10.27.06
a love story…don’t read
Isang gabi pagkatapos ng Bagyong Milenyo
brownout…
sa bahay ni PJ sa Bayan…
The alley was dark. A group of punks were hanging out in one corner. Someone whistled and shouted an obscene word. A couple of them threw out dirty jokes. He was walking beside her and she hugged herself in an effort to block out the darkness and the fear.
He suddenly turned to her and said, “I’ll put my arms around you. Cuddle up close to me and forget about them. They won’t bother you if they see that you’re with me.”
She was too scared to argue so she just let him put his arms around her. The next moment they were riding in a pedicab (what could be more corny and jologs than a pedicab, of all things!). He was stroking her arm, caressing it as he listened to her stories. She was smiling and laughing up at him when suddenly she stopped talking. She looked at him for a long time and then, putting her mouth close to his ears, she whispered three words that she never imagined she would say to him…“Wo ai ni."
For a moment he just looked at her, his fingers making light, featherweight strokes on the insides of her arms. And then he smiled and kissed the top of her head. Whispering, he said, “I know. Ditto.”
Pagkatapos ng training
sa hotel room sa tacloban…
She couldn’t see where they were. All she could see was a hazy cloud of white and the two of them lying amidst the floating clouds, their heads close to each other.
They were talking and smiling and laughing when suddenly, she reached out and tried to fit her hands into his. It was a perfect fit as his hand reached out to grasp hers. Something sparked and their eyes met. It was an understanding.
The next moment, she was talking to him over the phone. There was a garden, lots of trees and her dad’s orchids.
“Is this what I think this is?” she asked in hushed tones.
“I love you. Do you want me to say it again?”
There was silence as she smiled. And then she replied, “Padangat ta ka.”
They were seated across each other in the long dinner table with some people. He was looking at her from across the table and their eyes communicated the silent joy, the exhilaration of the moment, the excitement of this secret feeling between them.
She suddenly stood up and told the people at the table that she’s leaving. He rose and announced that he’s seeing her to the door. Together, they walked to the exit, their hands close but not touching.
As soon as the door closed behind their backs, he turned to her and grabbed her at the waist. He smiled down at her and took her hand. “I love you”, he said at the same moment he touched his lips to hers.
It was a long sweet kiss.
…i shouldn’t go to bed on an empty stomach. i definitely should avoid sleeping in another bed other than my own. it seems like im being haunted by weird, funny dreams. and as they become more frequent, they’re also starting to bother me. and yes, i know who HE is. his face is as clear as the morning light, as alive as the memories i will carry of the semester that has passed. i probably should stop thinking… yes, i ought to stop thinking. 
perhaps if i stop, then this shall eventually pass…
