Chris, the Macho Lawyer (FREE to READ)

THIRTEEN: KISS

Monica seemed not to mind the glaring eyes I was giving at her. She kept on gaping at us audaciously. I suddenly felt unconscious on my seat, especially when Ysmael cleared his throat, tapped the table with his fingers just to break the deafening silence on the dining table.

“The way I look at it, both of you knew each other?” He asked.

I swallowed. Why is this getting so uncomfortable?

Chris expelled a sigh. “Yeah. We knew each other. Naging bisita namin siya ng ilang araw.”

“Oh? Is she the one you were talking about?” Ysmael seemed surprise and then laughed afterwards. “Now, it makes sense.”

“What do you mean by that, Ysmael?” Kunot noong tanong ko dito.

“Well, Monica mentioned your name to me at nang magkausap kami ni Chris at nabangggit ko rin sa kanya na may bisita kami na ang pangalan ay Veronica. He suddenly changed his mind and accepted my invitation to stay here for a week. He was supposed to travel to Davao City. Ano nga ulit ang gagawin mo sa Davao, bro?”

Nlingon ko si Chris at nahuling pinaniningkitan ng mata si Ysmael. “Paperworks.” He simply replied as his Adam's apple moved from swallowing. He looked tense at tila ba ay hindi mapakali sa kanyang kinauupuan.

Monica coughed loudly. “Wait lang guys, hindi ko masyadong nasundan ang mga kaganapan na ito at medyo naalog ata ang utak ko. Kuya, paano kayo nagkakilala nitong si Chris? I can't remember you mentioned his name to me. I didn't see him with your group of friends.” She took a new set of cutleries as she spoke.

“Ah. Nitong mga nakaraang buwan lang kami nagkakilala nitong si Chris. Nagkita kami sa Dela Silva Ranch when I needed to meet Reid Dela Silva personally para sa proposal ko sa farm. As you know by now, galing sa ranch niya ang mga bagong baka natin. Chris happened to be there along with his circle of friends. I was glad I approached him first kaya madaling nalakad ang mga kailangan ko.” He grinned.

Dela Silva? I am so sure Kuya mentioned that family name to me before.

“Dela Silva? Wow! Hindi ko alam na nagpunta ka dun kuya! Dapat sinama mo ako eh! Crush ko pa naman yun!” Monica exclaimed as she looked up dreamily.

Tumawa si Ysmael. “Nakita mo na ba si Reid?”

“Hindi pa pero kwento ng mga kaibigan kong may antenna sa ulo pagdating sa mga kalalakihan, ang gwapo daw nitong si Reid kuya. I mean, c'mon. Sino ang hindi nakakaalam tungkol sa reputasyon ng dela Silva? Sila lang naman ang may-ari ng pinakamalaking ranch sa buong Mindanao at pinakamalaking supplier ng karne sa mga hotels at supermarkets sa buong bansa. And to think he managed to run the ranch single-handedly. Amazing di ba? Kaya nga kahit hindi ko pa nakikita itong si Reid, tiyak akong magkakagusto na ako sa kanya.”

Tumawa kaming tatlo sa sinabi ni Monica. “Hindi ka type ng mga yun, bunso. Ang tipo ng babae na gusto nila ay mga babaeng galing sa Alta Sociedad at hindi ang mga tulad mong probisyana. Tska ang mga taong yun, sila yung tipong di tapat sa mga babae.”

“Duh. Perception mo lang yun, kuya. As if naman hindi mo rin gawain. Hindi ko na nga mabilang kung ilang babae na ang ipinakilala mo sa akin na syota mo kuno. Then the next day, iba naman. Parang nagpapalit ka lang ng damit eh. Hmmp.” Umirap ito at humalakhak si Ysmael sabay abot sa buhok ng bunso para guluhin.

I smiled. I feel you, Monica.

Ibinalik ni Ysmael ang tingin sa akin. "Your brother, Lawrence, right? He was there—”

“Mael.” Putol ni Chris sa sasabihin nito. And because of that, lumalim ang gitla sa noo ko dahil sa pagkunot.

Umubo si Ysmael. “I mean, your brother, Lawrence, is he in Davao right now? O baka nasa ibang bansa?” He took his glass of water at inisang lagok lang ata ang laman nito. He was looking nervously sa katabi ko.

“I just talked to him a while ago, and yes he's in Davao. He'll go to Singapore pagkabalik ko sa siyudad.”

“Hindi talaga ako agree sa sinabi mo kuya. Look at Veronica, she's very famous. A Dela Vega. A socialite and an idol in the fashion world, pero bakit na-fall ito kay Chris na probinsyano lang din na kagaya natin? I mean, no offense intended, Chris.”

Chris combed his hair with his fingers as he expelled a heavy breath. In my mind, I was silently cursing Monica. This kind of issue is sensitive to the both of us. Chris shifted on his seat at bago pa ito magbalak na tumayo, I placed my hand over his hand under the table and held it firmly. Chris suddenly became at ease as he intertwined his fingers with mine. He looked at me and gave me that satisfying smile I seldom see on him. I smiled back at him.

“No, not at all, Monica.” He replied to Monica, but his eyes remained staring at me.

“Seryoso ka sa sinabi mo, Monica?” Hindi makapaniwala si Ysmael sa sinabi ng bunsong kapatid.

“Kumain na nga muna tayo at mamaya na magdaldalan.” Ani ni Monica as she gave me a peace sign and mouthed "sorry" at me. I nodded at her. Naglagay ito ng kanin sa plato.

Pagkatapos ay inabot ni Chris ang bandihado ng kanin para naman lagyan ang plato ko. “Ilang oras lang kitang hindi nakita parang pumayat ka na sa paningin ko. I really don't like it. I want you to eat a lot, sweetheart.” Kampanteng salita nito.

“Nako, eh mula ng dumating yan dito wala na yang ginawa kundi ang umiyak, Chris.” Monica grinned sheepishly at pinagtaasan ko lang ito ng kilay. Sarap busalan ang bibig ng babaeng ito.

“Hmmm....talaga?” His voice teasing me. Nakatunghay lamang ito sa akin habang ako naman ay nanginginig na sa nerbyos. “Umuwi na tayo sa bahay para wala ka ng dahilan para umiyak.”

“Kahit naman sa bahay mo ay umiiyak pa rin ako, Chris.” Sagot ko dito at ngumiti lang ito sa akin.

“Hindi na mula ngayon.”

I arched a brow. “Talaga?”

“Pwede bang kumain muna tayo? Nakaka-bitter kayong tingnan, seryoso. Baka magliparan ng tinidor at kutsara dito dahil ang saklap lang talaga ng love life ko. Ang pait ng pagkain.” Wika nito habang ngumunguya.

Ysmael laughed. “Paano kasi, napaka-pihikan mo. Matitino naman ang nangliligaw sa'yo pero wala ka namang magustuhan. Pasado naman silang lahat sa akin.”

“Ah pinamimigay mo na ako ngayon, kuya?”

“Hindi naman. Kaso baka tumanda kang dalaga sa taas ng standard mo, sis. Hindi nag-e-exist ang mga bida sa pocketbooks na binabasa mo. You should learn how to differentiate the reality from fantasy.”

“Oo na. Oo na kuya.” Ngumuso lamang ito. Namiss ko tuloy si kuya Lawrence. Ang kaibahan nga lang, masyadong pormal at seryoso ito kumpara kay Ysmael. Si kuya ang tipo na hindi mo kayang biruin pero pag biniro mo naman, hindi mo alam kung nagegets ba nito ang joke o hindi.

Chris added another spoonful of menudo on my plate. Umiling ako para magprotesta. “Too much meat.”

He pouted. He took the spoon from my hand and he separated the meat from the vegetables on my plate. Ganun din ang ginawa nito sa kanyang plato. Pinaghiwalay nito ang gulay sa karne. I was about to get my spoon from him when he faced me, holding the spoon full of carrots and potatoes in it at balak na isubo sa akin.

“Here.” He said, moving the spoon near my mouth kaya wala akong nagawa kundi ang tanggapin ang pagsubo na iyon. In my peripheral view, Ysmael was shaking his head smiling while Monica was appalled, again.

And then Chris put all the meat on that same spoon at isinubo iyon sa kanyang bibig like it isn't a big deal to him at all. Kampante pa itong ngumunguya at tumango tango pa. “Delicious.”

“Naman. Galing ba naman sa bibig ni Veronica.” Sagot ni Monica na ngumiwi sa amin. Napayuko lamang ako ng ulo to hide the redness of my cheeks. Seriously, Chris? But I just couldn't help myself from grinning. Damn it, I was melting here.

Kinuha ko ang kutsara kay Chris at andun agad ang protesta sa kanyang mukha. Pero pinanlakihan ko siya ng mata, giving him my deathly stare at nagtaas lamang ito ng kamay sa ere na tila sumusuko.

Natapos ang hapunan na iyon kahit ang daming gumugulo sa utak ko. Maraming tanong ang nag-uunahan sa isipan ko.

“Babalik muna ako sa kwarto, Veron. I forgot my phone. Then bumalik tayo sa plaza at may sayawan dun mamayang alas-nueve. May oras pa naman tayo para mamahinga at gumayak.”

“Okay. Sa baba lang ako at magpapababa ng kinain.”

Lumapit ito sa akin at bumulong. "Si Chris di na inaalis ang titig sa'yo. Sigurado akong susundan ka niya saan ka man tutungo. Tawagan na nga lang kita mamaya. Baka hindi ka na mahagilap eh at tinangay ka na ng lalakeng yan. Pero in fairness girl, di kita masisi. Leche, ang gwapo naman pala. No wonder nahulog ka kaagad sa kanya. Machong macho, girl.”

Nakurot ko ito sa tagiliran. “Ang harot mo, Monica.”

Nagtatatakbo ito sa hagdanan at panay ang halakhak sa akin. Napapailing na lang ako habang naglalakad palabas sa sala para bumaba sa bakuran nila.

Medyo malamig ang simoy ng hangin ngayong gabi. Humalukipkip ako habang binabaybay ang daan patungo sa maliit na hardin ng mga Rosales. Nang makarating ay tumingala ako sa langit. Nagkikislapan ang mga bituin na parang mga diamante. The halfmoon was shining brightly. Tila kay ganda ng panahon ngayong gabi.

Muntik na akong mapatili nang may mga brasong yumapos mula sa aking likuran. Chris buried his head on the base of my neck as he inhaled my scent.

“I missed you.” He whispered gingerly. Nagtayuan agad ang balahibo ko sa batok.

Napalunok ako. “Chris, hindi ko alam kung bakit mo ako sinundan dito sa Sto Cristo.” I answered instead of replying him how much I missed him too.

“Because I missed you. Is it not enough reason to follow you?” He tightened his hold.

“Because you just missed me? And then what, bukas makalawa, kapag nanumbalik na naman ang mga insecurities mo, magtatalo na naman tayo? What do you want me to do, Chris? How can I convince you that I am not the kind of girl you think I am, Chris?”

He heaved a sigh. “All my life, I am used of thinking that I am not good enough. My mother despised me. She hated my existence. That I was not what she needed. That I was worthless to her. What could have I done about it? I was just a child. She died hating and blaming me for what happened to her life. I grew up getting used with the people looking down at me. Thinking the worst in me. And then a girl came into my life, she gave me hope. I loved her and she loved me too.... or so I thought. But it always ended up with the reality that I wasn't and never will be good enough for her. That she was so high up there and no matter how much I tried to reach her, I just couldn't. And that my love for her wasn't enough to make her stay. And so, he left me with a broken heart and shattered dreams. I was so down, and those moments were the darkest time of my life, Veronica. If only I could tell you what those horrendous things I did before, baka hindi mo masikmura. Kulang nalang ibenta ko sarili ko sa demonyo just to get off from pain, sadness, madness, from being broken. And because of those things that I find it hard to like and trust girls like you. Because you reminded me of my past. The past that I wanted so much to forget. The past that I regret and still haunting me. I am sorry because I hurt you. That my anger is hurting you. My insecurities are hurting you. This is me, Veronica. How can someone like you likes someone like me?”

It's a good thing that he was hugging me from the back or else he could have seen the hurt in my face. I imagined a little Chris begging for his mother’s love. A teenager Chris begging for love from the girl. I imagined his image being alone in the darkness, self-pitying, crying to his heart's content because no one loved him. Gusto kong humagulhol dahil kahit sa sandaling panahon na nakilala ko ang lalake, I could tell he's a good man regardless of how bitter his past was. And that he didn't deserve to be treated like that.

Marahan akong kumilos para humaharap sa kanya. I looked at him and one more poke, aalpas na ang hikbi ko. I wanted to close my eyes because the pain I mirrored on his were too much to handle. He was hurting, and he was still bleeding inside.

“Do you like me, Chris?” I asked breathlessly.

He nodded discreetly. “Even if I don't have any right to like you, I really do. I really like you, Dela Vega.”

“That's good enough for me. Masaya na ako na gusto mo ako, Chris. Kontento na ako dun. And I like you, too. I like you for being you. I like you for who you are. A lot.”

“I don't understand why you like me, Dela Vega. Sabagay, kahit sarili ko ay hindi ko rin maintindihan. How and why I end up liking the woman who I have all the reasons to dislike is beyond me.”

I pouted. “To tell you honestly, you're not my kind-of-a-man.”

He grinned. “I know. But you like me.”

“We can do this, Chris.”

He breathed. His face still in daze like he can't believe it's actually happening. “Is it really okay to like you, Veronica? Is it okay to take things slow?”

I placed my arms around his neck na ikinabigla nito. “Yes. I am giving you the right to like me. I'm okay with that, as long as I am with you.”

“Teka, hindi ata ako makahinga.” Hinahaplos-haplos pa nito ang dibdib at panay ang singhap nito.

“Okay ka lang? Seryoso ka? Nahihirapan kang huminga?”

“Naninikip dibidib ko sa sinasabi mo, Veronica.” Pero nakangiti naman ito habang nagsasalita.

Humalakhak ako at ibinaon ang mukha sa kanyang balikat. “Okay na ako na nakatayo tayo dito basta yakap-yakap lang kita, Chris. Namimiss din kaya kita.”

Chris' hand was tapping my back softly, but he didn't speak for minutes. Tiningala ko ulit ito without taking my arms off him. “Hala, anyare sa'yo? Pulang pula mukha mo, Chris. Nakangiti ka diyan na kagat-kagat yang labi mo. Sige ka dudugo at mamamaga yan.”

He stopped biting his lip and his gaze transferred from my eyes to my mouth. “E kung labi mo nalang kaya ang kagatin ko, okay lang ba?”

“Uhm. You can do anything you want with me, Chris.” Diretso kong sagot.

“Tangina.” He groaned at inilayo ako ng bahagya mula sa kanya. Ngumuso ako at tinabig ang kanyang kamay. I hugged him again.

“Payakap pa.”

“Veronica, sweetheart.”

“Hmm?” I murmured against his chest and I could tell how heavy his breathing was. Anong nangyayari sa lalakeng ito?

“May naalala ako.” He said.

“Anong naalala mo?”

“The image of you lying helplessly and beautifully on my dining table. Hindi ako nakatulog kakaisip nun.”

Mabilis akong bumitaw sa kanya at humakbang palayo. Sunod-sunod ang paglunok ko. “Pumasok na tayo sa loob, Chris. Medyo maalinsangan ang panahon noh? Uminit bigla. Ano....uhm...mauuna ako ha. Kasi gagayak pa pala ako dahil tutungo daw kami sa plaza ni Monica.” Paatras ang hakbang ko habang si Chris ay humahakbang naman patungo sa akin. Amusement was written on his handsome face.

“Veronica...”        

“Oo tama. May gagawin pa talaga ako, Chris. Maliligo pa ako, magbibihis....Tapos ano....basta ano.....o sige bye muna. Mamaya nalang ulit.”

Pero hindi pa ako nakakatalikod at hinaklit na nito ang baywang ko. “Not too fast, sweetheart.” He grinned sheepishly.

“Chris naman eh.” Tinakpan ko ang aking mukha gamit ang aking kamay. Bigla akong ginapangan ng hiya dahil sa eksenang iyon.

“Di ba we will take things slow? Hindi natin gagawin yun hangga't hindi ka pa handa. Hindi na rin yun mauulit at pasensya ka na kung naging agresibo ako sa'yo noon. I have so much respect on you, Veronica. You have no idea how happy I am now because of you. You are my ray of sunshine. And you give me reason for having faith in tomorrow.”

Unti-unti kong binaba ang aking mga kamay. I gulped because my heart melted from what he just said. “I am sorry for not being with you in those darkest times of your life, Chris. But whatever happened in the past, let's just leave them at that. Let's make new memories that we will remember for the rest of our lives.”

He nodded at me. I could see the tears starting to build up at the corner of his eyes, shining like diamonds. My poor Chris.

“Can I do something?” He asked. I nodded.

“To begin our beautiful memory, isn’t a kiss a good start?”

Nginitian ko lamang ito at tumingkayad ako. “There's no better way to start making beautiful memories with you, Chris.”

“For a starter, yes. But I don't know what will happen in the middle of this. Make no mistake, a kiss won’t be enough.”

I chuckled. “Shut up and just kiss me, Christopher Villaforte.”

He smirked at that as he lowered his head. I met him by tipping my chin. The moment I felt his lips on mine, nothing else mattered. Kahit pa ang pag-vibrate ng cell phone ko sa aking bulsa.