Chapter 24

The Blind

"Well, good luck with your relationship, Kuya." I felt Noren tap my shoulders and said, "I gotta go now. Thanks for letting me in for 3 days."

"No problem, Noren," I said. "Have you thanked Wynfrost?"

"Yeah and uhm..." He sounded fidgety so I nodded to urge him to speak. "She doesn't look well, Kuya. Lagi lang siyang natutulala habang nakatitig sa inyo. I-I think she already fell in love with you."

I chuckled at his outrageous idea.

"I doubt that." She's probably bothered by what Avicii's brothers said about that game. "Well, good luck with your project."

"O-Oh thanks, K-Kuya." Pinigilan kong huwag mapangisi sa pagkakautal niya at tinapik siya sa balikat. "I-I gotta go now. Bye!"

May pagmamadali sa tono nito pati na sa pagtakbo nito papunta sa pinto. When I heard the door close, I broke out into a laugh.

Damn. Noren is so easy to read.

I had my suspicions about him and because of his panic, I'm now certain. He wasn't really here for a school project. Grandfather or maybe our mother gave him a task to "observe" me for a few days. I let him be since they'll probably pressure him if he won't comply. Our family could be that condescending.

Isa pa, nag-aalala siguro ang mga iyon dahil hindi na ako nagpaparamdam.Weren't they used to it? I'm always doing things on my own. Last time they knew about my whereabouts was when Belmond lost Wynfrost and I on our first night together. They're probably checking my relationship with Wynfrost.

Hindi na ako magugulat kung gagamitin nila ang babae para mapilit akong magpa-opera.

"So Noren has already left?" I heard her calm voice from behind me so I turned around to face her. "We can finally talk now, right?" Napansin ko ang kakaibang lamig sa pagkakasabi nito niyon. And yet I remained impassive. "Bakit mo ako iniiwasan? Bakit sa couch ka na natutulog?"

"We'll talk about that later." I walked towards her and then sat on the couch. Naramdaman kong naupo siya sa tabi ko kaya pinigilan ko ang sariling mapaiktad sa gulat.

"Why? What do you want to talk about?" Her voice hinted curiousity but she remained guarded.

Typical Wynfrost. Mas pipiliin niyang magmaang-maangan, magpanggap na malamig at kalmado, at tumawa na lang para pagtakpan ang totoong nararamdaman.

I never saw her cry but when I heard her sob after that incident with Rondel's pregnant woman, I knew it was real yet still lacking in emotion. She must have felt guilty or sad, alright but it wasn't all there is to it.

She was still as icy as ever, like her name. No matter how much she laughs or cries, if she's still not ready to face it all, everything seems incomplete.

"Did you lie to me about where your name came from?" Wala akong ingay na narinig mula sa kanya kaya napagkamalan ko pa itong hindi humihinga. She groaned so I continued. "You can't even remember you lied to me?"

"Yes, I lied." She let out a deep breath and muttered, "You know I lied that day, didn't you?"

"There was something wrong with your voice that time so I wasn't entirely sure." Naalala ko pang sinabi niyang galing sa game na Winter Frost ang pangalan niya at pinagsama ito ng mga parents niya para pagkatuwaan. "Your voice and tone that time was a mixture of practiced emotions."

But after hearing about what the twins said yesterday, after knowing her name was actually from a character of a game who has similar circumstances with her, I knew she lied to me.

"You're a lie detector now?" She chortled in amusement. "So you knew I was lying. You don't look mad though."

"Why would I be? You can lie all you want. You own what you want to say and do."

Tumawa siya at naramdaman ko ang pag-usog niya palapit.

"That's why I like you so much, Q. Madali kang kausap, kagaya ko. Well, sometimes," she said with a giggle and I felt her fingers on my neck. I gulped when her nails traced my throat slowly as she whispered, "Now, care to tell me why you're not touching me anymore? Sawa ka na ba?"

"You didn't tell me you're still 23." Humalakhak ito kaya pinigilan kong ipakita ang pagkapahiya ko. "You do know I'm already 30, right?"

"Oh, Q..." she said with a sultry voice as she began playing with my hair. "You can be extremely cute sometimes."

I raised a brow.

"Seven years ang gap natin kung hindi ka marunong magbilang." Naramdaman ko ang mainit na hininga nito sa aking leeg at ang mga labi nitong nang-aakit na humalik-halik. "I repeat, seven years!"

"Marunong akong magbilang, baby," paungol nitong sabi. "Pero hindi na ako makakapagbilang nang maayos kapag 'yang siyam na pulgada mong burat ang nakapasak sa bibig ko." Fuck! Hindi ako makapag-isip nang tama sa pinagsasabi nito! "Oh? Huwag mong sabihing nahihiya kang batang-bata pa ang kinakanti mo, hmm?"

Putangina. Anong klaseng droga ba ang nasinghot nito at parang mas libog ito ngayon?! Fuck. This can't be right. I'm here to talk and not have—

"S-Stop!" I grabbed her other hand when I felt her fingers graze my pants. "S-Seryoso ako, Wynfrost. Ang tanda ko na para sa'yo!"

"Pitong taon lang 'yan," may pagkairitable nitong sabi.

"Isipin mo nga. If I'm still 20 right now, you're still 13, just a few years more than half my age!"

"But you're 30 now, Quentin and I'm 23! I know what I'm doing! At saka, gago ka ba? Bakit ka nag-aalala tungkol diyan?" tili nito at naramdaman kong humigpit ang pagkakahila nito sa aking buhok. "Who fucking cares?!"

She's so aggressive that I felt her teeth on the crook of my neck. Gigil na gigil yata ito dahil mas sumakit iyon makalipas ang ilang segundo. Dinilaan niya rin ito pagkatapos kaya nakagat ko ang sariling labi bago napabuga ng hangin.

"I-I care!" Napakapit ako nang mahigpit sa balikat nito nang muli siyang dumila sa aking leeg. "D-Did something happen between you and Lan when you were still a minor?"

Narinig ko itong napasinghap bago lumayo nang bahagya.

"You're a pervert!" aniya at napasinghap ulit. "Were you imagining a 23-year old guy fucking a 16-year old highschooler?!"

"Sagutin mo ang tanong ko!" I demanded. "May nangyari ba sa inyo ni Lan?!"

"Fuck! Sinabi ko na sa'yo noon na ang gagong Rondel na 'yon at ikaw lang ang nakasama ko sa kama!" I frowned when I heard her trembling voice. "G-Galit ka ba dahil naging boyfriend ko a-ang mga kaibigan mo? D-Do you feel that you're picking up their t-trash?!"

"No!" Narinig ko itong suminghot-singhot kaya lumapit ako rito. "No, fuck no! Huwag kang umiyak!"

"Ba't mo ako sinisigawan?!"

"Hindi kita—" Nakamot ko ang pisngi ko at niyakap na ito. Agad naman niyang binaon ang mukha sa dibdib ko at naramdaman ko nang mabilis na nabasa ang tela banda roon. "A-Are you really crying?"

Yumakap ito pabalik sa akin at umiyak nang umiyak.

"I hate you! I hate you!"  ngawa nito kaya nag-aalala ko itong inalo.

"Ssh, baby. Tahan na," sabi ko rito at narinig itong humagikhik.

Shit. How fast did her mood change in mere seconds? Nababaliw na ba si Wynfrost?!

"Quentin, namiss ko ang burat—hmmmf"

Natakpan ko ang bibig nito dahil sa gulat. How could she say that word with such a normal tone?!

"Ang bastos ng sinasabi mo," sabi ko at tinanggal na ang kamay ko sa mga labi niya dahil sinimulan niya itong dilaan.

"You're such a hypocrite. Mas bastos ka kaya sa akin!"

"You've gotta be kidding!"

"Hah! I bet you were fantasizing me wearing a skimpy school uniform and thigh highs!" Uminit ang pisngi ko sa sinabi niya at nabitawan ito sa sobrang hiya. "O-Oh my gosh! Iniisip mo talaga 'yan?!"

"N-No!" I shamelessly denied it even when my face probably showed it all.

"You dirty liar! I can't believe you're feeling hot over my 13-year old body!"

"H-Hindi ko naman s-sinasadya!" pagdedepensa ko pero mas lalo pa akong nahiya sa pinagsasabi.

Fucking hell. Where's my brain and my composure when I need them?!

"Ang cute mo talagang mamula. Hahahaha!" Mas lalo akong napayuko at napakamot sa leeg dahil sa kaprangkahan nito. "But I'd really like to try and roleplay that, Quentin. You'll be the 20-year old sexy teacher and I'm gonna be the 13-year old horny virgin student!"

"What?!" bulalas ko. "R-Roleplay?!"

"Well, of couse. It'll just be a casual one so we can just get rid off the costumes." My mind was almost buzzing in madness from her ideas. "Come on. Let's head to the bed. I'll be kneeling on the floor and you have to fuck me from behind."

"What?!"

"Come on, Quentin. Di ba fantasy mo 'yon?" Pagkatapos ay lumapit pa siya nang sobra at mapang-akit na bumulong sa tenga ko. "You want to fuck me in a school uniform, right? I've got thigh highs though. Want me to wear it? It'll be only thigh-highs and my sexy little underwear." I shivered when her tongue licked my ear. "You'll like that. Won't you baby?"

My knuckles turned white just by imagining that scene. I could even barely stop myself from pouncing on her there and then.