Chapter 11

Liam parked his car. Naghanap pa ito ng bato nang sa ganon ay hindi gumalaw ang kanyang sasakyan.

Nasa mataas kaming lugar kung saan kitang-kita ko ang syudad na pilit naming tinatakasan. Pakiramdam ko ay malapit ko ng maabot ang mga ulap.

Liam held my hand. He payed for us. I didn't asked him how much he had paid for. Nakakahiya. Wala man lang akong ambag.

I let him pull me. May ibang napapatingin sa amin. Liam is so tall. Walang kahirap-hirap niyang nakukuha ang attention ng mga taong nakapaligid sa amin.

We went inside a balcony of a house. Marami rin ang nandoon at kumukuha ng kanya-kanyang mga larawan.

Liam guided me near the railings. I closed my eyes and let the cold breeze touched my face...and every inch of me.

I let the cold air flew away my every fears, insecurities, doubts, and regrets. I will always treasure this very moment. Me...the calm place...and the soothing air.

"Welcome to Hibiscus Camp." Halos magsitindigan ang mga balahibo ko ng maramdaman ang mainit na hininga ni Liam sa tenga ko.

Hibiscus? That means...we're in Tigaon! God! Ang layo na sa Naga. Sana lang ay makauwi kami mamaya dahil malalagot ako nito kay Papa.

Enough with the worries. I want to spoil myself today.

Matamis akong ngumiti kay Liam. Ang kaninang malamig na hangin na nararamdaman ko ay unti-unting napalitan ng init.

Liam gently wrapped his arms around  my waist. Halos malagutan ako ng hininga dahil sa ginawa niyang iyon. He seems to not to notice anything about my sudden reaction. Mas hinigpitan niya pa iyon.

"For once, I want to make you feel that you are above anyone else." He slowly said marking each word with sincerity.

"I am above anyone else whenever I'm with you." Tila ba ibinulong ko lamang iyon sa malamig na hangin.

I held out Liam's hands. Malaki ang kanyang kamay. Dala siguro iyon ng paglalaro niya ng basketball.

"You are above anyone else, Jerard. Mataas ka sa kanila...in your own way." Natawa ako dahil conyo na naman siya magsalita.

I faced him. He didn't even let go of my small waist. I let out a deep breathe and faced him. Matamis na ngiti ang iginawad ko sa kanya. This man right in front of me is my everything.

"Thank you." I whispered...right enough for him to hear.

"You deserve to have everything...at peace." Inayos niya ang buhok ko. Nililipad na kasi ito ng hangin. He put few strands of my hair behind my ear.

Napapikit ako ng maramdaman ang malambot niyang labi sa aking noo. My heart is wildly roaring and I don't care if hears it. He deserves to hear my every heart beat saying his name.

I pulled him closer for a hug. I let myself be entirely drawn into Liam. Mas mahigpit niya rin akong niyakap pabalik.

Pumasok kami sa isang parte ng camp kung saan may three-tiered swimming pool.

Akala ko ay magsswimming kami ngunit iba ata ang balak ni Liam. We looked for a fine spot. Luckily, we found a vacant spot under a tree. This feels nostalgic.

May mat palang dala si Liam. Inayos niya iyon. Mukhang pinaghandaan niya talaga ito. Napangiti na lang ako habang pinagmamasdan si Liam na mag-ayos ng mga pagkain namin.

"You cooked this?" I eyed him with curiousity.

He nodded and showed me the foods he prepared. May baon din siyang rice, chop suey, fish fillet at pasta.

"I see you have your diet." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Bakit isa lang ang plato?" Isa lang kasi ang nakita kong dala niyang plato. Isang kutsara at tinidor.

"Mas sweet kapag share tayo. I saw that on google." He shyly said.

Isang malakas na tawa ang pinakawalan ko. Mas lalo lamang namula ang mukha ni Liam.

"Liam and his surprises." I said while looking at his eyes...as if I had seen his soul.

"I realized I need to open up my every flaws to you." Saad niya bago ako nginitian.

Ang ngiting iyon...bakit pakiramdam ko masyadong malungkot ang ngiting iginawad niya sa akin?

Nawala ako sa iniisip ng iharap ni Liam sa tapat ng bibig ko ang isang kutsara ng kanin na may chop suey. He even opened his mouth nang sa ganon ay gayahin ko siya.

He smirked when I gladly eat it. Sunod naman ay sumubo na siya ng kanya.

Isinandal ko ang aking ulo sa kanyang balikat. We ate a lot. He cooked so good.

Mahigpit niyang hinawakan ang kamay ko bago pinakawalan ang isang malalim na hininga.

"Will you believe me if I said...that I was born by mistake?" Gulat akong napatingin sa kanya.

He shook his head and smiled a little. Why do I feel like this is so hard for Liam?

"If...you're not yet ready to tell your story...I'll wait." I assured him.

Opening up is one of the hardest thing to do. We cannot just push someone to share to us their scars. What if they're wounded so deep?

Ngunit umiling ito sa akin. "My Mom got me when she's married with someone else...that's Dale's Dad."

My jaw dropped. Kaya pala! Unang tingin ko pa lang kay Dale, may pagkakahawig na 'to kay Liam.

There eyes were the same. Dark and intense. Mas matangkad lang ng kaunti si Liam kay Dale or I don't know. Hindi ko naman kasi pinapansin si Dale.

"First boyfriend ni Mommy ang Papa ko..." He trailed off. The corner of his eyes were about to turned red. "She went back here in Bicol because her family needs her or so...then she met Papa...and they had me...by mistake."

Liam frustratedly brushed his hair. Parang ang tagal tagal niya itong kinimkim at tinago.

"When I was a kid...I'll always ask Manang where my parents are. Lagi niyang sasabihin na wala...nagtatrabaho para sa akin." He shook his head. Nanatili lamang akong nakatingin kay Liam.

Pinapakinggan ang bawat kwento niya. Dinarama ang bawat sakit na kanyang sinarili.

"That's when I learned that my Mom had her family. Narinig ko silang nag-aaway. I was five by that time. Umuwi si Papa galing sa isang misyon. Umuwi si Mama galing sa kanyang pamilya. They were both shouting at each other...cursing so bad...fuck! That was my fifth birthday..." Nanikip ang dibdib ko ng makita kung paano ni Liam pinipigilan ang kanyang sarili na umiyak.

"My Dad's a soldier. Lagi siyang wala. Lagi rin wala si Mommy. Until, she had decided to bring me to her family. I met Dale, his Dad. I felt like I destroyed something..." My breathing stopped.

Hindi ko lubos akalain ang sakit na nararamdaman ni Liam.

"Pakiramdam ko...ang sama-sama kong tao."

Umiling ako sa kanya bago ko siya binalot sa isang matinding yakap. That's the least that I can do.