Pustaka
Cari
Beranda / Romance / The Deal We Called Marriage / Chapter 10

Share

Chapter 10

Penulis: cereusxyz
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-10-29 19:06:25

The morning-after effect was real.

Yung tahimik na honesty kagabi parang hangin, nandito pa rin, kahit ‘di mo na pansin. Everything felt… different.

Ang tahimik ng mundo pero sa loob ko, ang ingay. From too much thinking and too much replaying of every line he said.

At kung kailan gusto ko lang magpaka-normal, fate decided to be funny again.

Kung kailan Friday night at late na ‘ko sa inuman, dun pa namatay ‘yung kotse ko.

Right when I needed to go out.

Right when I was supposed to meet the group sa Ember.

Habang nakatayo sa tabi ng kotse at nagmukhang tanga, when a familiar black sedan stopped beside me.

The window rolled down.

“Car trouble?” Callisto asked.

“No,” napabuntong-hininga ako. “Nagmo-moment lang ako with my engine.”

Hindi manlang sya nag-react. “Get in.”

“Pwede naman akong mag-book ng cab”

“You’ll wait twenty minutes for one.”

Click. Door unlocked. “We’re heading to the same place anyway.”

I hesitated. “Pag nagkasabay tayo, magtatanong ‘yung m
Lanjutkan membaca buku ini secara gratis
Pindai kode untuk mengunduh Aplikasi
Bab Terkunci
Bab sebelumnya Bab selanjutnya

Bab terbaru

  • The Deal We Called Marriage   Chapter 11

    Ang sakit sa mata ng sikat ng araw, parang may personal vendetta siya laban sa’kin. My head was pounding from too much wine, too many fries, and way too much Luca last night declaring that our “relationship was evolving.” Whatever that meant.‘Sure, Luca.’ Evolving into what? Migraine?I rolled out of bed, hair sticking out in all directions, eyes half-open. Pagtingin ko sa orasan, 8:00 a.m. na. Nangangamoy kape na galing kusina. Of course. Gising na siya.Callisto Maxim didn’t know what sleeping in meant. Probably considered it a mortal sin.Paglabas ko, nakasandal sa counter, tie already in place, phone in one hand, coffee in the other. Parang ad sa perfume na “For Men Who Conquer Mondays.”“Do you ever look… human?” bulong ko, sabay abot ng mug sa shelf.“Good morning to you too,” he said, calm as ever, sabay abot ng mug bago ko pa makuha. “Two sugars, no cream, right?”I blinked. “You remembered?”“I have a functioning memory,” he said, still scrolling through his phone.“Congratu

  • The Deal We Called Marriage   Chapter 10

    The morning-after effect was real. Yung tahimik na honesty kagabi parang hangin, nandito pa rin, kahit ‘di mo na pansin. Everything felt… different. Ang tahimik ng mundo pero sa loob ko, ang ingay. From too much thinking and too much replaying of every line he said. At kung kailan gusto ko lang magpaka-normal, fate decided to be funny again. Kung kailan Friday night at late na ‘ko sa inuman, dun pa namatay ‘yung kotse ko. Right when I needed to go out. Right when I was supposed to meet the group sa Ember. Habang nakatayo sa tabi ng kotse at nagmukhang tanga, when a familiar black sedan stopped beside me. The window rolled down. “Car trouble?” Callisto asked. “No,” napabuntong-hininga ako. “Nagmo-moment lang ako with my engine.” Hindi manlang sya nag-react. “Get in.” “Pwede naman akong mag-book ng cab” “You’ll wait twenty minutes for one.” Click. Door unlocked. “We’re heading to the same place anyway.” I hesitated. “Pag nagkasabay tayo, magtatanong ‘yung m

  • The Deal We Called Marriage   Chapter 9

    Umuulan na naman, past midnight na pala.Hindi malakas, sakto lang para gawing mas tahimik ang lungsod.Hindi ako makatulog.Masamang combo: sobrang kape at sobrang iniisip.Kaya bumangon ako, gumawa ng tsaa, at nauwi sa pagtambay sa may bintana ng kusina, pinapanood kung paanong nagiging kulay ginto ang ilaw sa kalsada.And then, of course, he was there.Callisto Maxim.Nakatayo lang, isang kamay nasa baso ng tubig, ‘yung isa nasa sentido. Para bang sobrang dami niyang iniisip.“Insomnia?” I asked, just to say something.“Work, love,” kalmado nyang sagot.“At midnight?”“Deadlines don’t respect time zones.”Of course they don’t.Of course he doesn’t.“Do you ever stop?” I asked, more curious than I wanted to admit.“Stopping feels inefficient.”Napairap ako. “Of course it does.”Natahimik siya. Pero may kung anong nagbago sa postura niya, hindi na sya gano’n ka-stiff. Mukhang pagod lang.Tahimik lang sa pagitan namin. Hindi awkward. Hindi rin naman cold.Tahimik lang talaga.

  • The Deal We Called Marriage   Chapter 8

    It started with one word. Love.Isang beses niya lang sinabi, as a joke. Pero ngayon? Parang naging part na ng araw-araw niyang script.“Morning, love.”“Coffee’s ready, love.”“Pass the files, love.”At bawat beses na sinasabi niya ‘yon na parang announcer lang sa isang business news, kalmado lang at walang effort. Samantalang ako?Two seconds akong nagla-lag bago magpanggap na wala lang.Hindi ko alam kung saan ko ibabaon ‘yung kilig o inis o kung anong halo-halong kuryente na dumadaan sa system ko every time marinig ko ‘yung boses niyang tinatawag akong “love.”Isang linggo na since dumalaw ‘yung lawyer ng lola ko, at sigurado akong ginagawa lang ‘to ni Callisto para asarin ako.Kasi bakit nga ba hindi, diba? Alam niyang maiirita ako. Alam niyang mapapatingin ako sa kanya kahit ayoko.Kalmado lang siyang pumasok sa kusina, naka-white shirt, at amoy shampoo. Parang walking commercial.Habang ako, pagba-butter pa lang sa toast, sobrang haggard na.Ang unfair talaga.“Good

  • The Deal We Called Marriage   Chapter 7

    Ilang araw na mula nang lumipat ako, at somehow, may nabuong routine na kaming dalawa ni Callisto. He’d leave early for work. We’d talk about schedules, grocery lists, at kung sino na naman ang umubos ng almond milk. Walang drama. Efficient, tulad ng lahat ng bagay sa kanya. That morning, I was curled up sa couch niya. Well, ‘our couch’ na raw, pero obvious namang siya pa rin ang may-ari ng lahat. I was actually on a month leave, pero parang pinagsisisihan ko na sa sobrang bored ko sa bahay nya. Nanonood ako ng rerun ng cooking show na ‘di ko naman talaga sinusundan. Nakatunganga lang ako, half-asleep, habang iniisip kung paano ako napunta sa point ng buhay kong ‘to. Then, biglang nag-buzz ‘yung intercom. “Delivery?” I mumbled, tumayo kahit tinatamad. Pero ang sumagot, boses ng guard. “Mrs. Maxim? May Mr. Alonzo po rito. He says he’s your grandmother’s lawyer.” “H-Ha?!” halos mapasigaw ako. “He’s here? N-Now?!” Bakit ngayon?! “Yes, ma’am,” sabi ng guard. “Pa-

  • The Deal We Called Marriage   Chapter 6

    Kung may medalya para sa domestic survival, dapat akin na ‘yung gold. Kasi ngayon, harap-harapan akong nakikipaglaban sa kaaway kong hindi ko alam kung roommate ba o reincarnation ni Marie Kondo.Literal na giyera ang loob ng closet ni Callisto. Kalahati ng damit ko nagbagsakan na sa sahig, habang ‘yung ibang dresses ko nakikipagsiksikan sa mga coat niya. May scarf pa akong nakalaylay sa gitna, parang white flag na sumu-surrender.“You realize you’re invading my space, right?” boses ni Callisto, galing sa hallway. Kalmado, pero may warning shot vibes.“Invading?” tinaasan ko ng kilay habang hawak ‘yung blouse na muntik nang mapigtas sa hanger.“Excuse me, last time I checked, ikaw ang nagyaya na lumipat ako rito. Shared apartment, ‘di ba? Eh ‘di syempre may gamit akong kasama. Hindi naman ako multo na nawawala bigla pagpasok ng pinto.”Lumabas siya sa doorway, naka-cross arms, serious pa rin.“‘Shared, huh? From where I’m standing, mukhang may deposition na nagaganap. ‘Yung mga sapa

Bab Lainnya

Anda juga akan menyukai

Jelajahi dan baca novel bagus secara gratis
Akses gratis ke berbagai novel bagus di aplikasi GoodNovel. Unduh buku yang kamu suka dan baca di mana saja & kapan saja.
Baca buku gratis di Aplikasi
Pindai kode untuk membaca di Aplikasi
DMCA.com Protection Status