Chapter Three

Chapter 3

Zyril Andrei Villaflorica, 21 years old currently taking a Civil Engineering course. 

I squinted my eyes to see if the information written in his biodata were true. I don't usually ask about the employees’ background working under my mom's management, but the new gardener caught my attention. 

I wanted to know him more. Weird, but I wanted to be friends with him. 

I forgot to ask his name the last time, and it’s good that I think of checking his background. So he’s older than me and already in college. That explains his masculine face and masculine body. He looks mature already, and that’s because he’s old? Or I was just in faze for meeting a man like him? 

My boy classmates aren’t handsome as he is. Mostly, they just like to play games and don’t think of their future or anything they wanted to do in life. Kaya masyado lang siguro akong naaliw na nakakita ako ng isang seryoso at matipunong tao. 

Though I only interacted with him once, I can already feel that he’s profound and a little bit mysterious. As soon as I scan again for his background, I learned that he doesn’t come from a prominent family. Both of his parents were farmers, and he has two siblings. He’s the breadwinner of the family because he’s the oldest. 

Does that explain why he’s working with us now? His course is a little bit demanding in terms of financially. At ang sweldo ng mga trabahante dito ay hindi rin biro dahil medyo malaki rin ang pinapasahod ni mommy. Iyon nga lang kapalit ng mahal na sahod ay ang pagkaka-istrikto niya naman sa lahat ng bagay. 

But at some point, I wanted to feel the world of living a normal one. I wanted to feel the life of a commoner. I may have it all, but there’s always a hallowed space in my heart that no one could fulfill. It’s always been like this. Just when they thought, I am complete. Just when everyone thought that I have no problems, they didn’t know that I always feel empty. 

“So you’re name is Zyril Andrei ha,” bungad ko sa kaniya nang napagpasiyahan kong pumunta sa garden para magpahangin saglit. 

Kakatapos ko lang sa pag-pratice para sa debut ko at kahit na paulit-ulit na naman ang tinuturo sa akin. But it’s weird because I am not tired or mad for doing it again for the first time. Pati ata ang trainer ko ay nagulat din sa naging mood ko ngayong araw at tila ay sinunod ko pa lahat ng sinasabi niya. 

“You had me background check?” nakangisi ngunit naniningkit niyang tanong sa akin. 

Tumuwid siya nang tayo at pinunasan ang kaniyang pawis gamit ang puting tuwalya na nakasabit sa kaniyang balikat. Pinatong niya sa maliit na lamesa ang malaking gunting pang trim sa mga bulaklak at deretsong nakatingin sa akin habang binubuksan ang water bottle niya. 

Tumikhim ako at kunwaring nagmamasid sa paligid. Yet his stares penetrate my soul that, for the first time, I felt nervous around him. 

“Uhmm… it’s common for your boss to have a background check for their workers, right?” I said, trying to calm my nerves. 

“But I am not working under your wing, Princess,” he beamed. 

“Yes, you are! I own every inch of this mansion, and I am one of your boss, so basically, you’re working on me!” 

Mas lalong lumapad ang ngisi niya nang dahil sa naging reaction ko.Isang lagukan lang ang ginawa niya sa kaniyang tubig at tinapon agad ito sa malapit na basurahan. He then leaned closer to me and patted my head. His scent quickly finds its way on my nose. 

“Relax,  Princess. Hindi mo kailangang bumulyaw at naririnig kita,” he mocked.

Bahagay ko siyang tinulak nang malakas at naniningkit na binalikan. 

“Whatever…” I rolled my eyes. 

Umupo ako sa bench dito sa garden at pinagmamasdan siyang nagpatuloy sa kaniyang trabaho. His muscles on the back flexes whenever he will trim some of the excesses of the roots of the flowers. 

Ang aking nakalugay na buhok ay natatangay ng hangin at dinadaplisan ang aking balat ng init. The sun was too bright for today that I even need to wear a summer hat to protect myself. Samantalang si Zyril ay parang hindi nababahala sa sakit sa balat na dala ng init ng araw. 

“Am I not allowed to check your background? Para saan pa ba at nagpasa ka ng resume bago ka nag apply sa amin,” I said out of nowhere.

 “I didn’t say anything, Princess,” he chuckled.  He stops cutting and faces me with a beam plastered on his face. 

“But the way you say it sounds like I am not allowed to do it!” pangigigiit ko pa. 

“Ikaw lang naman ang nag-isip ng ganyan ha. Nagtanong lang ako sa’yo.” 

I rolled my eyes again. “Ahhh! Whatever! What matters to me now is I get to know your name, so I won’t call you gardener anymore,” maarte kong saad sa kaniya. 

“So you want to know my name ha?” he playfully squinted his eyes. 

I raised a brow, “Bakit bawal ba?” 

“Gusto mo pa lang malaman ang pangalan ko edi sana tinanong mo na ako noong una nating pagkikita. Nahihiya ka ba sa akin kaya hindi mo magawang itanong iyon, ha?” 

“Saan mo nakuha ang kapakalan ng mukha mo?” I scoffed. 

Natawa siya sa sagot ko sa kaniya at tuluyan nang lumapit sa akin umupo sa tabi ko. Pinunasan niya ulit ang pawis na tumatagaktak galing sa kaniyang mukha papunta sa kaniyang leeg. His scent quickly enveloped my nose. Despite being full of sweats his good scent remains. Mas lalo pa ata siyang bumango ngayong pawis na pawis siya. 

And I find it weird dahil ngayon lang ako nakaamoy ng ganitong amoy. 

“Asus… pwede mo namang e deretso sa akin kaya bakit kailangan mo pang basahin ang resume ko?” 

“Bakit bawal ba?” I icily said. 

“Walang bawal basta ikaw.” 

We were so close to each other, so I distance myself a bit. Napansin niya ang bahagyang pag-usog ko kaya naman ay tumawa siya. 

“Hindi naman ako mabaho ha? Bakit ka umusog?” Inamoy-amoy niya pa ang sarili niya at parang timang tumawa. 

That made me laugh. Silly, I distance myself because you’re too good to smell. Ayaw kong maadik sa amoy mo. 

“Hindi ko naman sinabi na mabaho ka, ha? Ikaw lang naman ang nagsabi niyan,” natatawa kong saad. 

“Sa wakas at nakita na rin kitang tumawa,” he casually said out of nowhere. 

That made my lips back into a thin line, and I eyed my feet thoughtfully. Ako rin ngayon lang ako nakaramdam ng ginhawa sa buhay kong hindi ko alam kong saan patungo. Ever since my mother was so focused on her career, she forgot about me already. She forgot that I am not liking what she wanted me to be. 

At simula noon ay hindi ko na alam kung may patutunguhan ba ang buhay ko ngayong palagi na lang akong alipin sa mga salita at ginagawa niya. I don’t even know how to laugh, and for the first time, this man beside me, a mere gardener, made me laugh with just a simple statement.

Funny how a single person can make me laugh starting I accepted darkness in my life. It just stated to me that life is still possible for me. All people have different sufferings, different pain, and different ways of coping up. As for some, they might laugh at their problem, for they believed that laughing could somehow make them at ease, but for me laughing seems so hard to reach. 

Ngayon lang talaga at hindi ko alam kung sasaya ba ako o hindi dahil napansin niya iyon. Kung hindi niya nga sinabi baka hindi ko rin mismo namalayan sa sarili ko. 

“I don’t laugh,” sabi ko na lang sa kaniya. 

“Bakit naman? Wala namang mali kung tumawa ka ha,” banayad niyang saad. 

“Wala akong karapatang tumawa sa buhay kong ganito.” 

“Humans have emotions. Everyone can feel happiness. Don’t deprive yourself of being happy, even it was so small. Happiness is happiness. It doesn’t have the measurement, so be happy, Princess,” kaswal na saad niya ulit.

“And besides, you’re precious when you laugh.” 

That made me live for a week. His words comforted me despite being so close to breaking down when I am alone. I don’t know, but whenever I am lonely, my tears will just automatically fall without any reason. 

Iiyak lang ako nang iiyak hanggang sa kusa na itong mawala and at the end of the day, I still don’t know the reason why I cry. I don’t find the comfort of being alone the same also of being in a crowd.

Hindi ko talaga alam ang takbo ng buhay at emosyon ko minsan. 

As soon as my feet landed on the school’s ground, the meaningful, dreadful stares and silent whispers of the students welcomes my ear. Agaw attensyon ang dalawang body bodyguard sa likod ko at ang dalawang yaya naman sa gilid ko. 

My mother was behind all of this. All of my activities for this day were reported by the two housemaids behind me. Malaki ang pasasalamat ko noon sa ina ko ng hinayaan niya akong pumasok sa normal na unibersidad at hindi puro kagaya ang mga kasama ko. But that thankfulness shattered when she hired two bodyguards and two housemaids to follow and watch my every move. 

My mother did something to the higher-ups of this school because I am allowed to have this—only me. Ang hinahangad ko na normal na buhay na sana sa paaralan ko makikita ay naging masaklap dahil walang gustong lumapit at makipagkaibigan sa akin. 

I am so high for their likings. Sa tingin nila ay masyado akong mata pobre at ayaw nila akong lapitan. 

“You can wait on the kiosk while I am in class. You’re not allowed to follow me inside the room,” I warned them.

Naging normal na estudyante ako pagdating sa classroom. Senior High School na ako at nagpapasalamat na lang din ako na pantay ang pag trato ng guro namin sa aming lahat. 

Right after my class, I went out to my classroom planning to sneak my bodyguards. Maraming dumaan na mga estudyante sa harap ko at plano ko ang makisabay sa kanila para hindi ako mahalata ng bantay ko. 

I was about to join the crown when someone pulls me behind and automatically landed on his broad chest. My eyes widen when I smell his scent. Amoy pa lang alam ko na kung sino ang humigit sa akin at itinago sa likuran ng building namin. 

I was about to protest when he put his finger on my mouth. “Shhh.” 

“What are you doing here?” I whispered. 

Luminga-linga siya sa paligid at nang makitang maayos na ay binalingan na niya ako. 

“Itatakas kita sa mga body guards mo. I know you want freedom.” 

“Teka lang! Why are you here? Outsider aren’t allowed in the school premises,” mataray kong ani. 

He chuckled, “Sinong nagsabing outsider ako? Binasa mo na ang resume ko bakit hindi mo alam kung saan ako nag-aaral?” 

My eyes widen in shocked.  “Dito ka nag-aaral?” 

“Yes… your highness. I am in the same university with you.”