Blood Between Us

CHAPTER 4

ESTHER parked her car in the parking space in front of her studio. Mas maaga siyang pumasok ngayon kaysa dati. Hindi kasi siya nakatulog kagabi. She spent the whole night staring at the ceiling of her room, hearing Ciaran’s voice over and over.

“No interference from anyone. Just Solace. Just you.”

Sinabi nito ang mga bagay na gusto niyang mangyari. But more than that, he didn’t push. He didn’t demand it, and he waited. And that meant more than he knew.

Ngunit…

Nagdadalawang-isip pa rin si Esther. Hindi pa rin niya alam kung dapat ba niyang pagkatiwalaan ang lalaki.

Humugot ng malalim na hininga si Esther saka binuksan ang studio niya.

Maya-maya sunod-sunod na nagsidatingan ang mga kasama niya at binati siya ng mga ito.

At exactly nine in the morning, she heard the bell above the studio door chime.

Her heart didn’t even panic that time. Nanatili itong kalmado hanggang sa makarating sa harapan niya ang lalaki.

Pumasok si Ciaran sa loob ng studio ni Esther. At napansin ng dalaga na parang pagod ang binata, at mukhang hindi rin ito nakatulog ng maayos.

“Morning,” Esther greeted in a casual voice. She stood, getting the folder from her table, and walked towards the sofa.

“Morning,” Ciaran replied.

Esther gestured with her hand to the sofa. “Have a seat.”

“Thanks.” Umupo si Ciaran at tumingin kay Esther. “So, did you decide?”

Esther inhaled and then she exhaled.

“Yes,” she answered.

Sa sagot ng lalaki, nakita ni Esther ang pagngiti ni Ciaran. Isang ngiti na ngayon lamang niya nakita.

“I’ll do it,” Esther said. “Solace. My terms and my teams. No press release until I say so. And I want a clean contract—zero clause that gives your board any backdoor control,” she said with a firm voice.

Muli, sumilay ang ngiti sa labi ni Ciaran. Small. Relieved. Sincere. “You have it.”

Tumango si Esther. “And one more thing.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“Anything.”

“This is business. Keep your distance from me.” Seryosong sabi ni Esther.

Ciaran looked at Esther. “No, I won’t keep my distance from you, Esther. It will never happen. Fair warning.”

Esther lost her expression. “Anong ibig mong sabihin?”

Isang ngisi ang sumilay sa labi ni Ciaran. “I’m interested in you.”

Napatitig si Esther kay Ciaran. “Ano?”

“Ang sabi ko interesado ako sa ‘yo.”

“Well, hindi ako interesado sa ‘yo.” Sabi naman ni Esther with a straight face. Ciaran was a definition of handsome, but she wasn't sway by it.

“Really? But that’s not what I see in your eyes.”

Esther looked away. “Hindi ko alam kung ano ang sinasabi mo.” Tumayo siya saka tinalikuran ang lalaki. Naglakad siya palapit sa kaniyang lamesa ngunit hindi niya alam na sumunod pala si Ciaran. “Anyway, you can see yourself off—” sa pagharap niya nasa harapan niya ang lalaki at ilang dangkal lang ang layo ng katawan nila.

Esther’s heart panicked, unlike earlier when it was so calm. Bahagya pang lumaki ang mata niya.

“Esther, you can show you don’t care, but I won’t stop until you become mine.”

Esther swallowed. She didn’t say anything.

Inilapit ni Ciaran ang mukha kay Esther. “You are the first and only woman who made me feel this way.”

“W-what?” nauutal na tanong ni Esther habang nilalayo ang katawan kay Ciaran.

Ciaran pointed to his heart. “You made this race, and you should have given justice to it.” And then he stepped away. Ayaw niyang maging hindi komportable si Esther. “See you, Esther.”

And then he left.

Ilang beses naman na humugot ng hininga si Esther para pakalmahin ang kaniyang puso.

Eksaktong pag-alis ng sasakyan ni Ciaran ay siya namang pagdating ng isang sasakyan. Bumaba ang mga sakay nito sa kotse saka tinignan Sorrell Studio. The couple looked inside and saw the owner of the studio working behind her table.

Ginawa ni Esther upang maging busy upang makalimutan niya ang bumabagabag sa kaniya dahil kay Ciaran.

Until the studio door opened.

A familiar knock—one, two, pause.

Ngumiti si Esther.

“Come in,” she called without looking up.

Ang kaniyang ina ang unang nagsalita. “Didn’t even need to check who it was.”

Natawa ang ama ni Esther. “That’s because she never forgets the sound of our old shoes.” Anito.

Nag-angat ng tingin si Esther. Lumawak ang kaniyang ngiti. “Or the smell of your cologne, Dad. Simula bata ako, iyan na ang gamit mo. Mabuti na lang at hindi nagsasawa si Mommy.”

“I’m loyal,” sabi ng ama ni Esther saka humakbang.

Natatawa lang naman ang ina ni Esther.

Tumayo naman si Esther saka sinugod ng yakap ang kaniyang magulang.

Hinaplos ng ina ni Esther ang buhok ng anak. “Parang pumayat ka yata, anak. You’re working too hard.”

“I’m building a dream,” Esther said. “You two taught me how.” Nanatili siyang nakayakap sa kaniyang magulang.

Then they pulled apart gently. Esther’s mother moved to the shelf, eyeing the clay prototypes and structure sketches,

“Is this for the Solace Tower?”

Tumango si Esther at nagliwanag pa ang kaniyang mukha. “Yes, Mom. Malapit ng matupad ang pangarap ko. I can feel it.”

Esther’s father was already flipping through one of the binders, his brow furrowed with thoughtful pride. “Ikaw talaga. You’ve always been stubborn about things you believe in.”

“Dahil pinalaki niyo po ako na dapat kong ipaglaban kung ano ang gusto ko.”

“Pero anak, magpahinga ka rin.” Sabi ng ina ni Esther.

Tumango si Esther. “Don’t worry, Mommy. Nagpapahinga naman po ako.”

Esther’s mother sighed. “Pero nakakalimutan mo na minsan.”

Ngumiti na lang si Esther dahil totoo naman ang sinabi ng kaniyang ina. Pero bumanat pa siya. “I’ll rest when I’m old.”

“Pero maghanap ka rin ng makakasama, anak.”

“No, Mom. Sila ang hahanap sa akin. Ano sila? Sinuswerte?”

Parehong napailing na lamang ang magulang ni Esther.

Esther’s parents stayed for an hour, talking and organizing some cluttered materials, and Esther’s mother wiped dust from the windowsill like she had the right to clean her daughter’s space.

Napangiti naman si Esther. She felt safe and whole with her parents.

NAGING maayos ang mga sumunod na oras ni Esther sa studio niya pagkaalis ng kaniyang magulang. Pero hindi na sa sumunod na hapon at dumating pa si Mira.

“Estheeerrrr…” Mira’s voice stretched out as she leaned against the studio doorway with a look that instantly spelled trouble.

“Nope,” sabi ni Esther nang hindi inihihiwalay ang tingin sa screen ng kaniyang laptop. “Kung anuman ‘yan, ang masasabi ko lang ay hindi.”

“Hindi mo pa nga naririnig, eh.”

“Hindi na kailangan. That tone of yours means you want me to say yes to something you don’t want to do.”

Mira huffed, marched towards Esther’s desk, and dropped a latte in front of Esther like it was a bribe.

Esther sighed and looked at Mira suspiciously. “Anong ginawa mo?”

Mira gave Esther the sweetest smile she had ever had. “Okay. So…I may have agreed to a blind date this weekend—”

“Nope. Not going to happen.”

“­­—but I don’t want to go anymore!”

Tumaas ang kilay ni Esther. “Then cancel it. Tapos ang problema.”

Napanguso si Mira. “I can’t. It’s through that curated matchmaking app. Iyong mahal na app. If I ghost, my profile gets flagged.”

“You’re tech-savvy. Save your own account. Aabalahin mo pa ako.”

“No. Mas magaling ang tracker nila.”

Esther rolled her eyes. Sumandal siya sa kinauupuan. “And this involves me… paano ulit?”

Pinagsiklop ni Mira ang sariling kamay na parang bata na humihingi ng candy sa ina. “Please, Esther. Just go for me. Say you’re me. He won’t know! Wala pa akong sinesend na picture at isa pa, mas maganda ka kaysa sa profile picture. Just one night. Dinner lang.”

“Mira,” Esther sighed, “I don’t even date myself.”

“Exactly! That is why I’m doing this for you.”

“Mira.”

“The guy’s supposedly hot. Work in finance or something boring. Maganda ‘yong pinili niyang resto. Ayoko namang sayangin yung reservation. Free steak pa ‘yon.”

Nahilot na lamang ni Esther ang sentido. “So, this is about food?”

“No, this is about saving my reputation as a dating hopeful in the city’s most elite algorithm!” Mira cried dramatically. “And yes, it’s about food.”

Esther crossed her arms over her chest. “Paano kung malaman niya?”

“You smile, excuse yourself, and never speak to him again. Done. Low stakes. High heels.”

Esther facepalmed. Minsan hindi niya maintindihan ang takbo ng isipan ng kaibigan. She stared at her friend.

Mira stared back with puppy eyes.

“I swear, I will clean your condo from every corner and buy you a latte for a week.”

Esther showed her two fingers. “Latte for two weeks.”

“Fine.”

A long pause.

Napabuga ng hangin si Esther. “Anong pangalan ng date mo sana?”

Ngumiti si Mira na parang nanalo ng lotto. “Hindi ko alam. Something classic and rich. Starts with C or L? Or maybe an N. Basta.”

Napailing na lamang si Esther. She regretted it, but it was already too late. Mira was already celebrating that someone would go on her behalf.

Good luck to me.