I woke up to the sound of my phone's incessant ringing. I thought I was still at home and in my bed.
"Sino ba naman 'yang tumatawag nang ganito kaaga?" I sleepily grumbled.
I was nearly certain that it was Alex who probably was eager to tell me about some late-night tryst with a new girl.
I groped for my phone which I thought was under the pillow intending to turn it off – Alex and his countless girls could wait.
"Nasaan ba 'yun...?" I opened my eyes and grimaced in pain. I had forgotten to take my glasses off before I fell
asleep and my head felt like someone was happily hammering it open while I was sleeping.
"Shit..." I groaned closing my eyes again.
"Marcus...phone mo..." someone sleepily whispered. "Marcus..."
My eyes flew open and my heart started doing nearly two hundred beats per second; my groin tightening instantly at the memory of you naked beneath me.
But then something clicked inside my head.
The sun is already out and I still am not home! My Mom is going to kill me!
I had planned to take you home with me hoping that my parents wouldn't notice that I had spent the night somewhere else. I had planned to make it appear as if I had woken up early because we had agreed to tell my family about us.
Birthday mo, Marcus! Your parents are up early to greet you just like they always do, you fucking moron!
I jumped off the bed and realized to my horror that I was still naked. I hastily put my clothes back on and found my phone inside my jeans' pocket.
89 missed calls
97 new messages
Patay. Patay ako nito!
"Marcus, what time is it?" you asked.
"10:28 in the morning. Wait lang, may kailangan lang akong tawagan."
I hastily dialed my mother's number. I knew that she would pick up on the first ring but I had hoped that she had an emergency at the hospital and that she had completely forgotten about me or my birthday.
"Dustin Marcus Montemayor where in the hell are you?!" I heard my mother scream on the other line.
"G-good morning p-po, 'Mmy..." I stammered my heart hammering anxiously. "A-ano po—"
"Nasaan ka?! Alam mo ba kung gaano mo kami pinag-alala ng Daddy mo?! Alam mo ba kung ano ang naramdaman namin when we discovered your bed empty at four in the morning?! Alam mo ba, ha?!"
"'Mmy, I'm so sorry po...ano po...nandito po ako...kina Alex..."
Shit, dapat tinawagan ko muna si Alexander at baka tawagan s'ya ni Mommy. But, I'm sure Alex knows exactly what to say—"
"Don't lie to me, young man!" I heard my mother screech. "Nandito kami kina Alex! At sabi nitong best friend mo ay umuwi ka na raw! Ngayon tumawag ako sa bahay at ang sabi ni Manang Flora wala ka pa raw d'un! Nasaan ka bang talaga?!"
"Tita, andito po s'ya kanina pero umuwi na po—"
"Enough of your lies, Alexander!" I heard my mother snapped. "Stop covering up for my son! Akala mo ba nakakatulong ka, ha?! Paano kung may mangyari sa kaibigan mo dahil sa mga kalokohan n'yo, pananagutan mo ba?!"
"Dr. Montemayor, maybe we can talk about this calmly—"
"Calmly?! How can I be calm when my son is missing, Atty. Sandoval?!"
