Kim stayed in her room throughout the night… Tinawag siya ni Auntie Pokie to eat…Pero nag alibi siyang masama ang pakiramdam… She couldn’t get over with the kiss.. She was amazed how her body reacts… Ganito pala ang totoong kiss??.. It’s very different sa mga napapanood niya… The first time she kissed him…she’s not really aware of what’s going on…..but what happened earlier… OH yes.. She’s definitely aware…of everything… she still feels his lips against hers… how she responded… every movement of Geralds lips into hers brings some new sensations that she never felt before….

Umupo siya sa harap ng salamin inside her room… she look at herself closely… to her surprise…she saw a lot of things that she never even pay attention before…. Her eyes were twinkling…. Her cheeks were red…. Her lips were pink… She smiled… Bakit ba parang ang dali kong ngumiti nitong mga nagdaang araw?… Sige Kim… magpretend ka na di mo alam ang nangyayari…… Pilitin mong isipin na walang kagagawan ang lalaking yon…kung bakit ka nagkakaganyan!! Isaksak mo sa isipan mo na hindi siya nag e-exist sa mundo mo… pero…….sino ba ang niloloko niya……

Umiling-iling si kim… She’s trying so hard to avoid this…. She’s trying so hard to think na hindi mangyayari ito… pero…. Siguro.. It’s not hard enough… and now… she have to admit to herself that she’s already falling……. pero …sasaluhin niya kaya ako??.. Or he would just let me fall…and leave….

Parang yung daddy niya…… her own dad gave up on her…..she bet he will do the same!! Kim’s eyes moistened…

She fell asleep with tears tracing down her cheeks…… parang noon… nung iniwan siya ng daddy niya…… lagi siyang nakakatulog na may luha sa mata….. And now… heto na naman…. But this time…it’s from a different person…….

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Gerald keep twitching back and forth in his bed… The kiss was undeniable…the kiss was indescribable.. Yup…I’ve kissed a lot of girls…but this one is different… Different in what way?… I don’t know… but she’s different… everything about her is different…

His phone rang…. It was Fred…

“What’s up man…. Bakit wala ka pa dito?”… Fred asked…

“I won’t go man… I’m tired!”..

“WOW.. Kelan pa napagod ang FilAm Hottie sa mga gatherings like this…Bro… there’s a lot of pretty girls in here!! You need to come!!”…

“I’ll pass man… “..he said …Pretty Girls?… he should be jumping on his car now …and start heading on the party…pero bakit parang naging boring ang mga party..… then she taught of Kim… he smiled…

“Bro!! Bro!!… Are you still there?”.. Fred on the other line…

“I’m still here…. Sige na bro… Have fun na lang… don’t forget to use …baka kung anong sakit ang makuha mo diyan!! “ he said…

“Gago!! .. Is this because of that look-a-like Avril Lavigne girl?…”.. Fred asked…

Gerald gave a big grin….”I don’t know what’s going on bro… Maybe….maybe not!”…

“Bro… you’re falling for her?… pero parang ang layo naman ng girl na yon sa mga dream girl mo?!”..

“I know!! I know!! But bro….. she’s different!”….

“Bro… baka naman curiosity pa din yan… maybe you need to bedded her…and maybe mawawala na yang curiosity mo!”.. Fred laughing on the other line…

Gerald frowned.. He didn’t like what he said… “Bro… that’s foul man… Hindi siya ganung klaseng babae… She’s different Bro!!”…

“Ok!! Ok!! You don’t have to be so defensive…. Basta If you need to talk to someone… I’m here!! But for now… I have to go… Pretty gal calling me right now!!”….

“Baka pretty guy!! Tignan mo munang maigi bago mo sulutin!!”…he smiled..

“LOKO!! Sige bro!!”… and hanged up…

He look at his cellphone… scroll down on his contacts… Ang daming girls numbers that he can call anytime… but he don’t have the one that he wanted…. Kim doesn’t even have cellphone for crying out loud… Bakit ang hirap-hirap niyang abutin…

What’s about her that I couldn’t let her pass by… just the taught of her being near… it makes me feel different….. Everything makes no sense…if she’s not near with him…. Curiosity nga lang ba ito?…

He dozed off…….

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Next morning… Gerald woke up early… He’s excited for this day… He clean the car… spotless… He make sure gas is filled… Ayaw niyang mapahiya kina kim… He was ready before noon ….. White shirt…and khaki pants….. His barong still on the back of his car…. Shiny dress shoes… If other people will see his excitement… people will think na it’s his wedding day……..

Before 12...he was kocking at the door…. He’s excited to see Kim on her gown… but to his dismay…

Kim opened the door…on her usual outfit.. Black shirt ….cargo pants with chain on the side…. With her converse hightop shoes….

“Hindi ka pa ready?”..he asked….

Kim frowned… “anong ginagawa mo dito…”.. she held the doorknob tightly… the guy right in front of him looks gorgeous…

“ako ang dakila nyong driver….papuntang kasal!”… he said giving her the sweetest smile….

OH no!! Oh no!! Kim tried to compose herself… took a deep breath and hit Gerald on his forehead….

Gerald was surprise…”ARay!!.. Ano yon!!”… he said massaging his forehead….

Kim turned around mumbling…“kasalanan mo…..ang gwapo mo kasi eh!!”

Gerald followed her…”Hey… para saan yung batok na yon?”…

“Oh Gerald… ang aga mo ah!!”.. si Auntie Pokie…. Nilapitan siya at tinitigan………. To his surprise…binatukan din siya nito….

“ARAY!! Auntie naman…bakit po?”… he asked…massaging the back of his head… Bakit ba brutal yata ang mga tao ngayon dito… “What did I do?”..he asked…

“Sabi ko sayo..wag kang masyadong magpagwapo eh!! Ang kulit mo!! Papahirapan mo ang anak ko niyan eh..”.. Auntie Pokie answered…

“Auntie!!”… saway ni Kim…

Gerald smiled… “Kaya mo ba ako binatukan… kasi nagwagwapuhan ka sa akin?”.. he teases Kim…

“Asa ka pa!!”… she said…

“Bakit di ka pa nakabihis?”.. he asked…

“Ayy naku… Yang bata na yan… nagiinarte… dun na lang daw siya magbibihis…papaayusan ko nga sana diyan sa palengke…ayaw ….magmumukha daw siyang clown! Hmp!! Ewan ko ba dyan!!”…

“yaan nyo na Auntie Pokie… mas maganda nga naman yung Natural…”… he look straight in kims face…. Noticing her red lips…. His throat became dry….

Kim blushed….. She turned around trying to hide her face… KIM… RELAX!!

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They were on the road…heading to Tagaytay… Auntie Pokie sat in passenger seat..while Kim stayed in the back.. She was glad that Gerald came today…even how many times she tried to deny it…. She knows her heart is cheering inside her chest… Just the taught of him being with her all day….makes her smile….

“I just hope…para sa akin yang smile na yan!”… he said…

Kim look at the front…she saw him watching her in the mirror…. “Baka mabangga tayo!! Ayoko pang mamatay no!!”… she said…. She look at her auntie… she was snoring in the front seat…. She reach for her seatbelt that her Aunt refuse to wear earlier… “Paki buckle mo nga ito!”…she asked Gerald….

Gerald buckled the seatbelt…while Kim was fixing it…. “Sobra ka naman… di naman ako ganon kabilis magdrive… And I won’t let anything happened to both of you!”.. he said intently…

Kim cleared …. Sige pa…mambola ka pang herodes ka… baka bumigay na ang malapit ng bumigay!!

“How about your seatbelt? “.. he asked her..pointing the her unbuckle seatbelt….

She nodded…”Ok lang ako…. Basta si Auntie safe… Safe na rin ako!”..she said…

Gerald still watching her using the mirror…. “You love her that much?”.. he asked.…

Kim look at him… “She’s the only person who didn’t gave up on me. Everybody else did!!”.. she closed her eyes……… ayaw na niyang balikan ang nakaraan… she wouldn’t let him see that she’s hurting….

Hindi manhid si Gerald… He knows that she’s hurting inside…. He knows that she’s trying to avoid the conversation… He respect her request…and just continued driving… he satisfied himself by just watching her in the mirror….

God… she’s pretty….beautiful… she has a very angelic face… how can someone gave up on her?… Ikaw ba Gerald…kaya mo ba siyang panindigan?…