Chapter 28
. ₊ ⊹ . ₊˖ . ₊

When I straddled over the big bike, I felt a sense of rush—adrenaline rapidly racing inside me. I have never tried to ride one before. Kahit nga yung nga rental ay hindi ko pa nasusubukan. Mas malapit daw kasi ang mga ganitong sasakyan pagdating sa peligro. Kaya nga kahit mahal ang mga taxi ngayon, 'yon ang nagiging choice ko kapag wala na talagang jeep.

Bago pa man humarurot ang sinasakyan namin ay naghanap ako ng makakapitan. Hindi ko alam kung saan kumakapit sa ganito. . .ipupulupot ko ba ang mga kamay ko sa baywang ni Cio? That's how it is, right?

I slowly stretched out my arms to wrap it around his waist. My head was almost pressed against his back. I could feel him breathing slowly when he felt my touch against him. Sa mabilis na pagpapatakbo ng ibang kotse sa gilid namin, mas lumamang pa rin ang bilis ng tibok ng puso n'ya.

"The fuck?" He breathed out. Napalingon siya sa akin, suot na n'ya ang kan'yang helmet pero rinig ko ang pagkalito sa kan'yang boses, it was almost ragged.

I tilted my head in confusion. "Bakit?"

"Ngayon ka lang ba nakasakay sa motor? Wala bang motor si Kiran? Bakit ka sa . . .katawan ko nakakapit?" he asked languidly, as if he wasn't sure why he's acting like this. Para siyang nahihiya.

Napaisip ako. "Ah, oo. At mayroon siyang sasakyan. Land Cruiser yata?"

I can't remember his old car, pero ang pagkakaalam ko ay nagpalit siya ng kotse n'ya dahil noon ay nahuli ko siyang nag-park sa Likha. Ilang beses akong napakurap dahil napaisip na tuloy ako kung mali bang kumapit sa kan'ya? Hindi ko kasi talaga alam ang kakapitan kung sakali.

Rien scoffed. "Tsk, at talagang sinabi mo pa ang brand? bumaba ka na nga at mag-Grab, ako na lang magbabayad."

I pouted. "Cio!"

Napabuntonghininga siya. "Fine, as if I'll let you go home alone. Pero wag ka basta-bastang kumakapit sa katawan ng ibang lalaki. sa akin, okay lang, sa iba, huwag na huwag. . .baka iba ang isipin nila."

"Ano iisipin nila?" I asked, a bit puzzled.

He shrugged but didn't answer my question. Napakapit na lang ako sa kan'ya nang mahigpit nang humarurot na ang motorsiklo. It was my first time but I could feel my race racing, leveling with the speed of the vehicle. The wind tousles my hair as Rien went for a faster route. Napapapikit na lang ako minsan pero mahigpit pa rin ang kapit ko sa kan'ya. Halos matulala ako nang makarating kami sa pamilyar na bar—ang East Drive.

He dismounted himself first before going to my side and helped me get off from the motorcycle.

"You okay?" tanong n'ya nang makababa ako. "First time mo nga."

"It was fun!" I smiled at him as I took off the helmet. "Thank you for the ride."

He momentarily stared at me once again. Minsan ay nahuhuli ko si Rien na tumititig sa akin nang ganito. . .like he wants to say something but he's afraid of saying anything that will cross any boundary that's been set.

Tumango si Rien. "Drinks are on me. Sabihin mo lang kay Rien ib-bill."

Umiling ako. "Nakisakay na nga ako eh. Saka ako naman ang sumama, hindi mo naman ako niyaya."

"Niyaya kita," kalmanteng saad n'ya. "And besides, I don't think you'll down a black label in a blink. I'll be fine, minsan lang naman ako may pagkagastusan."

"At ako pa 'yon?" Nanglaki ang mga mata ko.

He glanced at me and sighed. "Tara na nga."

We went inside East Drive and the familiar place still had the whiff of expensive liquor and smoke. Halos tahimik pa ito dahil ang alam ko sa gabi pa ito talaga nagbubukas, it was rare to open when it's still daylight.

We went to the bartender's area, may tao na roon. It was someone who had tattoos on his arms, full-sleeves. Kaya naman umawang ang labi ko. His hair was a bit disheveled, parang bagong gising ito. Someone was beside him, a tall and well-built man who elegantly downed a drink upon seeing us. It was Eastre Zaguirre, if I recall.

"You're on time, Rien," Eastre greeted us, agad n'ya akong sinipat. I remember him well. . .who would forget a handsome face like his?

Lumingon 'yong kasama n'yang puno ng tattoos ang buong braso. A small smirk crept on his face as soon as his eyes set on us.

"Binata ka na? Marunong ka na magdala ng babae?" tukso nito kay Rien.

"Fuck off, Ryou," asik ni Rien saka pumasok sa loob ng bartender's area. "Bakit ka nandito?"

"Masyado ka kasing busy eh," sabi ni Ryou at pumalatak. "Kaya ka pala hindi namamansin sa mga messages ko sa 'yo dahil may tinatrabaho ka."

Sumipat sa akin si Ryou at tila ba may kahulugan ang kan'yang titig. "Ikaw pala ang kabit ni Rien? Kaya di na siya bumisita sa akin?"

My eyes widened a fraction. Bahagyang nagmura si Rien at binato ng basahan si Ryou na biglang natawa.

"So violent, bro!" Ryou laughed then shook his head. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ryou, ikaw ba?"

"Nacia. . ." sagot ko sa mahinang tono.

Ryou smirked. "Ikaw ba yung co-writer?"

"Siya 'yon?" Eastre joined in, a smirk playing on his lips.

Tinubuan tuloy ako ng hiya dahil parang pinaguusapan nila ako nang hindi ko alam. I wanted to ask Rien but it looks like he's also distraught. His jaw ticked when he heard them, para bang nahihiya siya dahil nabuking siya.

"Kaya naman pala uwing-uwi palagi si Rien dahil nagkaka-hard on," halakhak ni Ryou at umiling-iling.

I blinked numerous times before it registered on my mind. What?

Tumikhim si Rien. "Umalis ka na nga rito kung mangaasar ka lang. Papasok pa lang ako pero gusto ko na umuwi."

"Pikon!" Ryou chuckled before finally drinking his liquor. "Buti pa si Eastre ay hindi gano'n! Sabagay, sa picture lang at sa imagination n'ya lang nagiging totoo yung babae n'ya."

"Fuck you," Eastre spat out then his eyes went to Rien. "Yung susunod na alak na ibibigay mo rito sa kaibigan mo, paki-lason na nga."

"Copy," Rien scoffed then head behind the counter. Pumasok siya sa isang maliit na kwarto. . .I wonder what that leads to.

"Kumain ka na ba, Nacia?" Eastre tilted his head to face me, and smiled a bit.

"Ah. . .hindi pa," sagot ko.

"Order anything," sabi n'ya. "It's on the house. Huwag ka magpalipas ng kain. And Rien cooks well. . .mukhang di naman masama ang loob n'ya if you're the one that he'll serve food to."

Ryou nodded and smirked evilly. "Baka nakangiti pa 'yan habang naggigisa ng bawang."

Napailing na lang si Eastre. I decided to order some truffle cream pasta. Mukhang si Rien ang bartender at cook sa East Drive.

We stretched our conversation over work and personal lives. Nagulat ako sa sobrang vocal nilang dalawa. But maybe because they're men, they're not really filtering their words. O baka naman dahil hindi tulad ko na maraming tinatago ang nakausap ko ngayong gabi.

"Ang sinasabi ko lang, bakit mo tinatago yung jowa mo dati? Ikaw lang nakakakilala d'yan eh! Kung totoo talaga 'yan, ipapakita mo sa amin!" Ryou demanded.

"She's real!" Eastre scoffed, full of scorn. "She's just shy. . .that's all. And wala na kami. . .I don't even want to remember her."

"Funny how you still don't want to talk about it," saad ni Ryou. "Tinago n'yo na nga relasyon n'yo, pati ba naman break up?"

Eastre shrugged. "Not worth my time."

Napalingon ako sa pasta ko, Rien served it earlier and it smells good. Unti-unti kong kinain ito at masarap siya. Parang carbonara lang kung tutuusin, pero mas malasa.

"Is it really because you hate her guts? Or you're protecting her from potential backlash? Alam mo naman na may fans ka. . .na parang kulto," sabi ni Ryou at nilaro-laro ang yelo sa kan'yang inumin. "Tangina, huling balita ko nga sa social media ay may anak ka na raw kay Betinna."

"What? Ni hindi na nga kami naguusap no'n," Eastre defended himself. "We're partners for endorsements, that's all!"

"At sa tingin mo maniniwala pa ako sa 'yo kung ginigiit mong nagka-jowa ka tapos never mo naman pinakilala sa amin? What the fucking poltergeist is that? Did you fuck a ghost, dahil ikaw lang ang nakakita?" Ryou licked his lips before shaking his head. "Fucking crazy, man."

"She's real nga!" giit ni Eastre.

"Dude, I just know she's a figment of your imagination. Sobrang horny mo na ba kaya gumawa ka na lang ng sarili mong babaing pagpapatansyahan?" Halakhak ni Ryou.

Lumabas si Rien mula sa backdoor at sumilip sa akin. He mouthed. "Are you okay there?"

Tumango ako at ngumiti.

"Your story could be a plot," sabi ko kay Eastre dahil halos katabi ko lang naman siya.

"What?" Nanglaki ang mga mata n'ya.

Ryou whistled. "Naging best-selling novel pa nga. New venture ba 'yan, East?"

"Ikaw lang nakakakita sa taong mahal mo. . .tapos sa dulo ay matatanggap mong matagal na pala siyang patay," sabi ko sa kan'ya.

"Tangina," halakhak ni Ryou.

Bumungisngis si Ryou at namutla si Eastre. I blinked at them because I think that's a good plot. I'm just not sure what genre it will be.

When the club finally opened, Eastre had to go because people were slowly teeming on the dance floor. Ang iba roon ay siya talaga ang mismong hanap. Hindi ko naman makausap si Rien dahil dinagsa rin siya ng mga tao. . .mostly women who were wearing expensive clothes, based from the logos of their bags. Ang ilan doon ay malagkit ang titig kay Rien pero parang isinasantabi lang n'ya ito. He doesn't mind them and he's busy making their drinks.

Ang gwapo ni Rien kapag nakapang-bartender's outfit. Kung tutuusin ay simpling itim na polo shirt lang ito, bukas lang ang mga naunang butones. Kanina pa siya tingin nang tingin sa akin kahit may kumakausap sa kan'ya.

"Nacia, do you drink?" tanong sa akin ni Ryou. For some reason, hindi n'ya ako iniwan. I appreciate that.

"Ah. . .kaunti lang," sagot ko nang lingunin siya.

The song shifted to another hit, it was 'Kiss Me Thru the Phone' and all eyes abruptly went towards Rien when he started to danced along while wearing a boyish smirk on his face.

"I really wanna kiss you but I can't," Rien sang the lyrics and mouthed numbers, as if he's giving his real number while flaring the bottle.

Tumili naman yung mga babae, at ilang mga kalalakihan. Some of them were shamelessly flirting with Rien but he's not giving his attention to them. Kaya lalo siyang nagkukumahog mapansin nito.

Rien and Cio. . .are very different if you'd compare. Cio, or his writing persona, is reserve and aloof. But it looks like Rien is silently the darling of the crowd. Lahat ng mga mata ay sa kan'ya lang nakatuon.

I was watching him doing some flaring techniques, my eyes only occasionally following the direction of the bottles being flared up. Each move were smoothly done with grace and calculated precision, as if he was made to do it without any minor mistakes. Ang iba ay nakatapat ang mga cellphones kay Rien. They probably wanted to make him a lasting memory.

I was quite impressed, to say the least. Magaling pala si Rien sa trabaho n'ya. . .and he's also great as Cio.

When I terribly failed both as deepyawns and as Nacia.

Malungkot akong yumuko. Why am I self-depreciating right now? I should probably get some drink already. 'Yon naman talaga ang pinunta ko rito.

My eyes abruptly scanned the array of bottles just behind the counter. Sinilip naman ako ni Ryou nang makita kung nasaan ang mga mata ko.

"Do you have any drink that you want?" si Ryou habang nakatingin sa akin.

"You have any suggestions?" tanong ko pabalik.

Ngumisi siya. "Kilala mo na ba si Cardi B?"

⊹ . ₊˖ . ₊

"Putangina!" They screamed as soon as the beat dropped. "Alak pa!"

I laughed along after I took another shot! Hindi ko na nabilang kung ilan ang nainom ko. Basta ang alam ko! Lasang lasing yung iniinom ko! Lasang bukas na ako magigising!

"Ang sarap ni Cardi B!" I laughed once again.

Ryou, who's starting to get blurry, held me on my wrist. "Okay ka pa ba? Hinay ka na. I think you need to slow down."

"Hindi!"

"Oh, fuck it," tawa ni Ryou. "Ako ang papagalitan ni Rien! You haven't met him when he's angry. Tangina, kahit ako ay napapa-opo n'ya bigla eh!"

"What do you mean?" mahinahong sambit ko, I took another shot. "Mabait kaya si Rien! He let me ride him!"

"Ah. . ." natahimik si Ryou nang sandali. "Talaga?"

"Yeah, he was big and fast!" Tawa ko kay Ryou habang inaalala ang pagsakay ko sa motor kanina. "It was my first time."

"Was he gentle?" nagaalalang tanong ni Ryou, this was the first time that he looked concerned.

Umiling ako nang paulit-ulit. "Nooo! He was very fast! Nahiya ako sabihin na bagalan lang n'ya eh. . .baka late na siya!"

"Ah. . .quickie lang, gano'n?" Halakhak ni Ryou. "Fuck, I didn't know my friend's got his priorities."

"Magaling naman siya!" proud kong siwalat. Sana maturuan n'ya rin ako magpaandar ng motor!

"Papagalitan ko 'yon mamaya," he shook his head. "Pasensyahan mo na ah? No girlfriend since birth kasi 'yon. Baka sabik lang."

"Really?" I widened my eyes. Hindi halata kay Rien. . .his verses and words were always flowery, as if romance was easy for him.

"Oo eh," sagot n'ya. "You know, Rien may came off as someone who's aloof but he just don't know how to socialized that much, puro trabaho kasi 'yan. Maaga kasi siyang naulila kaya. . .maaga siyang kumayod."

My eyes blinked, para akong napuwing sa sinabi ni Ryou sa amin. My heart was throbbing as my whole body started to feel the heat, despite the coldness of the entire place.

"Kaya pala. . .may Cio siya. . .at Rien," unti-unting sambit ko.

I was comparing myself to him earlier because I thought everything was handed to him easily. I had to sacrificed a lot for me to reach at this point, and I think it was a bit. . .unfair that he had things that I wanted to have too. I wanted to have a job outside writing and I wanted to be successful at writing too. Nagawa n'ya 'yon pareho na para bang hindi siya nahirapan.

But maybe, if I just removed the glasses of envy and greed, I would see that just like me, he's just a writer who writes to escape his cruel reality as well. He has also his own set of dilemmas that I don't have, thus there was no need for comparison because both of us were walking a similar path but a different obstacle.

"Walang pahinga 'yan," sabi ni Ryou sa akin at sumimsim sa iniinom n'yang alak. It was also Cardi B, or bacardi, if I recall.

"Hm?"

"Bigyan mo nga." Ngumisi si Ryou.

Tumango-tango ako habang dinadama ang unti-unting paghalo ng alak sa sistema. I could feel my whole body flaring in heat. Pakiramdam ko ay naging ako na mismo ang araw sa sobrang init ko ngayon.

I slowly went to where Rien was bartending. Maraming babae ang kinakausap siya pero pa-simple lang siyang ngumingiti.

Rien only shrugged, which made the girls eager to make him talk. Sumipat ng tingin sa akin si Rien nang lumapit ako sa kan'yang direksyon.

I smiled at him softly upon arriving near his area. "Rien. . .pahinga na tayo."

His eyes momentarily went wide, bago ito bumalik sa mga mata n'yang madalas ay madilim kaya hindi agad mabasa. Tumigil siya sa pagpupunas ng ilang mga baso. He looked at his wrist watch and the girls around him started to panic.

Napalingon ako sa mga babae sa harap n'ya. All of them were beautiful. Mga balingkinitan ang katawan. Mukhang mga galing alta sosyedad. And. . .Rien's ignoring them?

Feeling pogi naman si Rien. . .gwapo siya pero grabe ang taas ng standards. Ano ang gusto n'ya sa babae? Kasing perpekto ba gaya sa mga nasa libro? Shy, prim, and proper?

"Wait lang," he said while his attention was on me, then turned to Eastre who was coming his way.

"Extend ka? Full packed," Eastre said while raising a drink. Mukhang kahit naka-ilang baso na siya ay straight pa rin siyang maglakad. Samantalang umiikot na ang ulo ko sa unti-unting pagkahilo.

Rien glanced at me and shook his head at Eastre. "Early out na ako."

Eastre's eyes widened before slowly nodding. "Sure ka? Patrons are here."

"Tell them," Rien moistened his lips and glanced at me, meaningfully. "Magpapahinga na ako."