Chapter 39
Grey's POV
Sobra akong napahiya sa sinabi ni Yago pero hindi sa masamang paraan. Nahiya lang ako bigla, yun lang. Harap-harapan pa talaga niya iyong sinabi sa amin ni Code at wala manlang pasintabi. Wala rin preno ang bibig ng isang yun, eh!
Hindi ko tuloy magawang tingnan si Code sa mga mata nang lumabas kami ng bahay ng mag-asawa.
I don't know what the reason was behind my sudden cowardice and loss of guts to stand even a meter close to Code. I felt like I was a walking shame behind him when we were going back to our own vehicles.
"Sa Glorietta tayo, ha?" Nilingon ko siya nang magsalita ito. Nagparte ang labi ko at bahagyang itinagilid ang ulo dahil hindi ko gaanong narinig ang sinabi niya.
"I said sa Glorietta tayo pupunta. Andun yung store na gustong puntahan ni Chiara." Pag-uulit niya at nahulog ang panga ko.
Nanginginig ang daliri ko na tumuro sa dibidb ko, "K-Kasama ako?" Nagtataka kong tanong, nakita kong gumuhit ang ngisi sa labi ni Code habang nakatayo sa gilid ng sasakyan niya, hawak-hawak niya ang pinto habang inaalalayan ang anak na sumampa sa loob.
"I'm gonna show you my favorite toys, Doc Grey! Ahh! I'm so excited!" Chiara squealed before hopping inside the car.
Code closed the door, pouted before crossing his arms in front of his chest and leaning on his car, "Are you... gonna bail on us?" he asked, raising both his brows as he nibbled on his lower lip.
A hiss escaped my lips. I gripped tightly on my car's door before looking away. Weighing the situation, trying to decide whether I should think about myself first or go with them to make Chiara happy.
"It's okay, I'll tell Chiara you're tired-"
"I'm going!" I almost shouted.
My eyes widened a bit before I relaxed my shoulder, "I mean... I'm... coming with you-sasama ako sa mall." Pag-uulit ko sa mas kalmadong boses.
Tumango ito, tumaas ang magkabilang kilay bago ngumiti, "Great, sumunod ka nalang sa akin." ani niya bago pumasok na ng sasakyan niya.
I still couldn't look at Code even for the shortest second at the mall. Chiara would always hold my hand, pull me, and drag me wherever they go, which just means I couldn't be away from Code even for a few minutes.
I felt like I was being punished. I still couldn't explain to myself why I'm behaving like this. What Yago said a while ago was clearly a joke, but why am I reacting this way?!
Wala naman silang alam diba? Wala akong sinabi sa kanila at alam kong hindi rin naman magsasabi si Code sa mag-asawa! Nahahawa lang talaga si Yago ng pagiging OA ng asawa niya.
"Isn't it cute, Doc Grey? It's color grey!!" Chiara showed me the toy on the display. It's one of those collectible toys that are famous in the market recently. Bianca owns a lot from different brands and collections. I have already lost track of how many mystery boxes she opened at the hospital.
I forced a smile on my lips and reached for the toy she was showing me. "It's cute," I copied the expression on the toy, which looked mad, that made Chiara giggle.
"You should get one for yourself po! So you have a mini you!" she excitedly said, jumping on the floor.
I chuckled, reached for one of the mystery boxes, and examined the drawings and texts on it.
"But how do I know which one contains the grey one?" I asked, picking up another box, and even tried to shake it.
"Daddy, look! This one looks like a mini you!" I lifted my head when Chiara spoke.
I looked at the toy she's holding, it's color yellow, pouting, and has a design of chubby cheeks.
Code chuckled and reached for the toy, "Really? Mini me? But I already have a mini me." Code said, my brows furrowed, same goes with his daughter.
"But you don't have a toy, Daddy," Chiara said,
Code chuckled, handed Chiara back the toy before letting out a sigh, "Ayan oh, naka-dress yung mini me ko, nagpapabili ng laruan." Pagpaparinig nito sa anak.
Napasinghal ako, naglayo ng tingin para itago ang ngisi sa labi ko habang ang anak nito ay hinampas-hampas siya sa binti.
"Si Daddy naman!" Nagmamaktol na turan ni Chiara sa ama.
Napatawa ako nang pagak bago tumayo mula sa pagkakaluhod sa sahig at pinanood ang mag-ama.
"Ikaw ang mini me ko, ah. Look at you, oh, you look like Daddy." Nagkulitan silang dalawa sa harap ko. Ako itong parang estatwa na pinapanood at pinagmamasdan silang dalawa.
Mini me. Pfft. Mini me mo nga talaga. Hinding-hindi maipagkakaila na anak mo si Chiara. Sa ilong, sa mata, sa hubog ng mukha- masyado mo namang ginalingan sa paggawa na parang wala nang nai-ambag ang nanay ni Chiara.
"Ayaw mo ba na kamukha si Daddy? Look oh, ang cute-cute kaya natin," Patuloy nitong kinukulit at kinikiliti ang anak. Si Chiara naman itong tawa nang tawa na nakaka-agaw ng pansin ng ibang tao sa store.
Paano kaya kung ako naman ang may mini me? Anak namin ni Code? Paano magiging kamukha ko at kamukha niya ang bata? Wala naman akong matres para gawingbahay bata? Parehas lang din na semilya ang meron kami. Pag-aralan ko kaya?
"Let's buy the whole box nalang po!!" Natauhan ako nang biglang sumigaw ang anak nito. Hindi ko napansin na masyado akong okupado ng mga iniisip at sinasabi ko sa utak ko na nakakalimutan kong may mag-ama palang nagkukulitan sa harapan ko.
Ang ending ay bumili si Code ng dalawang dosena ng mystery box ng laruang iyon para lang masigurado na makakakuha kami ng kulay grey at kulay dilaw.
Pagkatapos ay naglibot-libot pa kami bago nag-aya si Chiara na umuwi na para buksan ang mga mystery box.
"Kumain na po ba kayo ng hapunan?" tanong ni Code sa matanda niyang kasambahay ng pumasok kami ng bahay nila.
"Ay, opo sir, natanggap po kasi ni Esme ang message niyo na mauna na kaming kumain kaya... ano pa man?" Natatawang turan ng kasambahay.
"Mabuti naman, makikihanda naman po ng lamesa, kakain kami." ani ni Code sa kasambahay bago naglakad papasok habang hawak-hawak ang anak sa kamay. Para akong alalay nila na nakasunod sa likuran habang naglalakad papunta ng hapag, nang maupo na kami ay sunod-sunod na lumabas ang mga kasambahay galing kusina na may mga dalang pagkain.
"Grabe ang traffic ngayon, kawawang-kawawa yung mga nagtatrabaho ng buong araw tapos hindi agad makaka-uwi dahil sa traffic." Narinig kong turan ni Code habang sumasandok ako ng kanin sa pinggan ko.
"Mabuti hindi ka naiipit sa traffic kapag uuwi galing trabaho?" Dagdag pa nito. Inilapag ko sa lamesa ang kanin bago dinampot ang isang mangkok na may ulam.
"Grey?" Tawag nito sa akin. Agad akong napa-angat ng ulo at namilog ang mga mata, "H-Ha?" Taka kong turan.
Bumungisngis si Code, "I was aksing you kung hindi ka ba nata-traffic tuwing uuwi ka?" Pag-ulit nito sa tanong. Nagparte ang labi ko bago utay-utay umiling, "Hindi naman ako nata-traffic lalo pa at late na rin ako umuuwi. Minsan, sa Guadalupe, oo, nata-traffic ako pero bareable naman." sagot ko sa kaniya. Diiretso akong nakatingin sa mga mata niya at bahagyang gumuhit ang maliit na ngiti sa labi ko.
Ako pala ang kausap niya? Akala ko naman isa sa mga kasambahay niya.
Nagpatuloy kami sa pagkain, minadali rin kami ni Chiara dahil excited na siyang magbukas ng mga mystery boxes. Pagkatapos ay agad niya kaming inaya sa kwarto niya para buksan ang mga ito.
Nakaka-ilan na kami pero puro pink, blue, orange, at green ang nakukuha namin. May nakuha na rin kaming mga rare items pero dismiyado pa rin si Chiara dahil wala ang grey at yellow na gusto niya.
Nagkalat na ang mga kahon at plastic sa sahig. Naubos na namin ang unang dosena ng laruan at sa wakas ay nakuha na ang kulay dilaw sa pangalawang dosena. Ilang kahon pa ang lumipas ay nakuha na namin ang grey at nabuo na ang gabi ng bata.
Hindi na nito binuksan ang limang kahon na natira at tinawag na ni Code ang mga kasambahay para pakisuyuan na paliguan ang anak. Naiwan kaming dalawa ni Code sa kwarto habang nililinis ang mga nagkalat na kahon at plastic sa sahig.
"Anong gagawin niya sa isang dosenang laruan na 'yan?" Natatawa kong turan habang pinupulot ang mga plastic sa sahig.
Narinig kong humagikhik si Code bago napa-iling, "Hindi ko alam, baka ipamimigay niya sa mga kaibigan niya." sagot niya na tinawanan ko lang bago tumayo mula sa pagkakaluhod sa sahig at naglakad papunta sa paper bag na ginagawa naming basurahan. Pagharap ko sa aking likuran ay sakto namang lapit ni Code para itapon ang mga hawak niya.
Agad akong napa-hakbang paurong, hindi ko namalayan na may laruan pala sa hahakbangan ko na siyang ikinawala ng balanse ko.
Mabuti nalang at nasalo agad ako ni Code. Parehas namilog ang mga mata namin nang mabilis niya akong nahawakan sa beywang para higitin palapit sa kaniya. Nagtama ang mga katawan namin, ang mga mukha ay halos magsalpukan na.
My breath hitched, and I saw his eyes travel down to my lips, which I immediately knew what he meant by that. My heart started pounding hard as his face started getting closer and closer to mine. He brought his eyes back to mine, staring deeply into my soul as the space between us got smaller and smaller.
"C-Code..." I called, almost came out as a whimper.
"'Wag dito, kwarto 'to ng anak mo." Pigil ko sa kaniya. Nagparte ang mga labi nito bago bumaba ang tingin ang mga mata niya sa labi ko.
He smirked, "Right-right, I'm sorry," he pulled away, took a step back, and let go of my waist.
I bit my lower lips and fixed my glassed, "I'll just... wait outside. Magpapahangin lang ako. Sabihin mo kay Chiara na nasa labas lang ako pagkaligo niya para makapagpaalam na ako." Bilin ko rito bago dire-diretso nang lumabas ng kwarto ng anak niya. Kung hindi ay baka makita niya ang pamumula at pag-usok ng mukha ko sa sobrang init ng nararamdaman ko.
Bakit ba ako nagkakaganito? Parang... lumalambot nanaman ang puso ko? Parang... iba nanaman ang nararamdaman ko?
I've been tough for the past years. I've been strong and have built my walls. I've never felt like this in years. But after the past events? After... spending more and more time with Code? Seeing how he acts and how he... cares for me? It's... driving me crazy.
I tried to brush it off for the past days. I tried my best to push it at the back of my head during my shifts at work, but it was just getting stronger and stronger until I couldn't take it anymore. I gave in and told Cairo about it in hopes that it would go away. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe I made the wrong decision.
The more I think about it, the more I acknowledge the never-ending thoughts coming into my head make the situation worse. When I told Cairo about it the other night, I really thought it would help, but instead, I just end up thinking about it almost every minute of the day.
"Doc Grey!" Agad akong napalingon sa gawi ni Chiara na tumatakbo sa gawi ko. Nakasuot ito ng magka-terno na pajama, basa pa ang buhok at habol-habol ng ama na may hawak na towel.
"You're going home na po?" she asked, blinking her eyes at me like a confused puppy.
I smiled, adjusted my pants before kneeling down in front of her, "Yes, Chiara, I need to go home na. May pasok pa ako bukas sa ospital. Ikaw rin, diba? May pasok ka bukas?" tanong ko rito.
Ngumuso ito bago tumango, "Opo, I have po." she said, upset.
I chuckled, brushed her hair with my fingers before letting out a sigh, "I'll get going na, Chiara. bye-bye!" I waved at her and she waved back.
She bid me goodbye, asked for a hug before I got to finally stand up from the ground.
I accidentally met eyes with Code, he smiled at me, which I hesitantly returned before walking towards my car and head home.
"Uy, wow, kailan ka pa nagka-interest sa mga ganito?" Na-abutan ako ni Bianca sa may guard kung nasaan ang DTR machine.
Hinayaan ko siyang hawakan at usisain ang laruan na nakalawit sa bag ko, "Mahal kasi 'tong i-collect, 1,200 ang isa, kaya hindi ako makabili." ani nito habang pinagmamasdan ang laruan.
Napatawa ako bago iyon binawi sa kaniya, "May nagbigay lang sa akin," ani ko bago inilagay ang DTR ko sa maliit kong notebook.
Nang magbalik ako ng tingin sa kaniya ay agad itong naka-ismid, "Hmm? May nagbigay? Sino naman?" tanong niya at napabuntong-hininga ako bago isinara ang bag ko.
"Si Chiara. Okay na?" sagot ko at mas namilog ang mga mata nito bago utay-utay tumango habang may nakakalokong ngiti.
Napabuntong-hininga ako, umirap bago iniwan siya doon.
Hindi niya ako binulabog buong araw sa trabaho. Busy rin kasi kami sa ospital lalo pa at marami pa rin ang batang naka-confine dahil sa trangkaso at lagnat. Ang iba naman ay mas seryoso ang sakit gaya nalang ng leptospyrosis dahil sa bagyo at baha.
Lumabas ako ng ospital nang mabakante ng ilang minuto. Pumunta ako sa ginagawang building dala-dala ang wallet ko para bumili ng kamote-cue kay manong.
Agad akong naglibot ng tingin habang kumakain. Malikot ang mata at at pilit kinikilala ang mga lalaking makikita ko.
I froze.
Shit. Am I... looking for Code?
Nabulunan ako ng kinakain ko nang mahuli ang sarili ko na hinahanap nga si Code. Agad akong naglakad palayo ng building at halos humaripas ng takbo papasok ng ospital.
I'm actually looking for him! Huling-huli ko ang sarili ko! This is bad! This is fucking bad!
Ilang beses ko rin nahuli ang sarili ko na nagbabakasakaling makasalubong si Code sa ospital. Ilang araw kong nahuhuli ang sarili ko na tinatanaw ang labas ng pinto o di naman kaya ay sa tuwing sasakay ng elevator ay kinakabahan dahil baka makasalubong ko si Code- PERO BAKIT KO NAMAN IISIPIN YUN?!
Pakiramdam ko ay isa akong high-school student na umaasang makakasalubong ang crsuh niya sa hallway.
But fuck this shit, hindi ko naman crush si Code! And besides! Really? Crush? In our early thirties?! Thirty-two na ako at may crush pa ako?! That's bullshit!
I went to Cairo to seek help like a patient going to a therapy session with his therapist. But the difference is that Cairo would laugh and judge me first before actually saying something useful.
"Edi sabihin mo sa kaniya." ani niya bago dinampot ang baso na may lamang alak.
Sumakto ang day-off naming dalawa bukas kaya pagkagaling sa trabaho ngayong gabi ay dumiretso kami sa bahay nila para mag-inom sa terrace.
Napatawa ako nang pagak habang pinagmamasdan ang baso na namamawis dahil sa yelo sa loob, "Paano? Paano ko sasabihin sa kaniya yun?" tanong ko rito.
Ngumuso si Cairo, hawak-hawak ang baso, nakatulala sa kawalan habang iniikot-ikot ang yelo sa loob, "Edi... Code, ayaw ko na makipag-FUBU sa'yo, ganun." Diretso nitong sabi.
Napatawa ako nang pagak bago dumampot ng chicharon, "I can't be that straight forward-"
"Why not? -"
"Because...!" I sighed, leaned on the chair, and let out a sigh.
"He might ask me why, and I don't know what to answer." I blurted out.
Cairo raised a brow at me, "But you do know the answer," he said.
I sighed again, biting the lip of the glass I was holding, "You know I can't tell him that." I said, in a tone that sounded like I just got defeated.
Cairo chuckled, based on how red his cheeks are, based on how he slouches on the chair, and how he holds his glass, he's already drunk.
As the one who's more on the sober side, I decided to call it a night. I cleaned up the table, threw out the bottles of liquor, food containers, and brought Cairo to his room while I stayed at the small room they made for me here.
I woke up around 7 AM the next day. I still badly want to stay in bed and sleep, but I know I have to leave and go to my own place. I didn't get to bid goodbye to Cairo since he's still asleep, while I get to bid goodbye to Athena and her son.
I looked like a walking zombie when I arrived at my place. I was too tired and lazy to do my own laundry, but I had the energy to drive to my usual laundry shop and bring my clothes before driving back to the building, and I walked for around 15 minutes to buy some bread for breakfast.
I'm walking by the pathway, beside the new ongoing building, just a few meters away from my place. I'm even squinting my eyes as the sun is already shining brightly, and I didn't even get to bring my own umbrella.
I was about to take a turn when I saw a familiar car. Wait- no, just... something that looks like someone I know owns.
I shook my head, gave it a slight massage, and brushed off the thought. But just when I was about to pass through the ongoing construction site, I stumbled upon Code, who does not seem surprised like I do.
"A-Anong... ginagawa mo rito?" Gulat kong tanong bago napahakbang pa-urong.
Code smiled before pointing at the site, "New commercial building, we're the contractor," he replied, which made my jaw drop.
"Is this the... contract you were working on before?" I asked hesitantly, his smile got wider, he gave me a nod, and looked at the site, "Yes, this is the one," he replied before looking back at me.
The moment our eyes met, my breath hitched. A part of me celebrated a bit when I finally saw him after a week of nothing. But a very big part of me wants to run away and hide under my sheets.
"Uhm... I'll get going, maglilinis pa ako ng condo." Paalam ko sa kaniya at tumango ito.
"Paalis na rin ako, lilinisin ko pa yung sugat ko, nagasgasan ako ng hollowblocks." he replied before showing the side of his arms.
It wasn't dripping any blood, but the open wound is very prominent and can be prone to bacteria and infections.
I hissed, "Come, gagamutin natin sa condo ko." It came out of my mouth faster than I could think.
Namilog ang mga mata niya, maski ako ay nagulat sa sarili kong sinabi pero huli na para bawiin ito.
"Sure... if that's okay," he replied.
I bit my lower lip, nodded before walking away as he trailed behind my back.
When we arrived at my unit, I could feel every nerve in my body shaking. I just placed down the loaf of bread on my kitchen top before rushing to my bedroom and grabbing my medical kit.
When I walked back to the living room, I found Code sitting on the sofa like an obedient kid.
"How did this happen?" I asked as I sat down across him, reaching for his arm while examining the wound on it.
I heard him sigh, "I wasn't looking at my surroundings and ended up bumping on the pile of hollow blocks. Ayun, nagasgasan ako," pagkwekwento nito.
Napabuntong hininga ako bago binitawan ang braso niya at inihanda ang bulak para linisin ang sugat niya. The moment the cotton pressed against his wound, a hiss escaped his lips. I could tell he was also tensing up based on the muscles on his arms I am holding on.
I applied ointment on the wound right after I cleaned it, "There, sa susunod kasi, dahan-dahan." Pa-alala ko rito bago ibinalik sa medicine box ang mga ginamit ko at isinara iyon.
I clasped my hands together after closing the box. I crossed my legs and placed my hands on my knee before facing Code, who was looking at his wound.
"Sa tingin mo mag-pe-peklat 'to?" tanong niya, sinilip ko ang sugat niya bago tumango.
"Siguro. But you can apply a cream to avoid scarring," I replied, and he hummed.
My heartbeat was normal, but the moment he faced me and our eyes met, it went rapid like I was being chased by some animal.
Shit! Not again!
My eyes grew wide, and I immediately broke eye contact and reached for the medical box.
"I think you should-" I was about to stand up when he held my wrist.
"Grey," he called in a low tone voice.
I shut my eyes, bit my lower lip, which I'm sure he can't see since I'm looking in a different direction.
I faced him, "Yes?" I tried to sound as cool as possible.
He smiled, "Thank you," he shortly said. I was able to sigh and relief and nod.
"It's nothing, don't think about it too much," I replied.
I thought we were done here. I thought he'd let go of my hand. But I felt his thumb rubbing the back of my palm, which sent shivers down my spine.
I looked down at his hand, then my eyes travelled back to his face and locked eyes with him for the nth time.
I saw how eyes trailed down to my lips, which made me unconsciously lick my lower lip. I saw him swallow a lump in his throat as he bit his lower lip.
I felt the igniting heat inside me. Fuck it, Code. If you want to do something, just fucking do it!
His eyes travelled back to mine, he stood up from the sofa, and stood right in front of me, our bodies almost just a span apart from each other.
He held my other hand, which is enough to make the blood in me rush up to my head, giving me a slight headache for an unknown reason.
I couldn't hear anything else aside from my heart beating wildly. When Code took a step forward, that's when I knew things were gonna go downhill.
When our faces were finally inches apart, I closed my eyes, and soon after, I felt his lips pressed against mine.
I immediately responded to the kiss. I felt like I was longing for it that I didn't even know I wanted one. He let go of my hand as he reached for my nape, pulling my face closer to his to deepen the kiss.
My free hand traveled to his waist, gripping his white button-up as I started to get drunk on the kiss.
I felt him push his body forward, I took a step back until my heel bumped on the feet of my sofa and soon my butt landing on the soft cushion. He let go of my other hand, and I immediately reached for his hair, grabbing a fistful as we devoured each other's lips.
"Mhmm~~" A moan escaped my lips when I felt his knee brush against the growing bulge between my legs.
Even though I'm already running out of air, I didn't want to let go of his lips. I pushed my face closer to his, our lips crashing against each other as if we're eating the faces of one another.
Code's hand travelled to my body, his fingers brushing against the exposed skin on my stomach, which I felt a little electrified.
Fuck, are we gonna do it? Here? At 8 AM?!
Before things could even get messier, before I could do something I might regret later, I pressed my hand against his chest and slightly pushed him away, parting our lips.
He stared deeply into my eyes, his lips parted as he gasped for air, the same thing I do under him.
"Code..." My voice cracked a bit from catching my breath
"Let's stop," I spoke up.
He licked his lower lip and nodded, his deep breath echoing inside the whole unit as he nods, "I know, let's stop here, uuwi na ako-"
He was about to pull away, but I held his arm, "No, let's stop this. Let's stop this whole FUBU situation. I want to call it off. Let's... stop fucking each other. "
-------
a/n: Abangan niyong kainin ni Grey si Code- I mean, kainin ni Grey ang sinabi niya. pa-mention if may type hehe
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen3h.Co