The Story of Another Us

chapter two

The Story of Another Us

chapter two: kiss me like i'm your girlfriend because i am

I might not be the most innocent person in the planet but hell, this is the first time I'd do this with a stranger.

"Go on then," sabi ni Epps.

"I don't think it is really necessary," sabi ko. "Teens PDA is not good publicity."

"It's not just the public you are going to please. What of your friends? What of his friends? What of your families and relatives? You have to be believable. If you are going to be awkward around each other how are you supposed to convince them let alone the whole country? Let's start small. Why don't you hold hands?"

"Seriously?" bulong ko.

ANO BA 'TO?! Teka nga! Balik, balik! Nakakahiya!

Hindi ko kayang tumingin kay Nicolo. Isipin naman niya gustong-gusto ko. Well, gusto ko naman talaga pero nakakahiya!!!!!!!

"Time is money, Kater," sabi niya habang may isinusulat sa notepad gamit ang isang lapis.

"Err," lumabas sa bibig ko. Holding hands? Yuck, namamawis ba kamay ko. Oh no.

"Nicolo, why don't you move first?" parang naiirita nang sabi ni Epps. Gets ko naman, pero of course, demure nga tayo eh! Bakit ako magf-first move?

I can hear him chuckling from beside me.

"Kat."

"-er," I add. "Kater. Not Kat."

"Alright, Kat-er. Give me your hand."

Nakita ko sa dulo ng aking mga mata na nakalahad na ang kamay niya. Oh, just go with it, Kater. It's just a hand anyway. A handsome boy's hands. Just hold it.

And then, ayun na nga, hawak ko na. I can feel his long fingers enclosing on mine. Grabe ang laki. I can easily see the difference in our complexion. Ang puti niya pala. Nahiya naman ako. But his hand feels warm and welcoming.

"Talk," utos ni Epps. "Get to know each other, basic info."

"Wait, you signed the papers. That means you're legal already. You're eighteen, right?" tanong niya sa'kin.

"Yeah," sagot ko naman. Ewan ko ba pero nanginginig 'yung boses ko. How embarrassing. "Ikaw?"

"I'll be twenty-one soon."

Oooh. Three years age difference? I don't mind. "Oh, cool."

"What's your favorite food?"

"Ugh," I groan. "How could you ask me that? That question should be illegal."

"I know. Ang hirap mamili."

"Ang hirap mamili kapag ang daming pagpipilian."

"What are you craving for right now?"

Tumahimik ako at tinikman ang laway ko. What? That's how I determine what I want to eat. "Ribs. Tender ribs. With lots and lots of sauce."

He scrunches his nose. "You just made me feel hungry."

Natawa ako sa kaniya. He looked cute when he scrunched his nose. Isa pa dali. "What about you? What are you craving for?"

"I haven't had any chicken this week so I'm going to go for breaded chicken breast with pickle sauce on the side."

"Omg," tugon ko na lang. Nagugutom na ko. "Change topic muna, pweds? Nakakagutom eh."

"Favorite movie?"

"Why are we talking about favorites? They change every month! HAHA!"

"Point taken. The last movie you liked then."

"Ooh, tough." Nag-isip ako. Ano bang huli kong pinanood na nagustuhan ko? "La La Land."

"Good movie," komento niya.

"Heartbreaking!" I say.

"Reality."

"It didn't have to end that way," bulong ko. Ang sakit sakit kasi no'n. Parang kinain tas nginuya 'yung puso ko. "What's yours?"

"That one too," he smiles. "Hindi ako makatulog hangga't hindi ko alam kung paano tugtugin sa piano 'yung theme nila."

"You play?!"

"Sure. Do you?"

"Well, I used to. I chose a different kind of keyboard."

He smiles. Then adjusts our fingers before slipping his off. "Cramps," he says.

Inikot-ikot ko din ang pulsuhan ko. Wow, ang sakit nga.

"Why don't you two just get in a more comfortable position? Nicolo, you move. I don't think Miss Prim and Proper will be ever the first in anything."

He chuckles and reclines the sofa, pulling his legs and everything on it. "Come."

"What?" tanong ko sa kaniya.

"Lie down."

Napatingin ako kay Epps na parang wala ngang paki kung anong ginagawa namin at nags-cellphone pa ito.

Hihiga ba ko? Omg. Nakapa konsintadora ko talaga. Kinokonsinte ko kalandian ni Nicolo.

Excuse me lang, Kater, baka hindi mo alam boyfriend mo na siya ngayon. Tigilan mo kalakihan ng ulo mo.

Sabi ko nga eh. Ts.

I put my head on his arm. Ay wow in fairness ang tigas. "You workout?"

"I have to stay healthy. Do you?"

"Do I have to stay healthy or do I workout?" pang-aasar ko lang.

"Both."

"I try to keep healthy in the smallest ways I can but I eat everything and would choose meat over a salad any given time of the day. And no, I don't workout. Do I look like I workout?"

"Kinda. Just a little bit."

"I'm fat."

"No. I think you're no more than a hundred and twenty pounds. For your height, you're actually close to underweight."

"You're joking. Hindi mo palang nakikita ngayon pero makikita mo din bilbil ko one way or the other."

"Everybody has rolls. It's alright. Wait, ayos lang ba sa'yo 'yung position natin?"

"I don't mind."

Then he moves and puts his other arm above me, tentatively. "Will this be okay?"

"It should be. You're my boyfriend."

Hala!! Kater, magpapayakap ka naman talaga. Palaharot ka talaga.

Oh my, his breath on my neck though. Pwede na ba kong matunaw? Ang bango niya pa. Ugh. How is a girl supposed to resist?

He pulls me and I put my hand on his. Hindi ko kasi alam kung saan ko ilalagay. Alangan namang humiga ako doon na parang bangkay. I take a cautious peek at him and he has his eyes closed.

Is he hating this? Ouch. I have to hate this too the--

"I'm sleepy," he whispers in my ear.

SHET.

Mata ko na lang ang pinisil ko pasara at baka kapag pinisil ko ang kamay niya masyado na siyang makahalata.

ENEBE BE. NEKEKELETE EKE.

Jusq, Nicolo. Pakagat sa cheeks please. Cute mo.

Umikot ako. I feel a little brave. Naisip ko lang na mas mabuti na kung dito ko susubukan ang mga gusto kong subukan kesa sa actual na. I wouldn't know how he would react then.

I hug him, putting my face just below his collarbone.

Weh? Gusto mo lang malaman kung matigas ba dibdib niya eh.

Oh shut up.

Manyak, Kater.

He starts rubbing my back and I immediately feel sleepy. "Stop that. You're going to make me doze off," sabi ko sa kaniya.

"We should sleep a little.'

"I have a question."

"Yeah?"

"Have you had a girlfriend before?"

Umiling siya. "Never."

"Why not?"

"Don't feel like it."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Biglaan namang nagsalita ulit si Epps. "Nicolo."

"Yeah?" tanong nito.

"Before you try sleeping why don't you try kissing first?"

"WHAT?!" bulong ko.

Di din nagsalita si Nic. Maybe he is thinking this over?

"You have to kiss one way or another at some point. At least when that time comes you two wouldn't be this silent," paliwanag nito.

"So?" tanong ko kay Nicolo.

Uy si Kater gusto magpa-kiss.

Who doesn't? Ikaw kaya try mong maka-experience ng kiss. Hahanap-hanapin mo din.

Nicolo sighs before pulling a little away from him, just enough so he can see my face. "Game?"

Napalunok ako. Teka, nag-toothbrush ba ko kaninang umaga?

Shit. Di ko maalala kung nag-toothbrush ako.

"Uhm, wait," pigil ko sa kaniya nang nakatungo.

"What? It's your first?"

Bigla naman akong napatingala sa sinabi niya. "Of course not!"

"You had a boyfriend then."

"Of course I had one. Kanino ko pa ba ibe-base si Nic?"

Mukhang pinipigilan na lang niyang matawa. He tilts my face. "Alright. Since you're too proud of your kissing experience."

"Ano ba?" tanong ko sa kaniya at pumikit. Naduduling na kasi ako sa sobrang lapit namin. "You do it now or you do it later."

He chuckles. "Relax."

He pulls me closer and our noses bump. Then I'm waiting with my eyes closed in the dark.

Ang tagal.

"Nakatulog ka na ba?" tanong ko sa kaniya.

At heto na naman siya sa kakatawa niya. Dumilat ako. He looks so cute when he laughs I can't help laughing too.

"Ano ba?" I ask him.

"Sorry," he says. "I just don't want you to feel pressured into kissing me just because you're working for my father. A kiss is still a kiss anyway. We don't have to if you don't want to."

"Ngayon ginagawa mong awkward 'yung pag-oo ko," medyo pagtawa ko para hindi halatang (medyo) gusto ko talagang subukan at matapos na ang usapan. "We're in training and it's my job to be your girlfriend. So... let's just do it?"

"You sure?" Pati ang mga mata niya nagtatanong.

"Of course. No biggie," I smile at him.

Then the shortest second of my life happens.

His lips were on mine then they were gone. Ano 'yun?! Di ko manlang naramdaman? Isa pa!

"Do you think your friends would approve of that, Nicolo?" sabi ni Epps.

"My thoughts exactly," pahabol ko. "Kiss me like I'm your girlfriend because I am."

Hindi ko alam kung anong nangyari. Feeling ko biglaang sinapian si Nicolo dahil biglaang lumalim ang boses nito nang magsalita ulit, "Alright then."

He pushes himself a little upwards. Without warning, he dives for my lips. His palm on my cheek and the other around my shoulders just to pull me to him.

Not this is what I'm talking about. I've kissed my ex-boyfriend enough to know how to kiss and what to do in the middle of it.

But damn, this one is kinda making my brain cells die a billion at a time. We just... I don't know... move in sync? Like I know what he is just about to do. Like I already kissed him before.

The way he occasionally sucks on my lips is driving me crazy. Then it slows down to small kisses until he is just simply breathing with me.

"That was..." panimula ko. "Clean."

"Clean?" pagtawa niya at humiga na din.

"There are sloppy kissers. You're not one."

"You're not too. That was actually really good."

"Alright, let's stop talking about the way we just kissed. Couples don't do that. And it's really awkward."

He just laughs. "We can't be awkward around each other and you know that."

Biglaan namang tumunog ang cellphone ni Epps at parehas kaming napatingin sa babae. "Lunch is ready. Fill your stomachs. We still have a lot to do."