David’s P.O.V.
“Eh ‘di gusto mo pa rin siya… end of story! So what do you expect me to say?” Ngayon, nagtataray na naman siya. She even stopped herself from eating.
“Joke lang ‘yon, nagtataray ka naman agad! Hmm, you know what? Lalo kang gumaganda kapag nagtataray ka…” I could feel that my smile would reach my ears.
She painted an even more reddish blush on her natural rosy-white cheeks, but she rolled her enchanting green eyes after. “Ewan ko sa’yo. I’m done eating.”
“Teka, hindi mo pa nga nauubos ‘yong pagkain mo eh.” I reminded her. May one-fourth pang natitira sa plato niya.
“I guessed I already lost my appetite,” she said with a blank expression.
“Akala ko ba, favorite food mo na rin ‘yong favorite ko. Bakit hindi mo ubusin ‘yang laman ng plato mo? Many children could not even eat, so don’t waste your food.” I argued.
“Oh, did I declare it? I don’t remember saying anything. Maybe because hindi naman talaga ako nasarapan, and please, do not act as if you are my father!” she groaned.
“Nagseselos ka ba?” Natatawa kong tanong sa kanya.
She gave out a fake laugh. “Ako, magseselos? Nagpapatawa ka ba, Cristoff? For the second time, I will tell you this. You were not even my boyfriend, so do not assume I would be jealous of you from linking with other girls out there!”
Kinamay ko ‘yong ibang pagkain sa plato niya then I tried to feed her using my hand. “Kung hindi ka talaga nagseselos, kainin mo ‘to.” I continued smiling at her.
“Seriously? Cristoff, kanina pa tayo pinagtitinginan dito tapos susubuan mo pa ako? Stop this gesture, Cristoff! Are you out of your mind?” she snapped at me.
“No, but I would be out of my mind kung mag-aaway na naman tayo dahil lang sa pagseselos mo nang walang dahilan. She was already my past and I’m currently here with my present, Helena. Can’t you see? I’m with you, and I could no longer care even if people outside the school will stare at us. Let them be. Now, eat this.” I pretended like I was gritting my teeth.
Even though my right arm started to get tired already, I still did not lower it. I patiently waited for her because I had a feeling that she would accept what I was offering her. It was a good thing that before I became a Corps Commander, I was used to feeling physical pain from hundreds of training.
“I’ll eat this but it doesn’t mean anything,” she remarked before her mouth accepted what I was feeding her. I felt that she even bit my fingers, and that was purely intentional. Pero tiniis ko ‘yong sakit para lang sa kanya.
“Now, kung ayaw mong subuan ulit kita… finish your food. Sayang naman ang effort ko to prepare all these kung hindi mo naman uubusin,” kunwaring pagtatampo ko.
“Okay, fine… you win, just don’t pout your lips because you look like a monkey! But let me clear things first, okay? I just want to let you know that I wasn’t jealous of your whore ex-girlfriend, and I don’t care if you still have some feelings for her! You’re not my boyfriend, and you’re not even my type! You’re my rival, Rivera! Always remember that.” She ended her statement with an odd smile on her lips.
“And what’s that smile all about? You even called me Rivera, huh! So, you want me to kiss you?” I suspiciously looked at her.
“Nah, I think you heard it wrong. I said you’re my rival, that’s it! You thought it was Rivera when it was just the word rival. Tamang hinala ka eh, ‘no? Sabagay, malapit nga naman ang Rivera sa rival so I wouldn’t blame you,” pagpupumilit niyang lumusot gayong narinig ko namang sinabi niya talaga ang apelyido ko.
“Okay, if you say so.” I didn’t want us to fight again so I gave up on teasing her.
We enjoyed our lunch together, and everything went completely fine for the rest of the day. I accompanied her to the clinic, and it was a good thing that she was getting well. Her temperature came back to thirty-six-degree Celsius—it was normal, and I thanked God for that.
Mrs. Gutierrez canceled the afternoon class, so Helena just continued copying my Physics notes in the library before we parted ways. There, I used the opportunity to stare at her face even more. While copying my notes, her expression would change from serious to bland, to absent, to sullen, and to beatific.
When I saw a garbage can on my way home, I opened my bag to get Vanessa’s book and mindlessly threw it away. Why did I forget about it in the first place?
Pag-uwi ko sa bahay ay pasipol-sipol pa akong pumunta sa kuwarto ko para magpalit ng damit. I never expected that Helena and I would be eating our lunch together. The setting was so perfect, and I felt like I could not be happier! We were getting closer, and gratitude swelled within me, making my heart dare to hope for something more.
It was already four in the afternoon, so when I sauntered out from my room, I went to the kitchen and opened the fridge to find something to eat. Our big sister never failed to bake us some cookies despite how busy her schedule was.
After that, I stayed at the living room to open our family computer. At gano’n na lang ang reaksiyon ko sa nakita ko… na daig ko pa ang sinagot ni Helena kahit hindi pa naman ako nanliligaw rito.
“Yes!” I shouted as I even punched my arms in the air because of my sudden glee.
“Bakit, Kuya?” My younger sibling, Denise, innocently asked. She was four years younger than me. Kasalukuyan itong naglalaro ng paper dolls sa sahig.
“Hmm, wala!” I answered her but I couldn’t erase my smile anymore. Daig ko pa ang tumama sa lotto. Para akong tangang ngingiti-ngiti while looking at the computer’s screen.
My Famebook notification says: Helena Mari Delgado accepted your friend request.