“Mag-ingat kayo sa pag-uwi, ah? Lumalalim na rin ang gabi at siguradong pagod na pagod na kayo pareho. Ingat kayo,” Nanang said as she closed the car door for me.Nginitian ko siya at saka marahang tumango kahit aminado akong humupa man ang pag-aalala ay hindi pa rin iyon lubusang nawala.“Kayo po ang mag-ingat, ah? Tatawag ako palagi at bibisita,” asik ko. Hindi ko alam kung naexcite ba siya roon. Sa palagay ko ay hindi dahil nag-aalala lang siyang ngumiti sa akin. “Mauuna na po kami. Maraming salamat sa pagpapaunlak,” Chester said after he started the car's engine. Nilingon ko siya at nakita ang mabait na ngiting iginawad kay Nanang. Though he always looked dangerous and cunning, he smiled genuinely.“S-Salamat din. Oh, siya, sige na.”Wala na akong nagawa nang paandarin ni Chester ang sasakyan paalis ng bahay ni Nanang. Actually, I felt a bit relaxed knowing that she arrived safe and unharmed. That's all that I wanted.“Feeling relaxed now?” Chester asked as he continued driving.

It's been a week–no. Two maybe? No. It's less than two weeks, pero sa tingin ko mababaliw na ako rito! Although I had my phone, I never even got the chance to touch it or even look at it.Chester's been bugging my whole system, at pakiramdam ko kaunting kaunti na lang talaga ay sasabog na ang ulo ko sa dami ng nangyayari. More so, my mind will explode completely because Chester's been stirring it up.Pilit kong sinasaksak sa utak ko na kailan lang, patay na patay ako at halos ibigay ko na ang sarili ko sa kapatid niya. In fact, I was so into him for years! Pero bakit kay Chester… ilang araw lang…“Are you awake?”My heart pounds so wildly every time he knocks on the door and asks that softly. His voice was hoarse, probably because he has just woken up. At pagkakagising niya mula sa kabilang kwarto, he'll go straight to my door and knock to see if I woke up. It’s been kinda like his habit.Kaya hindi na ako nagulat nang pagbukas ko ng pinto, bumungad sa akin ang magulo niyang pigura. H

I breathed heavily and disregarded the disappointment when he took his phone and walked away to answer the call. Sa halip na sundan siya, I feel like I’m really not in the mood to do so. He’s allowed to have his secrets, right? That's his right.I sighed and simply took the wine bottle. This has been my way to cope. Every time I don’t have my answers with a clear and straight mind, maybe I could solve it with drunk thoughts? Well, it doesn’t really work every time. Sometimes, I just… pass out.A few minutes passed before I felt someone remove the bottle from my hand and held my head para idantay iyon sa kanyang dibdib. Damn, why am I wasted already?“You’ve drank so much. Continue this, and you’ll be the death of me,” he said. I just giggled when I realized that we have the same thoughts. Pakiramdam ko rin kasi, siya ang magiging dahilan ng maaga kong pagkamatay.“You’re frustrating me too, so don’t get me started,” I whispered, which I know made him frown. “I frustrate you? How so?”

Like the other glimpse I had, that one isn’t very clear. Hindi ko alam kung bakit pero ngayon lang naman ako nagkaroon ng ganitong flashbacks. I was thinking of consulting someone, or something like that, but I don’t think my emotions would handle it very well. Isa pa, Dad would surely know about it not long after.I’m not really that curious. Like I always say, I think I wouldn’t be able to handle the trauma if I had remembered anything painful. Pero sa totoo lang, I couldn’t help but wonder if… I had a boyfriend at that time. Do I love him very much?If so, where is he now? Hmm, siguro ay ipinalayo na rin sa akin ng Daddy. Like what he did to Reese. Isa pa, if I was a minor back then, then I don’t think that counts“So, how long are you planning to stay here?” Muli akong napabalik sa katinuan nang marinig ang tanong ni Felix matapos naming kumain ng dinner at magkayayaan ang dalawa na mag-inuman. “I hope you’re still in touch with our… Dad?”“Of course we are. Hindi ko naman itatak

Claire and Felix left the next day. Although Claire and I didn't talk about it well, the smile we exchanged was enough for now. Maybe when we have our privacy, we can discuss this thoroughly. Sa palagay ko, saka ko na siya kakausapin kapag mapapatunayan ko nang… hindi naman naging rebound si Chester para sa akin.It just… stresses me out, although it should've been at the very least of my problems. Wala akong panahon na problemahin iyon.I realized Chester was right. It'll be beneficial for what's happening between us to just stay with each other for a while and settle this out. Pero alam kong hindi naman pwedeng ganoon na lang iyon. “Yes, Honey, tell him that we'll be home by today, and I can attend the board meeting tomorrow. Leave all the paperwork on my desk. All right, thank you.”I pouted a bit when I heard her name. Bakit ba naman kasi ganoon ang pangalan ng sekretarya niya? Honeyclaire… well, it’s actually cute, but I don’t really appreciate it that way. Hindi ko tuloy alam.