~~Kyle’s Place~~

By: Thom

Al’s POV

Even up to this time, hindi pa rin one hundred percent clear kung bakit ako sumama kay Kyle. Hindi ako fan ng mga biglaang plano. At hindi ko ugali na sirain yung mga pinlano ko para lang sa mga biglaang lakad kagaya ng ngayon. Real talk, I do trust Kyle, I know him well, and kahit naman maikli lang pinagsamahan namin as a couple, I want him to be my friend. Mabait sya, wala kang maiko-complaint sa ugali nya, not to mention his looks. Haha. Kidding aside, Kyle is a trustworthy person.

Pagpasok namin sa bahay nila, it’s the same house that I remember, except yung wall paint. Yung cream-colored walls noon, sharp white na ngayon. And it goes well with their dark-colored mahogany stairs and grand ceilings. Sa gate palang, alam mo nang mayaman yung nakatira, kaya pag pasok mo, ayun, confirmatory nalang talaga yung mga makikita mo.

“Ate Elsa!” sigaw ni Kyle deretso sa kusina kung saan nakapwesto din yung servant’s room. May tatlo silang katulong, and si ate Elsa yung naka-assign sa kitchen especially sa pagluluto. Naupo muna ako sa sofa nila na walang pinagbago, alam mong mayayaman lang makakabili, napaka komportable. Tinaas ko yung paa ko dun sa cushion seat na para talaga sa paa, and muntik na akong makatulog in an instant.

“Al, Al!. Alonzo!…” Sigaw ni Kyle na gumising sa akin.

“Mmm. Sorry, ‘almost dozed off. Ano yun?” Sagot ko.

“I asked Ate Elsa to cook Tocilog for breakfast tomorrow, any request for dipping sauce?”

“Ate Elsa!” sigaw ko para tumigil si Ate Elsa bago sya tuluyang makabalik sa kwarto nila. “Whatever is planned for your breakfast tomorrow, yun nalang po lutuin nyo. Wag nyo na po pansinin yung request ni Kyle, nakakahiya naman po kung lalabas pa kayo early morning para lang bumili ng sangkap.” Medyo madalas ako dito noon. And yes, kilala pa talaga ako ni Kyle, ‘silog, well for me, is the best breakfast ever. Haha.

Hindi na nagsalita si Kyle, tumango nalang din si Ate Elsa, pero knowing her, lalabas parin yan bukas. Mahal na mahal nya si Kyle, servant na sya dito sa bahay na ‘to since bata pa si Kyle. Parang grandma na nga yung standing nya kay Kyle ehh, without the authoritative tone. Pero mahahalata mo ung sincerity ng service nya especially for Kyle.

Umakyat na kami sa kwarto nila. This house is grand. Like Grand! Ang taas ng hagdan, nakakapagod din. Haha. Pagpasok namin sa kwarto nya, dumeretso na sya sa banyo. Paglabas nya, may dala na siyang twalya. “You use my bathroom; I’ll take a bath outside.” May CR din kasi sa hallway dito sa second floor. Pero syempre, mas personalized yung mga nasa bedrooms. Parang custom-made for the owner. Kyle’s Bathroom is black and white, just like his whole bedroom. Pero yung walk-in closet nya, which can be accessed sa bathroom, all black with a lot of pin lights. I guess that’s a good step para hindi sobrang dilim sa closet nya.

“No! I’ll use the one outside, dito ka na.” sagot ko. “Is there a stack of towels there? Pahiram ako ha!”

“Are you sure? Meron naman yata.”

Dati kasi, as a couple. Sabay kami maligo, pero ngayon, syempre, hindi na pwede yun. Affirmed yung break-up namin, and wala na talagang strings na attached, well, for me. Ewan ko lang sa kanya. He’ll get there soon. Trust the process.

Lumabas ako ng kwarto and dumeretso sa banyo sa medyo dulo ng hallway. Even this bathroom, kahit na pang guests sya, napaka ganda. Cream-colored pa yung walls, siguro hindi pa napintahan, pero ang elegante kasi. May malalaking bintana which caters a good amount of sunlight, pero may heavy curtains naman, kaya pwede mo isara for privacy. Not your typical bathroom, pero i admire this bathroom. Kumuha na ako ng towel sa may maliit na closet, and yes, merong tatlong towels na naka-stock dun. Naghubad at dumeretso na sa shower. Minsan, hilig ko din talaga yung umupo sa ilalim ng shower, habang hinahayaan kong bumagsak yung tubig from the shower. We, my family and I, were not really a fan of heaters, pero, once in a white, it is really refreshing, and calming.

After 30 minutes or so, natapos na ko. Hindi ko namalayan yung oras. Nag-tapis na ako ng twalya, and pumunta sa kwarto ni Kyle. Pagpasok ko, Nakasuot si Kyle ng plain white na sando and gray boxer shorts. Nakahiga sya sa bed, arms on his head over pillows, and pointed me to his study table using his lips. It seems like may tinatawagan sya sa phone pero naka loud-speaker. When I looked at the table, may fresh clothes na nakalagay dun. I put on the boxer shorts, then sat on his chair. I was trying to dry up my legs and toes when his Mom’s voice came on.

“Mom, where are you?” Kyle’s voice replied.

“Having dinner, Tea shop along High street. Why?”

“Nice, pasalubong ha. Earl grey, and White Tea. Oh! I wanna try that green tea with caramel flavor, can you buy me one aswell?”

“Sure, I’ll add some din that I think you will like. Do you prefer tea bags or loose teas?”

“Tea bags, nasira na yung filter ko.” Sagot ni Kyle. “Oh, and Mom, Al’s over. He’s staying for the night.”

“Al? Hmm. As in Alonzo?”

“Yes Mom.”

“It’s good you talked things over. Oh Kyle, do you still have some condoms?” I froze. Hayop na yan, I almost fell down the chair. Hahaha. His mom, really. Cool sya and makulit, pero sometimes, she really needs to tone it down a bit.

“MOM!!!!” Sagot ni Kyle. “Naka-loud speaker yung phone ko.” Hahaha, napa ikot sya sa bed nya and now, he’s laying down on his stomach, looking quite annoyed.

Hinayaan ko na din sila sa conversation nila, then dumeretso ako sa banyo nya to grab a new tooth brush and brushed my teeth. Iba talaga ‘tong bahay na to. Lahat yata may inventory. Hahaha. Nakigamit na din ako ng ilan sa mga skin care products nya. Buti nalang, hindi naman masyadog maselan yung balat ko.

“Mom, I asked Ate Elsa to cook Al’s favorite breakfast for tomorrow.”

“Yes, do so. And make sure na magpaluto ka din ng meryenda nyo bukas.”

“Kaso ma, Al interjected. He said that what’s planned for breakfast, yun nalang daw lutuin ni Ate Elsa.”

“You know your ate Elsa, he’ll follow your wish, especially na mas magugustuhan yun ng guests over.” Ito yung ilan sa mga narinig ko na conversation nila. Yes, agree. Ate Elsa is a good person. She enjoys pleasing the family and their guests. Not to mention her above average cooking skills.

When I returned to his bedroom, nanonood nalang sya sa youtube. Based sa mga naririnig ko, about sa marketing and business yung mga pinakikinggan nya. “Kyle, mind if I scan your Father’s Library?” Napalingon sya saken and he seems thinking for a while. “Ok lang kung hindi na pwede.” Medyo nailang ako sa tingin nya saken kaya ayun, binawi ko nalang.

“Iniisip ko lang kung sasamahan kita dun, or I’ll let you go alone.”

He ended up letting me go alone. One thing I love about this house, may sarili silang library. And the contents, a combination of business books and marketing and finance, etc. Pero I don’t read those, usually. Mas interested ako sa left side ng bookshelves. Puro novels and biographies. I read for entertainment; you see. And in terms of gathering new knowledges, mas gusto ko sya sa youtube. Or reading online blogs and articles. I ended up picking a copy of my favorite book. Dito ko din to nabasa noon, and napaka laki ng impact sakin ng book na to. Its a book about Afghanistan and the child who fights his own battle and the battle his father left on him. Basta, ang ganda kasi.

Bumalik ako sa room ni Kyle and half-asleep na yung mga mata nya. But when he heard the door open, ayun, nagising ulit. “Can I borrow this book? Soli ko nalang sayo sa work place, kung OK lang?”

“Sure.” He responded, yawning and grabbing one of his pillows to hug.

“Just make sure na sasabihin mo kay Tito ha.”

“He won’t mind.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah, whatever.” Medyo antok na talaga si loko. “He knows you, Al, and he trust you. So do I.”

“Ok, Thank you.” I sat down on his chair and tried to read. Pero naka-dim na yung lights and this is not really a good environment to read. Then I remembered, wala pa akong isusuot for the interview tomorrow. “Hey, Kyle. One more thing. Can I scan your closet now? Hindi pa ko inaantok ehh.”

“Just do it! Feel free to do so.” He answered, annoyed. Ayan na sya, he really can’t win over sleep. Kapag nakaramdam na sya ng antok, wala ka nang say. Let him sleep or else, world war III will start. Haha.

I went into his bathroom and into his walk-in closet, turned on the lights, and boom. Napuno na nya yung mga closets nya. Napaka dami nya nang damit. Nung kami pa, wala pa syang interes sa mga damit, and now, napaka dami na. He owns around 50 pairs of shoes which were cleanly and neatly arranged sa pinaka corner ng room, and the rest is closets for his clothes and accessories. Well sorted lahat ng gamit nya. I looked for his button-down shirts, and had the same problem, again. He really loves dark colors, which is not much of my style. Kaya ko naman isuot, pero mas preferred ko yung mga light ones. I guess I don’t have much of a choice. I grabbed a Navy Blue button-down long-sleeved shirt, a pair of light khaki skinny pants, and his white and gray stan-smith shoes, put it all on, and looked at myself in the mirror behind the door. I look good, Haha, I took a selfie for references. But I’m here to try more on. There’s plenty of fishes in the sea. Let’s not settle for one try. Haha.

I grabbed a pair of army green long sleeved shirt again, folded the sleeves, settled for the same pants, and chose the black and white cocktail shoes. It looks good aswell. Pero mas gusto ko yung Navy Blue. Hanap pa ng iba. Baka sakaling may mas maganda pa. hahaha. Since I don’t feel sleepy, enjoy nalang dito, and try to entertain myself with someone else’s wardrobe.

I was choosing my fifth attire when a pair of hands were wrapped around be from the back. I had an Avicii music playing on my phone kaya hindi ko siguro napansin na bumukas yung pinto. Kyle hugged me so tight, just like the old time, and whispered something onto my ears. “I missed you.”

Sabi ko na nga ehh, hindi pa sya nakaka move on. And this is not good. I plan to leave as soon as possible, and I don’t wanna hurt Kyle. Nasaktan na sya noong nagbreak kami, and he don’t deserve another pain.

“Kyle, let’s not do things that will hurt the both of us.” Honestly, medyo dumb yung decision ko na sumama sakanya dito, and spend the night with him. Kaso hindi ko naiconsider yung possibility na ganito yung mangyayari. Akala ko, nakatulog na sya, pero siguro, malakas yung music ko, kaya nagising sya. “I’m sorry Kyle, hindi ako dapat sumama sayo dito. Its dumb, and its an impulsive move.”

“Don’t be sorry. I want this, I need this.” He hugged me even tighter, and kissed my nape.

“Shit. This is not good, Kyle.” I unlocked his arms around me, and turned around to face him. “How do I look?” I asked, trying to change the topic, and lightening up the mood.

He sighed deeply, and take a step backwards. Looked at me head-to-foot, and grabbed his belt, and wrapped it around my waist. “There, you look great.”

Bola. This is not my favorite look so far. I love my first outfit. And so far, yun ung gusto ko isuot for tomorrow’s interview. “Remember this look, OK? I’ll show you what I want to wear.” I removed my top and shoes, and put back on the navy-blue shirt, and the stan smith shoes. He looked at me again, up and down, then reached for my arm and folded up the sleeves instead, not all the way, though, three fourths lang, then said. “There, better. But I like the other one. It suits you better.

“Really?” I replied. He liked me wearing a maroon long sleeved shirt, the same khaki pants, and Timberland shoes. “I like this one better.”

I was on a constant battle to myself about what to wear tomorrow. Sabi ko sa inyo ehh, I can get really so-into-details about a few things. Yun din siguro yung dahilan kung bakit ako na-permanent sa trabaho ko, and that’s one of the notes of my Supervisor over my performance. Attentive ako sa details, and I see things that other employees usually overlooked.

Kyle sat on his chair inside his closet while I tried to look for a last outfit to try on. He’s using my phone to play on some music. Medyo nakaka-irita kasi a music will play on and off. Magkaiba kasi kami ng taste sa music. And he decided to search on youtube his own choice of music rather than playing what’s saved on my phone. Alas, naka-connect din sa wifi nila. Haha. Pwede pa akong makapag review ulit mamaya if ever na hindi ako antukin. If that happens, isa lang ibig sabihin non, overthinking is taking over me again. Haayyy.

When I’m done chosing, I started fixing all his clothes back, then left the maroon top outside kasi yun yung plano ko isuot. Hinubad ko na din yung pants, then sinabit ko nalang sa may gilid ng shoes stand. May hooks kasi dun for things na hindi ko alam kung para saan, Haha. I am back on my boxers and sando when he hugged me again from the back, even tighter than before. This time, I can feel his aggression taking over him. Just like the last time.

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