Chapter 11

I was getting dizzy by the time I woke up. I probably spent a minute or two just staring blankly at the wall and smelling the fresh flowers from my side table.

Recognition hitting me, I turned again to the white roses resting gloriously on my rutted wooden table, the comparison glaring red. Kaagad akong bumangon at inabot ang mga rosas. There was no note, but I know exactly where it came from.

I blinked. Ilang segundo kong pinagmasdan ang mga rosas bago ako napilitang tuluyang tumayo. I could hear the giggles of the women outside and the faint roar of the truck's engine. It's still six in the morning but I could hear the buzz of the busy people trying to continue the services for the community.

Mabilis kong sinunggaban ang aking roba. I shrugged it on and pulled my messy hair in a loose ponytail before throwing the door open. Unang bumungad sa akin ang malamig na hamyos ng hangin. Iginala ko ang paningin sa paligid.

Then I saw Zeus, bathing in the morning sun like a Greek god. Wala na siyang suot na pang-itaas kaya kitang-kita ang pagtagaktak ng kaniyang pawis mula sa noo, patungo sa leeg, hanggang sa kaniyang malapad na dibdib. I watched him in silence as he lifted a sack of rice, the veins of his arms protruding in the process. The women shared gasps of admirations and flirty giggles as a crooked smile tugged on his lips before he turned and started walking with the sack on his shoulders.

Hindi kaagad ako nakagalaw sa nakita. What is a notorious rock star doing in this place lifting sacks of rice so early in the morning?

"Parvana!" natutuwang tawag sa akin ni Teacher Aimee, isa sa mga kasamahan kong hindi rin pumayag na umalis sa nayon pagkatapos ng anunsiyo ni Chairman Fresco. Malawak ang ngiti sa kaniyang mukha nang lumapit siya sa akin.

I blinked again, trying to process what I just saw today. Teacher Aimee tugged on my arm and smiled widely.

"Can you believe it? We have a new volunteer!"

"New volunteer?"

"Si Vincent." Aniya sabay turo kay Zeus na ngayo'y pabalik na at pinupunasan ang kaniyang leeg ng puting tuwalya. Pareho namin siyang tinitigan ni Aimee hanggang sa malagpasan na niya kami. When he left, Aimee turned to me and suppressed a giggle. "He's so... dreamy!" she rose on her toes and whispered to my ears. "At kamukhang kamukha niya ang bokalista na si Zeus Ferrer."

I stared at her, shocked that she failed to recognize it was Zeus Ferrer himself blessing the women of his topless glory in this morning. May iilang lumapit pa sa kaniya at nag-alok ng tubig. I saw him politely refuse the ladies as he continued to transfer the sacks of rice to the warehouse.

"Ano kamo ang sinabi mong pangalan niya?"

"Vincent. Tawagin nalang daw natin siyang Vince." She replied, the smile never fading from her face.

Vincent, huh?

I went back inside my room to take a bath and change for the day. Hindi mawala sa isipan ko ang ginawa ni Zeus. Whilst I understand that him introducing himself as Vincent is for his privacy, I failed to comprehend what he's still doing here. After that heated conversation last night, least I was expecting is to see him being worshipped by the ladies in our foundation because of his holy presence.

Napailing ako. I slipped into a pair of straight-cut jeans and white blouse before heading outside. Sakto namang pagbukas ko ng pinto ay ang pag-angat ng kamao ni Teacher Maggie sa ere, akmang kakatok. She smiled brightly at me.

"Kakain na tayo, Parvana!" she said cheerfully.

Kumunot ang noo ko sa masiyahing bati niya sa akin. She quickly turned and started hopping towards the hall where volunteers and members of the foundation are going to eat. Nang igala ko ang paningin sa paligid ay wala na ang truck at pati na rin si Zeus. Wala na rin ang mga babaeng kanina pa nakaaligid sa kaniya.

Sighing, I followed Teacher Maggie towards the hall. Four long buffet tables are set to place, accommodating almost fifteen persons in each. Mabilis kong nakita si Teacher Aimee na kumakaway sa akin. I waved back at her and smiled but it quickly faded when I saw who was approaching.

Zeus.

May hawak siyang plato. He halted on his steps and stared at me. Nakipagtitigan din ako sa kaniya. Nagtaka ako nang bumalik siya sa pinanggalingan at kumuha ulit ng panibagong plato. Hindi ako gumalaw sa kinatatayuan ko at pinagmasdan lang siya. When he came back, he handed the ceramic plate to me.

My jaw dropped. Pati ang iilang malapit na nakaupo sa amin ay napatingin. Wala man lang sinabi si Zeus. Nilagpasan niya ako at nagsimulang kumuha ng kanin. Sinundan ko siya at tinabihan.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed in a low voice, stealing glances from him.

Tamad akong nilingon ni Zeus. He shrugged one shoulder. "I'm volunteering. Give me your plate." He instructed.

Wala din akong nagawa kundi ibigay ang plato ko sa kaniya. Nilagyan niya iyon ng kanin bago ibinalik sa akin.

"Do you want some scrambled eggs?" tanong niya sa akin.

Umiling ako. "What game are you playing, Zeus?"

"No? Chicken, then." He said and placed some on my plate. Napatingin ako sa kaniya. Seryoso ang kaniyang mukha. The hint of amusement in his eyes are not there, which is very uncommon. Huminga ako nang malalim.

"Coffee?" tanong niya ulit sa akin. Bago pa ako makasagot ay inilapag na niya ang kaniyang plato at nagsimulang magtimpla sa dalawang paper cups. I clamped my mouth shut and waited for him to finish preparing the coffee.

The smoky shadows danced on the rise of his cheekbones, casted by his eyelashes as he blinked and hunched down, pouring creamer and sugar into the cup. His eyes are a mist of dark orbs, full of smoke and secrets and fantasies. Nakatitig lang ako sa kaniya hanggang sa matapos siya at inabot sa akin ang isang naitimpla na niya.

"Thanks." I murmured.

He nodded and gestured towards the two vacant seats on the last row of the table. "Let's sit there."

"Katabi ko si Aimee." Pangangatwiran ko. naririnig ko na ang tawag sa kaniya ng iilang babae na kanina pa nakikipagbiruan sa kaniya. Nakaramdam ako ng bahagyang iritasyon. I blew on the strands out of my eyes and shrugged. "Dun ka na sa kanila tumabi."

Hindi kumibo si Zeus pero sinunod niya naman ako. I huffed and almost stomped my way towards Aimee. Nagtataka na siyang nakatingin sa akin ngayon.

"Kilala mo pala si Vince?" gulat niyang tanong sa akin.

"Ha? Ah, hindi."

"Eh bakit...?"

"Ngayon ko lang siya nakilala." Tipid kong sagot sa kaniya. I ignored the unpleasant feeling brought by lying to my friend and focused on sipping on my coffee instead. Muntik na akong mabilukan nang mag-angat ako ng tingin at nakitang nakatitig pala sa akin si Zeus, two tables away.

Mabilis akong nag-iwas ng tingin. Aimee stared at me strangely but didn't comment. Nagsimula na kaming kumain dalawa. Hindi na ako muling nangahas na mag-angat pa ng tingin hanggang sa matapos kaming kumain.

When we were finished eating, I joined Aimee outside to continue our work from yesterday. Some of the houses in the village were ransacked during the attack and we are trying to rebuild it. Some are still distributing the relief foods to the citizens while others are aiding the wounded.

Inignora ko ang maya't-mayang panlalabo ng tingin at panginginig ng mga daliri habang nagtatrabaho ako. I could hear the titters of the ladies as they watched Zeus in his every move. Napailing na lamang ako. It was a very stressful week for us and having him here, even if he's being fantasized in broad daylight, has at least brought smile to our weary volunteers.

"Vince, baka gusto mo ng tubig?"

Hindi ko na natiis ang sarili at nag-angat ako ng tingin. Nakita kong lumapit si Gia kay Zeus, nakangiti nang matamis at nag-aalok ng bottled water sa kaniya. Napasimangot ako. Gia is a new volunteer and Aimee doesn't like the young woman already. She's really rich, so it was a surprise to see her here. If the rumors were true, her parents wanted to teach her a lesson by sending her here to volunteer. At first, she despised the job and almost everyone, but now I can see she's enjoying it. Enjoying Zeus.

My lips tugged in a thin, angry line as I silently stared at the two of them. Pagod na ibinagsak ni Zeus ang sako at inabot ang tuwalya upang punasan ulit ang kaniyang leeg. He stared at the bottled water, to the hopeful eyes of Gia, then he gazed at me. Pinaningkitan ko siya ng mga mata. He turned to Gia again and shook his head.

"Ayos lang ako. Salamat." Tipid niyang sago at bumalik sa pagtatrabaho.

"Hindi ka nauuhaw? Kanina ka pa nagtatrabaho, ah?" pangungulit pa ni Gia sa kaniya.

"I'm fine. Thanks, anyway."

Bagsak ang mga balikat na umalis si Gia nang maramdamang parang naiirita na si Zeus sa kaniya. Satisfied, I turned back to what I was doing and bit my lower lips to keep a smile from spreading.

Well, that was very naughty of me. But I didn't think he'd actually follow me. Napailing na lang din ako at tinapos na ang pag-aayos sa mga pagkaing ipapamigay namin mamaya.

For the rest of the day, I haven't seen Zeus when I went with Aimee to the town. Dalawa't kalahating oras ang biyahe patungo sa bayan. Doon pa kami nagkasignal nang makita na namin ang iilang gusali na nakatayo. We were tasked to buy more medical supplies to bring back to the village. Habang nasa likod kami ng van nakaupo ay bigla akong kinausap ni Aimee.

"Sigurado ka ba talagang hindi mo kilala yung Vince?" tanong niya ulit sa akin, dahilan upang mapatingin ako sa kaniya.

When I didn't answer, she continued. "Nakita kong masinsinan silang nag-uusap ni Chairman Fresco kagabi. I didn't know what they were talking about but the chairman mentioned your name."

"Hmm."

"Tsaka, kamukhang-kamukha niya talaga yung bokalista. Para ko na ring nakita ng live si Zeus Ferrer!"

I chuckled softly and shook my head. Hindi ko na sinagot pa si Aimee at hindi rin naman niya ako kinulit. We both focused on our tasks, buying antibiotics and narcotics that the medical staff would need. Albeit the government will send some of the supplies tomorrow, there are patients who need to be supplemented tonight and we cannot delay the process waiting for them. I heard Chairman Fresco earlier talking to some important people, probably for donation and other fund-raising events.

When we finally stepped out of the drugstore, the sun is sinking low beyond the mountain ranges. Orange and yellow streaks exploded into the sky as the wind got colder. Sa magiging biyahe nami'y siguradong madilim na kaming makakabalik sa nayon.

We got inside the van after we hauled the packages inside. Dahil na rin sa pagod ay nakatulog na ako sa buong byahe. Nagising lang ako nang mauntog ang noo ko sa salamin dulot ng lubak-lubak na daanan.

I stretched on my seat as the village came into view. Parang kinukurot ang puso ko sa tuwing naalala kung gaano na sila napamahal sa akin at ngayon ay may kinakaharap pang trahedya. Albeit the village is near the sea, it also rests at the foot of the mountain, too, where terrorists and other enemies of government are most likely to hide. I just couldn't understand the need to attack the villagers when they did nothing but live peacefully over the years.

Hindi na kami pinatulong sa pag-aalsa ng mga pinamili patungo sa loob. I scanned the surroundings, silently looking for Zeus but I couldn't find him. In the end, I crossed the small field and went to the back of the bank houses where we're staying.

I quickly spotted the red glow of the cigarette and the big shadow crunched over a rock, sitting by himself. Humigit ako ng isang malalim na hininga bago tahimik na naglakad patungo sa kaniya.

Sensing my presence, he turned and quickly threw his cigarette to the ground, before crushing it with his shoes. Nakatitig lang siya sa akin nang tahimik habang papalapit ako. I gestured towards the erected rock across him.

"May I?"

He nodded and clasped his hands together, still not tearing his gaze from me as I sat. Walang masyadong tao sa lugar na ito, kung meron man ay yung nagsasampay ng kanilang mga nilabhang damit o naghahanap ng pribadong lugar upang manigarilyo gaya ni Zeus.

"Vincent, huh?" I mused when I shifted comfortably on my seat.

A lazy smirk appeared on his lips. "So, you've heard."

"The girls are talking about you," I said with a sigh. "You're all they could talk about."

"Hmm."

He reached for my hands. At first, I tensed and sat still. Dahan-dahan na ding lumambot ang mga kamay ko. He stared at my pale, tiny hands and started playing with my fingers.

"I thought you were gone."

"I'm not. I'm still here."

"Zeus," I placed my hand over his and leaned closer. "You can't stay here any longer. You still have a concert. You're in the middle of a tour."

"I'll cancel it."

"Zeus!"

I tried to tug my hands away but he wouldn't let go. Imbes ay hinigpitan pa niya ang hawak sa mga kamay ko at hinila ako palapit sa kaniya.

"I'll stay here with you. Or you can come with me back to the city."

Hindi kaagad ako nakasagot. My tongue has momentarily lost its ability to speak and my mind was blank of words that I wanted to say to him. In the end, I asked him what was bugging me since earlier this morning.

"Akala ko ba galit ka sa akin?"

"I am." He said and sighed. "I'm still mad at you, Naia. But I can't leave my baby here..."

I bit my lower lips and dropped my gaze to our holding hands. Tanging kuliglig lang at ang maya't-mayang pag-ihip ng hangin ang naririnig naming dalawa.

"I'll stay here as long as I need to. I want to understand how you're very attached to this foundation, the kids, and this village. And when you're ready, we can both go back to the city for your treatment."

Bumagsak ang mga balikat ko sa hiya. Now that I've think about it, everything I did was very rash and very immature. Sinaktan ko lang siya sa mga desisyong ginawa ko na akala ko makakabuti para sa aming dalawa. That was very selfish of me, and he knows it, and he's still here.

"Zeus, the band members will be very furious if they learn that their front man is in the middle of God knows where while they're all preparing for the tour." I tried to convince him, but even the words sounded so dull in my own ears.

"Nice try, but I'm not going anywhere without you. Zoey can lash out on my throat but nothing and no one is gonna take me away from here."

"Okay, if I go with you, will you promise to finish the tour?" I asked instead.

"I will." He said seriously. "I promise."

Tumayo ako at tumango. Zeus stared up at me, still holding my hand. From a distance, I spotted Gia wandering around and walking towards our direction. I tried to tug my hands away but Zeus didn't budge.

"Yung kamay ko, Zeus..." I scowled at him.

He turned to see what I was looking. Natigilan si Gia sa nakita, nagtataka, saka mabilis na naglakad patungo sa aming dalawa. Nagsimula tuloy akong mag-panic.

"Zeus!" I hissed.

"Let her see us. Is relationship between volunteers prohibited here?"

Tumayo si Zeus at ipinulupot ang kaniyang kamay sa aking baywang. Mas lalo nang nasira ang mukha ni Gia sa nakita.

"Vince?" she turned to him, before she narrowed her gaze at me. "Parvana? Really?"

"Uh..."

"She's my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend? Eh bago ka pa dito—" she stopped when she realized something. "Wait, you guys know each other before?"

Nagkatinginan kaming dalawa ni Zeus. Gia chuckled dryly.

"Of course, you knew each other. Kaya pala..." she trailed off and shook her head.

"Uhm, can we not talk about this in... in work?" ani ko at bumuntong-hininga. "Last thing I want right now is people talking about my personal affairs. I know they all adore Zeu—Vince."

"Yeah. No worries."

"Thank you, Gia."

She stared at Zeus one last time before she nodded and lumbered away. Pinanuod ko siyang umalis hanggang sa maglaho na siya sa dilim. When I turned to Zeus, he's biting his lips. Mukhang pinipigilan niyang matawa.

"What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing."

"What is it, Vincenticus?"

"I thought you were jealous earlier with her." He shrugged and grinned. "Kaya hindi ko na tinanggap ang tubig."

Irap ang naging sagot ko sa kaniya.

A low chuckle vibrated on his throat. Hinila ako ni Zeus at inilapit ang kaniyang mukha sa akin. I could feel myself melting on the ground when I felt his warm lips pressing gently against my forehead.

"Matulog ka na. Gabi na." aniya.

I nodded and started backing away. Zeus just stared at me darkly. I even waved my fingers before I turned around and headed to my room, ignoring the strong bite of asking him where he was staying tonight.

Inignora ko ang mga kuryusong tingin ng mga kapwa guro at iilang volunteers nang makita nila akong galing sa lugar na iyon. Mabilis akong pumasok sa kwarto ko at isinarado ang pinto. I leaned against the closed door and took a deep breath. Nang masiguro kong maayos na ang aking paghinga ay saka pa lang ako nanghihinang naglakad patungo sa aking kama.

Although the appearance of Zeus and the constant admiration of the ladies of him continued to vex me, I ignored it most of the time. Iilang araw pa lang siyang nananatili dito ay kilala na siya ng lahat. It took me a month to finally connect with them when I first joined the foundation and now he's everybody's friend.

Well, that is Zeus Vincenticus Ferrer we are talking about. And there's no denying that his charming personality and ruthless looks has something to do with why he's being adored by many. Even the older women in our foundation are so into him.

"Tubig,"

Nagulat ako nang biglang may sumulpot na malaking kamay sa harapan ko. I stared at the cold bottled water before my gaze travelled to the owner of the hand and saw Zeus, staring intensely at me under the heat of the sun.

"Uhm, thanks." I accepted the water and stared at him over the bottle. He's wearing a white muscle tee shirt today, to my relief. If he's going to parade his glorious body to everyone, I am sure no one would be able to focus on their tasks on-hand. Ganunpaman, kitang-kita pa rin ang laki ng kaniyang mga braso sa suot niyang muscle tee at ang pagsilip ng kaniyang dibdib sa tuwing nililipad ng hangin ang nipis ng telang suot niya. He might as well be topless again, but I am very grateful for the thin barrier.

"Chairman Fresco complimented me for a job well done." He said smugly, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at me. "Don't you think this is my calling? Dito nalang ako? Sa iyo?"

Muntik ko nang maibuga ang iniinom na tubig dahil sa sinabi niya. Zeus was quick to step and rub my back as I cough. Tumatawa na siya ngayon habang marahang hinahaplos ang aking likod.

"What are you talking about, Vincenticus?"

"Hmm. Nothing..." he said in a singsong voice. Nang-aasar na naman siya. Ang pag-iiba ng tono ng kaniyang boses at ang mapanganib na liwanag sa kaniyang mga mata ay palatandaan na may binabalak na naman siyang sabihin o gawin na masama.

Sinamaan ko ng tingin si Zeus. "Hindi ka magtatagal dito. Uuwi ka pa sa inyo. Magco-concert ka pa!" pangangaway ko sa kaniya nang hindi makatiis.

He nodded and placed his large hands on the crown of my hair. "Yes, Naia. I am going home. Soon. But when I do, I will go home with you. Napag-usapan na natin ito kagabi, diba?"

Inalis ko ang kaniyang kamay sa ulo. I scoffed. "It was a deal, Vince. And I'm going to do my end of the bargain as long as you make sure that you don't make the people, thousands of people, who love you cry at your absence."

"And you're going to get treated."

I sighed. "Fine, fine. Now get out of here. Pinagtitinginan na tayo..."

A wicked smile slowly formed on his lips and I instantly realized what a terrible mistake I said. Zeus took a step closer and reached for my hair, tugging it and playing with the strands before tucking it beneath my ears. Kunot noo ko siyang tinitigan.

"Let them stare, Naia. What better way to announce to everyone that you're my habibti than this?"

I wasn't prepared with his next move and was struck by surprise. He closed the distance between the two of us and cupped my chin, leaning closer and closing his mouth over mine. My eyes widened. He was quick to capture my other hand and pulled me closer, his steel-like grip making it impossible for me to escape.

Admitting defeat, I parted my mouth as a cry of surrender sounded but instead, he used it as his advantage to access my tongue. I gasped in surprise, as my body shuddered and melted at his touch. His hot, demanding tongue made it impossible for me to think that we are kissing in broad daylight with everyone to see us without barriers.

Now that I'm losing myself again in his kisses, I realized that I could never be ready for Zeus. He's always up to something, saying the most unexpected of words and doing things I never imagined he would do to justify his admiration for someone.

I sighed, planting my palms on his hard chest when I heard hoots of laughter and cheers from my comrades. My cheeks burned. Mabilis kong itinulak si Zeus palayo. Malaki na ang kaniyang ngisi ngayon. Halos ibaon ko ang mukha ko sa lupa nang makitang pinagtitinginan na talaga kami ng maraming tao. Maging si Chairman Fresco ay tumigil sa ginagawa at pinanuod pa talaga kaming dalawa.

"T-That was... stupid!" I blurted out and glared at him. Pinigilan ko ang sarili kong magpapadyak. Lifting up the rest of what was left in my dignity, I scoffed and turned around, ready to walk away when he caught my arm again.

Nilingon ko si Zeus. He was saying something so slow that I got caught in the sensual movement of his swollen lips. Wala akong naintindihan sa sinabi niya. I just stared at his wet lips and swallowed, as I could almost feel him again in my mouth.

"Naia?"

I blinked and dragged my gaze from his lips to his face. "H-Huh? What is it?"

A cruel smirk once again took place in his lips. His eyes lit in amusement and mischievousness. "Baby, if you really want me that bad, you can always tell me..." he said in a sensual voice. "I can visit you in your room tonight."

Namula ulit ang buong mukha ko sa sinabi niya. "Tumigil ka nga, Vincenticus!"

He chuckled. "Fine, fine. I'll just crawl you in your bed one of these nights."

When I didn't answer and I keep on glaring at him, he let go of my arms and suspended both of his in the air as a sign of surrender.

"Okay, okay. All I'm saying is Chairman Fresco is calling you. Now if you could stop glaring at me—"

Hindi ko na siya pinatapos sa pagsasalita at mabilis na naglakad palayo, patungo kay Chairman Fresco habang iniiwasan ang nakangising mukha ng mga guro na nakatingin sa akin at tinutukso-tukso pa ako.

I sighed.

He really is quite a handful to handle.

May kausap pa si Chairman Fresco nang makalapit ako sa kaniya. I stopped and waited. Inadvertently, I turned to steal a glance of him. Nakita kong bumalik ulit siya sa pagtatrabaho ngayong hindi na niya ako ginugulo.

All at once, the memory of his rough hands holding mine so gently and his demanding tongue taking me to places I've never been played in my mind. I bit my lower lips. I could almost feel the tenderness, the way he'd play with me like a child and handle me like a fragile bisque doll. All those unknown feelings... I wonder how long it'll last.

And how long I'll last to feel them, too.