Chapter 5

 Our Impenetrable Love

Chapter 5: Where it all started

KANINA pa panay ang mura ni Xhyro. He totally underestimated this girl. Ang tapang niya kasing hamunin ito sa 1v1 dahil akala niya shotgun lang ito marunong, pero marunong din pala ito mag-sniper. He didn’t expect she’d be such a flexible gamer! She even beat him on sniper, the gun where he specializes in!

Since that game where his team beat hers in rank, he’s been interested in her. Not romantically—but in terms of gaming, ito ang mga gusto niyang kalaro. Competitive at malakas. Eto ‘yung mga dapat binibigyan ng ka-duo, e! Tipong bubuhatin ka sa laro.

He even checked the leaderboards, and would you look at that, she’s ranked 6^th with over 62k points! Hindi pa nga nag 30k ang kaniya, 60k na roon sa babae! Does she even have a life outside gaming? Hindi talaga siya makapaniwala nang makita niya ang leaderboards. That girl’s insane.

He lives alone in the apartment and isn’t close to his relatives, so it’s obvious that his reason for being defeated is a bit weak, pero hindi naman alam ni Gen iyon. She doesn’t know about his life. Pero baka naman mahalata nito na palusot niya lang talaga iyon!

“Rematch!” Sigaw niya at napangiwi sa sarili. What is he even trying to prove by winning?

His pride just can’t take losing to a girl. Napatigil kasi siya sa gitna dahil sa buhok niyang kanina pa siya inaabala sa laro dahil hindi niya ito natali. He went easy with her! Nahanapan pa tuloy nito siya ng butas dahil tumigil siya sa gitna.

He sighed and recalled the game, shaking his head. No, she’s actually really good. Her moves are sharp and precise. Hindi masyadong magalaw kagaya niya, pero tamang-tama ang bawat pwesto at aiming nito sa kalaban.

Napangiti siya. If he gets to be allies with this girl on a ranked game, he doubts they’d even lose.

Pero hindi iyon ang pokus niya ngayon. He has to ask for a second match!

Gen laughed on the other line, and somehow that laugh took him by surprise. He didn’t know what to expect of her voice, but it certainly isn’t that soft-spoken voice like an innocent kid.

“I win, Xhyro,” wika nito. “You lose. Just accept that already.”

Nahihilo siya sa tono ng boses nito. Para siyang mababaliw at gustong-gusto niya makita ang mukha sa likod ng boses nito. Napatuwid siya ng upo at tumikhim bago magsalita, mas kalmado na ngayon. Nakakahiya sa babae at panay ang sigaw niya nang matalo kanina samantalang napaka-kalmado nito sa kabilang linya.

Shit. He wonders what face she has and what life she’s living. Hindi niya alam kung bakit gusto niyang malaman ang personal na buhay nito. Maybe she even has a boyfriend already!

“Pero gusto ko ng isa pa,” pagpupumilit niya.

“At ako, hindi na,” sagot nito. “Find someone else to play with if you’re that desperate.” Rinig niyang humikab ito.

Napalingon si Xhyro sa oras sa kaniyang phone. It’s only 9:30, ganito siya kaaga natutulog?

“9:30 palang naman. Tulog ka na nang ganitong oras?” He teased, playing with his long hair.

She scoffed, making him laugh more. This girl’s getting more and more amusing.

“Pagod lang ako sa buong araw,” paliwanag nito sa mababang tono. “Bukas nalang ako makikipag-1v1 sa’yp kung ‘yan ang gusto mo.”

Humagalpak si Xhyro sa tawa. “Fine. That’s a promise. Kapag nag-invite ako bukas, accept mo, ah?” paninigurado niya.

“Oo nga! I don’t go back on my word,” saad nito. “Bye and happy streaming or what-not.” Mabilis na banggit nito bago umalis sa lobby.

Happy streaming?

Muli siyang natawa. So Gen does know him! May naidudulot naman pala ang pag-stream niya! He wonders if she’s ever commented on any of his streams, maybe even gave him stars, or is constantly watching his streams!

Hindi niya alam kung bakit parang ginanahan siya mag-stream sa sunod na araw. Knowing that someone knows him because of streaming is already a huge accomplishment, but coming from his so-called rival in the game, he didn’t know why it made him extremely happy.

PANAY ang pagulong-gulong ni Genevieve sa kama kahit alas onse na at kanina pa natapos ang laro nila.

Why did she have to say happy streaming? It made her look like a fan who watched his streams since he started! Which, by the way, she doesn’t watch any of his streams! Dahil puro Call of Duty related ang finofollow niya sa F******k, kusa nalang itong lumalabas sa newsfeed niya. It doesn’t mean that she’s interested in him!

Muli siyang napamura nang maalala ang mukha nito nang dumaan ito sa feed niya. Ang mahaba nitong buhok na palagi niyang tinatali. The way he always brushes his hair upward and those smirks of his! She even got to hear his voice na siya mismo ang kausap nito!

“Patulugin mo na ‘ko!” Wala sa sariling sigaw niya habang kanina pa pinapaulit-ulit na panoorin ang screen record niya kanina habang nag-uusap sila.

Okay. Why is she even thinking about this so much?

“I have work tomorrow,” nguso niya.

She has to double-check all the orders she packed today and pack the remaining tomorrow, do another double-check and then ship those. Kapag natagalan pa siya sa mga orders nila, baka mas maraming reklamo pa ang makuha ng shop niya. Her shop’s always had a 4.9 rating and she has to maintain that.

Bago siya natulog, sinigurado niya munang panoorin muli ang screen record niya at nag-browse ng mga bagong damit sa website. Aside from gaming, hoarding clothes has become quite her stress-reliever.

Kinabukasan, maaga siyang nagising para tapusin ang trabaho niya. She had around 15 orders left to pack at tinira niya talaga iyong mga tig-iisang damit lang ang binili para mas mapabilis siya sa pag-ayos no’n ngayon. She made sure to take pictures of their orders before sealing the package.

Nag-double check na rin siya sa bawat order. Nagpapasalamat siyang kahit papaano ay marami pa ang natirang order sa kanya kahit napagod siya sa paisa-isang pack nito.

Genevieve sighed. She really needs someone to help her.

If the future lets her have a hundred orders at the same time, how is she going to do all of this herself? Lalo pa at sa website na pinagbebentahan niya ay dapat tatlong araw lang ay naiship na iyon agad. Her job is going to seriously kill her!

“Hay,” nagpakawala siya ng buntong-hininga nang pagmasdan ang makalat na office niya. Kahit sa paglinis ng kalat sa office niya araw-araw ay nakakapagod din.

She placed each package carefully on her huge cart for the courier to pick up later. This is also why she’s rushing all the time, she has a schedule for the courier she doesn’t want to miss. Strikto pa naman siya sa sarili pagdating sa deadlines kaya talagang hinahabol niya ito palagi.

“Thank you po.” Ngiti niya sa rider na kumuha ng orders niya.

“Mukhang marami ulit ngayon, Ma’am, ah?” Komento nito habang nagtutulungan sila sa paglipat ng mga package sa truck nito.

She laughed. “Oo nga po, e. Maraming salamat po talaga!”

“Walang anuman, Ma’am.” Saad nito bago nagpaalam sa kanya.

Napanguso siya nang makaalis ito. If only he knew how stressful packing each order is. Pero kahit na gano’n, alam niyang mahirap din ang trabaho nito.

This is life, anyway. Everything just isn’t easy.

“Jas!” Gen exclaimed when she finally had time to play with her friend. “Na-miss kita kalaro!”

Natawa ito sa kabilang linya. “Eto naman, parang ang tagal nating ‘di naglaro!”

“E, marami nga akong ichichika sa’yo! You now I have no one else to talk to here!” Sumbong niya rito habang naglalaro sila.

Jasmaine—her closest online friend, is her only best friend. Kahit online lang sila at sa laro lang nagkakilala, ito na ang tinuring niyang best friend niya. It’s sad that they migrated when they became friends, kaya tuloy hindi niya sila nagkikita sa personal at sa mga video calls lamang.

Ayon nga lang, dahil nasa ibang bansa ito, iba ang oras nilang dalawa. Kapag nagpupuyat siya, doon niya lang nakakalaro si Jas o kaya naman kabaliktaran. Abala rin kasi ito doon at hindi lang sa paglalaro nakasentro ang buhay.

“Lalaki ba ‘yan? Kung lalaki, kahit anong oras ka mag-text sa’kin, rereplayan kita!” tawa nito.

“Gaga!” sigaw niya. “Teka, sa kanan mo, meron!” She screamed on the game when she saw an enemy near Jas.

“Huh? Kanan? Sa’n nga ulit ‘yon?”

“Right, right, right!” Mas malakas na sigaw ni Gen. This is a serious ranked match, mamaya niya nalang ikekwento rito ang mga nangyari sa kanila ni Xhyro. She trusts Jas for all of her secrets in life, in fact, ito nga lang ang nakakausap niya tungkol dito.

Nang matapos ang laro, hindi na muli sila naglaro ng isa pa at nanatili sa lobby para makapag-usap. They both already had a lot of points so they’re just playing for fun. Manalo o matalo ay ayos lang sa dalawa.

“So, anong chika mo diyan? Bilis! I’d love to hear all about it! Ang dami ko nga rin kwento, e! Go!” Sunod-sunod na banggit nito. If there’s one thing she truly adores about Jasmaine, is that her ears are always ready to listen to Genevieve.

She laughed. “Eto na! Lalaki ‘to kaya makinig ka!”

“Of course! Ako pa ba!”

Pareho silang tawang-tawa sa kwento ni Gen. Dahil hindi naman nanonood ng mga streamers si Jas kahit naglalaro rin ito, talagang hinanap pa nito kung sino ang tinutukoy ni Gen. Ang bruha, kinilig pa sa kwento niya kaya pati tuloy siya, kinilig na rin sa boses nito kahit iritado siya sa ugali nito!

“Girl, pogi talaga!” Jas explained and showed her face on the camera. Lumipat sila sa messenger para doon nalang mag-usap.

With other online friends, she won’t be comfortable with video calls pero kay Jas, komportableng-komportable siya rito. It’s a way to make them both feel like they’re a bit closer to each other even if they’re miles apart.

“But sobrang mayabang niya!” pagkuwa’y saad niya rito. “He literally told me na marunong naman ako magbasa at sniper ang gamitin namin! Huh, akala niya ata sa isang baril lang ako marunong gumamit!”

Jas laughed, throwing her head back. Nakita niya ang kulot sa dulo ng buhok nito na gustong-gusto niya sa buhok ni Jas. She’s half-Filipina and half-American kaya litaw talaga ang ibang lahi nito sa features niya. Her pale skin, tall nose, and slender figure. She’s always admired Jas for being such a beauty, who would have thought they’d be best friends?

“’Di ka lang siguro sanay,” pagdepensa nito.

Kumunot ang noo niya. “Anong hindi sanay? Kairita siya!”

“By the way, I love your hair din today!” Jas squealed and pointed to her hair showing its full length on camera. Nakakatamad kasing hawakan ito kaya pinatong niya lang ang phone sa side table kaya kita ang kalahati ng katawan niya.

She flipped her well-maintained short hair. Maski ang Mama niya ay maganda ang buhok kaya talagang namana niya ito. When she lived independently, the first thing she did was have her hair dyed ash-grey.

“Inaalagan ko ‘to nang mabuti, ‘no!” she boasted. “Ay! Naalala ko lang, may irerecommend ka pa bang lipstick? Ang ganda no’ng sinabi mo sa’kin noon!”

And from boy talk, they quickly shared another hour or two of talking about makeup and self-care, beauty, and online shopping.

XHYRO TAPPED on his table for the nth time that afternoon. Madilim ang titig niya sa pangalan ni Gen sa friends list niya na 3 hours ago pa online. What’s taking her so long? He’s certain he told her they’d have a rematch today!

Mamaya pang gabi ang stream niya kaya gusto niya nang makalaban si Gen para matanong ito kung nanonood siya ng stream nito palagi. That won’t sound weird, right? He’ll just play it off and ask casually!  

“Wala nga naman akong sinabing oras,” umiiling-iling na sabi niya. Masyadong siyang nagulat sa sinabi nito kagabi na wala na siyang masabi pabalik dito. He could have set a time for their rematch so he won’t be out here, waiting for her all afternoon!

Napamura siya at hindi nalang binuksan ang laro at pinilit pasayahin ang sarili niya sa panonood ng movie, pero kusang binubuksan ng kamay niya ang laro kahit hindi niya naman ito masyadong pinag-isipan.

Ugh. He didn’t get why he’s so annoyed. Baka nga naman busy ito at hindi kagaya niya, may iba pa rin itong inaatupag. The game is sort of like his job now because of streaming, and obviously Gen has her own stuff too.

Speaking of, how old is she anyway? What does she do for a living?

For Xhyro, he knows this isn’t a romantic curiosity. Sadyang malakas talaga ito sa laro kaya gusto niya na itong kalaro, pero napapaisip din siya kung bakit naabala siya tuwing tinatanong niya sa sarili kung ano ang ginagawa ng babae.

Finally, around 6 PM and 7 is usually his time for streaming, Gen’s online! The simple online made him smile as he thought of another interaction with her again.

Tumikhim siya at mabilis na pinindot ang invite sa tabi ng pangalan nito para makalaro niya ito. He secretly hoped she’d accept it quickly because he didn’t want to embarrass himself again and get rejected over a game invite.

Napangiti siya nang i-accept nito ang invite niya pero imbes na 1v1 ito, inaya niya itong maging kakampi niya sa ranked game. He wanted to try and see for himself if she’s also really good at ranked games, though he knows she’s already good. Her moves are just that of a professional.

“Huh? Bakit search and destroy rank?” Mas lumaki ang ngiti niya nang magsalita ito, nagtataka. “Akala ko rematch? Natanggap mo na ba na talo ka na?”  

His brows furrowed. ‘Pag dating sa laro, seryoso siya rito!

“Hindi, ah! Gusto ko lang mag-rank ngayon. Wala ako sa mood mag-1v1,” palusot niya. “At saka, sabi ko sa’yo, nagalaw nga ng pinsan ko kagabi! You caught up to me because he’s so annoying!”

Natawa ito sa kabilang linya. “Talaga? Mas maganda siguro kung itikom mo nalang ang bibig mo.”

“Itikom mo bibig mo, ikaw nakaisip, e!”

“Sige nga, start mo ‘yan ranked at maglalaro tayo! Tingnan natin kung sa’n aabot tapang mo!” hamon nito.

His brows twitched. Mas maganda na ‘yung boses niya kagabi nang hindi siya nito sinisigawan! Now they both just keep screaming at each other!

Bigla niya itong sinimulan at nag-seryoso. Nakakahiya kung zero kills siya rito kahit minsan lang naman iyon mangyayari, pero kadalasan ay nahihiya nalang ang kamay niya kapag may kilalang kasama! He always gets so pressured like he has to prove something!

“Mag-shotgun ako,” she informed, still opening her mic. Parang mas naging komportable na ito magsalita ngayon.

“Ge, sniper ako.” He made sure his hair’s all tied up in a way that won’t disturb him during the game.

Nang magsimula ang laro, hindi niya alam kung bakit mas kabado pa siya ngayon kaysa kapag nags-stream siya.

“I’ve been meaning to ask since yesterday,” he tried to ask casually. “But do you watch my streams?”