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“Now, what was it that you wished to speak to me about, Elias? Is something the matter?” Ibarra inquired as he closed the door behind him after following the other man inside. He leisurely walked near the open window to catch the tepid tropic breeze, expectantly waiting for a reply.
Ibarra glanced at the tall brown man as the latter brushed his long hair back with a small satisfied smile — a view that Ibarra had never seen before in the whole year that he had known him, and strangely, it made his stomach flutter. “No, nothing serious of the sort, señor, really. I just wanted to formally thank you for all you have done — not only for me, but for those who are the likes of me.”
Elias leaned on an armrest of a couch in front of him, returning his gaze to Ibarra, “I am glad to have put my trust in you and your good character, although I was apprehensive of your prior faulty opinions regarding the government and the church. Fortunately, you changed your mind and lent us your aid. I couldn’t be more grateful, señor.”
The young man near the window observed the other, noticing how, compared to before, the previously gaunt look in his eyes and the passion that burned within them when talking about revolutionary reforms changed into that of contentment, his countenance brighter than it ever had been. And yet, for some reason, Elias’ words felt as if it was some sort of farewell message, and it did not sit right with Ibarra.
“Come now, my friend. You had a hand in those changes as well; do not sell yourself short. You may spare me the compliments from this point forward, and consider your debt to me for saving your life fulfilled.” Ibarra chuckled to ease this uncertain feeling within him, leaning against the windowsill to look outside to the finally lively streets of San Diego.
Ibarra heard Elias scoff amusedly, his voice rough as always. “Indeed, but it wouldn’t have been possible without you. Your effort and willingness to listen to the unfortunates’ pleas and take action on our behalf have changed our lives for the better. I… I didn’t think I would come to a point where I could meet you openly like this. I—“
He was cut short by Ibarra cutting in, who turned to him at the same instant Elias noticed the smile that had been on his lips vanish, “You may stop your flattery now, Elias. You have made your point clear. I accept your gratitude, truly. Now, can we speak of other matters?” His tone was clipped, and the long-haired man did not miss the way his eyes shifted nervously.
There was a brief silence between them, in which Elias processed Ibarra’s words and the ones his own mouth would say next, before breaking the ice between them that suddenly formed, “I’m sorry to have displeased you, señor. I just wanted to tell my sincere thoughts about you that I have held in my heart. I did not expect for my praises to sour your mood. Let it not be so.”
“If that were to be the case, then you must cease speaking.” Ibarra held the sill with one hand, while the other rested on his waist, and Elias noticed that his posture was rather tense. He did not understand the root of the young man’s agitation; he was faring well mere seconds ago, and now he looked as if he would burst into a flurry of anger were he to persist with his dialogue.
Elias eyed him intently, and his scrutiny made the hairs on Ibarra’s neck prick up, “Señor, do you think that I am being sarcastic with my remarks? At this point, surely you know better than that. I would never lie to you.” He stood up from the armrest and took two steps towards the window where the other man was, and before he could continue, Ibarra replied, “I know, Elias. It is not that.”
But he was still confused. “Then what seems to be the problem? Perhaps I said something wrong? Please tell me so that I may correct my errors. I do not wish to see you upset.”
Before Elias could approach him once more, Ibarra closed his eyes and sighed heavily before whipping his head to the taller man’s direction, “Nothing is wrong. Your words have somehow shaken me as I was under the impression that you were bidding me goodbye. For a moment, I thought I was going to lose you, Elias. Do not go anywhere,” Ibarra stepped and moved closer, his figure only now inches away from him. “I want you to stay.” He added, his voice hushed.
Only after did he say those words that Ibarra realized how desperate he sounded and how utterly selfish he came off as. He thought that those were not something a gentleman should say so carelessly. It was unbecoming of him. As a dutiful and upright citizen of his beloved nation, he should not be acting as such or demanding that a dear friend of his to solely stay with him.
Just as Ibarra’s words shocked himself, it also caught Elias by surprise, making his eyes briefly widen. He had a similar inclination earlier of what could have been the root of Ibarra’s unrest, but decided to lean more into the safer option of which was inquiring about his appreciative comments potentially laden with sarcasm. However, it seems that his intuition was right, and Elias thought that this could only spell danger for him, as the feelings he harbored for Ibarra were already teetering enough on the edge as it was, but his sudden honesty has only made it more precarious and difficult for him to maintain.
Elias let out a low and quiet sigh, and Ibarra, for the life of him, could not decipher the expression in the long-haired man’s face despite knowing him quite well — though to Ibarra’s credit, he did not miss the way his eyes carefully studied every inch of his face, as if he was taking in all of him. The closeness of their proximity has rendered his mind blank, and he was at a loss for words. He did not know what to say next. Where could he come back from that? How could he even salvage it?
Ibarra’s breath hitched when Elias slowly leaned in next to his right ear, close enough that he could smell the pleasant scent of the perfume that he had gifted him. It was almost normal for men to be this close to one another as they share secrets, but for some reason, this one in particular felt inappropriate and, dare he say, scandalous.
“You are quite greedy, señor.” Ibarra felt goosebumps jump from his skin when Elias’ rough and deep voice spoke so near to his ear. “Remember that you are to be married. You should not want me,” To his relief and also disappointment, the long-haired man retreated his face away, the respectable distance they had before returning to what it was. Ibarra met him eye to eye, and the way Elias was looking at him made his face and neck flush crimson. “Nor should I want you.”
As soon as Ibarra registered his words, he could only think about their vivid implications before his brain shut down, staring at the man in front of him, wide-eyed. “Elias.” He said his name sternly, as if it were some kind of ultimatum.
“Crisostomo.” He reciprocated, and Ibarra felt a shiver in his spine. He did not expect that Elias' saying his actual name would have such a disastrous effect on him, and this only crumbled his resolve little by little. Carefully, he moved one step closer to him, their chests almost brushing, and squinted his eyes a bit. “You truly are too daring.”
Elias chuckled. “Worry not, I have not tempted God too far,” He deliberately maintained steady eye contact with him so that Ibarra’s gaze would follow his, where he looked back down on his lips, causing the other man to unconsciously gulp in anticipation. “Fortunately, Crisostomo, you are no God.”
Those were the last words he heard before Elias grabbed the side of his neck and drew him into a soft yet searing kiss. Ibarra never thought this development would come to pass — never thought that he would be tempted like this — although he knew his eyes had occasionally strayed on Elias’ mouth and wondered that it must feel quite rough; now he finds out that it is so, yet also unsurprisingly gentle.
Despite his mind screaming at him to pull away from Elias’ touch or push the man off of him, Ibarra slowly kissed him back, as if he was testing the waters, but he was a bit taken aback by the sudden fervor that Elias retaliated with, though he found himself not disliking it. His hand made its way to Ibarra’s nape, pulling him even closer than he already was that he could breathe in his sigh and they would both run out of air.
A yet stranger sensation nearly overcame him when Elias went lower and placed open-mouthed kisses to his jaw, and Ibarra had to force himself back to rational thought and dispel these feelings of overwhelming desire from his person. “Wait, Elias, enough.” He managed to say in between gasps and grabbed the long-haired man by his shoulders, finally pushing him away.
Ibarra spared him a look, and blood rushed to his cheeks when he saw how red Elias’ lips had become from the kiss, but then guilt washed over him as he remembered his childhood friend and fiancée, Maria Clara. “Elias, I cannot. Clarita, I…” He tried to find the words, but he found himself speechless, still in surprise at what had just occurred and bracing himself when thinking about the consequences of his actions. However, Elias did not need any more explanation, as they both knew whatever they wanted would lead to nowhere.
“I know, señor,” Ibarra’s heart tightened in pain when Elias reverted back to calling him by that form of address, only for it to soar once more when the long-haired man took his left hand and placed a kiss on his palm. “I would hate to indulge your greed, but I promise I will stay. For you.” Ibarra laughed at his comment and playfully slapped his arm, while Elias gave a thoughtful smile.
The door to the parlor room suddenly opened before they could untangle their arms from one another, and they were shocked to see two girls, one of whom was Maria Clara, holding the doorknob and pinning who seemed to be Sinang on the door. Much like the two men a few minutes ago, the two were pecking each other on the cheek.
Maria Clara saw two silhouettes from her peripheral vision and turned to look at the figures, only for her eyes to widen so much that they might pop out of her sockets. She quickly scrambled away from Sinang, and the latter, also sensing Ibarra and Elias, stood back up to her full height, then kept her hands to herself.
“C-Crisostomo! I can explain..!” Maria Clara exclaimed, trying to form a coherent sentence in an attempt to clarify whatever they were doing, which made the two men look at her in amusement. However, she slowly noticed how close Elias was standing in front of Ibarra, and she abandoned all thought of even making an excuse. “Wait a minute, are you two..?”
Elias turned back to Ibarra, with one last glance at the two girls. “It seems you are both even. I can do this with less guilt now.” He said before placing a swift kiss on Ibarra’s mouth, which made both Maria Clara and Sinang gasp.
Ibarra glared at him in jest, “Elias!” He chastised, though the long-haired man only chuckled at that. Maria Clara suddenly grabbed Sinang’s arm and trudged towards where the men were standing, looking at Ibarra with a fierce and bright determination in her eyes.
“Crisostomo, I have an idea!”