Chapter 10: Unexpected Visit

Pagkauwi ko galing ospital, wala sa sariling tinawagan ko agad si Victoria para mag-sorry sa biglaang pag-alis ko kagabi. "Girl, ano bang nangyari?" tanong niya, halatang nag-aalala.

"I'm fine now. May emergency lang talaga," sagot ko, kahit ang totoo, wala akong lakas makipag-usap pa.

"Ano emergency? May kinalaman ba sa kaso mo?"

I sighed. "Yeah. I'll tell you soon, promise."

Nagpaalam na ako at binaba ang tawag. I headed straight to the fridge, nagbabakasakaling may makain. I wasn’t really hungry, but I figured I should at least put something in my stomach. Binuksan ko yung fridge — isang slice ng lumang pizza lang yung nakita ko, yung inorder ni Victoria tatlong araw na ang nakalipas. Better than nothing, I thought.

Kinuha ko yun, hinain sa plato, tapos pinainit sa microwave. Habang umiinit yun, napatingin ako sa sarili ko sa salamin ng cabinet. I looked… terrible. My lips were pale, my skin dull, and my eyes lifeless. Napailing ako. “I guess it’s time to eat,” bulong ko sa sarili.

Pero bago ko pa man makuha yung pizza, bumigat na ulit pakiramdam ko. Hindi ko rin maintindihan kung gutom lang ba ‘to o burnout o dahil sa birthday kong paparating na naman. I hated my birthday. Walang magandang nangyayari tuwing birthday ko. Kaya over the years, I learned to treat it like any other day — nothing special, nothing to celebrate.

Inikot ko ang bahay, hoping to shake off the feeling. Pero wala rin. Kaya napagdesisyunan kong maligo nalang. I turned on the shower, setting it to the coldest temperature. Gusto kong manlamig, mag-numb. Tumagal ako sa ilalim ng tubig ng higit dalawang oras, hoping na mahugasan nun lahat ng bigat sa dibdib ko. Pero wala, nandun pa rin.

Lumabas ako ng banyo, basang-basa, at nagpatuyo sa couch. Nakita ko yung pizza sa lamesa — cold and unappetizing. I sighed. Whatever. Kinuha ko nalang yun, saka naupo sa sofa, nagpalipat-lipat ng channel, hoping for some distraction. Pero wala rin akong makitang interesting. I was just so done with everything. Fuck this day.

Then the doorbell rang. I groaned. Sino ba ‘to?

Lumapit ako sa pinto, sinilip ang camera — si Alexander. My eyebrows immediately furrowed. Anong ginagawa niya dito?

I opened the door, clearly annoyed. "Hi?"

“Yo.” Casual na bati niya, parang walang pake kung mukha akong bangkay.

"Anong ginagawa mo dito?"

"Victoria sent me. Di ka raw sumasagot sa phone mo," he shrugged, not bothering to hide his disinterest.

"Okay, nakita mo nang buhay ako. Pwede ka nang umalis," I deadpanned.

Pero napansin ko yung hawak niyang paper bag. And he caught my gaze. “I brought food. I didn’t want to come empty-handed.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”

“Because you look like you haven’t eaten anything decent in days.” Saka siya dumiretso papasok, like he owned the place. Tangina, ang kapal ng mukha neto.

“Hoy, wala akong pinapapasok ah!” reklamo ko.

“Too late.”

Sinundan ko siya sa kusina. Nakita niyang nakalatag pa yung lumang pizza sa lamesa. Tumingin siya dun na parang pinaka-kadiring pagkain na nakita niya sa buong buhay niya.

“Jesus Christ, Kaye. Ito ba kinakain mo?”

“Uh, yeah?” I crossed my arms.

“Ikaw ba talaga ‘to?” He grimaced. “Raffaele Esposito would not rest in peace if he saw this abomination you call ‘pizza.’”

Napairap ako. “Putangina, sino si Raffaele?”

“The man who invented pizza. Tsk. Magpapaka-taga-Italy ka nalang din, ibagay mo naman.”

I scoffed. “Wow. Ang dami mong alam.”

He ignored me, instead binuksan yung paper bag. Then I saw it — perfectly cooked steak, mashed potatoes, and sautéed vegetables. Napataas kilay ko. “Seriously? Steak?”

“Yeah.” He placed the plate on the table. “Medium-rare, just how you like it.”

Napatigil ako. “…Paano mo nalaman—”

“Victoria.”

Syempre. Sino pa ba?

He handed me the plate. “Here, eat,” he ordered, like he had some authority over me.

I frowned. “I'm not really hun—”

“Kaye.” Boses niya, firm. “I know you haven't eaten yet. And if you call that ‘thing’ a meal,” sabay turo sa pizza, “I swear I'll grab you by the throat and shove this food down it.”

Napanganga ako. “Tangina, ano ka ba?”

“I'm serious.”

“…Okay, psycho,” I muttered, rolling my eyes. Pero wala akong choice. Naupo ako sa lamesa at kinuha yung utensils. When I sliced into the steak, it was perfectly pink inside. I took a bite — and holy fuck. My mouth practically melted. The flavor? Insane. The texture? Heavenly.

Napanganga ako. “…Anong ginawa mo dito?”

He smirked. “I made it with love.”

“Pakyu. Sabihin mo.”

“Hmm… no.”

I kept chewing, trying to downplay my reaction, pero puta, para akong binigyan ng five-star meal. “Bakit hindi ka nag-chef?”

He laughed. “You think being a chef is gonna pay my bills?”

I rolled my eyes. “Kung ganito kasarap mga luto mo, oo.”

“Ah, so masarap?”

I narrowed my eyes. “…unfortunately, yes.”

“Good girl.”

“Pakyu.”

Natawa siya. Tuloy lang ako sa pagkain, habang siya naman tahimik lang na nanonood. When I finished, kinuha niya agad yung plato ko at dinala sa lababo. I was about to protest, pero napigilan niya ako.

“Umupo ka lang,” he said. “Ako na ‘to.”

Napatingin ako sa kanya. “You really don’t have to—”

“I know.”

“So bakit?”

Natigil siya saglit. “Victoria told me to.”

“Bullshit.”

He laughed. “Fine. Maybe I just wanted to make sure you didn't die of starvation or food poisoning.”

I scoffed. “Wow. Sweet. Thanks.”

“Anytime, birthday girl.”

Napatigil ako. “…Hindi ko pa birthday.”

“Yeah, pero malapit na. Might as well start treating you nice now.”

I rolled my eyes. “You're not treating me nice. You're treating me like a sick child.”

“Because you kinda are?”

“Fuck you.”

“Love you too.”

I hated that I laughed. Goddammit, Adeline. Bakit parang okay siya kasama ngayon? For years, Alexander was just that cocky, annoying asshole in our group — the one who thrived on pissing me off. Pero ngayon, he felt different. Or maybe ako lang ‘tong ibang tao na ngayon.

“…Thanks for the steak,” bulong ko.

“Hm?”

I glared. “Wag mo nang ipaulit.”

He smirked. “You’re welcome.”

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