TARA let out a sigh to release the heaviness she felt in her chest. She looked outside the cockpit and roamed her eyes on the ocean. She could now see the port Harrison was talking about, though it was still small, they were getting closer every passing minute.
May parte sa kanya ang hindi pa gustong umuwi. Hindi pa siya handang pakawalan ang kasiyahang natamasa sa nakalipas na anim na araw. Her blissful days with Harrison was over, it's time to get back to reality. Magsisimula na ang trabaho nito sa kanyang ama at may mga responsibilidad siyang kailangan harapin. Sa totoo lang ay hindi niya alam kung ano ang aasahan sa kanilang dalawa ng binata.
They had fun together, beyond pleasurable. They made love on every part of yacht, morning, afternoon or evening. Walang pinipiling oras si Harrison at hindi siya palaging nakakatanggi rito. Gusto rin naman niya.
She would surely miss the ocean, the fishes, the starry night, the sunset and sunrise... the sex.
"What are you thinking?"
Napatingin siya kay Harrison nang magsalita ito. He was behind the helm while maneuvering the yacht to the port. She shook her head, telling him that it was nothing, but he insisted.
She sighed and wrapped her arms around her chest before looking back outside the yacht. "I will miss the dolphins," she said in almost a whisper when she saw a group of dolphins swimming nearby.
Long silence befall between them, she can feel Harrison's eyes boring her back and she wished she knew what he was thinking. Nararamdaman kaya nito ang nararamdaman niyang kalungkutan? Hindi pa man sila tuluyang nakakabalik sa reyalidad ay namimiss ba nito ang karagatan at ang mga pinagsaluhan nilang halik at masasayang sandali?
"We can always go back," he said with less energy in his tone.
"Siguraduhin mo lang 'di mo ako papatulugin ulit," she said lightly to lighten up the mood.
She heard him chuckled, and she couldn't help a smile form on the corners of her lips.
"I'll make sure of that. Masakit masuntok sa mata."
She bit her lip to stop a chuckle. She can still remember their first day on then yacht, when she found out they were in the middle of the ocean and when she punched him on the face, straight to his eye. Hindi na halata ang maga sa mga mata sa panga nito ngayon, kapag napag-uusapan nila ang nangyari ay natatawa na lang sila.
They owned the moment while they were together. She felt so alive, it doesn't matter that they were in the middle of nowhere, alone together. No questions, no confrontations, it was as if they had this silent agreement to leave everything behind them and enjoy each other's company.
Nang unti-unting lumalapit ang kanilang yate sa pribadong pantalon ay dumoble ang lumbay sa kanyang dibdib ngunit pinilit niyang huwag iyon ipahalata sa kasama. Nang marinig ang pagkanta ni Harrison ay bahagyang nabawasan ang kanyang lungkot.
"I wanna make you smile, whenever you're sad. Carry you around when your arthritis is bad. All I wanna do is grow old with you," he sung.
Tara looked at him and met his eyes when he tilted his head in her direction at the same time. He smiled at her, a pure smile, no mockery, and something else. Then he continued singing the rest of the song's lyrics, making her heart jolted while hearing his deep singing voice. She always loved his voice he may not say it.
"All I wanna do, is grow old with you."
Tara sighed dreamily as he ended the song.
PILIT NIYANG pinasigla ang sarili nang makapasok sa loob ng bahay nila. Nakauwi na sila ni Harrison na nakasunod sa kanya papasok at may malapad na ngiti sa mga labi.
Kumabog sa kaba ang kanyang dibdib nang makita ang mga magulang sa kanilang sala at mukhang may pinag-uusapan. Nang makalapit sa mga ito ay humalik siya sa pisngi ng dalawa.
"How was the vacation?" her mother asked with a smile while looking at them.
"Good."
"Great!"
Sabay nilang sagot ni Harrison. Napatingin siya sa binata at nakita ang pangingislap ng mga mata nito. She was somehow relieved to know that they found their vacation great. Hindi lang siya ang may mga baong ala-ala sa pag-uwi.
"You didn't tell us that you wanted to have a vacation, to unwind. Mabuti na lang nilapitan kami ni Harrison at sinabi ang gusto mo. You didn't even bid goodbye, you're that excited."
Tara willed herself not to grimace. Alam niyang iyon ang ginawa nitong palusot upang madala siya sa yate nang sabihin ni Harrison sa kanya. Her parents doesn't have an idea that their favorite godchild kidnapped her and did more than that.
She forced a happy smile and nodded. "I needed a break after the accident and the recovery period. I needed to breathe and the sea helped me, Mom. It was fun."
Napangiti ang kanyang ina sa narinig. "I can see that you have a glow on you. I'm glad Harrison took care of you."
"She's a handful, Tita Tam, mabuti na lang 'di niya ako nilunod sa dagat," Harrison said and chuckled and her mother chorus.
Tumikhim siya upang pukawin ang mga ito at nagpaalam na papanhik sa kanyang silid. Idinahilan niya ang naramdamang pagod sa biyahe at mabilis na inakyat ang hagdan patungo sa ikalawang palapag.
She was in the middle of the stairs when she glanced back and saw Harrison staring at her. Their gazes met, but she can't tell if she saw longing or fatigue in his eyes.
Siya ang unang nagbaba ng tingin at tumuloy na sa pag-akyat kasabay nang kanyang mahinang buntung-hininga.
TARA was looking outside the window of the café, staring absentmindedly at the people passing by. When someone snapped fingers in front of her mouth, something pulled her back to reality.
She looked at the person sitting in front of her with a deep frown and an impatient look on his face.
"Nasaan ang utak mo? Kanina pa ako nagsasalita rito, you're not listening to me," Tyler exclaimed and then a concern look was directed at her after staring at her face for seconds. Agad naman niyang inayos ang mukha dahil baka maghinala ang kapatid sa nangyayari sa kanya. She doesn't want him to know why she was so out of it. "Are you okay?"
"You kissed and the next day she was not talking to you, and it happened three days ago. You felt like you were back to avoiding and chasing again," mahabang lintaya niya. Iyon ang huli niyang natatandaan sa sinasabi ng kapatid na inistorbo pa siya sa ginagawa sa kanyang studio kanina at nakipagkita sa Amore Café. "I heard you, Ty. I'm listening." She did not hear everything he said because her mind acted up again.
Hindi niya alam kung bakit siya ang nilalapitan ng kapatid tungkol sa problema nito sa babae sa dinami-dami ng puwede nitong lapitan. Subalit wala siyang magagawa dahil naroon na siya. Hindi siya sigurado kung may maitutulong siya sa kapatid dahil siya man ay may kinakaharap na problema. Well, it's not really a problem but it was affecting her to a great extent.
Nitong mga nakaraang araw ay nakakaramdam siya ng kahungkangan. She wanted to see someone again and be with him. Be with Harrison, but it was impossible, she should not make her hopes up.
It was over a week when they got back from their so-called vacation. Since then, she barely see him and talk to him. Alam niyang nagsisimula na ang trabaho nito sa firm kaya busy ito masyado ngunit hindi niya maiwasang hindi malungkot at magtampo rito. Ganoon na lang ba iyon? Pagkatapos nilang magsaya ay kakalimutan na lang nila ang lahat na tila ba walang nangyari. He said he liked her. But was that enough? Was he even true when he said that cause she doesn't see him make an effort.
"There you go again. You're spacing out. You have that faraway look and I can see the sadness in your eyes, or was it longing?"
Sa nakikita niya ay lalong nagtaka ang kapatid sa kanya. There was a suspicious glint in his eyes and questions.
"Did something happened on your vacation?" he asked, still frowning, and looked thoughtfully at her.
Inikot niya ang mga mata bilang sagot. "You're getting weird because of a woman. Kung anu-ano nang napapansin mo, malala na 'yan, bro. Kailangan mo nang magpatingin sa espesiyalista," pang-aalaska niya sa kapatid upang alisin sa kanya ang atensiyon nito. Nagtagumapay naman siya nang makitang bumalik ang kaguluhan sa mga mata ng kapatid.
"I don't know what I will do to her. She's unpredictable, maybe that's the reason why I'm drawn to her like a moth to a flame."
"Wow! Do you even hear yourself?" manghang tanong niya. Nakaramdam din siya ng habag nang makitang nahihirapan talaga ito. Tyler got it bad.
He sighed for the nth time and leaned lazily on the seat. "I can't even believe myself sometimes. Maybe this is my karma, she is my karma."
"Hey!" Sabay tapik sa lamesa nila upang muling kuhanin ang atensiyon nito na lumipad na sa babaeng gumugulo sa isipan nito. A mixture of sadness and torment in his eyes. Madalang lang niyang makita ng ganoon ang kapatid. Ganoon kaseryoso ang nararamdaman nito sa pababaeng kailanman ay hindi pa niya nakikita. "You're Tyler Dark Sanford who gets whatever he wanted!" pampalubag-loob niya rito. "She could be confuse." Sa sinabi niya ay muling napatingin ang kapatid niya sa kanya na mukhang interesado sa susunod niyang sasabihin. "Maybe she felt something when you kissed and she got... scared. You have a reputation to woman, Ty, she might know it and she got scared that you might do to her what you did to other women. Kahit na hindi naman niya ipinapakita ang pangamba niya at umaakto siyang matapang, she is still a woman. We're vulnerable, we got scared and confuse." Like what happened to me, gusto niyang idagdag ngunit hindi niya magawa. She never talked about her feelings to Harrison with anyone.
"Then what should I do?" he asked her with a hopeful look in his eyes.
"Suyuin mo, bigyan mo ng bulaklak, tsokolate, pabahay, sasakyan," she then grimaced when she realized how absorb her advice was. "Show her everything you want to show, strike her when she least expected it, with words, with gestures, with actions. If she's a one hard egg to crack, daanin mo na lang sa santong-paspasan." She grimaced again. Hindi talaga niya mapigilan ang bibig minsan. Nahawa na siya kay Harrison sa mga kalokohan.
Lihim siyang napabuga ng hangin nang muling maalala si Harrison. Kailan kaya siya nito kikitain o 'di kaya'y e-text man lang?
"I can't really trust you to be serious throughout the conversation. But thank you, I know what I have to do now... I guess."
She grinned at her brother, who shook his head in amusement.
PAGKATAPOS nilang mag-usap ni Tyler ay umuwi siya sa bahay nila. Wala pa ang mga magulang doon kaya tumuloy siya sa kanyang studio at umupo sa high stool katapat ng kanyang canvas. Yes, she was starting to paint again. Paunti-unti ay bumabalik na ang lahat ng lakas ng kanyang kamay. Kaunti na lang ang panginginig niyon at manageable, kapag nanginginig ay tumitigil muna siya sandali at papalipasin iyon.
Everything went back to normal but she was far from being complete. Kasalanan iyon ni Harrison! Kung hindi siya nito dinala sa yate ay hindi lalala ang nararamdaman niya rito.
She heaved a deep sigh before lifting the paintbrush she was holding and started to continue her painting. She was painting the sunset the way she remembered it while they were on the yacht.
Hindi katagalan ay narinig niya ang pagbukas ng pinto, tiningnan niya kung sino ang pumasok nang makitang si Harrison iyon. Nagsimulang kumabog ng malakas ang kanyng dibdib habang magkahinang ang kanilang mga mata at palapit ito sa kanya.
"What are you doing here?" tanong niya nang ilang hakbang nalang ito mula sa kanya. "Ha—" Hindi na niya nagawang dugtungan ang sinabi nang agad siya nitong hinalikan ng makalapit.
She kissed him back, pouring every emotions that pent up on her chest. Nang sandali siya nitong pinakawalan ay tinitigan siya nito sa mga mata. "We'll talk later," he huffed before claiming her lips again.
Nahulog ang paintbrush na hawak sa sahig nang mabitawan niya iyon at ipinalibot ang mga braso sa leeg ni Harrison. She angled her head to the side to deepen the kiss. Oh god, how much she miss his lips.
Nang hawakan nito ang kanyang hita at ipalibot ang kanyang mga paa sa bewang nito ay nagpaubaya siya. He walked while their lips still connected until he sat on the sofa at one corner while she was on top of him, straddling his thighs.
She doesn't know when it happened, but she found herself naked, and so was he. Kung saang panig ng studio niya tumilapon ang kanilang mga gamit, and right now, it was none of her concern.
She responded like a wanton to his touch and kisses. They didn't have much time to foreplay, and when their bodies joined together, they both groaned in contentment and pleasure.
She started moving her body on top of Harrison while his hands were on her butt, guiding her and helping her. She kept on pumping her body while kissing him when she felt her desire building up.
Mahigpit siyang niyakap ni Harrison at mabilis na naglabas-masok sa kanyang pagkababae.
"I-I'm coming," she moaned on his ear, and he groaned carnally in response. "F-faster..."
He picked up speed as if it was possible, he was already fast, but she wanted more. They both wanted more.
With one last deep thrust, Harrison exploded inside her as she did. He filled her with his seed and moaned the words she did not expect she would hear at that moment.
"I love you..."
Kahit nanginginig pa dahil sa sukdulang naabot ay hinawakan niya sa mukha si Harrison, bahagyang inilayo sa kanya at tinitigan sa mga mata. She knew Harrison too well to not recognize the sincerity in his eyes.
He loved her!
"You don't have to answer—" Naputol ang sasabihin nito nang makarinig sila ng katok sa may pinto.
Nanlaki ang kanyang mga mata nang marinig ang boses ng kanyang amang si Ashton. Mabilis pa sa alas-kuwatro na hinugot niya ang sarili mula kay Harrison na nagpakiliti sa kanyang kaibuturan. Pilit niya iyong pinagpag at mabilis na hinanap ang kasuotan nila. "Move!" pabulong na utos niya kay Harrison.
"Tinkerbell, are you there? We're home! We're having dinner with Red and Cameron," her father announced behind the door.
"I'm here. I'm just wrapping things up, Dad," sabi niya at nagpasalamat nang hindi manginig ang tinig. "Hide!" she whispered to Harrison when they were done putting their clothes on. She walked towards the door, and she felt him following after her. When she opened the door, he hid behind it. "Dad," she muttered nervously but tried to hide it with a smile.
"Come on, let's go downstairs."
Hinalikan niya ito sa pisngi, pagkatapos ay tumango. Isinirado niya ang pinto ng kanyang studio at mahinang napabuntung-hininga habang sumusunod sa kanyang ama.
I love you. Muling pumasok sa kanyang isipan ang idineklara ni Harrison at muling napabuntung-hininga.
"Are you okay?" nagtatakang lingon sa kanya ng ama.
She smiled and nodded. "Yes, Dad."
Of course, she was not! Her heart was in haywire after hearing the confession!