LOVE-NAT, isang makulit na lovestory!

Eleonor Malicsi Dimaculangan

My heart was skipping faster and faster habang papalapit siya ng papalapit. Para sakin, he was like an angry bull charging his horns towards me. Sa totoo lang, I had the impulse to make a run for it. But before I knew it, Miguel Josef Uy Monteverde had his hand against the nape of my neck, holding my head still for a... mind-blowing, heart-stopping, breathe-taking kiss...

OH I’M IN DEEP SHEET!!

Are you guys familiar with the saying, butterflies in your stomach?? In my case... parang hindi lang mga paru-paro ang lumilipad sa sikmura ko... parang pati mga paniki at pambansang ibon kasama sa flying session.

Sef's hold against my neck was firm as if he has no intention of letting me resist... surprisingly, his lips were gentle against mine... He tasted like sweet wine, enchanting and intoxicating... and shockingly, I liked it just fine.

WWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!! LIKING IT?? HUWAT?? WAS IT REALLY ME TALKING?? Or this kiss was just clouding my reason??

Oh no no no no no...

ANO KA BA ELE--- ELE---???

Ok. Pati nga ata pangalan ko nakalimutan ko na... kahit yung inis ko, yung pagiging BV ko... lahat yun parang nabura... kung alam ko lang na ito ang gamot, sana kanina ko pa ginawa. Hahahaha.

When our lips finally parted... pareho kaming parang naglalaro ng dodging ball, we couldn’t look each other in the eye... My face was all flustered at pakiramdam ko dahan-dahan akong nagiging jellyace. I almost thought Sef was blushing too, sayang nga lang medyo madilim kaya di ako sigurado.

Then Sef suddenly smiled. Oo, for the first time after the incident in the lake, parang ngayon na lang siya ulit ngumiti sakin. Yung ngiting parang... WALA LANG SA KANYA. Like kissing me was just something... NORMAL. Boy, as easy as pie.

I felt downright STUPID for thinking for a moment that... there was something about that... kiss. Guess I was the only one who felt it. No, no, no maybe I was just IMAGINING things. Yeah. That must be it. Wag kang mag-feeling Ellie, hindi ka si Anne Curtis, at mas lalong hindi ka si Angelina Jolie... IT DIDN’T MEAN ANYTHING... Just like the first time he kissed you. NOTHING.

Why of course... si Bea nga nun didn’t have much trouble about kissing Sef. Para bang HOBBY na ito ni Sef... he could kiss a total stranger without hesitating... tulad nung ginawa niya sakin nun sa Eastwood. Kaya naman ELEONOR MALICSI DIMACULANGAN... do not ever think for a second that this means something to him!!

Oh yeah, now we’re talking... IKAW NA NGA SI ELLIE!! NAGBALIK KA NA!! Siguro nga, but not completely. Well at least not yet. Ee kasi... Nung sinabi ni Sef na, “Will you now get back in the car?” Sumunod naman daw agad ako!!

Lord... do something with my heart... I think... I think it’s not working right!!

---

Eleonor Malicsi Dimaculangan

C-cupid?? C’mon... I am no romantic. Pramis! Definitely, most definitely, there are NO princesses & princes in my own definition of love. I am no believer of fairytales and all that crap. Para sakin, ang love darating at darating yan. Yeah, darating siya... for hopeless romantics, they would probably call HIM, my own Romeo and for vampire lovers, my own Edward Cullen, and for wizard geeks, my own Harry Potter, pero sa mga adik sa pinoy movies, my own POPOY. Oha, talagang naisingit ko pa si John Lloyd Cruz!! Haha.

Anyway, to make my point simpler, hindi naman kasi dapat hinahanap ang love, kusang darating yan... at the right time, at the right place, with the right person!!

Well... that was what I believed in... or better yet, what I wanted to believe in.

Hmmm, right place ba yung BOY’S CR sa MUP?? That’s where I’ve met Sef for the first time.

Right timing ba? Ee napo-potchi pa nga ako nun. Akala ko pa nga multo siya...

Now the question is... right person ba?? AW. BULLSHEET!!

“Ellie...” Sef’s voice snapped me out of my reverie. Nasa tapat na pala kami ng bahay ko. With all these thoughts swirling around my head?? Para kong zombie na bumaba ng sasakyan niya. Oo, zombie... hindi ako sanay na ganito ang iniisip ko... I’m actually having a conversation with myself... about... CUPID??

Namumutla ako, and every part of my body was shaking like hell... malalamig na pawis ang tumatagaktak sakin, given the fact na naka aircon kami. Sanay ako na PAGKAIN, PAGKAIN, AT PERA ang iniisip... at hindi mga ganitong klaseng bagay...

“Uh, Ellie...” But I was too preoccupied to even bother as to what Sef has to say. “Good night.” He smiled yet again. I nervously nodded and slammed the door shut.

Napalunok ako as I watched the car disappear in the corner... & I continued being a ZOMBIE kahit sa pagpasok ko ng bahay. Nanginginig pa din buong katawan ko.

Nakapatay ang ilaw sa salas pero bukas ang TV. Nanunuod mag-isa si AJ ng horror movie na Silent Hill. Tahimik lang akong nakatayo sa likod niya, he didn’t look up. Hindi niya siguro ako namalayan. But suddenly... ng dahan-dahang lumingon sakin si AJ biglang napa sigaw ang bruha.

“HUDAS, BARABAS ELLIE!!” Nabulalas ni AJ ng binuksan na niya yung ilaw. “Halos ma-tae ako sa takot sayo aa? Nu ba yang itsura mo?”

Hindi ko na kailangan tumingin pa sa salamin. For I knew, color must have drained out of my face. I was pale as a ghost.

Dios ko!! Ngayon lang ako nakaramdam ng ganito... oo, as in sa tanan ng buhay ko... NGAYON LANG!!! I AM SCARED AS HELL!! More terrified than I have ever been in my life. Ito na... what I’ve been dreading to happen... Am I really experiencing it now? Did I really catch the incurable virus – yung sakit ng mga baliw na tao? That... love?

Napalunok ako when the realization that I am... I am... f-falling... HIT ME HARD. My heart jumped.

Seryoso Ellie? As in? Talaga?? For real?

Eleonor Malicsi Dimaculangan is falling in love??

PPPFFFFfffttttt... HAHAHAHAHAHA. See? Even Cupid is laughing.

I imagined hearing the loud sirens of police cars. WEEE-YONG. WEEE-YONG. WEE-YONG. That kind of alarm that make your heart race cause you know something dreadful just happened.

RED ALERT!! RED ALERT!!

Ow, Lord, my God, my Creator, my All... sana po binigyan niyo man lang ako ng kahit konting warning... is there any guide book that goes with it? Wala bang instruction manual na nabibili sa Divisoria?? O kaya sa Quiapo??

“AJ...” Nangingig yung boses ko when I mentioned his name. “Tulungan mo ko!!”

“Bakit?” AJ asked, sounding worried already. “Nag LBM ka nanaman ano? Minsan iniisip ko, kung san gawa yang sikmura mo ee.”

I swallowed hard. I wasn’t hearing him. “H-hindi pwede toh AJ!! TULUNGAN MO KO!!” I kept pulling his arm. “AJ!!” I whined. “AJ... I-in love ata ako ee...”

AJ’s eyes darkened sabay batok sakin. “BALBAL KA!! AKALA KO NAKAPATA---” His eyes then widened dramatically.“OH BETCHA BY GOLLY WOW!! KAY SEF?” He then excitedly pulled me down the sofa. Yung ngiti niya abot tenga.

I’m still in a state of shock. Parang itong recent realization ko about... Sef... was like hearing the news na buntis si Vice Ganda at si John Lloyd Cruz daw ang ama!! WWAAAAAH!! Kaya naman HINDI TALAGA PWEDE TOH!!!

“Cuz, ano vah? Nakakaloka ka!! Hindi nakakamatay yan!! Natural lang yan!!”

“AJ. Hindi talaga pwede toh!! Kelangan tulungan mo ko... Hindi mo kilala si Sef. Kelangan matigil agad toh!!”

Nagbuntong hininga si AJ. “Cuz, ang love hindi yan parang computer na basta pwede mo na lang i-shut down, hindi yan parang alikabok na pag hinipan mo magva-vanish na lang basta into thin air... wala yang switch, wala yang on and off button!! Hindi ba yan tinuturo sa inyo sa Matute? My gaaad!!”

Napatingin ako sakanya. Bakit kaya ang mga bakla maraming alam sa mga ganitong bagay?? Oo, alam kong may point si AJ sa sinabi niyang yun. Pero baka nakakalimutan niya... If there’s a will, there’s always a way!!

“AJ naman... Tulungan mo na ko oh.”

“Pasaway talaga ang lahi mo nuh?”

“Sayang, may ibibigay pa nman akong ka-date sayo... kapag natulungan mo ko.”

“Ay!! Naalala ko na Cuz... meron palang secret technique para jan sa prublema mo!!”

I almost laughed. “Talaga? Ano?”

“Basta!” Tumaas ang kilay ni AJ tapos bigla siyang ngumiti... it was an evil grin. Napalunok ako. Hindi ko kaya pagsisihan toh?? “Akong bahala sayo!!”

OH NO!!!

I think I just got myself a deal with the devil.

To be continued.