29 -28-

ALAYNA found herself flying back to Manila hours after she talked to Crissandra over the phone. Tunog-suicidal na kasi ang luka-luka niyang kaibigan at hindi niya kayang dalhin sa konsensya niya kung sakaling may gawin itong hindi maganda.

Her friend was kicked out of the house by her own father and now her handsome rockstar of a boyfriend broke up with her. Malamang nga na mapraning ito at hindi niya dapat hayaang mangyari iyon.

Dali-dali siyang nagpa-book ng flight pabalik ng Manila at hindi na nag-abala pang bitbitin ang mga gamit niya. Ang tanging dala lamang niya ay ang wallet niya at ang sarili niya.

Palabas pa lamang siya ng paliparan ay sinalubong na siya ng kaibigan na ikinagulat niya. She expects her to be on the condo, crying her heart out while rummaging a pint of ice cream. Looking at her right now, mukha naman itong nasa matinong estado pa ng pag-iisip. Geez, she was even wearing make-up.

"Hey! Hindi ka naman mukhang tatalon na sa pinakamalapit na bangin na madadaanan natin ah!" sita niya rito.

"Don't ask because we need to hurry!" hinawakan nito ang kamay niya at hinila siya nito pasakay sa isang taxi. "Manong sa Araneta tayo!"

Agad naman sumunod ang driver. Dalawang oras din mahigit silang nasa byahe bago huminto ang sasakyan sa tapat ng coliseum.

Iniabot ni Cris ang bayad sa driver bago siya hinila muli pababa at patungo sa Coliseum. Maingay sa loob niyon. She was almost sure a concert was being held inside.

"What are we doing here, Cris?" nagdududang tanong niya rito.

"I can't tell you, okay? Find that out yourself. Here." At isinuot nito sa kanya ang isang ID. Tinignan niya iyon. VIP PASS in bold letters was written on the tag. Nagsuot din ito ng isa para sa sarili saka siya hinila papasok.

Walang guard o ushers na humarang o nagtangkang pumigil sa kanila kahit na dire-diretso sila sa mismong harap ng stage. Maging ang boundary na naghihiwalay sa mga audience at sa mismong stage ay napasok nila. Bigla siyang nakaramdam ng kaba.

Tumingala siya. Tumambad sa kanya ang mukha ng mga performers na nasa stage. It was Rylen's band. And Rylen was looking at Cris. Cris made a thumbs up and smiled. Rylen smiled back.

Realization dawned on her. They did not broke up!

"Crissandra, what the hell is going on?" patili niyang sabi sa kaibigan upang marinig siya nito kahit pa pagkalakas-lakas ng musikang nililikha ng banda at ng naglalakihang speakers sa gilid nila.

Nilingon naman siya ng kaibigan.

"Look I'm sorry." Pasigaw ding sabi niya. "I really am sorry but you know I love you and I'm doing this for you, okay?" sabi nito.

Nothing makes sense to her. The lie about them breaking up, the concert and everything that she was saying to her. Nothing makes sense until the loud music stops. Rylen asked silence from the audience and everybody obliged.

"First of all, I wanted to thank everybody for coming to our concert. You guys rock!" nagkaingay muli ang crowd. Pagkatapos ay katahimikan muli. "At gusto rin naming pasalamatan ang mayaman at gwapong producer ng concert na ito. Kung hindi dahil sa impluwensiya niya at kayamanan, this concert which was planned for only a week wouldn't be possible, the best ka Mr. Producer!"

Everybody laughed except me. Okay, so this concert was planned for only a week which means minadali ito. Was it even possible? Well, maybe if the producer is that powerful and that rich. But what the hell am I doing here anyway?

"I also know that you guys got to watch here for free right?" the crowd roared.

A free-admission concert of a popular international band? Seriously?

Tinignan niyang muli si Crissandra.

"Wait a bit more." Ang tanging sinabi nito.

"That's a lot of money to waste, Mr. Producer." Rylen smiled wide before he continued. "But it's all worth it for love, right?"

"Ooohhh!" came the audience's response.

"And before we end this concert, I would want to give the stage and this mic to the person who make this all possible. All because of his love for someone. Sir?"

Dumagundong ang dibdib niya. She knows that figure behind the shadows. She knows him by heart. Skye.

He looked magnificent when he came into the light at the center of the stage. Inabot nito ang mic na ipinasa ni Rylen rito.

Tumikhim ito. At first he was staring at the crowd as he started to speak.

"Good evening, everyone. First, I want to thank you all for coming and I hope you enjoyed the concert." He smiled. That smile she always loved. Her heart fluttered. "Hindi ko po gustong sirain ang gabi niyo but I wanted to ask you to hear everything I would say and no matter how corney I may sound, will it be okay to bear with me?"

The crowd voiced a yes.

"Okay here it goes." He looks at Alayna and her heart beat a lot louder. "Alayna."

Everybody went quiet. All she could hear was the fast beating of her heart.

"Alam kong paulit-ulit na kitang nasaktan. From the past relationships I had to that engagement. Lagi kang nasa tabi ko kahit ilang babae na ang nakita mong hinalikan ko sa harap mo, kahit paulit-ulit kitang pinagtatabuyan. I know I always looked annoyed whenever you're bugging me but I'm not. Honestly, I'm not. Lahat ng pagkakataong nasa harapan kita, kinukulit ako, nagpapa-cute sa harap ko, those were the best moments of my life. I had always liked you, Alayna."

Pakiramdam niya tumigil sa pagtibok ang puso niya. She held her breath for a while, trying to digest every word he said.

He said he like her. Oh God he did!

"I have liked that cute girl who always follow me around. And I have learned to love that woman who always takes care of me."

Muling nagka-ingay ang paligid ngunit hindi niya iyon alintana. Ang taning nakarehistro lang sa utak niya ay ang mukha ni Skye. Ang mga labi nitong nagsasabing mahal siya nito.

"Noong una hindi ko sineryoso lahat ng ginagawa mo para sa'kin. I thought you were just a kid fascinated by me. That you don't really mean it everytime you say you love me. You were always cool whenever you see me with somebody else. It's as if you are not hurting."

"Of course I'm hurting." Hindi napigilang protesta niya. All along, ang tingin pala nito ay pinagti-trip-an lamang niya ito? But she was madly in love with him, for Christ's sake!

"I know and I'm sorry." He sincerely said. "I just realized that when you went to our house after that first time you've heard of that engagement. That was the first time I saw the pain in you. And I was relieved and happy because maybe finally I would be able to show you how I really feel about you without being scared that you might one day realize that you were just infatuated and not in love with me all along."

He was scared I would dump him?

"So that's when I started showing you that I care. Lahat ng ginawa ko, 'yong pag-aalaga ko sa'yo, that kiss, that dance at the party, they were all for real. Hindi kita pinaasa, Alayna dahil lahat ng 'yon ay mga bagay na matagal ko nang gustong gawin para sa'yo."

"But just when everything started to fall in place between us, this engagement went public. I didn't mean to hurt you but I was as shocked as you are when my Father announced the engagement I didn't react immediately. And the next thing I know, I have hurt you deeply and I'm sorry" huminga ito ng malalim bago nagpatuloy. "I went to your house the moment I got out of that party to explain myself to you but I wasn't able to talk to you. Your brother stopped me and told me to fix my mess first. That I should not show my face to you until I would be able to give you what you really need from me. And he was right. And I'm sorry you might have suffered for a while. But I'm here in front of you offering everything of me to you."

Inilahad nito ang kamay sa kanya. Hindi na siya nagdalawang isip pa nang abutin niya iyon. Nagulat pa siya nang hilahin siya nito paakyat sa stage. Maging ang mga guards na naroon ay tulungang maingat siya sa stage.

Namalayan na lamang niyang nasa harap na siya nito. Ibinaba nito ang mic at hinawakan ang kamay niya. pinahid nito ang mga luha niya.

"I want to explain everything to you right now. The engagement was not real. It was just our fathers talking about getting us engaged but I never agreed to that. Then Celine came to me asking for my help. She said her father won't agree to let her continue ballet abroad unless she got engage with me. And sabi niya, kahit hanggang sa matapos lang ang competition niya abroad kung pwedeng magkunwari kami sa ama niya na engaged kami. She said it will never go public at tanging ang Daddy lamang niya ang makakaalam but the night of the party, she lied to my father. She said we were actually engaged and that I was just shy to tell him so she volunteered to do so.

Naniwala si Daddy, which explains the announcement. Believe me, I was shocked as you are at hindi na ako nakapagpaliwanag pa. And then you were hurt. I want to run to you but you already know what happened next. But then I saw you the next day at the restaurant with that guy. I was enraged. I was fixing everything for you and there you are moving on, and that hurts like hell."

"Nagkita lang kami sa restaurant na iyon. it's not as if we agreed to meet there." Protesta niya. "And besides, I wasn't the one who went to that resto with his fiancée."

"I know and I'm sorry but I swear I just went with her there because I want to ask her to clear the matter up immediately." Agad na paliwanag nito "When you cried that day, I was hurt as well. Ang sakit pala makitang umiiyak ang mahal mo nang dahil sa'yo."

"Atleast I wasn't the only one hurting all along." Nasabi niya. Bigla parang gumaan lahat. Maging ang pagluha niya ay panandaliang natigil.

"Kaya nga ginastusan ko ang minadaling concert na ito. I can't let you suffer longer. So I asked your friend's help and her boyfriend."

"Pero pwede namang pinuntahan mo na lang sana ako ulit para magpaliwanag ngayong naayos mo na ang lahat."

"I know. But I have another purpose why I have made this concert a bit grand."

Binitawan nito ang kamay niya sumenyas sa nanonood na si Rylen. Naintindihan nito ang binata at dinampot ang mikropono.

"I once told you that I would only marry someone who I love." He kneeled in front of her kasunod ang pagtatapat ni Rylen ng mikropono sa mga labi nito. Binuksan nito ang isang kahitang ni hindi niya malaman kung san nito hinugot at iniharap sa kanya. "I love you, Alayna Marie Aldeza. Will you marry me?"

She gasped. Kumikinang sa mga mata niya ang diamond adorned engagement ring na nasa kahita. Naitakip niya ang palad sa mga labi. Was this for real or was she still dreaming?

"Yes!" pambubuyo ng mga tao sa paligid.

She was silent for a moment but a smile finally crosses her face.

"Napansin na ako ng longtime crush ko, mag-iinarte pa ba ako?"

He smiled and slipped the ring on her finger. Tumayo ito at niyakap siya. The crowd cheered. Pagkatapos ay ang pag-alingawngaw ng salitang "KISS" mula sa kanilang audience.

They obliged and the crowd went wild. Bigla parang nakalimutan ng mga itong concert nang banda ni Rylen ang ipinunta ng mga ito at hindi ang proposal na iyon.

Pero si Skye ang gumastos para sa concert na iyon kaya dapat lang naman na ito ang maging bida sa gabing iyon. or in this case, sila.

"Ayun oh! Sulit na sulit ang nagastos, ang tamis ng tukaan." Narinig niyang hirit ng isang bandmate ni Rylen. Kung hindi siya nagkakamali, owen ang pangalan niyon.

"I love you, Skye." Nasabi niya nang sa wakas ay maghiwalay ang mga labi nila.

"I know." Nakangising sabi nito.

"Yabang!" she playfully slapped his chest. He laughed. A genuine laugh. Pagkatapos ay inilapat nito ang noo sa noo niya.

"Believe me, I love you more."