HURRICANE

Secrets

MAINE's POV

"Hello Rj? Nasan ka na ba?"

"Uh.. Hel.. Hello.. Mai.."

"Rj? Babe? Can you hear me?"

"Hel.. I.. c.. hea.. Tawa.. ak..."

"Hello!!"

And with that, naputol ang linya. Where in the world are you, Rj?

We were supposed to have dinner sa condo mo tonight pero wala ka. You promised na magkikita ulit tayo today. Yan ang sabi mo after breakfast kanina. Ugh. Tapos I thought you were gonna be in KS today but Mama Ten called last minute to tell me you have a shoot. Grabe ka, wala ka nang oras to call me, your girlfriend?!

Sometimes, I get frustrated with that boy. Ang kulit kasi. Sabi ng magpahinga muna. Pero wala, trabaho pa rin. So pano, sa mga susunod na buwan more than weeks na tayong hindi magkikita?

Shems, I don't want us to drift apart.

Sad thoughts.

I better just nap it off. Maaga pa naman. Thank God I have no shoot today. Rest muna, at hihintayin ko nalang si Rj sa condo niya. I have his spare keys anyway.

I woke up at 8pm after an hour of napping and there's still no sign of him. Hindi pa rin nagpaparamdam sa text or call. No, nothing. Kahit tweet, wala.

My stomach's growling and I'm craving for my favorite Italian pasta. Order nalang kaya ako? Or hintayin ko siya?

My hunger gets the best of me and I ordered food for me and Rj. Siguro, well, sana, pauwi na siya any minute. The food arrived around 10pm, and I asked Kuya Guard to bring the food up to Rj's condo. I quickly opened the door to thank him and gave my payment.

"Mam, wala pa po si Sir Alden?"

"Wala pa nga eh. Nagaalala na ako. Kanina pa dapat yun umuwi."

Only Kuya Guard in this building knows about mine and Rj's set-up. Buti nalang he was kind enough to keep our secret, well, in exchange of autographed copies of all our magazines and Rj's album. And a few selfies too.

"Mam, gusto niyo, tawagan ko nalang kayo para magising kayo mamaya pagdating ni Sir? Matulog muna po kayo, mukhang mamaya pa yun."

"Oo nga. Pero hindi Kuya, salamat nalang, antayin ko na lang siya."

"Sige po Mam. Kayo po bahala. Tawagin niyo nalang po ko pag may kelangan pa po kayo. Eto na po yung pagkain niyo."

"Salamat po."

I gave him a 500 peso bill for helping me which he politely turned down. He said, knowing me and Rj is enough for him. Fan na rin kasi siya ni Rj noon pa. Nakakatuwa lang yung mga ganitong klaseng tao. Very rarely ko na kasi sila nakikita.

I made my way into the dining table to set down the food. I ordered my favorite Italian pasta, a Prosciutto and Rocket pizza, spaghetti and meatballs and tiramisu. It's more than enough for us to share.

The smell of the food is enticing, but I held myself back. Syempre, hihintayin ko si Rj. Para sabay na kami kumain, eventhough my stomach is telling me otherwise.

It's 11pm pero wala pa rin siya. So, I grabbed my phone and texted him.

To Rj:
Babe, where are you? Food is here. I'm officially hungry and missing your face.

After a few minutes, I received a reply.

From Rj:
Hi babe. Sorry ginabi ako sa shoot. I ate a little bit na here sa set. Kain ka na jan. I'll be home soon, don't worry. I love you.