Paskuhan

     SOBRANG bilis lumipas ng mga araw. Before I knew it, Zach and I went back to Manila. Our days in my hometown were short, but at least we created a lot of memories.

"Do you have a date on Paskuhan?" Naiwan saglit sa ere ang hawak kong tray nang magsalita si Khriz.

Dito kaagad dumiretso si Khrizanta sa Coffee Express nang matapos ang lahat ng mga subjects niya ngayong araw. She already texted all of her cousins na pumunta sila dito so we can talk about the upcoming event in UST, The Paskuhan.

I let out a breath before placing her order on the table. She ordered an oreo milkshake and strawberry cheesecake, her favorite.

"Wala. Paskuhan isn't just about the people who are in a relationship, you know!" I said, shrugging my shoulders.

She looked at me. "Right! Fuck, bakit ba ang tagal ng mga pinsan ko? They're always Filipino time!"

She frustratedly sliced the cake and gave it to me. I accepted it since wala naman costumer na nakapwesto dito sa second floor.

"Oh, ayan na pala sina Duke at Hazel," I mentioned her cousin's name, and she quickly turned her head to spot them.

They both greeted me, and I did the same.

"Ang tagal niyo! Traffic ba?" Tanong ni Khriz.

"Yeah! There's an accident kasi on the highway kaya natagalan kami," Hazel answered before snatching Khriz's milkshake. "Oh God! I love this milkshake! I'm going to order!"

"Samahan na kita. I'm the one who did her drink," Her eyes widened at mabilis na tumango.

Nang maihatid ko na ang mga order nila ay sinimulan na namin pag-usapan ang tungkol sa Paskuhan. They even plan to go on a camping trip after the Finals, which I agreed to join, too. I never been on a camping trip kaya excited ako sa plano nila.

NAGBIBIHIS na ako nang biglang nagbeep ang phone ko. It was a notification on my Instagram. When I checked who it was, nabigla ako nang makita ang pangalan ng isang group chat.

I shook my head, chuckling when I saw the name of the group chat.

ALTAMEndoza

It's a combination of our last name! Sobrang witty!

@Hazeleigh_: What are you guys wearing? Should I wear a boots or nah?

@Saint.Khriz: The fuck? Boots? NO GIRL

@Duke.Alistaire: Just wear something comfortable, Cous.

@Hazeleigh_: I will wear boots!

@Saint.Khriz: Suit yourself. I'll wear a bikini :)

Natawa ako at hindi nakatiis na magreply.

                                                                      @AriellaMendoza: @Saint.Khriz Pasok ka nga dito sa kwarto!

Kanina pa natapos magbihis si Khrizanta, nasa labas lang siya ngayon dahil biglang dumating si Leoniel. Hindi ako sigurado sa relasyon nila, pero basta masaya si Khrizanta, masaya na rin ako.

@Dwight_1: What is this all about?

@The'sthin: Can't you read, bro? It's a group chat.

@Dwight_1: Who are you?

Malakas akong natawa nang mabasa ang reply ni Dwight. Hindi ata siya aware na iyon ang username ni Dustin sa Instagram.

@The'sthin: Seryoso ka, bro?

@Saint.Khriz: LMAO 

@Saint.Khriz: Wait lang, babe. Papalayasin ko lang ito bisita ko ;)

Nagreact na lang ako ng thumbs up sa reply ni Khriz sa chat ko. Nagpatuloy ako sa pagbabasa hanggang sa matapos akong magbihis.

@Duke.Alistaire: That's kuya Dustin.

@Dwight_1: Since when?

@The'sthin: Since our parents had Sex!

I shake my head, snickering. Parang tito magchat itong si Dwight. Kahit sa chat, ang tipid magsalita! Habang si Dustin naman ay talagang maloko.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I'm wearing a black puff sleeves dress that has a ribbon design on the back, umaabot hanggang sa kalahati ng hita ko. I paired my dress with my white wedge sandals. Then, I applied red lipstick on my lips and subtle makeup on my face.

Since my hair is already dried, I used my clamp clip to fixed it tapos nag-iwan lang ako ng mga buhok sa gilid. Then I wore my small pearl earrings. I sprayed my favorite perfume and applied lotion.

Napataas ako ng kilay nang pumasok si Khrizanta, nakangiti ang bruha!

"Are you done, babe?"

"Tapos na. Magretouch ka muna at kumalat iyong lipstick mo," I said, chuckling.

Her eyes widened, and she quickly glanced at the mirror. "Damn! I told him not to mess with my lipstick,"

Bumungisngis ako. "Kapag iyan nalaman ni Dwight," sabi ko, umiiling.

"I know! But Leoniel and I were just friends, okay? Hindi na kami nagsesex!"

I chuckled. "Naghahalikan lang? Sige, kunwari naniniwala ako," pang-aasar ko.

HALOS mapuno ng hiyawan ang buong campus nang magsimula ang event. Ben & Ben played Kathang Isip, one of their well-known songs. Mabuti na lang at may mga projection screens na siyang nagpapakita ng mga kaganapan dahil medyo malayo kami sa stage.

Zach didn't attend Paskuhan. He texted me yesterday that he couldn't go because it was his Father's birthday, and they celebrated it on Tagaytay. Sayang dahil siya lang ang kulang sa kanilang magkakaibigan. Hunter, Leoniel, and of course, Dwight are here.

Pasensya ka na
Sa mga kathang isip kong ito
Wari'y dala lang pagmamahal sa iyo
Ako'y gigising na
Sa panaginip kong ito
At sa wakas ay kusang lalayo sa iyo

Inakbayan ako ni Duke habang nakaakbay rin ang isang braso niya kay Hazel. Sumasabay-sabay kami sa kanta habang winawagayway ang mga kamay sa ere. Khrizanta pointed her phone at me before she focused it on Duke and the others. She's taking a video for the IG story.

"Let's take a group photo!" Hazel exclaimed.

Dahil pinakamatangkad si Duke ay siya ang humawak ng cellphone. We took three photos atleast.

Khrizanta and I took a picture together. She also took a shot of Duke and me with his arm around my shoulders. Hazel and I also took some pictures together. Dustin also took a picture of me. Pinatong ni Dustin ang kamay niya sa ibabaw ng ulo ko, habang nakapeace sign naman ako.

Hunter pushed Dwight towards me. "Kayo naman bro! I'll take a picture of the both of you using your phone," nakangiting sabi ni Hunter.

Dwight wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. Medyo awkward dahil sobrang lapit namin sa isa't-isa, but we still took a photo together. Nagpeace sign ako sa picture.

"Teka, isa pa! Blurred bro," tumatawang sabi ni Hunter. "Bro, smile ka naman!"

"Damn you, Santillan!" Dwight hissed, making Hunter and Leoniel smirk.

Nagulat ako nang maramdaman ang kamay ni Dwight sa bewang ko. I stiffened but still smile dahil nakatapat na sa amin ang camera.

"Para kayong magjowa dyan," sabi ni Khrizanta. Hazel and Duke also said the same.

"Bro, bagay kayo," Dustin teased us.

"Shut it, Dustin." Dwight glared at his brother.

Para makaganti ay tinulak ko si Khrizanta sa tabi ni Leoniel. Nagreklamo si Khriz pero pinandilatan ko siya ng mata kaya wala siyang nagawa at nagpakuha na sa akin ng litrato. Leoniel, on the other hand, smiled at me.

Noong countdown na for fireworks, sigaw na kami ng sigaw. Niyakap ako ni Khriz habang pinapanood ang fireworks. Kung hindi lang talaga babaeng-babae si Khriz ay pagkakamalan talaga kaming magjowa.

Pagkatapos ng paskuhan, nagyaya uminom sina Hunter at dahil nasa dugo na nila ang pagiging lasinggero, pumayag sila and that includes me!

FINALS week na ngayon kaya hindi kami masyadong nakakapagkita ni Zach. We're both busy kaya wala kaming schedule today for our 'extreme activity'. But at least after this week would be our vacation!

Nakaupo ako sa isa sa mga bench habang pinagmamasdan ko ang mga christmas lights sa mga puno sa lover's lane. Nabigla ako nang biglang may magtakip ng mga mata ko! I was about to shout for help when I realized that no one will kidnap me here since I'm inside the campus.

Suminghot ako nang maamoy ang isang pamilyar na pabango. My lips curved into a smile when I realized who owned these massive hands covering my eyes.

"Zach?!"

The hands slowly drop away from my eyes. My eyes were delighted when I saw Zach wearing his Type C uniform. That's my favorite uniform of his! 

"How did you know it was me?" He asked, at naupo sa tabi ko.

I beamed. "I know your scent. It was your favorite perfume, Dior Sauvage. And when your hands touch my eyes, alam ko agad na ikaw iyon,"

He looked at me with amusement. "Uh-huh, you know me that well, huh?"

Tumango ako at ngumisi.

I watched him untighten his necktie. "I'm done with my exams. Wanna go grab something to eat?"

"Anong kakainin natin?"

"Well, I crave for you these days," he showed me a boyish smile.

Kinagat ko ang loob ng pisngi ko at hinampas siya. "Iyong seryoso nga kasi! Ngayon na nga lang tayo nagkita tapos ganyan ka pa." I frowned.

He chuckled before he leaned closer. "I want to eat pizza with you, Miss Ma'am."

Nasa hamba pa lang kami ng pinto ng condo niya nang kabigin ako ni Zach. He kissed me senselessly while cupping one of my mountains. I encircled my arms and kissed him back with the same equal intensity his giving me.

A moaned escape from my mouth when he sucked my boobs like a hungry baby. Habang ang isang kamay niya ay nilalamas na parang stress ball ang isang dibdib ko.

"Oh! A-Akala ko kakain tayo ng pizza..." I noticed a smirk on his lips when he heard my moan.

"Let me eat you first," he said huskily.

I bit my lips as I watched him put on a condom before he parted my legs wide than ever. One of my legs is placed on the upper part of the sofa while the other one was hanging on his arms.

"Oh, fuck..."  He groaned, teasingly shoving the tip of his length.

I bit my lip as I looked at him. "Please... Take me now," I begged.

He smirked and brushed his lips on the side of my lips. "Hold on tight, milady," Zach said. "This is going to be fast, hard, rough," he whispered before he plunged himself inside me.

When we reached our fourth release, Zach and I cleaned ourselves, and decided to watch a movie bago namin ayusin iyong Christmas tree na binili namin kanina. Zach let me decide what movie we should watch, pinili ko 'yong Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

"Aren't you afraid?" he asked, his arms wrapped around my waist while the box of pizzas was on his lap.

We bought two boxes of Pizza tapos isang bucket ng French Fries at Chicken ang binili namin.

I shook my head, eyes still on the screen. "Hindi naman. Ang interesting kaya ng movie,"

"Such a brave girl," I heard him murmur. Napangiti ako at kumuha ng pizza sa kandungan niya. "Fuck," he muttered.

Napalingon kaagad ako para hampasin siya sa dibdib. "Ilagay mo na kasi sa table 'yong pizza!"

He looked at me, grinning. "I like it here,"

"Kawawa naman 'yong pizza," sabi ko, umiiling.

He arched a brow, chuckling. "Wanna switch place with the pizza?" he said, smirking.

Sa paraan pa lang ng pag-ngisi niya ay alam ko na kaagad ang tumatakbo sa isipan niya. 

Itinikom ko ang bibig at napailing. "O-Okay na pala na nandyan iyong pizza," sabi ko, he chuckled.

Tapos na kami manood ng movie kaya sinimulan na namin ayusin ang Christmas tree. I'm putting the ornaments while he's putting the Christmas lights around the tree.

"Anong plano mo sa Christmas vacation?" Tanong ko.

He merely shrugged. "I'm not sure this year. Last year we went to Japan, then last two years we went to Korea. It depends on my parents," he said.

"Naks, rich kid!" I teased, and he shook his head, sneering.

I watched him as he put the angel on top of the tree. "Ikaw ba? What's your plan?" Tanong niya sa akin.

"Tinatanong pa iyan? Sa Baler, syempre! Saka, may plano kami nina Khrizanta na magpunta sa Zambales," sagot ko.

His eyebrows creased. "With her cousins?"

Tumango ako, nakangiti. "Oo!"

He stilled. I was about to break the silence when he spoke.

"What do you think about Dwight?"

"Si Dwight? Bakit nasali sa usapan si Dwight?" Tanong ko, nakakunot noo.

He cleared his throat, tilting his head to the other side. "D-Do you find him attractive?"

I exaggeratedly gasped. "Ano ba naman tanong 'yan?!" I scratched my chin. "W-Wala naman panget na ginawa ang Diyos..." I answered instead.

"So, you find him attractive?" He increases his eyebrows at me.

I was taken a back by his question. It took me a second to nod as an answer which was a wrong decision because his gaze darkened.

Napalunok ako at kabadong tumawa. "H-Hahaha! G-Gwapo rin si Duke at si Dustin. Walang pangit sa mga Altamirano," sabi ko habang pinaglalaruan ang mga daliri ko. "Bakit mo pala natanong?"

His eyebrows furrowed, almost formed a thin line. "I saw his IG story last night."

"Huh? Sino?"

"Dwight. Even my friends posted on their IG stories about paskuhan. They tagged you,"

Hindi pa ako nag-oonline simula kagabi!

"Ah, talaga? Kasama ko sila noong paskuhan," sabi ko.

"Dwight posted your pictures together on IG story. Just like me, he doesn't post that much but he did," Nakanganga lang ako habang pinapakinggan siyang magsalita. "You two had a picture together. He's holding your waist and—"

I blinked before I pressed my pointer finger to his lips. He looked at me innocently. "Nagseselos ka ba?"

He cocked his eyebrows. I saw his adam's apple move. "Huh, I'm not not jealous. There's nothing to be jealous about. I have no reason to be jealous!" He sounds annoyed. Bahagya pang pumiyok ang boses niya sa dulo.

Napasinghap ako at hinampas siya sa dibdib. He looked at me confused, I bit the inside of my cheeks, hiding a smile. Hindi raw nagseselos pero namumula iyong tenga tapos pumiyok pa!

"Bakit ka naman nagseselos? Kaibigan ko lang si Dwight. Parang ikaw," prangka kong sabi, pinipigilan ang mapangiti.

His lips parted in awe. "Parang ako?"

"Oo, diba friends naman tayo? Friends with benefits," I bit the inside of my cheeks, suppressing a laugh but I failed.

"Friends," he mouthed breathily.

Tumatawa akong hinila siya palapit sa akin. "Alam mo, let's just take a photo para hindi kana magselos," pang-aasar ko.

"I'm not jealous," he scoffed.

"Sige, kunwari naniniwala ako," I mockingly smiled at him.

He just tsked saka binigay sa akin ang phone niya. I took his phone and set it on the camera.

I stiffened when he positioned himself behind me, encircled his arms around my waist, and rested his chin on my shoulder. I can feel his warm breath against my skin, which tickles my tiny hair.

"Selos-selos ka pa, ikaw pa lang naman ang lalaking nakakayakap sa akin ng ganito," I murmured, yet he still heard it.

"Dapat lang. You're exclusively mine," he declared, and I felt his lips brush my jaw.

Siniko ko na lang siya at tinapat na sa amin camera. We took a few photos, and when we finished, we went to the sofa, and he snuggled into me.

"Akala ko ba ayaw mo sa clingy?" Tanong ko, napapailing.

He looked at me, confused. "Sinabi ko ba iyon?" 

Mahina ko siya kinaltukan sa noo. "Oo naman,"

He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. "Normal people change their minds." He replied, scratching his head.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Asus," pang-aasar ko.

He held my chin and shut me up with a brief kiss. "Wanna go on a vacation with me?"

"Saan?"

"Maybe in Palawan? What do you think? Do you like to go there?" he asked.

My eyes glistened in excitement. "Yes, Palawan!"

His lips broke into a smile. "Palawan, then."

Of course, after snuggling, we had a spicy extreme activity before we parted ways.

NANG sumapit ang Christmas break ay umuwi ako sa Baler. Zachariah called me yesterday to inform me about our vacation. He also mentioned that they're celebrating Christmas in Finland. Sana lahat mayaman, diba?

"Kumusta kayo ni Zach, anak? Wala ba talaga kayong relasyon?" Tanong ni Mama na hindi ko inaasahan na tatanungin niya.

"Ma, hindi ko po siya boyfriend." Sagot ko habang dahan-dahan na nililipat sa silver foil container ang maja blanca mixture na ginawa namin kanina.

Kahit tatlo lang kami nina Mama at Pao-pao ay naging masaya ang pasko namin. Hindi masyadong marami ang mga niluto namin dahil tatlo lang naman kami. Kinabukasan ay binisita namin si Uncle George.

HUMIKAB ako at kinusot ang aking mata bago tamad na bumangon sa kama at dumiretso sa banyo para maghilamos ng mukha at magsipilyo. Late na ako nakatulog kagabi dahil tumawag pa sa akin si Khrizanta, we did a group call at pinag-usapan namin ang magiging camping trip namin this weekend.

"Mama? Pao?!" Napakamot ako sa pisngi nang hindi makita ni anino nina Mama at Pao-pao. Halos mamaos na ako kakatawag sa kanila pero wala ni isa ang nagpapakita sa akin.

Maybe they went somewhere.

And if they did, bakit hindi nila ako sinama?!

Pagbalik ko sa kwarto ay nakita ko ang phone ko na sunod-sunod na nagfaflash. It's only nine in the morning, but I'm already bombarded with text messages and notifications on Instagram. I decided to be active on Instagram, pero nakalimutan kong mag-online kagabi dahil sa pagod.

Una kong binasa ang chat ni Khrizanta na galing sa Instagram. Nakita kong hindi ko pa pala nafa-followback sina Leoniel and Hunter na parehong may malaking followers.

Leon_iel

HunterTheGreek

After I followed them back, I stalked their accounts. I also did the same with the Altamerano cousins. Sina Dustin at Khriz ang may pinakamaraming followers. Dwight is the least followed, and he barely posts because he only has five posts. Hazel and Duke's account are pleasingly aesthetic.

"Stalk ko nga si Zach," I mumbled and giggled.

Muntik na lumuwa ang mga mata ko nang makitang anim na lang ang posts ni Zachariah. I'm not sure if he deleted them or archived his past photos.

Kumunot noo ako nang mapansin na lahat ng post niya ay bago sa paningin ko. Napasinghap ako nang makilala ang tatlo sa mga post niya.

Zachariah fucking posted my photos!

*****