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basag na basag na si osha. tinira ba naman kasi agad yung tequila. napa-sigh nalang si mae, shaking her head as she nursed her first (and only!!!) bottle of red horse for the night. very demure. very mindful.
this isn't their usual scene. ang dumi and walang aircon. actually, walang dingding. bukas lang yung buong place. it's literally just someone's garage na naka-bukas yung gate. qimir be like "i know a spot" tapos dinala sila sa tapahan sa españa na walang pangalan and wala man lang pinto. "masarap yung sisig dun!" sabi pa niya. mae has no idea how he even knows about this place. but they couldn't take the chance of running into yord at one of their usual spots sa taft or bgc. so, ayun. (and, okay, fine, masarap nga yung sisig.)
yung ibang chairs and tables nasa sidewalk. medyo kinabahan si mae. manila street kids scare her and wala siyang dalang barya. luckily, wala pang masyadong tao nung dumating sila, kaya nakakuha sila ng table sa loob. but it's starting to rain and, though may bubong, may kasabay ata na hanging habagat yung parating na bagyo dahil nababasa pa rin sila ng ambon.
binigay na ni qimir yung hoodie niya kay mae (as a friend!!!) so she's fine, but osha isn't.
si osha lumagpas na sa talkative stage and nasa senti stage na. nagmumukmok sa ibabaw ng mesa. nakatulala sa halos ubos na bote ng tequila, parang gusto niyang yakapin. walang pasabi, biglang tumayo si osha at naglakad palayo.
siniko ni boss mae si qimir na sundan yung kapatid niya. sunod naman agad si qimir.
naabutan ni qimir si osha na nakalabas na sa sidewalk. ang dilim na, and lumalakas yung ambon, pero buti nalang wala masyadong tao. actually, walang tao at all around them. he jogged up to her and agad-agad hinawakan ang siko. nagulat si osha sa biglang haplos and she jerked her arm away, turning around to see who it is. she relaxed once she saw na si qimir lang pala.
"san ka punta?" tawa ni qimir.
antok na antok na si osha. napangiti nalang din siya. she doesn't know. she was looking for the restroom ata...?
"i don't know," she laughs. american accent syempre.
she tries to walk back, but she's too drunk and she trips. she stumbles forward and falls for qimir—este, into qimir. buti nalang talaga andun si qimir para saluhin siya. osha falls into his arms and... omg... ang tigas. osha holds onto qimir's arms shamelessly. please close the gyms!!! she thinks to herself. even after nakatayo na siya, nakahawak pa din. she takes one step closer, leaning her entire body against him.
"mmm..." she murmurs na parang may malinamnam na linalasap na ubod ng sarap, leaning her head into his neck and taking a deep breath.
"are you using the perfume i gave you?" tanong ni osha. last christmas, i gave you my heart. charot. last christmas, binigyan ni osha si qimir ng isang malaking bote ng diptyque tam dao.
qimir is nodding to answer her question nang biglang makaramdam ng mainit at basa na dila sa leeg niya. it takes him a moment to realize na si osha pala yun. baka medyo lasing na din pala siya, kasi 'di niya agad na-register na bibig na pala ni osha yung nakakapit sa bibig niya. she tastes like strawberries and cigarettes and sisig and tequila. she's pulling him closer and sobrang. effort. na pigilan siya. he almost regrets it when he pulls away, pushing her away a little also.
tawa nalang si qimir. "balik na tayo," ani niya.
"he didn't break up with me," biglang sabi ni osha. super pagod and exhausted and sick and tired. she leans back against the damp, dirty wall. who cares if naka-gucci ivory cotton jersey vest siya? nothing even matters anymore, eme.
napatigil si qimir at tinignan siya.
'di mapigilan ni osha na mapuno ng luha ang kaniyang mga mata.
(to be fair, grabe naman din kasi makatingin si qimir. hinhinan mo lang po si osha. baka matunaw.)
"what do you mean?" tanong ni qimir. american accent kasi laking canada.
his voice is so deep, osha wants to sleep inside it. whatever that means. she's too drunk for this. tumingin sa sahig si osha para maiwasan ang titig ni qimir. she regrets it immediately, kasi a tear falls. ganon pala yung gravity. never naman naka-focus si fine arts major osha sa general physics kasi dun niya unang na-meet si qimir and magkatabi sila the whole semester. daldalan (and landian...actually, a few times, nag-away sila ni yord about it) during class lang napala niya. she looks up at him again. his expression changes suddenly. his eyebrows furrow and he touches her face.
qimir wipes her tears away.
kilig naman si osha. or baka nasusuka lang siya sa sobrang dami ng ininom niya.
"i broke up with him," sabi ni osha kay qimir.
qimir doesn't even want to know. actually, he probably already knows. he doesn't want to ask. but maybe he drank more than he thinks he did, because he wants to hear the answer. "why?"
natawa si osha, nakatitig sa kaniya na parang galit, umiiyak ulit.
"why do you think?" osha's face crumples very much like a basang diaryo.
lumalakas na ang ambon. umuulan na. lagi nalang. sobrang daming beses nang umiyak si osha sa balikat ni qimir dahil sa putanginang fandar #12 ng la salle green archers na yan— qimir doesn't want to see osha cry anymore, so he closes the distance between them, and kisses her again.