I will never forget the day I first met her, the day she suddenly showed up was the day my world was going to change. That day I didn't know that she was going to become special to me. It was the first day I first saw her face, the first day she sweetly smiled at me, the first day I heard her sweet voice, It was magical.
A girl standing in front of me, her brown eyes is romantically looking at me with her sweetest smile. She has short brown hair with bangs that makes her cute, her round brown eyes were fixed on me, she has fair skin, even her freckles beside her eyes didn't escape from me. Hindi siya maganda pero hindi rin siya panget. I can't deny the fact that she's cute, kaya lang ay pandak siya.
She repeatedly looking at me and then looking away na parang hindi niya matagalan na tignan ako sa mata.
“May sasabihin ka ba sa akin?” I asked her, kanina pa siya nakatayo sa harapan ko.
The wind blew causing her hair to dance in the air and a leaves fall from the tree, narinig ko ang malakas na pag buntong hininga niya. Kung kanina ay hindi siya makatingin ng ayos sa akin, ngayon naman ay sinalubong niya ang mata ko nang puno ng determinasyon.
“Mahal kita, Storm Lawrence,” my eyebrow frowned at her sudden confession.
I don't even know her, alam ko na maraming nagkakagusto sa akin but no girl has ever confess to me saying that word. Kung hindi nila sasabihing I like you o gusto nila ako ay ang iba namang babae ay diretsong lalandiin ako.
“What's your name?”
“A-Amara dzej Finley. Puwede mo ako tawaging Ara,” her cheek is blushing pero hindi nawawala ang ngiti sa kaniyang labi.
“Arah?” a painful past came rushing to my mind when I heard her nickname, that was my ex-girlfriend's name.
We're in an amusement park that day.
“Storm, let's stop this,” natigil ako sa paglalakad nang mag salita ang pinakamamahal kong babae.
Nakatungo siya kaya hindi ko makita ang mukha niya. “Why? Are you tired?” nagaalala kong tanong.
“Mm…” she nodded, I pulled her towards the bench.
“Sabi ko naman sa'yo wag ka na magsuot ng high heels. Ilang minuto lang tuloy na paglalakad au napagod ka na,” papaupuin ko na sana siya pero nanatili lang siyang nakatayo at nasa baba ang paningin kaya nag salubong na ang kilay ko.
“Are you okay baby? Do you want a piggyback ride?” ngiting tanong ko.
“No!”
“Then what do my baby wants?”
“I want to break up with you,” natigilan ako, she's now looking at me.
“W-What? Namali yata ako ng rinig,” natatawa kong sambit. Right! She loves me so much, she wouldn't say that.
“I want to break up with you, storm,” she firmly said, which made me stunned. “You've been away for almost one year and while you are gone I can't help but to fall in love with someone else, I'm sorry.”
“W-What? T-That's not true, you love me.”
“I loved you, past tense.”
“N-No!”
“I'm sorry, I don't want to keep fooling you.”
“N-No….”
“Let's break up, Storm,” she slowly removes my hand from her grip and then she turns her back on me but I immediately hug her from behind.
“A-Arah, no! Y-You can't do this to me, I love you! Please, don't leave me!”
“I don't love you anymore,” her shoulder is shaking, I know she's crying. “Let's not make things hard for us. Let me go,” imbis na sundin siya ay hinigpitan ko pa ang pagkakayakap sa kaniya.
“Don't leave me, I am begging you.”
“Storm, you can't continue a relationship when one doesn't have any feelings for the other one. Let go,” umiling ako pero pinilit niyang makawala mula sa pagkakayakap ko. Wala na akong lakas dahilan para makawala siya sa akin. “Goodbye, Storm,” then she walked away from me.
“Oo. Ara ang nickname ko,” nabalik ako sa reyalidad.
The girl is still smiling at me.
“Give me your phone number,” nakita kong natigilan siya.
“H-Huh?”
I smirked and walked closer to her, closing the gap between us.
“Your phone number,” I whispered to her ears, I saw her face blush in my peripheral view.
“Hah….” my eyebrow creased when I heard a sound in her wrist, It's a heart rate monitor watch. “P-Phone ko,” inabot niya sa akin ang phone niya.
Sinave ko doon ang number ko, then I dialed my number in her phone, pagkatapos ay sinave ko rin ang number niya sa phone ko.
Nang ibabalik ko na ang phone niya ay nakita ko siya na nakahawak sa wrist niya kung saan nakakabit ang heart rate monitor niya.
“What's that for?”
“Ito?” turo niya sa wrist watch niya, tumango ako. “Mino-monitor ko kasi ang heart rate ko.”
“Why?”
“Para malaman ko sa tuwing malapit ka sa direksyon ko,” kumunot ang noo ko nang hindi maintindihan ang sinabi niya. “P-Parang automatic na tumitibok kasi ng kay bilis ang puso ko sa tuwing malapit ka lang, kaya kapag tumutunog ang wrist watch ko ay naaalarma ako na nanidyan ka lang sa paligid.”
What the hell?! That's creepy, she's a strange girl.
“Aaaahhh…” ang tanging nasagot ko.
“S-Salamat sa number,” nahihiyang sambit niya pagkatapos ay inabot sa akin ang phone niya.
Ngumisi ako sa kaniya bago nag salita.
“People call me Storm but you can call me tonight,” then I wink at her, which made her blush more.
Tsk! She's an easy girl, I hope you don't bore me.
“S-Sige tatawagan kita,” napatingin siya sa wrist watch niya para tignan ang oras at nanlaki ang mata. “A-Ah! L-Late na pala ako, mauna na ako sa'yo!” nag wave siya sa akin pagkatapos ay tumakbo na.
“OUTCH!” muntik na ako matawa nang sumalubsob pa siya dahil sa pagmamadali niya.
I run towards her and help her stand up.
“Are you okay?” I check her body, nanlaki ang mata ko nang makita ang tuhod niyang sugatan. “Let's go to the pharmac–” she cut me off.
“Huwag na! Lagi naman nangyayari sa akin ito kaya sanay na ako, isa pa ay late na rin ako!” pinagpagan niya lang ang kaniyang sarili at nagmamadali nang umalis na parang walang nangyari, hindi man lang niya ininda ang sugat sa kaniyang tuhod.
“Be careful!” sigaw ko, I don't know if she heard me.
Mukhang sanay na nga siya na madapa. So she's clumsy, huh? Looks like she will entertain me this week, puwede na.
Bumalik na ako sa klase namin at pagdating ko ay sinalubong kaagad ako ng dalawang ugok kong kaibigan.
Their names are Isaac Grayson and Isaiah Phoenix. They have both been my friends since childhood but now that we're growing up I am starting to regret it.
Isaac is 6'3' tall, he has toned muscle, his hair is ash gray, and gray eyes. He is 18 years old. He likes to tease everyone and he's a casanova.
Isaiah is 6'3" tall, he has a well-built body, blond hair, blue eyes, and pointed nose. 18 years old. He was a goofy friend but serious at the right time, he acted according to the atmosphere. He is a gentleman but also known as womanizer, he plays a bitch girl but doesn't play with a proper girl.
Wala pa kaming lecturer kaya naman ang ingay pa sa classroom namin, may kaniya-kaniyang grupo at pinag-uusapan.
“Nandito na pala ang broken hearted nating kaibigan!” mapangasar na tumawa si Isaac, sabay na tumaas ang isang kilay nilang dalawa nang sundan ako hanggang sa makaupo sa assigned seat ko. “Hmm...there's something new to you, pre! 'Di ko lang matukoy kung ano.”
“What? My handsome face is nothing new,” ngising tugon ko na ikinapakla ng mukha ni Isaac.
“No pre, nasaan ang heartbroken naming kaibigan?! Anong nagpa-good mood sa'yo, tol?” oa na tanong naman ni Isaiah.
“Tsk, wala!” mga chismoso, kalalaking tao.
“No, tell us pre! Abot hanggang tainga ang ngiti mo. Saan ka ba nanggaling? Bigla ka na lang rin kanina nawala no'ng kumakain tayo sa cafeteria, sabi mo oorder ka lang ng water pero hindi ka na bumalik!”
Hindi talaga titigil si Isaac kapag wala siyang nasasagap na chismis, palibasa't boring na boring siya sa buhay niya kaya pati buhay ng iba nakikiusyoso siya.
“A girl confessed to me earlier,” ngising sagot ko.
“Nothing new, pre. I mean kahit naman mas guwapo ako sa'yo marami pa rin bulag na babae na laging umaaligid sa'yo at nag c-confessed,” iritadong litanya ni Isaiah.
Tsk, narcissistic.
“Huwag ka mag alala, may gamot sa pag iilusyon.”
“Taena mo Isaac!”
“Taena mo rin! Gago, tinutulungan na nga kita diyan sa sakit mo eh.”
“Huwag nga kayo maligalig,” asar ko nang saway sa kanila. Sabay silang natahimik kaya napabuntong hininga ako at lumipas ang ilang segundo ay nagsalita ulit ako. “She said that she loves me,” pareho silang natigilan. “I don't even know her but she suddenly showed up and said those words to me.”
“Woah! Maybe she's your secret admirer? And since break na kayo ng ex mo kaya bigla siya sumulpot para kuhanin ang chance na ito?” Isaac concluded, my eyebrow frowd.
That's pathetic, did she think that she can replace her in my heart when she's just a stranger to me? Tsk! So she's one of those bitchs.
“Maybe or maybe not? We can't assume things,” sambit ni Isaiah. “Anyway, what is her name?” may mapaglarong ngiti sa labi niya.
“Amara dzej Finley. Ara is her nickname,” sabay na nanlaki ang mata nila.
“Amara dzej Finley?! Are you serious bro?!” gulat na gulat silang dalawa.
“What? Do you know her?”
“She's popular here!” sagot niya. “She's popular as the lowest and stupid girl, she's from the trash section!” nag salubong ang kilay ko.
“What the?!”
Kilala nga siya dito sa unibersidad.
In this university, the brain is everything. Kung sa iba katawa-tawa ang mga nerd, dito naman ay tinitingala sila. Ang mga tatanga-
tanga ang mga katawa-tawa dito, meroon ring lowest section at ang section na 'yon ay tinatawag ng lahat na basura.
Kilala rin siya bilang cupid, may matchmaker club kasi at siya ang leader. Ang ginagawa ng matchmaker club ay nag a-advice sila about love and they are pairing their customers to their soulmate, but that's bullshit. Soulmate isn't true, that matchmaker club is just a bullcrap. I shouldn't have ask for her number and rejected her immediately.
“This is ironic. You are the highest, while she is the lowest.”
Tumawa silang dalawa ng mapang-asar habang nasapo ko naman ang sintido ko, I really hate stupids.
“So, what did you reply to her after she confessed to you?”
“I asked for her number and she gave it right away,” I smirked.
“Woah, speed!” Isaac.
“She's an easy girl, I think in just three days I will get bored with her. But anyways okay na rin iyon, at least I will be entertained tomorrow.”
Hindi lang siya tanga, easy girl rin siya.
“Woah, tol! That's greater than you're moping around because of your ex!” manghang tumawa si Isaac but he stopped when Isaiah spoke.
“That's not great bastard! Ginagawa niyang rebound 'yong babae, siraulo!”
“Tsk! She's not a rebound, I just want to be entertained.”
“Stop it dude, alam mo kung ano ang kailangan mong gawin?”
“What?”
“You have to move on.”
Tsk! Why is he meddling into my business? Ano ba ang alam niya?
“You're a hypocrite tol. You are known as womanizer so don't lecture me,” iritado kong sagot.
“I'm your friend. It's natural for me to lecture you when you are going on the wrong path,” hindi na ako sumagot dahil baka mag away pa kami.
Sanay na naman ako sa kaniya, sa tuwing may maling desisyon akong ginagawa ay lagi siya nakikipag argumentuhan sa akin. I know he's just concerned about me but–tsk! Ewan ko, hindi ko na rin alam ang mga pinaggagawa ko. When she confessed to me nablangko ang isip ko, hindi ko rin namalayan ang nasagot ko at kusang kumilos ang aking katawan.
Narinig ko ang malakas na buntong hininga ni Isaiah, magsasalita pa sana siya pero pinigilan siya ni Isaac.
“Blangko na ang utak niyan, malaki na ang ugok na 'yan. Kaya na niya ang sarili niya,” mahinang pagkakausap niya, mga ugok naririnig ko kayo.
Sanay na kami sa isa't-isa, minsan nagtatalo kami ni Isaiah at si Isaac naman ang pumapagitna sa aming dalawa pero kahit na ganoon ay matapos ang away namin ay bumabalik kami sa dati na parang walang nangyari. I guess we built a strong friendship, kahit na ugok silang dalawa.
To be continued!