hasn’t stopped. Anyway, let’s eat?"

Hindi ako agad nakagalaw sa pagkakaupo dahil sa gulat nang bigla siyang nagsalita mula sa aking likuran.

"Dal?" His voice was soothing, as if he placed gentleness in saying my name.

Now that I think about it, Acheron has been gentle to me the whole time... right from the very beginning...

"U-uhmm... yeah, let’s have an early dinner," sabi ko na lang at tumayo nang hindi man lang siya tinitingnan.

"Were you bored waiting for me?"

Mariin akong napapikit habang paulit-ulit na bumabalik sa isipan ko ang interview ni Laura. If Acheron is not gay… then why the hell would he talk to me like I’m the most precious person in his life??

Should I ask about Laura? But why should I? Do I even have the right to ask?

Why would I ask him when I know this thing between us is just temporary?

"Well, I was... pero hindi naman sobrang bored. How was the meeting, by the way?"

Panahon na siguro para klaruhin kung anong meron sa pagitan namin. I tried to pretend I didn’t know about the interview and acted like how I usually am with him.

"I know you're bored, but we're stuck here because of the heavy rain," komento niya habang binubuksan ang refrigerator.

Napansin ko agad na puno ang loob ng ref niya. I don’t remember him buying stocks. How come may laman ang ref niya?

"What do you want for dinner, Dal?"

"May rice ba?"

"Of course. I know you love rice."

Nakatalikod siya sa akin kaya hindi niya nakita ang reaksyon ko. But honestly, he didn’t have to say that. It makes me feel pathetic.

"Ano'ng ulam lulutuin mo?"

I heard him chuckle and he turned around to look at me.

"I was asking you, though. Anything in mind?"

I hate that smile, but I can’t help staring at his face. He's handsome.

Now I'm complimenting him... what the hell!

"Anything chicken."

"Okay! Gotcha! Just wait a minute."

He wore an apron before starting to cook while I just sat there, watching him. I could see him slicing some sayote, and he actually looked like a pro.

"Marunong ka pala magluto?" tanong ko dahil naiilang ako sa set-up naming dalawa.

"Hmm... my mother taught me how to cook at a very young age. It was part of survival since she wasn’t always around."

Cooking was his survival, while escaping was mine. Anyway, I don’t want to think about anything else.

"Hindi pa kita nakikita sa isang cooking show. Sayang naman ang talent mo sa pagluluto."

He laughed a bit.

"It’s unnecessary to show them my talent."

"But it adds to your quality as an artist. I mean, you should showcase your talent. Adding abilities could expand your fan base."

Right! I’ve seen so many celebrities who wouldn’t think twice about showing their hidden talents just to make people grow fond of them. They’d do so many things—even petty ones—just to get the audience's attention.

But Acheron was different. His colleagues looked up to him and idolized him even though all he ever did was act.

He didn’t do much exposure to grow his fan base. He only did commercials, magazine covers, modeling, and acting. I’ve never seen him in a talk show or game show.

"I don’t really need to."

Yeah! He’s weird.

"And why is that?"

"I knew being an artist isn't a lifetime profession, and I don’t feel the need to tell people what I’m good at. I let them see what I want them to see, not what they want to know."

He really keeps his other side private. Kaya maraming nagsasabi noon na sa kabila ng kasikatan niya, nananatili pa rin siyang misteryoso.

"Besides, I did some modeling and magazine covers before, and I think those are enough. I don’t force people to idolize me."

I raised a brow at his statement.

"Pero isang beses ka lang nag-modeling at naging cover sa isang magazine. Iyong commercial mo, dalawang beses mo lang ginawa."

Nilingon niya ako, pero saglit lang at bumalik na ang atensyon niya sa pagluluto.

"I started my acting debut when I was ten until now. I think that’s enough for me. Also, Crown Entertainment gave me the title of one of their Princes, and that helped my fan base expand. Even though I rarely go to fan meetings, people still recognize me as one of the great artists in the industry."

Base rin sa alam ko, isa siya sa mga highest paid artists.

"I probably didn’t focus on attending shows because I put my attention into acting."

Busy nga siya sa mga movies niya at may mga series pa siya. Kaya rin marami siyang fans—dahil sa kagwapuhan at sa galing niyang umarte.

"Anyway, hindi ko pa nababalitaan na may na-link na artista sa’yo. Totoo ba na never ka pang pumasok sa isang relasyon?"

Maybe this will clear up my thoughts about what Laura Gallac said. If it turns out what she said is true, then I really need to end whatever this is between Acheron and me.

Ilang segundong hindi siya nagsalita. Maybe he didn’t expect me to ask, or maybe he just didn’t like the question.

"You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to," agad kong bawi.

Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Acheron get angry in real life. Was it as scary as the characters he plays?

Ilang minuto pa ang dumaan at natapos na ang niluluto niya. Ako ang nag-prepare ng mga plato at kubyertos habang siya naman ang naglagay ng pagkain.

From time to time, I could feel his stares, but I didn’t complain or ask.

"Hey... about what you asked earlier—"

"Hindi mo naman kailangang seryosohin ang tanong ko. Naghahanap lang ako ng pwedeng maging topic sa usapan," I casually said cutting him off.

I already knew the answer based on his reaction. He probably saw Laura Gallac’s interview, and I’m sure he thought I saw it too.

Although I knew from the start that I had to end this… still, my chest hurts so much.

- B M -