Chapter 24

Ivo is silent as he drives. I wonder what is he thinking. I really hope that he isn't mad at me because I rejected his offer of staying with him, while I am thankful that he saved my life, I still have to be careful around the people I meet. Pero masaya ako ngayon at alam kong Ivo is there to protect me.

Marami akong mga tanong na gusto ng kasagutan pero sa tingin ko ay hindi ko mahahanap ang mga sagot kay Ivo. I have one person in my mind and I hope he will enlighten things to me. 

"You are quiet," ani ni Ivo, bahagya syang tumitig sa akin bago nya ibalik ang kanyang tingin sa kalsada. 

"Sorry, hindi ko kasi alam kung anong sasabihin." 

"I understand. Anyone would feel the same." 

I stared at his frame and I have to admit that Ivo is really an attractive man. Mula sa matangos nyang ilong, mapulang labi, at kanyang mga matang tila nang aakit. Once you stare at him, ang hirap tumingin sa iba pero sa hindi maunawaang dahilan my heart beats whenever he is near. 

He looks so strangely familiar, but at the same time, he doesn't. My heart aches for some unknown reason and I have to look away or else I might surrender to these unknown feelings and burst into tears. 

Nanatili kaming tahimik sa buong biyahe pero ito ang katahimikang komportable ako. Katahimikang ngayon ko lang ata uli naranasan ngunit hindi ito nag tagal dahil sa tawag na natanggap ko mula kay Anthony. 

Ivo glanced at me, "Anthony is calling me." 

"Anthony?", he asked. His eyes are full of curiosity. 

"Yeah, he's my brother. I mentioned him before." Did he forget?

"Must be a really worried brother to call you more than 30 times," walang ekspresyon nyang sabi. 

"Yeah, he can be too protective at times, but I don't hate him for that." I smiled at the thought of Anthony. He and I may not be siblings by blood, but I believe that our bond is deeper than others.

"Should I start calling you too?" there's a mischievous dance in his eyes. 

"Huh?" my dumb self repeated. 

"Can I call you too?," I searched his eyes kung nagbibiro ba sya pero kitang-kita ko sa mga mata ni Ivo na walang halong biro ang kanyang tanong. 

"Why,?" ani ko. 

"I'm your friend, right?" tumango ako sa kanya. He smiled at me, one of those rare smiles that I am starting to like. "I'm your friend and I can call you whenever I'm worried about you. Tama ba ako?" tumango ulit ako sa kanya. "That settles it then." he smiled again at me and I can't help but gave an awkward one. 

My heart is beating so fast kahit nakaupo lang naman ako. What the hell just happened?

"You should pick up your brother's call. He must be really worried." may halong pang-aasar ang tono ni Ivo and I glared at him. He only winked in return. Damn him! 

I took a deep breath before answering Anthony's call, "Hello?" 

"Skyla? Thank God, you finally answered. Where are you?" halata sa boses ni Anthony ang pag-aalala at lalo akong na guilty. Kahit na may mga hindi kami pagkakaunawaan ay sya pa rin ang isa sa mga taong malapit sa akin. 

"Hi," I tried to sound cheerful, but instead I sounded so forced. Ivo is giving me glances pero pinili kong hindi sya tignan. "I'm on my way home," ani ko sa kanya. 

"Where have you been? I've been trying to contact you, but you didn't answer any of my calls. Are you still mad at me?" aligagang tanong ni Anthony. 

"I'm so sorry. I was just sad and I had to go somewhere else to cool off." I lied smoothly. I usually tell Anthony the truth pero after my last conversation with him, alam kong hindi maganda ang kahihinatnan kung malalaman nyang kasama ko si Ivo ngayon. 

Anthony broke a huge sigh on the other line, "Alright, that's good to hear. Nasaan ka ba? Do you want me to pick you up?," napatingin ako kay Ivo at sya rin sa akin. He raised his right brow at me. Umiling lang ako sa kanya. 

"Wag na, A. I promise I'll call you when I get back right away. Wag ka na mag-alala sa akin," pagkukumbinsi ko sa kanya. 

"No, Skyla. I want to see you at least. I want to personally apologize. Please," his tone is almost begging. Isa si Anthony sa mga kahinaan ko. Isa sya sa mga taong hindi ko kayang tiisin. I looked at Ivo, and I can sense that he is tense for some unknown reason. 

I nodded to no one, "Okay, sa Starbucks nalang malapit sa condo ko."

"Alright, see you in a few," Anthony said cheerfully at mas lalo akong na guilty. I couldn't help but sigh when I ended the call. 

"Brother, ah?," I looked at Ivo but what surprised me more is his sarcastic tone again. Hindi ko alam kung bakit ganyan ang tono ng pananalita nya. 

"Yes." I say irritatedly. "What's with your tone?" dagdag ko pa. Hindi ko maunawaan pero naiinis talaga ako sa tono nyang iyon. 

"What tone,?" he asked innocently with a hint of sarcasm again. 

"Yan! Yang tono mo na yan. You're being sarcastic for some reason," ani ko, ramdam ko ang pamumula ng mukha ko dahil sa pagkairita. 

"I'm not being sarcastic. You're hearing things," ani nya saka umiling-iling sa akin. 

"Wow, so ako pa yung may problema? Unbelievable." 

"I didn't say that. Tss," 

"Yes, you did. Sabi mo I'm hearing things." 

"Yes, you are hearing things. You called me sarcastic when I wasn't," 

"Yes, you were being sarcastic, Ivo." Ewan ko ba bakit kami nagtatalo pero hindi ko maiwasang mainis dahil sa pagde-deny nya. Halatang-halata naman na sarkastiko sya kanina. 

"Why would I be sarcastic, Skyla?," I shivered at his tone. Biglaan naging seryoso kasi tono ng pananalita nya. 

"You tell me, Ivo. Why would you be sarcastic?," I bravely asked. I won't back down and I won't let him intimidate me. We stared at each other for a few seconds before his eyes went back to the road. 




                Tahimik kami ni Ivo sa buong biyahe hanggang makabalik kami sa City, kung kanina it was a comfortable silence ngayon ay halatang tense kaming dalawa. What just happened? Para kaming mga batang nag-aaway. Heck, we're acting childishly. 

"Drop me at Starbucks, please." I say quietly. Hindi ko alam kung narinig nya ako but I'm too damn annoyed to repeat what I said again. From my peripheral vision, I saw him nod. 

Damn it. I don't want to leave things like this. Sobrang awkward naming dalawa at sobrang petty lang ng rason kung bakit kami nag-aaway? He just said kanina na friends kami and here we are already fighting. Way to go, Skyla. 

Ivo parked his car in front of Starbucks. I waited for a minute, contemplating if I should say something to him but he didn't even bother to glance at me. Kahit isang letra man lang ay wala syang sinabi.

Irritated, I removed my seatbelt and opened the car door and I used all the strength I got para lang ibagsak ang pinto ng sasakyan nya. Napatingin ang ilang tao sa paligid sa akin pero wala akong pakealam. I glared at his car and walked off. The onlookers looked at me, wala na akong pake kung childish ang tingin nila sa akin.

Walanghiya! Hindi man lang sya nag-bye sa akin? Anong problema nya? Okay naman sya kanina tapos biglang nagbago yung mood nya! What the hell is his problem? At ako naman si affected, may problema din sa akin.

Ano yun? Ganoon nalang? May pasabi sabi pa syang friends kami at tatawagan nya ako pero ngayon nag-aaway kami. So, ano yun cancel na? Bwiset! Gusto ko manghagis! 

Hindi pa ako nakakalayo when I heard a car close. When I looked back, I saw Ivo walking towards me. Hindi ko mabasa ang ekspresyon sa kanyang mukha pero alam kong ako ang pakay nya. Sa hindi maipaliwanag na dahilan ay nanatili ako sa aking pwesto. Gusto ko man umalis ay hindi ko magawa. 

He walked towards me so gracefully and now that he is standing so close to me. I gulped down, mas matangkad sa akin si Ivo kaya pinili kong titigan ang leeg nya. Kung titignan ko sya sa mata baka himatayin ako. Ano bang nangyayari sa akin? Bakit ganito ang epekto ni Ivo sa akin. 

"Skyla," he says. His tone is warm and deep. I closed my eyes and stared at his neck. 

"Yeah?," I say breathlessly. 

"Look at me," damn him and his commanding tone. I couldn't help but look at him and the moment I did pakiramdam ko humiwalay yung kaluluwa ko sa katawan ko. 

Ivo is looking at me differently, there's hunger and longing in his eyes. It left me speechless, all I could do was stare at him. My heart is beating so fast against my ribcage. I unconsciously raised my right hand and brought it to his right cheek.. The moment I touched him, Ivo closed his eyes and sighed in my touch. 

"Can I call you tonight?," his voice was childlike and my heart melted. Lahat ng inis at galit ko kanina ang biglaan nawala.

"Yes, please," I say. Kahit sarili kong tono hindi ko kilala. He raised his hand to touch my right hand na nasa pisngi nya pa rin.

He smiled at me, "I'm sorry about earlier." 

He was sincere when he said he was sorry. I nodded at him and smiled, "I'm sorry too. I'm sorry for being so angry for something petty." 

"I'm sorry for being sarcastic." he smirked at me. 

I raised my right brow at him at bahagyang pinisila ng pisnge nya, "I was right!," Ivo laughed a little and held my right hand. His hand is so big, but it fits perfectly. We are still looking at each other, smiling at own foolishness when I heard a familiar voice. 

"Skyla?," Anthony called. 

Agad akong bumitiw kay Ivo. Anthony is still looking at us, at sa kamay namin na kanina lang ay magkahawak. Napalunok ako ng maraming laway sa mga tingin ni Anthony sa akin lalo na kay Ivo. Shit, shit. Shit! Bibitayin ako ni Uncle pag sinabi ni Anthony ito sa kanya.

I walked towards Anthony, trying to formulate how I'll escape this situation. Damn it, Skyla. Bakit kasi nagpahatid ako dito? Pwede naman na ibaba nya ako somewhere else para hindi kami makita pero eto kami ngayon.

"Hi! Anthony, sorry hahaha. Late ba ako,?" I tried to act cool but I'm failing miserably. 

Ivo and Anthony is still staring at each other with this undeniable hate in their eyes. Do they know each other? If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time that they met, right? Or they have met before pero hindi ko lang alam?

This situation is beyond crazy. Totally unexpected and beyond my control. Pinaparusahan pa ako ng Diyos? 

I turned back to Ivo and mouthed to him, "Go, please" ani ko. My eyes are pleading to him. I don't want them to fight. I know Anthony, mainitin din ang ulo nito and I want to prevent that. Ivo only stared at me for a second. "Please," I say again. Ivo sighed and walked back to his car. Nabunutan ako ng tinik because he listened to me.

I stood next to Anthony and held his arms, "Let's go." pero tila hindi nya ako narinig dahil ang mga mata nya ay nakatutok pa rin kay Ivo.

I tried to pull him to get inside Starbucks pero he won't budge, "A, tara na. Let's talk. Akala ko ba you wanted to see me?," ani ko habang pilit na nakangite sa kanya.

Tinignan ni Anthony ang aking mukha na tila may hinahanap. Hinawakan nya ang kamay na nakakapit sa braso at tinanggal ito. "Yeah, I wanted to see you, but I didn't think I'd see you with that man." His tone is calm but icy. Sa hindi ko maipaliwanag na dahilan ay natakot ako sa tono ng pananalita ni Anthony.

Anthony is just like Uncle sometimes. They're scarier when they are calm. Napalunok ako, I took a few steps backward to look at him. Anger is evident on his face. "I'm going home. I don't think I can look at you."

And that hurt. Those words really hurt. Ito ang unang pagkakataon na pinagsalitaan ako ng ganito ni Anthony. Is there something going on between Anthony and Ivo that I didn't know?

Pinilit kong hindi maiyak sa mga sinabi ni Anthony. I only nodded at him and he just left me there. 

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