Chapter 22

The Blind

"And that's a wrap!" The photographer said after I heard the nth clicking and shutter sound for the day. I loosened the tie I'm wearing, as well as the string tying the mask on my eyes. "Good work everyone! Lalo ka na Q! Naku! Kung ipapakita lang talaga ang mukha mo, mas mabebenta ang clothing line na'to!"

I smiled at the photographer and heard some footsteps approaching me.

"Did I do good?" I asked Wynfrost.

"Wow. Alam mo agad na ako 'to ah!" she jokingly said and laughed. "Well, of course you're awesome! Ako ba naman ang nagturo sa'yo ng mga poses hahahaha!"

I felt her hands on my arm then she softly pulled me towards somewhere. The smell of mint washed over me when we got closer to each other. A fruity scent was mixed with her natural smell- her new perfume perhaps or maybe she ate something since she's really not fond of using perfumes. Most of the time she smells like paint, not that it bothers me.

I missed smelling paint from her. I wonder if she missed vandalizing on the walls of our subdivision. I haven't heard her talk about painting when we're together.

I've already concluded that she's taking a break from painting—oh wait, except that she's still finishing painting Avicii's wall. Maybe he's an exception? Tsk. I think they've really become buddies. Wynfrost said it's because of the cabbages and that popular game called Mobile Legends.

I'm sure Avicii lured her with something before she would open up to him.

"Kuya, kuya." I heard Noren's voice from the side so I gave him a glance and continued walking. "You look cool, Kuya! You're more good-looking than those other guys! Iba talaga ang dugo natin!"

He sounded excited since he's considering getting into modeling. Narinig ko ito sa usapan ng pamilya noon pa. Sadly though, nobody supports Noren so he proceeded on getting Accountancy.

"Naman! Si Q yata ang anghel nitong modeling agency nina Lan!"

"Aren't you embarrassed calling my brother an angel?"

"I'll be embarrassed if I don't call you a little devil."

"I'm not a kid!"

"Ang sabi ko little, hindi kid. Ano issue mo?"

Of course, I've gotten used to there banters. Hindi talaga sila magkasundo. Pareho kasi silang prangka at mainitin ang ulo. Ang dali-dali lang mapikon. I'm actually amazed that Noren's still in one piece. Wynfrost must be just holding back since he's still a growing boy.

"Hep, hep! Why are you getting inside the dressing room too? Manyak ka ba po?"iritableng sabi ni Noren kay Wynfrost.

I really thought they were already fine yesterday since he already said sorry while she said she was fine with it. They just did it since I told them, I suppose.

"Excuse me, nakita ko na rin naman lahat ng 'yan kaya ayos lang na ako ang magbihis kay Quentin!" She sounded so smug that I couldn't help but grin. Ang lakas talaga ng loob nito. Ibang klase. "I-I mean! Sige ikaw na ang umalalay kay Q!"

Narinig kong may mga napasinghap sa paligid namin habang ang iba naman ay nagbubulungan. I could clearly hear them say that it's a shame I'm already taken.

It's not a shame, though since I'm really not taken. I just offered my body to this weird loudmouth with me.

"Ha! Aminin mo na lang kasi na manyak ka po!"

"Shut up! Huwag mo akong mapo-po kung 'di ka marunong ng correct sentence structuring!"

"Excuse me? Do you even know sarcasm?"

Pumasok na ako sa dressing room at hinagilap ang susuotin. Kumapa-kapa ako at naramdaman ang shirt kong naka-hanger sa gilid. Ilang minuto lang ay tapos na ako sa pagbihis pero naabutan ko pa rin sa labas ang dalawa na nag-aaway.

"That's enough," pagsaway ko sa dalawa. "Let's first have lunch."

"Oh? Anong gusto niyong kainin? My treat."

Surprisingly, she used "niyo" so she's also asking Noren. Told you she's weird.

"Ate Wyna, gusto ko po ng porkchop!"

"Don't worry darling, I'll buy you lots of porkchop!"

Napailing-iling na lang ako dahil nagbago na agad ang mood ng dalawa.

"Pasalamat kayo kay Avicii dahil binayaran niya na ako sa ginawa kong wall painting." Humalakhak ito at hinawakan na naman  ang braso ko. "He gave me a huge tip!"

"Whoah! So you paint?" Noren asked. "You don't look like a painter at all."

"Yeah? Hehehe. Marami nang nakapagsasabi sa akin niyan eh. Ano ba ang bagay sa aking trabaho?"

"Kargador—ouch!"

"Gusto mo ba ng porkchop o hindi?!"

"Gusto po!"

"Hala sige! Tanungin mo na si Belmond kung saan tayo makakakain ng masarap na porkchop!"

"Roger, Ate!"

And Noren dashed out before I could tell him to be careful. Klaro kasing patakbo itong umalis. Basta pagkain talaga...

Nagitla ako nang pumisil si Wynfrost sa braso ko at nagtanong.

"Is porkchop okay with you?" I wanted to roll my eyes since she just asked this right now. Tsk. Inuna pa nito si Noren kanina. Wait, why does it sound like I'm irritated with my brother? "Quentin?"

Ah. Whatever.

"It's fine. I like to eat it too," I said and shrugged my shoulders. Kanina lang ay ayos naman ako sa kanila pero bakit ganito?

Dati-rati'y ako ang laging nambabara kay Wynfrost. Ngayon, kapatid ko na ang gumagawa nito.

I missed pissing her off.

Fuck. Now, I'm the one being weird.

"Ayos ka lang ba?" Napatigil siya sa paglalakad kaya natigilan din ako. I blinked and wondered if I'm being too obvious that I'm thinking about something. "Is something wrong? Are you thinking about something?"

"Hindi lang ako sanay na iba ang umaaway sa'yo." Natural na lumabas ang mga salitang 'yon sa bibig ko dahil totoong ito ang iniisip ko ngayon.

"Miss mo nang sungitan ako?" Akala ko ay bibiruin niya ako o pagtatawanan sa kababawan ko pero seryoso ang kanyang tono. "I also miss how you always piss me off. Ang sweet mo kasi ngayon."

"Sweet ako? Ikaw nga riyan ang sweet," nakakunot-noong sabi ko sa kanya.

"Sweet...ako?" she said with a gasp. I'm sure she was surprised about that. She wasn't even aware she has become sweet.

And what did she say a few seconds ago? That I'm sweet?

We both became quiet as we walked.

"Ba't ba dikit ka nang dikit sa akin?"

"S-Sinong dumidikit?!" nauutal nitong sabi. I wondered if she was blushing in shame because of what I said. I smirked when she let go of my arm.

"You've been really touchy lately, you know." Lumapad ang ngisi ko nang marinig itong bumubulong-bulong ng mga mura. "Akala ko ba sex lang?"

"W-What are you saying?! I-Ikaw kaya 'tong laging pumupunta sa c-condo ko!" I  heard her furiously murmur some more curses before she said, "B-Baka ikaw ang clingy sa a-atin!"

"Clingy? Me? Am I the one rubbing someone's arm immodestly?"

"W-What?! How dare you call me immodest idiot?!" I reached for her body and traveled my hands toawards her fingers. Pinagsalikop ko ang mga kamay namin at marahan siyang hinila. "W-What are you doing?!"

"Holding your hand. Akala ko ba ako ang bulag sa ating dalawa?"

"Shut up!" Hinila nito ang kamay pero mariin ko siyang hinawakan. "Let go of me!"

I grinned and listened to her puff some air as she tried to pry away her own hand from mine. But to no avail, she cursed me again.

I chuckled at that.

"Huwag ka ngang pakipot."

"Sinong pakipot?! Bwisit ka!" Pinalo ako nito sa braso pero medyo mahina naman kumpara kung seryoso talaga siya sa pananapak.

"Are you mad or just pretending to be cute?"

I can't help but compare her to a little bunny right now while lightly punching a fox.

Sinilid ko ang isang kamay sa bulsa ng jeans ko at nagpatuloy sa paglalakad.

"What—you lunatic! I'm not acting cute!"

Hindi naman ito tumigil sa pagbubunganga habang naglalakad kami.

"Huwag ka ngang sumigaw. Halata ka masyado."

"Anong halata, huh huh?!" she asked but her voice shook a little. Ramdam ko ang nerbyos sa kanyang nanginginig na kamay kaya muli akong natawa.

"Why are you shaking like a little leaf?" Marahan ko ulit siyang hinila bago yumuko at bumulong. "Are you excited since you think I'm making you hot that you want to bend over the wall and let me fuck you here, baby?"

"Quentin peste ka!"

"Oh? Is my little whore embarrassed? You're probably all red right now. So cute."

"Shit! Shit! Ibalik mo si Quentin! Bakit nag-change na naman ang mood mo?! Inisin mo ako sa ibang paraan takte!"

Humalakhak ako dahil klarong apektado na ito sa pinagsasabi ko. Ah. Wait.

What the fuck did I just do?

Did I just flirt with this woman?!

~

"Kuya, nag-away ba kayo ni Ate Wyna?" bulong ni Noren sa akin kinagabihan. Si Wynfrost nagpresenta nang maghugas kaya nandito kami at nakaupo sa couch sa harapan ng TV. Naririnig ko ang mga character ng pelikulang The Meg pero hindi pumapasok sa utak ko ang mga sinasabi nila.

Damn it all.

"Quit calling her Ate Wyna," sabi ko habang nagpapanggap na nakatutok lang sa pelikula. I glanced at Noren impassively before facing the television again. "Ate Wynfrost na lang ang itawag mo sa kanya."

"Do I smell jealousy?"

"Puro ka kalokohan."

"Weh? You looked like you wanted to kill me when I told Ate WYNA that I want her to feed me."

Naaasiwa akong marinig ang nickname ni Wynfrost galing sa kapatid ko pero nanatili pa rin akong walang emosyon sa pakikipag-isap.

"You're thinking too much. Iniisip ko lang na napakaweirdong tingnan na nakikipaglampungan ka sa mas matanda sa'yo."

"Honestly Kuya, I won't be irritated if you're just saying you're jealous. Ang dumi-dumi ng utak mo. Mabait na tao si Ate WYNA kaya gusto ko siyang maging sister-in-law." Namutla ako sa pinagsasabi ni Noren. Sister-in-law?! "And please, ikaw 'tong may ginagawa sa mas nakababata sa'yo, Kuya. You're 30 and she's 23. Tatlong taon lang ang agwat namin habang kayo pito!"

"W-What?!" All my facade vanished when I heard him say that. "What do you mean she's 23?!"

What the fuck? Niloloko ba ko nitong kapatid ko?!

"Of course, her age Kuya. Wait—" he paused as I felt all the blood drain from my body. "You didn't know she's 23?"

Nasapo ko ang ulo ko sa kalokohang naririnig.

No, no. That can't be. That's completely bullshit. She must be in her late twenties already! Imposible namang bata pa ito! Wait, fuck! Does that mean Lan dated her when she was much much younger?! And we have a seven-year gap?!

Did I really fuck a kid?! But she was so forward with it so I thought we were more or less having just one or two years in gap. 7 years is just too much.

No, wait. I have to confirm this first.

"Kanino mo naman nalaman na 23 years old na si Wynfrost?"

"Oh." Yeah, maybe it's all a joke. Baka biniro lamang siya ni Wynfrost na 23 ito. That's just impossible, right? "Sinend sa akin ng private investigator ang personal data ni Ate. I'm sorry I didn't tell you but I was just making sure she doesn't have any shady business."

Tangina! What the fuck is this situation?!

Bakit hindi ko alam ng edad niya? This is so fucked up. What did it look like when I'm talking dirty with her or when I'm fucking her? It looked like I'm forcing a young girl to have sex with an old guy.

"Fuck!"

"Ah, Kuya. Are you worried? Age doesn't matter, Kuya. Saka, 30 ka pa naman Kuya. Nasa kalendaryo pa ang edad mo."

"Do you want to get kicked out, Noren?" May pagbabanta sa tono ko kaya narinig ko siyang napaigik sa takot. "Don't you dare call her Ate Wyna again or I'll end you," I murmured darkly then stood up. "Do you understand?"

"Y-Yes, Kuya!"

Umiling ako at dumiretso sa Master's bedroom. Nang makapasok, agad akong sumalampak sa sahig nang bumalik sa akin ang rebelasyon kanina.

This is fucking nuts! Seven years ang gap namin! Bakit hindi sinabi ni Wynfrost? Wait, does she even know I'm already 30 years old?!

I did the Math in my head and almost fainted from realizing that Lan must have dated her when she was still 15-17 years old. She said we were in the same University and hinted that we may have seen each other on some rare occasions we couldn't even recall. I'll assume we were on our 4th year that time and she must be on her 1st year.

Hell. How could Lan date her when we were probably 22-23 years old that time. Paanong hindi nakasuhan ang lalaking 'yon ng child abuse?! Kaya ba nag-abogado siya dahil may nagawa siya kay Wynfrost?

Wait, maybe he really did something. Knowing that he's a scheming idiotic weird bastard, he must have done things to have Wynfrost as his girlfriend.

Fuck. Fuck. This is insane!

Nasa legal na ngayong edad si Wynfrost at mayroon namang consent niya ang sex na nangyari sa amin pero paano kung napipilitan lang siya dahil hawak siya ni Lan sa leeg? Dahil baka mamantsahan ang pangalan niya sa pakikipagrelasyon sa isang lalaking pitong taon na ang agwat sa kanya noong menor de edad pa siya?!

Fucking hell.

Muli akong lumabas ng kwarto at bumalik sa living room. Hanggang ngayon ay nakabukas pa ang TV pero sinigurado ko pa rin kung nandito pa si Noren.

"Noren, nandiyan ka pa?"

"B-Bakit Kuya?"

"Is Wynfrost still in the kitchen?" I asked and sat down on the couch.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Sabihin mo sa akin kung ilang taon si Wynfrost noong nag-college siya."

"Wait, I'll have to open the word file first. I haven't read about her education." He tapped on his phone for a while. "Wow. She went to the same University as you at the age of 16 and graduated at 17. Double pa ang course niya, Fine Arts at IT. Oh shit. It also says here she graduated as a Summa Cum Laude. Is she a genius or what?"

I gaped for a long while as those unbelievable words sunk in my brain.

It seemed surreal. Double course? Summa? Fuck.

Why the hell does a talented girl like her doing these stuff with me? Why is she even chasing Rondel when she's so amazing? At 23, she's young and accomplished enough to focus on her career.

Then why?

Baka personal talaga at masyadong importante ang kinakaharap niyang problema ngayon. It involved her family, as well.

"Can you look up—" No, I shouldn't pry in her family affairs.

"Ano Kuya?"

"Never mind." I shook my head. "Thanks."

"You wanted to know about her family, right?" usisa ni Noren kaya nagitla ako. He has really surprisingly correct hunches. "I couldn't tell you even if you ask me, Kuya." His words hinted something I don't like. It's like he's implying he's that close to her that he doesn't want me to pry on his Ate Wyna's problems. Psh. "I couldn't tell you since nobody's listed in her personal information as her parents or siblings."

Wait, what?

"What? Is that even possible?" gulat kong tanong sa kanya.

"It is. Maybe she had some information while she was studying but because she didn't apply in any job, it's not needed. There's a possibility that she recently erased all her family's traces in her personal information. Masyado namang stalker-like kung usisain pa natin ang birth certificate niya o 'di kaya'y voter's information." Noren sounded grave.

"W-Why would she do that?"

"Ewan ko, Kuya pero magtiwala ka lang kay Ate. I'm sure she'll tell you one day." He sighed. "I'm curious but given that I've pissed her off so many times, she'll definitely kill me if I dig deeper."

He's right. She wouldn't like that.

I groaned and recalled the pieces of information about Wynfrost today.

I hardly know her until now that it kills me to think why.

What happened, really?

Fuck. No, the main problem now for me is knowing that she's still 23 and I'm now fucking 30 years old. Should I stop our arrangement?

Sumakit ang ulo ko sa naiisip. No, that's not an option. I really like doing it with her that it's bordering obsession. Those huge breasts and that warm slippery—

No, fuck. Wait a minute. I sound like a thirsty old man. Oh hell. She's still 23 and I've been doing those things to her as if she's my slut.

If I'm still 20 now, she would've still been 13. 1st year high school wearing long pleated skirt and white blouse with thigh highs—

Holy shit! It all seemed wrong. My morals!

I'm going mad. Everything about her is driving me crazy.

Can I just think that the information just got her age wrong?