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1547 Words
When the morning came, she realized Langdon had deserted her on her own. She scoured the house for him but he really wasn't around. Buti na lang at paglabas niya ay nakita niya ang kotse nito. Nabunutan siya ng tinik. Maybe he's gone out for a run.
Naligo siya at nagluto ng almusal para sa kanilang dalawa ni Langdon. Habang naghihintay sa pagbalik nito ay naglinis muna siya ng bahay. He didn't tell her to leave last night so she takes it that she can live here with him in the meantime.
"Oh, he's here already."
Nagmamadali siyang tumayo nang may naririnig siyang kumakatok. Siguro ay naiwan nito ang susi nito.
"Lang, tara na at kumain..."
Naisarado niya bigla ang bibig nang imbes na si Langdon ang inaasahang makita ay ang nakataas na kilay ni Yvonne ang nasa kaniyang harapan. Namutla siya bigla at hindi malaman ang gagawin.
"You're the girl from last night. Who are you? Why are you here in my boyfriend's house?" Matalim siya nitong tiningnan. Bumaba ang mga mata nito sa suot niya.
"I'm asking you! What are you doing here?!"
Parang nalulon niya ang dila. She completely forgotten that the man she asked to be with has a girlfriend now.
"Get out of my way." Tinabig siya nito at tuloy-tuloy na pumasok. Sumasabay sa paglalakad nito ang mahabang buhok at ang designer bag na bitbit sa kamay.
"Langdon, babe. Langdon, where are you?" tawag nito at hinahalughog ang buong kabahayan. "Langdon, where are you? Babe?! Babe?!"
Nang wala pa ring sumasagot sa mga sigaw nito ay binalikan siya nito at wala nang ibang salita na pinatikim siya ng isang sampal. Napapikit siya sa hapdi at muntikan nang mapasubsob sa sahig sa lakas ng impact. Mabuti na lang at nakakapit siya sa hamba ng pinto.
"I'll ask again and you better answer me right. Where is my boyfriend?" nanggagalaiting tanong nito.
Nakayuko siyang sumagot. "Umalis siya. Hindi ko alam kung saan," mahinang sagot niya.
Yvonne scoffed and pulled her hair she felt like her scalp would give way. Kinaladkad siya nito papunta sa sofa at itinulak paupo. Nakita pa niya ang iilang hibla ng buhok na naiwan sa kamay nito.
"You're wearing his robe, his clothes, and you spent the night with him in his house! He even assaulted my brother because of you. He left me on the restaurant and made me a laughingstock in front of my friends. Ano sa palagay mo ang iisipin ko? That you two were only friends? Who are you, w***e?! What's your relationship with him?!"
Nalaglag ang mga luha niya. She wished she could also know the answer to the question. Who she is to Langdon anyway aside from being the girl who begs for his love?
"I..." Gumaralgal ang tinig niya. Hindi niya alam. Wala siyang masasagot dito.
Yvonne laughed sarcastically. "No, don't bother answering that one. I know the kinds of you. I've been a girlfriend of many men like Langdon so I pretty much encountered bitches like you. But let me tell you a thing or two. A man as big as Langdon will never pick someone like you as his partner. You don't have a significant social status. First of all, he didn't love you. Second, he's just using you for his s****l needs because I want to be a virgin on our first night together. And third," Itinaas nito ang kaliwang kamay at itinuro ang kumikinang na singsing sa daliri nito. "You don't have his ring and you will never have this."
Parang hinigop lahat ng lakas niya sa narinig. Mula sa pagkakayuko ay nagtaas siya ng tingin sa daliri ni Yvonne. There, the famous blue sapphire Asturian heirloom ring sits on her finger. Piniga ang puso niya sa sakit. Parang may malaking kamay ang lumamukos sa dibdib niya na parang papel.
Nakatanga lang siya sa harap ng nagmamalaking mukha nito, pinipilit sinasabi sa sarili na huwag munang humagulhol sa harap nito.
"I can tolerate this while we're still not married but when we do, I will never let any woman touch my man. I will destroy anyone who will."
She spat on her face before walking out of the door, her eyes looking down on her pitiful situation.
Napapikit siya sa lagkit ng laway nito na humalo sa luha niya. Namanhid ang pakiramdam niya sa sakit at insultong natanggap.
"Perhaps this is the price of love," namutawi sa labi niya habang nakatitig sa basang mukha sa salamin sa banyo. "But I didn't know it hurts like this."
"I told you not to be weak."
Startled, she turned her back to Langdon's figure who is casually languishing on the side of the door with his hands on his pants. His blue-green eyes on the run again to prevent her from seeing through the emotions there.
"What happened to you? What did she do to you?"
Mabilis ang ginawa niyang pag-iling.
"Wala naman. Medyo nagalit lang dahil nakita niya ako rito sa bahay mo. Naintindihan ko siya. Kahit sino namang girlfriend ay magagalit kapag nakita niyang may ibang babae sa loob ng bahay ng boyfriend niya." Nginitian niya si Langdon mula sa salamin. "I'm really okay, Lang. No need to worry."
"I'm not doing it for you. I'm angry because you let it happen in my house."
"Ganun ba." Nagpakawala siya ng isang bahaw na tawa, kinamot niya rin ang ulo para itago ang pagkapahiya. "Pasensiya na."
Langdon sighed and walked towards her but kept a safe distance between them.
"Why are you even here? Are you doing this because of what happened between us? It's just s*x, Cin. It didn't matter to me as it shouldn't matter to you."
Binuksan niya ang faucet at naghilamos para hindi nito malaman na umiiyak na naman siya. Sumabay sa agos ng tubig ang kanina pang naipon na luha.
"Wala ba talagang ibang ibig sabihin iyon sa iyo? Kahit kaunti lang?" she asked even though she already knew the answer.
"Nothing." Hinawakan nito ang balikat niya at pinaharap dito. "You are so beautiful... and fragile. I'm afraid I will break you even more, Cin. Stop it now."
"I don't care," her voice broke. "You can break me for all I care. I can handle myself. I'm not as fragile as you think I am. Ikaw lang Langdon ang kailangan ko."
I love you for years already.
Kasi kahit ilang beses siya nitong saktan, kahit durugin pa nito ang puso niya ng paulit-ulit, hindi pa rin magbabago ang nararamdaman niya para dito. Mamahalin niya pa rin ito ng buong puso. Ibibigay ang lahat at patuloy na aasa na baka bukas, sa susunod na linggo, buwan o taon, ay mahanap nito sa puso ang espasyo na nababagay sa kaniya. Kahit maliit lang. Okay lang kahit masikip. Pagkakasyahin niya ang sarili.
Pero mukhang nalalabi na lang ang mga araw na maari niyang pangarapin ang lalaking minamahal.
Dahil ikakasal na ito.
"I love you..." she mumbled out of desperate attempt to confess her feelings.
Binitawan siya nito at napailing na lang.
"Don't. Don't you ever fall for someone like me, Cin."
Kahit alam na niya ang isasagot nito ay nagtanong pa rin siya.
"Why, Lang?" She gazed at him hopefully.
The longing on his eyes she first saw on that night on his terrace reappeared.
"I gave my heart to my woman a long time ago. She's dead and so is me, so is my heart. Naghihintay na lang ako na mawala sa mundong ito para makasama ko na siya uli. I can't reciprocate your feelings. I can't love someone else other than her."
That only confirms one thing. Yvonne was lying earlier. Langdon could have never love any other woman except his one and true beloved enshrined in that old picture frame.
"No one is asking you to love me. I'm not asking you. At hindi ko hihilingin iyon sa iyo. Just let me... Just let me show you how much I cherish you, how much I love you so so much."
For years, she has been living a lonely life with her brother. Binalak mang punuan iyon ng kuya niya pero alam nilang dalawa na kulang iyon. Wala siyang mapagsabihan ng mga sikreto niya, walang maiyakan dahil ayaw niyang pati siya ay problemahin pa nito. She can't even maintain a straight face when he's telling her about how his day went because she's afraid he would notice that her day has been just about every day— crying for a life robbed out of her.
"Please, Lang. Hayaan mo lang sana ako na iparamdam sa iyo kung gaano kita kamahal. Kahit isang linggo, hindi, kahit ilang araw lang and when I'm done... I'll go. Kung okay lang iyon sa iyo. Okay lang ba?"
Naglakad ito patungo sa pinto na hindi siya sinasagot.
"Your feelings will not be my responsibility. We were not committed to each other. Suit yourself. With what you're doing, you're letting me step on you. "
"Wala akong pakialam. Gamitin mo ako hanggang sa gusto mo. I'm more than willing, Langdon. It's because I love you."
He stayed a little too long in the door just doing nothing before speaking.
"Fine, Cin. Fine. Ipagpatuloy mo ang katangahan mo." Kumilos ito at tinawanan siya. "I've never met someone as levelheaded and as stupid as you."
- Writer
