The one that got away

5. Damsel in stress

"Here, put this on your lips." 

Jin Hye smiled at Hanna as she took the ice pack from her hands.They were inside Kerky and Hanna's suite. Dahan-dahan niya iyong idinampi sa kanyang bibig. Keith on the other hand was looking at her, napapailing pa ito. Bigla tuloy siyang nailang. She knew how bad she looks right now. 

Nakita niya ang sarili niya kanina sa salamin. Puro pasa ang braso niya, nangitim din ang gilid ng kanyang labi pati ang kanang pisngi niya, putok rin ang kanyang labi at mugtong-mugto ang kanyang mga mata. 

"I'll fix a bath for you." sabi ni Hanna. Bigla siyang napatingin dito. 

"No, it's okay. I'm good." Mahinang sabi niya. Hinawakan ni Hanna ang kanyang tuhod. 

"You need a relaxing bath after what happened. Look at yourself." napapailing na wika nito. "Ang mga lalaking ganoon dapat nilulunod sa kumukulong tubig." komento pa nito pagkatapos ay biglang tumayo. Naiwan siya roon kasama si Keith, Nakaupo ito sa sofa sa kanyang tapat. Yukong-yuko ang ulo niya. She was still crying. Bigla siyang napahikbi. 

"Hey..." Lumapit si Keith sa kanya at bigla siyang niyakap. "It's over, Jin Hye." 

"I was..." humikbi siya. "was j-just scared." 

"I could imagine." she tapped her shoulder. "But you don't have to be scared anymore. Do you think, Calen will let that guy near you again?" 

Keith mentioned Calen's name. Bigla tuloy niyang naalala ang nangyari kanina. She thought Calen was Caleb. She even hugged him and thanked him for saving her because she thought he was Caleb but he was not. Calen was the one who saved her. Calen was the one who took her away from that supposed to be misery that her stepmother put her in. 

Si Calen ang naroon, hindi si Caleb. 

Napaluha siya. Hindi niya alam kung para saan ang luhang inilalabas niya ngayon. Was it because she was still scared or was it because of the fact that Caleb will never come for her?

"W-where is he?" nangingiming tanong niya. 

"Out with Lex and Kerky. Nandyan lang iyan. Maybe they were pep talking him. You know how Calen gets. Mainitin ang ulo noon." Paliwanag pa ni Keith. Hindi na siya nagsalita. 

She suddenly remembered the emotions she saw on Calen's eyes. They were many things inside his eyes that she never thought would be there. Nakakita siya ng galit sa mga mata nito. Poot ang sumasalamin sa kanyang repleksyon sa abuhing mata nito. 

"He hates me." she said. 

"No. If he hates you, hindi ka niya ililigtas." wika pa ni Keith. 

"He hates me..." muling ulit niya. Noon bumukas ang pintuan ng suite nila Kerky. She saw Kerky, Lex and Calen entered the room. Kerky smiled at her, si Lex din ay nginitian siya at saka lumapit kay Keith. Binaling niya ang kanyang tingin kay Calen na sa pagkakataong iyon ay nakatayo pa rin, he turned away and took a bottle of beer out of the suite's personal ref. She was waiting for him to look at her.

"Saan kayo galing?" Keith asked. 

"We were at the bar." Lex said. "We had a little talk. Diba, Cal." 

"No. You two talked and I just sat there ignoring you." mabilis na sagot nito. Nakatingin pa rin siya dito. Gusto niyang tingnan siya nito pero bakit hindi nito iyon ginagawa?

"Cal..." wika ni Kerky na parang nagbabanta. Calen faced his friends.

"Whatever. I'm out. See you tomorrow." wika nito. Hindi na siya nakatiis. She stood up. Hindi niya paalisin si Calen nang hindi man lang siya nito tinatapunan ng kahit isang saglit na tingin man lang.