Chapter Six

Moment With You

I immediately called my secretary to schedule a private jet to El Nido tomorrow and told her it was just pure business. Sa ngayon ay ayaw ko munang malaman ng mga magulang ko ang tungkol sa pag-iigihan namin ni Imara. Kahit na natutuwa ako at gusto ko talagang pagtuonan ng pansin ang sinisimulan namin ay ayaw ko munang sabihin sa kanila dahil ayaw kong mag-expect sila kung sakaling may mangyaring taliwas sa plano. I want to keep it to myself until I was sure she was the one I really like to marry and be with until my end.

"You still have time to back out. Baka napipilitan ka lang..." Imara trailed off while I greet her with a hug.

I was glad hindi niya ako pinakaba dahil hindi siya na-late ngayon at maaga pa ng sampung minuto sa oras n pinag-usapan namin. Vlasta took her luggage. Hindi naman ako umalis sa tabi niya matapos siyang yakapin.

"I'm not. I'm actually looking forward to this the whole night."

She smiled at me. "You're really this honest, huh?"

"My sister told me I am a bad liar so I don't even want to try."

"Oh right. You have what? Three sisters?"

"Yeah."

"How was it? I mean, buti hindi sila nakikialam sa love life mo?"

"You don't have any idea about that."

"So they know me? Did they tell you to run away from me or something?" she joked. Natawa lang ako.

"I don't think I can ran away anymore. Besides, it's my choice kahit hindi nila gusto. Kapag sinabi kong gusto kita wala na silang magagawa."

Kumalat ang pamumula sa kanyang magkabilang pisngi. Mabuti na lang at binalikan na kami ng mga staff para sabihing handa na ang gagamitin naming private jet.

Naputol sandali ang aming pag-uusap. Buong durasyon ko siyang inalalayan. Nang makapasok na sa loob ay agad siyang sinalubong ng bulaklak nang makakasama naming stewardess. She was so happy when she turned to me while hugging the flowers I prepared for her.

"This is beautiful, thank you."

"I'm happy you liked it."

Inalalayan ko siya hanggang pag-upo. I was a natural gentleman so it was not hard for me to do it and take care of her, she was so pleased by it. Para bang ito ang unang beses niyang naranasan ang ganito sa isang lalaki. No wonder why. She maybe realized I was nothing compared to any men she dated so she gave me a chance. Kung ano man 'yon, sisiguraduhin kong iba pa rin ako sa kahit na sinong lalaking dumaan sa buhay niya.

"Are you okay? Natahimik ka."

Agad akong ngumiti. Inayos ang upo sa kanyang harapan. Hindi ko na namalayang nag-iinit ang ulo ko sa mga naiisip. Just by thinking about her dating someone and being with another man pisses me off. And I was never a jealous type. Maluwag akong maging boyfriend. I always support whatever my girl wants even though sometimes I don't agree with it. Basta makita kong masaya siya ay sige lang ako.

"I'm fine. Do you want anything? Champagne? Coffee? Anything?"

"Champagne is fine."

Agad na tumalima ang stewardess na palapit na sa amin matapos marinig ang sinabi ni Imara. We had a light snack during our flight. Masyado pang maaga ang byahe namin at wala pang araw dahil gusto kong sa villa na kami mag-breakfast habang pasikat ang araw.

My father bought a property and built a house few miles away from the busy town of El Nido and it has such a great view of the ocean. Maging ang sunrise ay napakaganda sa parteng 'yon.

We had casual conversation during our flight. She told me how excited she was and I told her the same. Not because I missed going to the beach, but because I am with her. Ang interaksiyon na ito kasama siya ay ang sobrang nagpapasaya sa akin.

"This is nice..." namamanghang sambit niya matapos kaming makarating sa villa.

It was well maintained. Matagal na akong hindi nakapunta rito dahil sobrang naging abala ako sa trabaho, but it was still the same. The villa that was made of glass was still stunning. My father really put all his efforts to it. Mas pinalaki ang infinity pool and the caretaker planted more plants to make it more cozy and pleasing. Mas natuwa ako nang makitang tuwang-tuwa si Imara sa nadatnan.

"This is nice. I was thinking of buying a property here too, but I never had a chance to do it. Ilang taon na simula nang huling beses na makapunta ako sa El Nido. I've been here thrice pero sa lahat ng napuntahan kong lugar ay dito ko pa rin gustong bumalik-balik. There's really something in this place that keeps me coming back. Kung pwede lang buwan-buwan akong babalik..."

"Then come back here. You can use the villa anytime you want." marahan kong sagot habang dinadaluhan siya sa veranda.

Something pinched my heart when she ripped her eyes off of the ocean so she can look into my eyes. Nagningning ang kanyang mga mata pero hindi ko mawari kung dahil sa tuwa ba iyon o lungkot.

"That's too much, Eux. Bringing me here is enough."

"No, I insist. Isa pa, wala namang masyadong gumagamit nito," saktong dumaan ang isa sa mga caretaker ng lugar kaya ito ang binalingan ko.

"How long since someone visited this place Delia?"

Ngumiti ang babae at bahagyang lumapit sa amin. "Ngayon na lang ulit Sir Eux. Ang huli ay noong nakaraang dalawang taon pa yata."

I thanked the lady and turned my attention back to Imara.

"See?"

"But still, nakakahiya naman kung ipapagamit mo sa akin. It's okay. This is fine. I'm thankful for this."

Napapitlag siya nang walang sabi ko nang hawakan ang kanyang kamay. She didn't expect me to do that. Kahit na parehas kaming tila nakuryente sa aking ginawa ay hindi ako bumitiw.

"Make use of the place. Nasasayangan din ako dahil hindi nagagamit. Ilang beses ko nang sinabi sa mga magulang kong i-lease ang lugar pero ayaw nila. My father said he built it for my mom so he would never have someone live here. I understand, but I still hated the idea so you, using it would give me such a relief. Use it anytime you want, Imara."

Kahit na may pag-aalinlangan pa rin ay wala na siyang nagawa kung hindi ang tumango at sumang-ayon para lang mapagbigyan ako.

"Thank you, Euxerre."

I bit my lip at that. Happy she finally agreed.

"I am always weirded out whenever someone calls me that, but I like hearing it from you."

"I'm sorry—"

"No please, don't be," I heave a sigh, hindi na binitiwan ang kanyang kamay. "Shall we have breakfast now? The sun is about to rise."

"Thank you, Euxerre. This means so much to me."

"You don't have any idea how this is making me happy, too. Kain na tayo?"

She nodded. Habang naglalakad papasok sa loob ay walang tigil siya sa pagkamangha sa bawat nadaraanan ng lugar. She really loves the ocean and everything in it so she was so happy to see the pond and the fishes swimming around. Ipinangako kong ililibot siya sa buong villa pagkatapos naming kumain.

Hindi pa man opisyal na nag-uumpisa ang araw namin ni Imara ay sobra-sobrang tuwa na ang nararamdaman ko. I knew I did the right thing of asking her here. Sa kasiyahang nakikita ko sa kanya ay solve na ako.

Parehas kaming masaya habang nasa hapag. The food and conversation was great, but the sunrise interrupted us for a moment. Hinayaan ko siyang tumayo upang kunan ng mga litrato ang paangat na araw. I just watched her at first, but when I saw her being emotional and so thankful of me, hindi ko na napigilang kunin din ang aking cellphone. Hindi para kunan ang araw kung hindi siya. Sa buong durasyon nga no'n ay sa kanya lang nakatutok ang aking mga mata. Yes the sun was amazing, but her presence was more captivating.

Damn, this must be what my father felt for mom. Ang sabi ni mommy ay sobrang naging in-denial daw si daddy at ginawa pa siyang alipin noon pero dama niya namang sobrang alaga nito sa kanya.

My father told me the same thing. He said, he only wanted to marry my mom to end both of their miseries, but then he couldn't stop feeling sick to his stomach when my mother gave him an ultimatum. Nang sabihin daw ni mommy na gagawin din niya ang lahat ng ginagawa niya sa mga babaeng ka-fling ay doon na umikot ang mundo niya. That was when he realized he should stop playing with fire. That he should fix himself and focus on the convenience he created for them both. Nang gawin niya ay mabilis na niyang naramdaman kung gaano kaimportante sa kanya si mommy. That he was in denial for a long time and he actually loved her so much.

I don't want to be like that. I don't want to be in-denal and missed something important. All I wanted was to be honest and I didn't expect myself to do it when Imara turned to me again.

"This is so beautiful Euxerre! I haven't seen such an amazing view like this!"

"You are more beautiful than this, Imara..." lutang kong sambit, nanghihina niyang naibaba ang hawak na telepono at lutang ring dahan-dahang napalapit sa akin.

My feet automatically closed the space between us, halos mabitiwan ko ang aking telepono mahawakan lang ng mas maayos ang kanyang kamay.

"You are so damn beautiful I'm so lucky to have this moment with you... gusto ko pa ng maraming ganito kasama ka. I'm sorry if I'm being too fast, but I don't think I can go on another day without asking you this..."

Nahabol niya ang paghinga nang wala sa sariling umangat ang aking isang kamay patungo sa kanyang mukha. My heart was beating so fast too, but I dismissed it. Nahipnotismo na akong muli lalo na nang kusang bumaba ang aking mga mata patungo sa kanyang mga labi.

"Can I kiss you? Please, I want to kiss you, Imara..."