Chapter 13

This might've been the first time I saw Leviticus in an all-white uniform. The guy had always been neat and prim. With his military cut and milky complexion, he might as well represent every woman's fantasy of a good boy.

Nag-aalangan akong lumapit. Sinulyapan ko ang sarili sa salamin na nakasabit sa dulong bahagi ng kulay abong pader. I tugged on my hijab and took a deep breath. Levi is stirring his coffee silently. Lumipat ang tingin ko sa babaeng katabi niya. Malaki ang ngisi at niyugyog pa si Levi. He turned to her, cracked a lazy half-smile, and shook his head. The girl pouted.

Sumilay ang ngiti sa mga labi ko. The cranky Levi is actually letting a girl tease him. Kung si Zoey pa ito o ang kaniyang kuya, malamang ay nagtatalo na sila ngayon. It warms my heart seeing how laidback and carefree he is with this girl I'm about to meet.

I waded through the tables until I reached their booth. Nang mag-angat ng tingin si Levi at nagtagpo ang mga mata namin ay isang palakaibigang ngiti ang sumilay sa mga labi niya. The girl stopped poking him and went silent when she saw me.

"Levi." I nodded at him and smiled at the girl. She flushed. Cute.

"Ate Naia, thanks for seeing me..." Levi stood and pulled me into a brief hug. Tumayo din iyong kasama niyang babae at nginitian ako. Levi turned to her. "This is Constance. Tancy, this is Parvana Naia Bukhari, my brother's.... girlfriend." Aniya na hindi tinatanggal ang tingin sa babaeng kasama.

Bahagyang ngumuso si Constance. Iniabot niya ang kaniyang kamay sa akin at nginitian ako. "So, you're the infamous girlfriend, huh?" she muttered before grinning widely. "Nice to finally meet you!"

"Thank you..."

Biglang nagdilim ang mukha ni Levi as he gestured me towards my seat. "My brother's not coming today, right?" he muttered.

Kumurap ako. "Uhm, no."

"He better not." I heard him whisper under his breath. Constance glared and jabbed him at the ribs using her elbows. Mas lalo pang sumimangot si Levi. Gusto ko sanang tanungin kung may problema ba kung nandito si Zeus pero hindi na ako umimik pa. Mukhang nabasa ata ni Constance ang nasa isip ko dahil siya na mismo ang sumagot.

"Gusto ko kasi noon ang kuya niya..." she supplied. "Kaya parang bata na nagseselos ang isang 'to..."

"Tss."

"But don't worry!" she quickly filled in. "Hindi ko na siya gusto. Noon lang yun. Baka bigla mo akong awayin eh..." tawa pa niya.

I laughed softly, too. "No, I wouldn't do that."

Nang makaupo na ako nang maayos ay doon pa lang ako nagkaroon ng pagkakataong matitigan siya nang mabutihan. She has a doll-like face, angelic and soft. I'm a few inches taller than her. Mukhang malambot ang hanggang baywang niyang buhok at palakaibigan ang mga mata. She has a small mole at her chin and plump cupid-arrow's lips. Her heavy-lidded almond eyes are bright and filled with charm. She looks like Meadow Walker to me. A black-haired version of her.

And she's curvy, too... she has flesh on all the right places to compensate for her shorter height. Napailing ako nang bigla kong ikinumpara ang katawan sa kaniya. She probably spends some of her time at the gym or she's just really blessed with good genetics.

"Alam mo, I have a Muslim friend before..."

And even her voice is soft, too. Masarap pakinggan at tama lang ang lakas. She smells seductively of strawberry.

"Really?"

"Yes! She's a college friend. We were close despite our differences but then she moved and I lost contact with her." A sad look crossed her pretty face in a heartbeat before it glowed again with happiness. "But I've never really forgotten her. Every now and then, pinagdadasal ko na sana makasalubong ko siya sa daan."

The conversation continued as we waited for Zoey to arrive. She left Wanda with her nanny and even though she'd been as talkative as ever, pansin ko ang lungkot sa mga mata niyang maya't mayang sumisilip.

"Are you okay?"

Napapitlag siya nang bigla kong hawakan ang braso niya. Constance went to the ladies' room and Levi paid for the bill kaya kaming dalawa nalang ang naiwan sa booth. Zoey turned to me with widening eyes.

"I-I'm fine. Ba't mo natanong?"

Marahan akong umiling. "You just seem a little off to me. You know you can always talk to me if something comes up, right?"

"Yes... thank you..."

Tango ulit ang naging sagot ko. I winced inwardly when a sharp pain struck my lower stomach. Ilang segundo din akong nagpaalipin sa sakit at hindi gumalaw sa kinauupuan, mariing nagdarasal na sana mawala na ito kaagad.

Nang matapos na kaming kumain ay niyaya kami ni Zoey sa kaniyang bahay. We were at the backseat while Constance and Levi occupied the front.

"So... you're back wearing your hijab again?"

I flushed at her question. Mabilis din niyang nahuli ang reaksyon ko. Zoey cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to sound like—"

"It's okay." Mabilis kong depensa. "It's okay. I'm okay talking about it."

She nodded, before a sly smile crept to her lips. "Then I assume you already know about Zeus' conversion?"

"Yes."

"That man..." naiiling na wika ni Zoey.

Napangiti din ako. "I was shocked. Converting to Islam just because you love someone isn't really romantic. What touched me was when he said he wanted to get to know Allah and there's no better way of doing it than becoming a Muslim."

"But you're still part of the reason of the conversion, right?"

Sa pangalawang pagkakataon ay uminit muli ang mga pisngi ko. I haven't mentioned to any of them na tumakas lang ako sa bodyguard na nakabantay sa akin. Ever since I started wearing my hijab again, Zeus became more protective of me. While I appreciate the concern, I didn't want to tie myself in the house and wait miserably for him to come home every night. My naughty side tells me that I should go meet up with Levi habang nandito pa siya sa Maynila. He said he's bound to come home to Governor Generoso soon before he goes back to his studies abroad.

"Alam ba ni Zeus na kami ang kasama mo?"

"Huh? Uh... uhm... oo!" medyo nag-aalangan ko pang sagot.

Zoey grinned wickedly. "Oh, boy. You're gonna be in a big trouble later on..." she said and winked. I flushed. Pakiramdam ko ay may iba siyang ibig sabihin pero hindi ko mawari kung ano. "Zeus really likes to punish naughty, little girls..."

See?

"Anong ibig mong sabihin—"

I was cut off mid-sentence when Constance's shrilling scream tore the silence. I turned and gasped when I saw a glimpse of the truck's huge bumper crashing against our car window. I heard Levi cursed. When I turned to Zoey, she paled but still grabbed me and shielded her body when we heard the crash of metal against metal. There was a long screech, the sound of painful scraping, and the glass shattering. In those terrifying few seconds, I could almost taste death in my mouth.

Pakiramdam ko ay humiwalay na ata ang kaluluwa ko mula sa katawan dahil sa sobrang takot. Pagkatapos ng nakakabinging sigawan at salpukan ng mga sasakyan ay tumahimik ang lahat. Mahigpit pa rin ang hawak ni Zoey sa akin. I blinked. I took in a shaky deep breath and even though I'm very afraid, I opened my eyes.

"Zoey? Zoey?" I could hear Levi in a hoarse, weak voice from somewhere. "Tancy? Ate Naia?"

"I'm okay, I'm okay..." I muttered and take a quick gulp.

"Tancy?"

"Oh my God, Levi, you're bleeding!" Zoey cried.

"Son of a bitch." I heard him mutter again. "Everyone out of the car. Now!"

Mabilis akong hinila ni Zoey palabas. Halos pagpapadyakin na niya ang pinto ng sasakyan nang umungot ito. When the door finally opened, I sucked desperately for fresh air and even though I'm dizzy, I could see the crowd gathering around us and could hear the siren of the responding police.

Inalalayan ako ni Zoey palabas ng sasakyan. I could see her elbows bleeding. Mabilis kong dinakip ang kamay niya. She winced.

"Zoey, yung kamay mo..." naiiyak ko pang wika.

"I'm fine." She muttered. I stared at her arms, angled painfully in what looked like a fracture. She bit her lower lips. Iika-ika pa kaming dalawa na lumabas ng sasakyan.

I saw Levi breaking the car window to get Constance who lost her consciousness. Madilim ang mukha niya at may bahid ng galit ang mga mata. He pulled Constance out of the car and laid her on the grass, checking her pulse and making sure she's okay.

Ikinuyom ni Levi ang kamao at sinugod ang truck na nakabangga namin.

"Asan ang potanginang driver ng truck na 'to?!" galit na galit niyang wika matapos hindi makita kaagad ang driver ng truck na nakabangga namin. Cold fear run up my spine. If Levi failed to hit the brakes too soon, baka hindi lang ito ang inabot namin sa sobrang laki ng truck na aming nakasagupa.

I turned to Zoey who limped her way out of me to check Constance. She pressed her eyes close and muttered something in distress. Then she turned to me.

"Are you okay, Parvana?"

"I-I'm fine..."

"Good. Because Zeus is gonna kill me." she said and smiled weakly.

Hindi ko siya makuhang ngitian pabalik. Hanggang ngayon ay malakas pa rin ang pintig ng puso ko.

Sobrang bilis ng pangyayari. All I could remember clearly was that I've never seen Leviticus this angry before. Between Zeus and him, his older brother is the one with temper. But not today. He tried to punch the drunk truck driver in extreme anger. All I could see is red haze of loathing in his eyes from the moment we were questioned until we were rushed to the hospital because Zoey and Levi are bleeding and Constance is unconscious.

I sighed painfully as I lay in bed. Wala namang masakit sa akin. Wala din akong kahit anong galos man lang na natamo sa nangyaring insidente. Zoey protected me. And hearing the doctor advising her to cast her arms breaks my heart. Malapit na ang concert nila at kung may cast ang kaniyang kamay ay hindi siya makakatugtog nang maayos.

"Naia!"

I turned and shivered when I heard Zeus' usual baritone. Madilim ang mukha niyang humahangos sa makipot na hallway ng ospital patungo sa kinauupuan ko kung saan ko hinihintay si Zoey. Mabilis akong tumayo at bago pa man niya masipa ang pinto pabukas ay hinablot ko na ang kamay niya.

"Where is that stupid brother of mine?!" he roared.

"Zeus..." pakiusap ko sa mahinang boses.

"Leviticus!!" dagundong ng kaniyang baritonong boses.

I sighed in distress. "Zeus, hindi kasalanan ni Levi ang nangyari. The truck driver was drunk—"

"And where is that motherfucker?"

I stared at him in annoyance. Tumahimik ako at tinitigan siya. Mabilis niyang napansin ang reaksyon ko. He stared back at me and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Fuck. I'm sorry." He muttered weakly.

Hindi ako umimik.

"I'm sorry for the curses..." he said again. "I was just so damn worried. When the bodyguard reported that he lost you, I also lost my mind trying to think of where you've been to. Tapos mababalitaan ko nalang na—"

"I'm fine, Zeus. Zoey was there for me." I assured him.

Mukhang hindi siya kumbinsido sa sinabi ko. He insisted that I should go through the series of tests, too. Check if I hit my head or something. Kahit anong paliwanag ko sa kaniya na ayos lang ako ay hindi niya ako pinakinggan. In the end, I let him have the relief by doing the tests and making sure that I was really fine.

Even though the doctor assured him that I am really fine, I could still see the displease in Zeus' eyes. Kulang nalang ay patayin niya sa tingin ang doktor at mukhang hindi pa naniniwala sa mga sinabi niya. She quietly excused herself from the room. Binalingan niya si Zoey na nakahiga sa kabilang kama.

"How's your arm?"

Nag-angat ng kilay si Zoey sa tanong ni Zeus.

"Where's Wanda?" tanong niya ulit nang hindi kaagad sumagot si Zoey.

"She's fine, she's with her nanny."

Marahas na suminghap si Zeus. Constance was moved into a more private room for more tests because until now, she still haven't regained her consciousness. Levi was with her.

Tahimik lang kaming dalawa ni Zoey, naghihintay na mabugahan ng apoy ni Zeus. I know he's really angry right now. I could see the veins popping out on his neck and his temple reddening in anger. It was wise of me to remain silent on my bed while I wait for him to get a grip of his annoyance towards what happened.

"Naia."

Napaigtad ako sa boses ni Zeus. I turned to him and saw that he's already staring at me darkly. Napalunok tuloy ako.

"Uhm..."

"You're not going out again without a bodyguard by your side. Stop being reckless... for fuck's sake, you almost died!"

"OA mo naman, Zeus. Wala ngang galos si Parvana, eh. Hindi mo man lang ba ako pasasalamatan?" sabat naman ni Zoey.

"Isa ka pa. You're both crazy and I think I'm going insane with you two."

Nagkatinginan kaming dalawa ni Zoey. We both shared a silent giggle which earned more daggers from Zeus.

"Stop laughing. I'm not kidding!"

I managed to keep a straight face. Nakasimangot pa rin ang kaniyang mukha nang maupo sa dulo ng aking kama. I heard heavy footsteps and a voice of a man outside. Napalingon ako sa pinto nang bigla itong bumukas at iniluwa ang isang matangkad na lalaki.

Napalingon kaming tatlo sa kaniya. He stared back at us with nonchalance before he went straight to Zoey's bed na mukhang gulat na gulat na nakita siya.

"W-What are you doing here?" halos umatras si Zoey sa kaniyang kama nang makita ang lalaki. I stared at him. Kalmado lang siya pero kita ko pa rin ang alala sa kaniyang mukha nang mahagip ng tingin niya ang kamay ni Zoey.

"What happened to you?"

Ngayon ay kaming dalawa naman ni Zeus ang nagkatinginan. Nagtatanong ang mga mata kong nakatingin sa kaniya. But it looks like he doesn't have an answer because he shrugged one shoulder and continued staring at the guy who just barged in inside this room.

"I'm... okay..." halos nanghihinang sagot ni Zoey sa kaniya.

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm fine." She said and cleared her throat.

Pinagmasdan siya ng lalaki. When the light slanted across his high cheekbones and hit his eyes, my own widened in realization. He was that guy who was outside Zoey's house! The one with foreign features and hazel-green eyes!

"Good." He said and jerked his chin. Gumapang ang kaniyang isang kamay sa likod ng kaniyang leeg. I could tell he wants to say something else but decided not to. Nilingon niya kaming dalawa. "I'm sorry for disturbing. I'm off."

Halos hindi na humihinga si Zoey nang lingunin ulit siya ng lalaki at naglakad palabas ng kwarto. I watched his broad shoulder as he sauntered outside the room. When the door shut behind him, I turned to Zoey again.

"Ayos ka lang, Zoey?"

"I'm... fine..." sagot na naman niya sa nanghihinang boses.

Nag-angat lamang ng kilay si Zeus pero wala siyang sinabi. He turned to me. "We're still not done talking. For now, you should get some rest. I'll check on Levi and his girlfriend."

Tumangot ulit ako.

Nang lumabas na si Zeus ay hinila ko ang kumot at tuluyang nahiga. I stared at the ceiling and closed my eyes, whispered a quick prayer to Allah for keeping us safe in that very dangerous incident and dozed off to sleep.

Amoy ng kape ang nagpagising sa akin. I fluttered my eyes open and saw that I am alone with Zeus inside the room. Mabagal kong hinila ang sarili at hinanap si Zoey.

When Zeus turned to me and saw that I was looking for my friend, he answered the unspoken question in my mind.

"She's out for more tests. And she's getting her arm casted for a week."

Tumango ako. Binalikan ni Zeus ang ginagawa niya. I glanced at the clock and was shocked to see that it was already 9 in the morning. I fell asleep last night! Umayos ako ng upo nang maramdaman ang pagkalam ng aking sikmura.

Tahimik lang si Zeus habang hinahanda ang aking pagkain. When he was done, he carried the tray to my bed.

"You should eat something..." he said.

"Diba... may practice ka pa?" medyo nag-aalangan kong tanong sa kaniya.

"The practice can wait."

I nibbled my lower lips and reached for the mug of coffee. "Eh si Zoey?"

"She's gonna have to cancel the concert. I won't allow her to play with the condition of her arm."

"Oh. Okay." I nodded and sipped on my coffee.

"Do you want anything else?"

Iiling na sana ako nang may pumasok sa isipan. Napanguso ako. I know he won't allow it. Minabuti ko nang umiling.

"What is it?" he pressed.

"Ayos na 'to."

Inanggulo ni Zeus ang kaniyang katawan sa akin, dahilan ng pagkakaigtad ko. He pinned both of his hands on my sides and stared at me with scrutinizing eyes.

"What is it, Naia?"

I pouted.

"C'mon, tell me..."

I dropped my gaze to the coffee. Bakit kasi ang dali-dali lang para sa kaniya na basahin ako? I sighed inwardly. It's as if he could read deep into my thoughts.

"Gusto ko ng ice cream..." nahihiya kong wika sa kaniya.

Umangat ang isang kilay niya. "Ice cream?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Ice cream..." he echoed out loud. "Okay. I'll get one of my men—"

"Gusto kong ako ang bumili."

Napatingin na si Zeus sa akin. Uminit ang mga pisngi ko. Did I just sound like a nagging woman to him?

"Naia, you were in an accident yesterday and you want to go out to buy some ice cream?" kalmadong tanong sa akin ni Zeus.

"Eh di... samahan mo ako!"

He stared at me as if I had lost my mind. Natawa ako sa sinabi. I probably did.

"Right. I always forget that you're a rock star. Pagkakaguluhan ka ng mga babae kapag nakita ka nila sa labas."

Hindi kaagad siya sumagot. I reached for the garlic bread and chewed slowly. Pagkatapos ng ilang segundong katahimikan ay nagsalita ulit siya.

"Do you really want some ice cream?"

Gulat akong napalingon sa kaniya. I opened my mouth and closed it again, deciding to choose my words very carefully.

"Zeus..."

"Come on, then..." he got up and shoved both of his hands in the pockets of his black ripped jeans. "Let's get some."

I almost squealed in delight. Binigyan niya ako ng ilang minuto upang makapanghilamos at ayusin ang sarili ko. When I got out, Zeus is already wearing a black cap and a black mask. Napangiti ako. He's even sporting a black leather jacket. I'm sure kahit na balot na balot siya ay may makaka-recognize pa rin sa kaniya kapag nasa labas na kami. And the fact that he's willing to risk it just to get some ice cream as if wala akong kasalanan sa kaniya kahapon warms my heart.

Ngingiti-ngiti kong ikinabit ang kamay ko sa braso niya. I turned to him and smiled.

"Hindi ka na galit sa akin?" malambing kong tanong.

Hindi kaagad siya umimik. Hindi ko makita ang buong reaksyon niya dahil sa mask kaya umaasa nalang ako sa mapupungay niyang mga mata.

"Zeus...?" untag ko.

"Patong-patong na ang mga kasalanan mo sa akin," he reminded. I pouted. "Pasalamat ka..."

"Pasalamat ako ano?" panghahamon ko sa kaniya.

He stopped walking and faced me. Bigla tuloy akong kinabahan. Nasa entrance na kami ng ospital at maraming tao sa labas. I opened my mouth to speak but he was quick. He pulled his mask down and captured my chin before crashing his lips into mine. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko sa sobrang gulat. I stiffened as he ravished my lips and murmured something that I failed to catch. Isang gigil na kagat sa pang-ibabang labi ay humiwalay siya. He placed his thumb and caressed my lips before smirking and pulling his mask up again.

"Did I answer your question, Naia?"

Tulala pa rin ako, samantalang iilan sa mga taong nakakita sa amin ay gulat na gulat. My cheeks reddened in embarrassment. Ipinikit ko ang mga mata at tumango. Nilingon ako ni Zeus at kitang-kita ko ang pagka-aliw sa kaniyang mga mata. He held my hand as we both headed outside.