Keeping Quiet Mga Nobela at Kwento

Ang rhythmic na beep ng mga makina ay patuloy pa rin, pero ngayon, hindi na mabigat sa takot—may lambot ito, marupok pero tunay na kapayapaan. Nakatayo ako sa tabi ng kama, inaayos ang kumot ni Cairo, ang mga kamay ko ay mahinang humahaplos sa kanya. Nahuli ng madilim niyang mata ang tingin ko, at may bahagyang ngisi sa gilid ng labi niya. “You know, you’ve been very quiet today,” sabi niya, may pang-aasar sa boses kahit halatang may hapdi pa rin ang bawat salita.

“And risk you sending a whole medical team to my uterus?” Napatawa si Nero. Hindi niya napigilan. At kahit siya rin ay napangiti dahil sa gitna ng lahat, at least she could still make him laugh. “Okay,” sabi nito habang papalapit na medyo bumaba na ang tensyon. “What do you need?” “Heat compress. Blanket. Silence.” “Silence?” ulit niya. “Yup. Total silence. And maybe… a bit of chocolate later. Kung gusto mong makabawi" nakangiting sambit niya.

The kind of silence that held its breath. Mia tried to stand still but she felt him. Not physically. Emotionally. He wasn’t looking at her, pero iya presence murag nag-hug sa space around her. Her heart was beating dangerously fast. Then Ethan spoke barely above a whisper. “Mia… can I say something?” She swallowed hard. “O-okay.” Ethan kept his eyes forward, trying to steady his breath. “I’m not expecting anything from you,” he said. “Pero… I can’t pretend I don’t feel something. Not the same as before. Not the desperate kind. This one is… quieter. Deeper. Cleaner.”

matapang niyang sagot sa kausap sa telepono. Pinatay niya agad ang tawag at agad na tinapon ang cellphone at iyong papel na hawak niya kanina. Gumulong iyon sa gitna namin. Tila galing ito sa matinding engkwentro na pati labi niya ay may sugat pa. Pagod na pagod nitong isinandal ang katawan saka pumikit ng mariin. Nagmumukha tuloy kaming mag-asawang magkatabi rito.

Napadako ang atensyon niya sa lalaking prenteng nakaupo sa swivel chair nito at nakatutok sa laptop. “Linisin mong mabuti ang sahig diyan,” ani ni Mr. Demitri at hindi man lang pinukawan ng tingin ang janirot na nagpapanggap. “O-opo” sabi ni Justin at pakunwaring nag-ma-mop ng sahig sa may gilid pero ang totoo ay nagdidikit siya ng Tiny Vider sa bawat malapitan niyang gamit. Nang matapos niyang magdikit ng Tiny Vider ay tumingin pa siya sa buong silid para masigurong walang CCTV sa loob. Nang may makita siyang isa ay dali niyang pinaputukan ito ng silencer niya at hindi nakalikha ang pagkasira ng CCTV. Mabuti na lamang at hindi ito napansin ng lalaki dahil nakatalikod na ito sa kanya at may

That unnerving, polished calm he wore when he had already made a decision and was simply waiting for everyone else to realize it. “Why is the door still being locked?” I asked before he could say anything else. Julian glanced at the tray Lina set down. “Because I asked for quiet.” I stared at him. “That’s not an answer.” “It is in this house.” Of course. Always that. A reply that wasn’t a reply. Control wrapped in elegance. I crossed my arms. “You can’t keep me in here forever.” Julian’s gaze lifted to my face. “No,” he said softly. “Just long enough.”

She needed to feel his arms around her to convince herself that they were still safe. However, as she stepped out of the bedroom and into the long, carpeted hallway, a strange sensation crept up her spine. It was too quiet. Usually, even during lockdown, she could hear the faint, muffled static of the bodyguards’ walkie-talkies downstairs, or the low, commanding tone of Khier’s voice giving orders. But today, the safehouse was dead silent. The only sound was the howling of the wind outside, rattling the heavy glass windows.

#**** sIR D2 Pme sa u kay² Isinend ko ang message ko kay sir bago ko patayin ang cellphone ko, pina silent mode ko 'yun para naman hindi na ito makakapag istorbo sa akin. Ang ayaw ko talaga sa lahat is 'yung gagala ako tapos may isang tao na napaka papansin, ayaw ko ng istorbo kapag may pinupuntahan ako, maliban na lang kung anak ko, walang problema sa akin kung sila. Pero kung ama nila ang pag-uusapan, bahala na ang lalaking 'yun.

Ngunit kahit na nag-iisa na lamang ako, kailangan ko pa rin na mabawi ang korporasyon at maibigay ito sa kamay ng nararapat na tao. The room was supposed to be silent, but because I turned off the soundproof mode of the modernized and floor-to-ceiling glass window, I could still hear the bustling sounds of vehicles running down the streets. My eyes fell down the floor before I face the owner of the footsteps nearing behind me.

Pero intimidating pa rin sa paraan ng pagtitig niya minsan na parang automatic niyang nalalaman lahat ng iniisip mo. Saglit na katahimikan ang namayani sa pagitan namin matapos no’n. Tanging mahinang static mula sa tawag at tunog ng aircon sa kwarto ko ang naririnig ko habang hinihintay ko siyang magsalita ulit.