“WOW.”
Iyon ang unang salita na narinig niya mula kay Arch. Aguas nang makita siya nito doon sa lobby. Sahara just smiled at him. Architect Aguas looked good himself. He’s wearing a well-fitted blue suit, which makes him look sharp. His presence actually made her a bit tense, especially because of the way he stares at her.
“Wow,” ulit nito. Titig na titig ito sa kanya. “Miss Smith…you are stunning.”
“T-thank you po, sir.”
Para itong nakakita ng multo at saglit na hindi nakagalaw. He was just looking at her, as if it was the first time he laid his eyes on her. “Shall we?”
It was a 15-minute drive. Ang bagong tayo’ng hotel na iyon ay pagmamay-ari ng kaibigan ni Arch. Aguas na kilala rin ang pangalan sa mundo ng pagnenegosyo sa bansa. Marami nang tao nang makarating sila sa Event Hall, at sa isang tingin pa lamang ay alam na ni Sahara na ang lugar na
“OH well, he’s always been like that.”Aguas decided to have coffee before going back to their rooms. The coffee shop looked like a dreamlike place at night. Maraming maliiit na ilaw ang nakasabit sa mga puno, may mga kandila ang bawat mesa. At dahil nakatanaw ito sa karagatan, naaaninag ang repleksyon sa tubig ang mga ilaw na nagmumula sa iba’t-ibang establisyemento doon. Maliwanag rin ang bilog na buwan.He was talking about Mr. Tantoco. Naitanong kasi niya rito kung bakit parang ‘bad mood’ ito.“At hindi talaga ‘yon basta-basta nakikipag-usap, lalo na sa mga babae.”‘Bakit po?” tanong niya. “Is he…”“Gay? No,” natatawa nitong sagot. Humigop ito ng mainit na kape at tumingin sa kanya. “Ganoon lang talaga si Sir. Mailap sa mga babae. I’ve known him for about nine years, at simula noong magkakilala kami, hi
AFTER shopping for something that she could use for swimming, they headed straight to the beach. And Aguas wasn’t kidding when he said that he’d make sure she’ll enjoy every minute of this day. Naglalakad na sila noon sa tabing-dagat, malakas ang hampas ng alon sa kanilang mga paa, tulad ng paghampas ng hangin sa kanilang katawan. Malapit na noong magdapit-hapon.“Wow, ang ganda po pala talaga dito, sir.”“Yeah, just like you.”Instead of looking at the magnificent backdrop, his eyes were fixed on her. Sahara felt her cheeks go warm. Now, she wanted to regret the swimsuit that she chose to wear. It was a torquoise colored two-piece swimwear, with a maroon shawl wrapped around her waist.“Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare,” natatawa nitong sabi sabay tingin sa palubog na araw.Sahara didn’t mean to stare at him either. Gusto niyang batukan ang sarili dahil nap
“THANK you for the fun weekend, Sahara.”“T-thank you rin, Ricky. Sobrang nag-enjoy ako.”They were both standing in front of her hotel room now, saying their good byes. Tomorrow morning, they leave. Tomorrow morning, everything will be back to normal – him being her boss, her being one of the company’s copywriters.“Good night, Ricky,” she said as she looks up at him.“Good night. See you tomorrow.” Nakasandal ang isa nitong braso sa pader habang nakatingin sa kanya.“Yeah, see you.” Ngumiti siya at binuksan na ang pinto.Lumapit si Aguas sa kinatatayuan niya, hinawakan ang isa niyang kamay at tinitigan siya sa mata. His hand was huge and warm and holding his hand felt like being in a tight embrace. Napalunok siya. Hindi niya alam kung magugustuhan ba niya ang nararamdaman nang mga oras na iyon o hindi.“I promised n
SAHARA has to admit that she’s still mending a broken heart and what happened during her weekend with Architect Aguas was uncalled for. The kiss they shared caused her much more than she bargained for. Ngayon, hindi niya alam kung ano ang susunod na mangyayari. Should she avoid Aguas altogether? Should she render her resignation? Especially now that she had confirmed the fact that Aguas has a wife. And a daughter.“Nasa Amerika ‘yung pamilya niya. They are married, but they are not together. Alam mo na, problema ng mayayaman. Ewan ko ba sa mga iyan, nasa kanila na nga ang lahat, namo-momroblema pa sa maliliit na bagay.”Iyon ang sabi ni Miss Gopez. Kaya wala na siguro siyang dapat na isipin pa tungkol sa nangyari sa Dumaguete. It was just a kiss – a kiss which made Aguas breathless. Madali niya iyong malilimutan pero ang tanong, malimutan kaya iyon ni Aguas?“Kumusta nga pala ang con
EVERYTHING about Ricardo Aguas was impressive. Ang mamahalin nitong suit, ang nanunuot nitong pabango, ang mukhang bagung-bagong sportscar. At ang pinuntahan nila ay isang exclusive restaurant sa isang luxurious hotel. Everything was new to her. The scene, the food, the music. Sahara was enjoying all of it. Hindi man masyadong pormal ang lugar, hindi pa rin maikakaila na puntahan iyon ng mga mayayaman. Naka-long sleeves at itim na vest ang mga waiters, makikintab ang lahat ng mga kubyertos, baso, salamin, sariwa ang mga bulaklak sa ibabaw ng mesa.Sa buong dinner ay sa kanya lamang nakatuon ang atensiyon ni Aguas. At sa tuwing tititigan nito ang mga mata niya, pakiramdam niya ay nababasa nito kung ano man ang nasa isip niya.“Sahara, can I ask you another question?”Tumango siya.“Is it possible for you to fall for someone older?”Ah, ito na ‘yon. Ito na nga ang kinatatakutan niyang tanong.
“SARAH! Wow, I thought I won’t be able to see you again.”Ace was all smiles when Sahara turned around. He was there, dashing with his formal suit, standing, with a glass of scotch in one hand. Inilapag nito ang baso sa bar counter at tumabi sa kanya.“It’s me, Ace,” nakangiti nitong sabi sabay turo sa sarili dahil hindi man lamang siya ngumiti pagkakita niya rito. “Don’t tell me hindi mo na ‘ko naaalala?”How could she forget a guy like him? Oh well, she has almost forgotten about him because of her out-of-this world schedule. Bukod kasi sa trabaho sa opisina ay nagpa-part time rin siya sa pagiging ramp model, at kapag may pagkakataon ay dumadaan siya sa The Lounge para kumustahin ang mga dating kaibigan doon.“Hey, it’s me, the guy who came from a family of businessmen, remember?”Sa wakas, napangiti siya. Ibinaba niya ang hawak na bote ng beer do
NAKANGITI si Ace habang umiinom ng scotch. He could probably feel her sudden interest on the subject. “We could fly tomorrow morning, enjoy the whole weekend swimming, sun bathing, or just walking around. Or…we could just stay inside the hotel and...relax. May infinity pool sa roof deck ng favorite kong hotel. The view is spectacular. I’m sure you’ll love it.”Wow. Now she’s really interested. Pero hindi niya iyon ipinahalata kay Ace. “Do you always offer Boracay weekends to all the girls you meet?” “Of course not. I am a very busy person and I don’t spend my weekends with some random girl I meet at the bar. I’m willing to take a couple of days off from my schedule to be with you because...you know, I’ve already told you that I real
IYON ba ang tinatawag na ‘spark’? ‘Chemistry’? ‘Magic’? Pero matagal na panahon na siyang hindi naniniwala sa mga ganoong bagay. Kahit pa nga kay Baste ay hindi siya nakaramdam ng spark-spark na gano’n.Napalunok si Sahara nang unti-unting lumalapit ang mukha ni Ace sa mukha niya. Sukul na sukol na siya doon sa kanyang kinauupuan kaya hindi niya magawang gumalaw.“Do you hear that?” mahinang tanong ni Ace. His breath smelled scotch and mint.“Hear what?”“That – thump, thump, thump. Ang lakas,” nakangiti nitong sabi. “Sa’yo ba ‘yon?”Umiling siya. Naiintindihan nito ang ibig nitong sabihin.Ipinilig nito ang ulo sa kaliwa na para bang napakalalim ng iniisip. Sa sobrang gulat ay hindi na niya nagawang makapalag nang kunin nito ang isa niyang kamay at ilapat sa malapad nitong dibdib. “Thump,