ABALA si Kylian sa pagbabasa ng ilang dokumento nang marinig niyang bumukas ang pintuan ng office niya. Napaangat ang tingin niya at ang kaibigan na si Dylan ang nakita.
He frowned at him, “What are you doing here?” he asked.
Tumuloy-tuloy ito ng pasok sa loob ng office at naupo sa couch na nasa harapan ng desk niya. “And what do you think? Binibisita—damn! Why do you have dark circles under your eyes? That’s not the kind of look I was expecting from someone who just got engaged.”
He looked at Dylan with his eyebrows raised questioningly, “What kind of look should I have?”
Ikinibit nito ang balikat. “I don’t know. Siguro yung mukhang motivated man lang. Not unlike your look right now. Dinaig mo pa ang kakagaling lang sa break up.”
Napabuga siya ng hangin at napasandal sa swivel chair. “I’m not getting a decent sleep lately,” aniya.
“Work? Dude, I already told you to—”
“No, it’s not,” he said, cutting him off. Nahilot niya bigla ang sentido. “I keep on having this dream—like there was this girl who was crying and she kept on telling me that she wanted us to go home. But the next thing I knew she was already lying in a pool of blood.”
Sa tuwing naalala niya ang panaginip na yun, bumibigat ang pakiramdam niya. A sudden pang of sadness would hit his chest whenever he thought of that little girl.
“How long has it been since you had that dream?”
“Two or three months, I guess.”
He remembered it started after he watched a TV series where there was a kidnapping scene. It actually made him uncomfortable to the point na hindi na niya nagawang pang tapusin ang panonood.
“Well, yeah, that can really be annoying. Have you thought about consulting a professional help?”
He shook his head, “No.” He actually never thought about it. And besides, duda rin naman siyang matutulungan siya ng mga ‘to. Would they be able to stop his recurring nightmare? No. So why bother?
“You should. I could refer you to someone who I think can help you with that.”
“No, it’s fine,” wika niya. Katagalan ay hihinto rin naman ang panaginip niyang yun. “There’s no need to bother.”
“You look awful right now, Kylian,” nag-aalalang sabi ng kaibigan.
He chuckled, “I’m not weak, Dylan. Lack of sleep won’t kill me.”
Kung mayroon man siyang mas ipinag-aalala, yun ay ang tungkol sa kanila ng kanyang ama. The old man was still hard headed and won’t even stop pestering him about breaking the engagement off. Hindi na nga yata sila nagkaroon ulit ng matinong pag-uusap at palagi na lang nauuwi sa pagtatalo.
“I’m not a kid anymore,” he muttered to himself.
“You’re saying something?” It was Dylan.
Napailing na lang siya habang tinitigan ang report na hawak. Lack of sleep won’t kill him but the stress from his dad would.
“So how’s your dad?” Dylan had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes that toyed with the smile on his lips. “I’m sure he already knows by now your engagement with Lexie.”
He sighed and raked a hand through his hair, “What do you think?” balik-tanong niya rito.
Dylan laughed and shook his head, “Damn! Kakaiba rin talaga si Tito.”
“He’s unbelievable,” dagdag niya. “Sa simula pa lang ay mainit na ang dugo niya kay Lexie.”
Nakita niyang nagkibit balikat ang kaibigan. “I don’t know, Kyle. There’s just something about her. I just couldn’t pinpoint it.”
“Pati ba naman ikaw?”
“Hey, sinasabi ko lang naman ang nasa isip ko. Though I admit Lexie is gorgeous kaya hindi na rin ako nagtataka kung bakit ganun ka na lang kapatay na patay sa kanya. I bet hanggang dulo ay ipaglalaban mo siya kay tito.”
He would—there’s no doubt in that. She was his everything. He wasn’t a believer of love at first sight pero ng una niya itong makita, he knew she was already the woman for him. And yet, he didn’t know why he still had this feeling that something was missing.
“I should go.”
Naputol ang pag-iisip niya nang marinig ang boses ng kaibigan. “Already?”
“Pumunta lang ako para manggulo,” nakangising sabi ni Dylan sa kanya. “How about clocking out early later? It’s been a while since we hung out at Languid Lounge.” Nang hindi siya kumibo ay nagpatuloy ito. “You need to chill, man. Don’t overwork yourself.”
His phone vibrated, and he checked it. A small frown creased his forehead when he saw his dad’s message. He sent him the name of a restaurant and also time.
Binalik ulit niya ang phone sa ibabaw ng table niya at nilingon ang kaibigan. “Maybe next time, Dylan,” he said with an apologetic smile.
“Lexie?”
He shook his head, “No, it’s dad.”
Tumango-tango ito at pagkaraan ay nagkibit-balikat, “Well, okay. It can’t be helped. But you owe me one,” he said, grinning.
Isang ngiti lang ang isinagot niya sa kaibigan.
KANINA pa tila hindi mapakali si Kylian. Hindi maganda ang kutob niya sa text message na sinend ng ama. Still, he decided to come. He already had a hunch that it would be about Lexie again. Ang hindi niya lang maintindihan ay kung bakit kailangan pa nilang magkita sa restaurant. Or maybe he was just overthinking at tungkol sa ibang bagay naman pala ang pag-uusapan nila.
He glanced at his wristwatch. There was still five minutes left bago ang nakatakdang usapan ng pagkikita nila pero nagulat siya nang makitang nandoon na ang ama. Ang akala niya ay matatagalan pa ito ng kaunti dahil ang sabi nito ay may dadaanan muna ito.
“Did I make you wait?” tanong niya pagkalapit sa table nila. Hinila niya ang upuan at naupo sa harap nito.
His dad flashed a small smile. “It’s okay,” he replied. Ibinalik nito ang menu book sa ibabaw ng lamesa. “I have some company kaya hindi naman ako nainip.”
Kumunot ang noo niya sa sinabi nito. “What is this? A dinner meeting?”
“Let’s order,” wika nito at hindi man lang pinansin ang tanong niya. Tinawag nito ang waiter at hinayaan na lang niya ang ama na ito na mismo ang pumili ng pagkain. Pagkatapos maibigay sa waiter ang mga order nila ay nilingon siya ng ama. “May makakasama pala tayo sa dinner na ‘to.”
“Who?” he asked with a frown.
Napansin niyang napadako ang tingin nito sa likuran kaya napalingon na rin siya. Doon ay napansin niya ang isang babae na kung hindi siya nagkakamali ay papunta sa mesa nila.
Huminto nga ito sa tapat nila. A timid smile on her face. The woman was wearing a french retro dress and her hair was tied into a side bun. Disente kung tingnan. He held her gaze for a moment too long before he turned to look at his dad. Ang mga mata niya ay tila nagtatanong.
“I invited her. She’ll join us for dinner,” his dad said.
Binalik niya ulit ang tingin sa babae. Though smiling warmly, he could sense her nervousness.
Inilahad nito ang kamay sa kanya, “Hello, Kylian. I’m Zariyah Castañeda.”