"Bittersweet!"

Nakaupo si Sophia sa baybayin habang dahan-dahang tinutongga ang alak na dala. 

She was looking at the moon, it was particularly round and big. It shone brightly up in the sky na tila ba binibigyan sya nito ng gabay.

"We always like things we could never have!"

Natawa syang bigla sa ka kornihan.

Seriously?

Wala sa sarili nyang tanong, it must be the alcohol that makes her become noncholant.

Here she is, trying to figure out what she's going to say to him pag nagkita sila with out even asking kung darating ba ito. 

Basta nalang niya itong inutusang makipagkita sa kanya.

Whether he's willing to come and see her, she doesn't know but it doesn't matter she will end everything tonight.

Pero maya maya pay nakarinig na sya ng mga yabag na papalapit sa kanyang kinaroroonan. It was odd kahit di na nya lingunin ang may ari nito,she already knew whom it belongs.

"Kanina ka pa ba?" 

Sophia doesn't know kung dala lang ba ng alak oh sadyang malamig lang talaga ang lugar dahil bigla nalang syang nakaramdam ng panlalamig ng marinig ang boses ng lalaki.

He's always cold pakonswelo niya sa sarili.

"Not exactly!"

She said while smiling at him. Those words that comes out from her mouth  was not meant for him but for herself.

He's not really that cold! 

Sophia knows that in some circumstances Leo will put his life in line just to save her, she find it sweet before, but this time it was a different story.

They should put Rain in the picture, if there's someone they're going to protect it should be Rain.

The warmed smile she gives to him will probably the last smile she could give, after this night they'll be a complete strangers again.

"I thought of not coming here—"

Leo paused and took a deep breath, habang nakatingin sa malayo. He seems to have a hard time saying those words.

"But I don't want to end things with you just like that, we become friends, after all!"

"We're more than that!"

Sophia said in a matter of fact tone, she tried hard not to cry atleast not infront of him but her voice suddenly crooked.

Napatingin bigla si Leo sa kanya, he was reading her expressions. Hindi nya alam kung matutuwa ba oh maiiyak ng mga sandaling iyon.

"We been through a lot—"

"Do you think we could be more than what we are, if we're just born in a simple family and none of this exist?"

Such a complicated question with a simple answer, it's just a yes or no! 

But then how come those words are really hard to say.

There's always a words that better left unspoken! Ika nga nila.

Nagtaas ng mukha si Sophia, she suddenly wants to feel the cold breeze coming from the sea.

Habang nakatingin lang si Leo sa kanya, pinagmamasdan lamang niya ang dalaga, She was just and inch away from him but then she seems so far.

"You won't like me, if I am not different!"

She said instead, Leo suddenly grab the bottle of vodka from her hand at sunod sunod na tinungga ang naturang alak.

Bittersweet! 

It was the taste of the alcohol, when you feel down you'll appreciate it's taste, kahit gaano pa kasama ang lasa nito.

Why? Dahil wala ng papantay sa pait at sakit na nararamdaman ng isang tao when they are broken.

"Try to drink it when you're sobber, you can't even swallowed it directly!" 

kastigo ni Leo sa sarili.

"You're mistaken, whether you were different or not I will still like you, nakakatawa diba?  we always wanted the things we could never have!"

"How ironic!" 

Ani Sophia sa kawalan, she already said those words a while ago habang nakatingin sa buwan. 

"I'm not the kind who will lost the moon by counting the stars—"

"Were exactly the opposite!"

Leo said with bitterness na ikinalingon ni Sophia sa kanya.

She suddenly felt guilty, hindi niya alam kung ano ang ginawa niya sa lalaking ito at ganoon nalang ito ka attached sa kanya.

She grab the vodka from him, she intended to drink it straight, pero dahil hindi naman talaga sya lasingga bigla nalang syang nasamid at napaubo ng sunod-sunod.

"Give me that!" 

Ani Leo na pilit inaagaw sa kanya ang bote but she swatted his hands. 

"Don't make things difficult for us—for fuck sake!"

Hindi na niya mapigilan ang matawa. 

She was already drunk dahil mas lalo pa niyang naramdaman ang pait sa kanyang dibdib.

"They said you have to be drunk to forget every damn pain but why. .why?"

She was banging her chest, She's confused really confused.

Why does I felt this kind of pain? Her subconcious asked herself.

Hinawakan bigla ni Leo ang kanyang mga kamay at sinigawan sya nito.

"Stop it—stop hurting yourself!" 

Bulyaw nito sa kanya.

"I'm sorry if I cause you so much pain!"

"No!" 

Wala sa sarili napapailing ang dalaga.

"This isn't pain, what I felt is not pain. You just made me confused— you asshole!"

Nanggagalaiti niyang sabi. Napapailing naman na di makapaniwala si Leo sa kanya. 

"You're drunk!"

"You're the one who's drunk—"

Ani Sophia na biglang napasigok.

"Sinong tanga nag pauso ng ganyang linya?" 

Sigaw ni Leo sa kawalan.

"It's the alcohol that makes you numb but not from pain, once you get drunk all the reality comes like a flood it will hurt you more than enough to think of killing yourself!"

Gusto sana niyang ibulyaw sa dalaga pero pinigil nya ang sarili. Mas lalo lang yatang magkakatupak ito.

"Why did you come here anyway?"

Naubo syang bigla ng marinig ang tanong nito, she's probably drunk kaya't kung ano anu ng pumapasok sa utak nito.

"We're having a date!"

Sakay nya sa trip ng dalaga.

"No! No! we're making memories, aren't we?" 

Leo laught discreetly.

"Lee let's just forget who we are, just for today—just for today, ok?"

Anito na inilabas pa ang hintuturo habang namumungay ang mga mata sa kalasingan.

"Fine!"

"Sing me a song—the one that makes me remember you for the rest of my life!"

She said it habang namumungay ang mga mata, Leo thought that Sophie's really drunk Kaya't pabago bago ang mood nito.

Namumula na ang magkabilang pisngi ng dalaga that makes her more beautiful.

"From now on, you should be careful with someone who's going to approach you, not all of them have a good intention towards you!"

Ani Leo pagkatapos ng mahabang katahimikang namagitan sa kanila.

"But why you are being so good to me?"

"I'm not!"

Sophia smirked when she heard it from him.

"That's good!"

"If I asked you to choose between—"

"Don't asked anything like that, you always know my answer!"

Sophia snap, salamat sa spirito ng alak at hindi na sya nahihirapang sabihin dito kung ano man ang nasa kanyang kaloob looban.

"I guess it's best for the two of us!"

Ani Leo na pinigil ang sarili, alam na niya ang magiging sagot ng dalaga pero parang tanga paring tinanong niya ito.

"You're brother suffer too much, because of us. let's just protect him, if you're going to choose between the two of us, it should be him!"

"Is that an order?" 

Nanantiyang tanong ni Leo sa kanya.

"What if it's yes?"

"Don't worry I don't have plans on giving up on him"

Napabuntong hiningang sabi ni Leo, it was half lie and half truth. 

Let's just cross the bridge when we get there! Ani leo sa sarili.