A/N: Check out the first and second installment of the Flames Series.
#1: Flames of the Night (Completed)
#2: Flames of the Heart (Completed)

PS. This will be the Flames Series’ last installment.

~

Prologue

I walked out of the bathroom with my gray bathrobe covering my whole body and with a towel that was being wrapped on my wet hair. Saka ako dumiretso sa vanity table ko at doon naupo.

Matapos kong isaksak ’yung hairdryer, ginamit ko ’yon upang tuyuin ang basa kong buhok habang nakatitig lamang sa salamin. Done with my hair, I started putting some colors and blushes on my face to give it life.

I’m planning to buy some groceries today and also buy my school materials. May mga nabili naman na ako. Titignan ko lang kung may mga kakailanganin pa ako. Dadaan na lang siguro ako sa bookstore pagkatapos kong maggrocery tutal iyon ang talagang pakay ko.

I already put some shade on the upper part of my lips when my phone began to produce a continuous tone. I stood and took it on my bed and headed back to my vanity table.

I opened my phone and the girls were having their conversation now in our group chat so I had to back-read to not miss what they were talking about.

Pretty Girls<3
Lizzie
Hey girls, let’s have a party this weekend. Dali na habang bakasyon pa. Back to school na kaya tayo sa Lunes.

Ruth
I wanna go out too. Where ba?

Karen
Anywhere? Basta let’s have some fun before the class starts.

Base sa palitan nila ng mga mensahe, pinag-uusapan nilang maghang-out naman daw kami bago magsimula ang klase. Sa susunod na linggo na kasi ang simula at Martes ngayon. Probably, we only have five days to chill ourselves. 

These girls were the people who became my real friends when I first came to this country, that was four years ago, during our first year in college. Sa ngayon, graduating na kaming apat as we take HRM as our course.

Sunud-sunod ulit na lumitaw ang mga messages nila at pinagmemention nila akong tatlo na huwag daw akong magseen lang. Napailing na lang ako.

‘I’m fine with the hang-out. Just tell me when and where.’ That’s what I replied to them and based on their emoji reaction, they were happy that I agreed.

I continued putting some makeup on my face. After wasting more minutes, I went out and using my car, I steered it until I reached the mall. Katulad ng sadya ko, bumili ako ng mga pagkain, ulam, mga seasonings, at mga malalaking chichirya. Just for my snacks though.

Done with the food, I went to the bookstore. I bought some pentel pens and even colored paper. Matapos ko roon, sa mga appliances naman ako pumunta at bumili ako ng malaking oven. I still have an oven in the house but it was quite old now. Kailangan ko rin naman ’to since may subject kaming related sa baking.

I took my lunch outside and around two in the afternoon when I went back home. Inayos ko lang saglit ang mga pinamili ko sa ref at ’yung mga gamit ko ay inilagay ko na sa study table ko. Dahil tamad na akong bumaba, sa kwarto na lang ako nanood, pinapapak ’yung malaking Nova na binili ko.

Because I’m alone in this house, this is what I usually do. This house is really mine and I’ve been living here alone for four years now.

My father and siblings are in the United States and they have been here in the Philippines twice. If it’s not only for my Mom, I wouldn’t be staying here. Ang Mommy ko lang naman ang dahilan kung bakit ako nandito sa bansang ito.

Not everyone knew, except for my girlfriends, I came here not just to finish my studies but to also look for my Mom whom I haven’t seen for almost fifteen years now. Seven years old lang kasi ako noong huli kong makita ang Mommy ko.

I sighed heavily and not wanting to feel sad about that, I focused my attention on the movie I’m watching. I just hope that one day, I will be able to see my Mom again.

“Anong getup ’yan, Lacey? Para kang nawawalang rapper sa isang banda,” ani Karen nang makarating sila rito sa bahay ko at makitang nakapants, boots, at black leather jacket ako. “Magpalit ka nga ng damit. Sa bar daw tayo sabi ni Ruth,” dagdag pa niya.

“Anong bar? Hoy, estudyante pa lang tayo, ’no?” My brows raised. It’s a bar for goodness sake. Paano kung may mangyari sa aming kakaiba roon?

“Tangeks! Hindi naman natin gagawin kung anuman ’yang iniisip mo. Isa pa, pag-aari ’yon ng pinsan ni Ruth kaya safe tayo roon,” she defended, as if she has read what’s on my mind.

“Kaya nga. Eto naman, magpalit ka na ng damit. Magbo-boys hunting tayo sa bar ng pinsan ko,” natatawa at kinindatan pa ako ni Ruth. Sumang-ayon naman si Lizzie.

Because they always feel at home inside my house, they opened my closet and took a black skirt. Nakipagkontrahan pa ako sa kanila dahil gusto nila akong pagsuotin ng mga revealing at sosyaling damit. So what I did, I just changed my pants into a skirt, leaving the black leather jacket on my body and the boots on my feet. The outfit was classy anyway.

“Baka naman okay na ’to sa inyo? Pagpanty-hin niyo na lang kaya ako?” I sarcastically asked them.

“Girl, sa bar ang ganap, hindi sa beach,” sagot ng mga ito’t napailing na lamang ako.

All of us filled Karen’s car and Ruth sat beside her. Kaming dalawa naman ni Lizzie ang naupo sa likod. Pagkarating namin sa bar na tinutukoy nila na pag-aari ng pinsan ni Ruth ay pumasok na kami.

When we entered, a typical bar welcomed us. May kanya-kanyang grupo ang nakaupo sa bawat mesa at may mga pagkain at alak sa mesa ng mga ito. Ang iba naman ay nasa dance floor at sinasabay ang pagsasayaw nila sa saliw ng musika.

“Doon tayo sa taas, dali!” Hinila kami ni Ruth at nakipagsiksikan pa kami dahil marami-rami ’yung mga tao.

Pagkarating namin sa isang mesa, may mga iilang bote na ng alak ang nandoon ngunit mas marami ’yung juice. Sa tingin ko’y dati na nila itong in-order bago pa kami makarating dito to think na pag-aari lang ’to ng pinsan ni Ruth.

Wala naman kaming ginawang apat kung hindi ang magkwentuhan lamang. Wala namang may gustong sumayaw sa dance floor. Sadyang pumunta lang kami rito para magliwaliw.

“Hey!” halos sigawan na kami ni Karen dahil sa ingay ng paligid. “Ang boring naman. Uupo na lang ba talaga tayo rito?” she asked.

“Gusto mo tatayo naman tayo?” Lizzie joked.

“Ulol!” anas nito. “I know no one wants to dance. Maglaro na lang kaya tayo para naman ma-enjoy natin ang gabing ito?”

Napailing na lang ako. I just don’t understand these girls. We went to this bar doing nothing aside from watching customers getting wild on the dance floor and drinking our juices. Maliban sa ayaw naming sumayaw, wala rin kaming balak uminom. Kung ang magkuwentuhan lang pala ang gusto nila, sana’y nagstay na lang kami sa bahay.

“Anong laro naman?” Kalauna’y sabat ko.

“Truth or Dare?” natatawang sagot ni Karen.

“Para naman tayong bata,” singit naman ni Ruth.

“Edi, magtagu-taguan na lang tayo!”

“Baliw!” sabay-sabay naming kumento kay Karen. May maglalaro bang tagu-taguan sa bar? Lasing ba siya?

“Edi truth or dare na lang. Huwag kayong kill joy, please!” untag niya’t nagtawanan kaming lahat.

“Fine, spill the mechanics,” Lizzie stated.

Since it’s Karen’s idea, we listened to her statement. Given that Truth or Dare is a very basic game, the twist is that, whoever loses will shoulder the one-week lunch of the winners in the school.

Ang marinig ang salitang libre ang nag-udyok sa amin para um-okay sa laro. Aba, free lunch kaya ang pinag-uusapan. Hindi lang isang araw, kundi isang linggo.

Done agreeing, we started playing. Gamit ang isang bote ay pinaikot iyon ni Karen sa ibabaw ng mesa. Bawat matatapatan nung bote ay tatanungin namin ng Truth or Dare. At kung sinong katabi niya, siya ’yung magdedecide ng gagawin nung taya dipende kung truth o dare ang pipiliin nito.

Sa buong laro, hindi ko maiwasang matawa at mahiya sa pinaggagagawa ng mga kaibigan ko. Lizzie danced like a monkey on the dance floor at ginugulo niya iyong mga nagsasayaw.

Karen snatched a bottle of wine from the other table. She even disguised her look so they could not notice her.

Ruth, who chose truth, was asked by Lizzie if she already had moved on from her ex. Ayon, kasabay ng pagsagot niya sa tanong na iyon ay ang bigla niyang pag-iyak sa harapan namin. Pinagtitinginan tuloy kami ng ibang tao.

As the game continued, Karen was dared to act as a girlfriend who was being cheated by a random guy we pointed. Muntik pang magkaproblema dahil naroon din ’yung girlfriend nung lalaking napili namin. We just made things up to the couple, explaining that Karen was drunk and the guy looks like her ex-boyfriend kaya napagkamalan niyang ’yung lalaki ang ex niya.

Pagbalik namin sa mesa namin ay para kaming baliw na nagtawanan. Who would have thought that things would turn out like that? Baliw kasi si Lizzie. Sa dami ng ide-dare niya kay Karen, gano’n pa talaga.

“Let’s quit this game now. Mapapahamak tayo, sinasabi ko sa inyo,” suhestiyon ko nang makaupo na kaming lahat sa mesa.

“No. Hindi ka pa kaya napipili nung bote,” Ruth pointed out and the other girls agreed. “Besides, this game is really fun. Let’s just enjoy it. Remember, wala pang natatalo? Sayang kaya ’yung free lunch kapag ini-stop natin ’to.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Fine.”

Bilang huling taya si Karen, pinaikot niya ’yung bote at hindi ko alam kung bakit eksaktong sa akin ’yon tumama. Naghiyawan pa sila dahil simula noong naglaro kami, ngayon pa lang tumama ’yung bote sa akin.

“Truth or dare?” They all asked me in unison.

“Dare.”

“Go on, Karen!” Ruth cheered Karen because definitely, she will be the one to ask me what I will do. Siya kasi ’yung katabi ko.

“You said dare,” Karen smiled like a witch. “Kiss the first guy you will see.”

“No way!” I quickly contradicted. Bakit ako hahalik ng lalaki, aber?

“Why not? Ruth kissed a guy earlier, remember? Let’s all be fair here, my dear.”

“Bakit naman kasi kailangang halik pa?” reklamo ko sa kanila.

“Bakit din kasi nagrereklamo ka? Ikaw ang taya, ’di ba? Besides hindi naman nila tayo kilala. Dali na!” They all pushed at me. I felt like they cornered me because of that dare.

“Oh, sige na. To make this dare easy for you, choose a color. Kung sino ’yung lalaking nakasuot ng damit base sa kulay na pinili mo, siya ’yung hahalikan mo.” These girls smirked at me. “Pero kung ’yung kulay na napili mo wala, o, edi wala ka ring hahalikan.”

Lilingon sana ako sa ibang mga tao pero kaagad nila akong pinigilan. Bawal daw kasi baka dayain ko sila.

Since I noticed that most of the boys wore black jackets or black shirts, I chose the color maroon. I thought no one wore that color but I guess I’m wrong because they saw a guy who just entered and he’s actually wearing a maroon polo shirt.

Naupo ito sa harap ng bar counter at nag-order ng maiinom. Habang hinihintay iyon, lumingon siya’t eksaktong nagtama ang paningin naming dalawa. Our eyes locked for minutes. If Lizzie didn’t talk to me, I wouldn’t have cut the gaze.

“Gosh, Lacey! The guy was actually handsome. He’s a jackpot, girl. Don’t miss your chance!” Sa halip na magreact sa sinabi nito, kaagad akong nag-iwas ng tingin sa lalaking iyon dahil ayokong may isipin itong iba sa akin.

Muli akong sinabihan ng mga kaibigan kong gawin na ’yung dare. Kulang na lang din na ipagtulakan ako ng mga ito para tumayo. Napatingin akong muli roon sa lalaki at pansin kong nakatingin pa rin siya sa direksyon namin.

“Go, Lacey!” Wala na akong nagawa kundi ang tumayo kahit na puno ako ng pag-aalinlangan.

Para sa laro at sa free lunch, fine, gagawin ko ’to.

Naglakad na ako papunta sa direksyon ng lalaking iyon. Panay din ang lingon ko sa mga kaibigan ko dahil inuunahan ako ng kaba ko ngunit sinesenyasan ako ng mga itong ituloy lang.

Nang malapit na ako roon sa lalaki, huminto ako’t nilingon na naman ang mga kaibigan ko. I want to tell them that I’m now giving up, yet they’re signaling me to continue it. Kaya noong humakbang ako, muntik pa tuloy akong matalisod dahil sa halip na sa dinaadanan ko’y sa kanila ako nakatingin.

Mabuti na lamang at may humawak kaagad sa akin. Subalit pagtingin ko sa tumulong sa akin, hindi ko aakalaing siya ’yung lalaking dine-dare nila sa akin.

“Are you okay?” His voice was deep that I managed to stare at him, enough to realized that he’s indeed handsome.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I answered.

Using the empty chair beside him, he let me sit in there. “Bakit kasi sa likuran ka nakatingin?”

“It’s just...” I shook my head. “I’m just looking at my friends.”

“E, sa akin? Bakit kanina ka pang tingin nang tingin sa akin?” I was stunned by his question. I didn’t know he noticed that I’m looking at him.

Pasikreto naman akong napapikit ng mata at noong nilingon ko ulit ang mga kaibigan ko na hindi kalayuan sa amin ay sinamaan ko sila ng tingin. Pero sila’y tuwang-tuwa sa puwesto nila. Nakatutok pa ang phone nila sa amin at sa tingin ko’y vini-video-han nila kami.

“Sorry. Did I offend you by that? It’s just that...” I trailed off and I felt so doomed at this instant. “Naglalaro kasi kami ng Truth or Dare ng mga kaibigan ko at eksaktong ako ’yung taya, tapos dare ’yung napili ko,” paliwanag ko.

“And the dare is?” he asked me. Napakagat-labi naman ako at hindi ko alam kung sasabihin ko ba sa kanya.

“To kiss you,” I finally answered and I quickly looked in the other direction, “because you’re the guy who’s wearing the color of my choice which is maroon,” I added.

Being doomed, I felt like I already lost in this game so I told him what was the dare given to me, including the consequences the loser will receive. Alam ko talo na ako. Bahala na r’yan, mga kaibigan ko naman ’yung bibigyan ko ng free lunch.

Binalot kami ng katahimikan at eksakto namang dumating ’yung in-order nito. I stared at him as he carefully swirl the glass in his hand to melt the ice cubes on his wine.

“I guess this color made me lucky, huh?” mahina nitong usal sa sarili niya bago uminom doon.

Habang patuloy ito sa ginagawa niya, nilingon ko na naman ang mga kaibigan ko. Then I gave them a thumbs down sign, implying that I lost.

Since I have nothing to do here now, I faced this guy and informed him that I have to go. But when I stood up, using his free hand, he carefully pulled me to him until I was cornered in between his legs, which made me gasp.

“Are you leaving now without doing anything? How about the dare?” Tinignan ako nito na para bang tinutunaw niya ako sa paraan ng pagtitig niya sa akin. “You said you’ll be having a free lunch for a whole week if you succeed from this dare?” I nodded at him.

“Then thank me after this.”

“What do you mean?” Instead of hearing his response, this guy held me on my nape and soon, I felt him kissing me on my lips. Saglit lang na naglapat ang labi naming dalawa. Saglit lang para lumakas ang kabog ng dibdib ko.

“Why... did you kiss me?”

Our eyes were locked again and I saw him smile at me. “Because your lips are worth the dare.”