Kapitel 53: That Familiar Voice

'Ba't parang mali mali talaga ang mga rules na 'to? Hays... lagot... nagmukha ba talaga akong malandi. Nakakahiya.' Patuloy na pagtakbo ng isipan ni Bea. Her head was still down at pilit na tinatago ang kanyang mukha. Kitang kita pa rin nga naman.

"Bianca... Bianca" A soft manly voice undulated on her earlobes.

Biglang napataas ang kilay ni Bea as she was stopped from her thoughts. That was so familiar. Yung pagkalambing ng boses at pagkahusk nito, agad na tumagos sa kanyang dibdib as though it became heavy.

'Why did I felt something... like... something was missing?' Nabagabag ang loob niya dahil sa hindi niya mahanap ang dahilan kung bakit parang... bigla siyang nakaramdam ng lungkot.

"Bea?" It came again but called her in another nickname.

Napakurap ang dalaga saka inalala kung saan niya narinig ang boses na yun. Hindi niya alam kung bakit ang unang pumapasok sa isipan niya ay isang liwanag.

Liwanag. Tyaka isang puno ng mangga katabi ng bintana.

Mas lalong bumigat ang kanyang damdamin nang hindi niya ito maalala. Yung para bang, naaalala mo sana pero nung malapit mo nang makuha, biglang nawawala.

The voice was so nostalgic. She couldn't help herself not to be affected.

"Bianca."

"Bea."

Two voices resounded and this time mayroon ng kasamang yugyog.

"Ha? Ah." She was immediately brought out from her thoughts. But the voice was so real kaya agad siyang napalingun lingon. Hindi niya alam kung bakit, even though na napapaiyak siya kung naririnig niya ang pagtawag na yun, it still brought warm feeling inside her heart.

'W-who said that?' She thought as she frowned.

"Bea... ayos ka lang." Then a voice lingered on her ears as the warm breath gushed on her face as it softly caressed her cheeks.

It was Cody.

Napasulyap si Bea sa kanyang balikat as she found his hands gently grabbed her bare skin sa taas ng dress. So, siya yung yumugyog sa kanya.

Because of that, she frowned even more. It wasn't his voice she heard. She bit her lip and felt anxious. Ibang iba ang texture ng boses nila. Although parehas na dark voice, but that voice was a little raspier than Cody's. And she knew it was real. Hindi siya naghahallucinate.

Looking how Bea reacted, nagkatingin sina Arvin and Roschelle as though nagtanungan sila kung anong nangyari kay Bea. Just now, she frowned a few times. Dahil dito, agad nagsalita ang dalawa.

"B-bea... are you okay?" Roschelle clasped both her hands.

"Ayos ka lang?" Dugtong ni Arvin. And they both looked worried. Agad na pumasok sa kanilang isipan na baka sobra siyang naapektuhan sa panunukso ni Sir David. Because of that, Arvin quickly threw a look on his dad na ito namang nakatitig na rin sa dalaga.

Upon realizing, Sir David quickly raised his eyebrows.

"Bianca. Iha. Ayos ka lang. Ah. I... I am very sorry if I offended you. Biro lang lahat ng yun. I hope that you wouldn't mind all those things." Nahabag agad ang matanda nang makita ang dalaga na parang biglang bigla. Her tomato face kanina, ay agad na napalitan ng pagkaputla.

What the hell happened? Malaking question mark ang nagmarka sa noo ni Cody as he furrowed his eyebrows. Ang akala niya dahil sa pagyugyog niya sa dalaga that's why agad niyang iniretreat ang kamay niya from Bea's shoulder. But it wasn't, halatang nafluster ang dalaga with other reason.

"Bianca. Are you okay?"

TING! That rang the bell! Bea immediately raised her eyebrows saka mapitik na napalingon sa pinanggalingan ng boses. Until she found herself looking on the young man seated beside Arvin. Si Cyrus.

'T-that voice... W-why is it so familiar? Saan ko ba siya narinig? Coffe Shop. No. I don't think so. Sa Batangas? Sa reunion?' Hindi nakaimik ang dalaga habang mas lumalala ang kanyang frustrations. She just floated on her thoughts habang blankong napatitig kay Cyrus.

The young man's eyebrow suddenly quivered.

"B-bea... a-are you okay?" This time... Cyrus used her other nickname 'Bea'. Dagli siyang napastraightened ng likod nang biglang nailang sa lutang na titig ng dalaga.

'Interesting.' Hindi ito napalagpas ni Arvin. He simply stared at his brother habang parang naging uncomfortable sa tingin ni Bea.

"Bea... seryoso... ayos ka lang ba? Kanina ka pa tulala." Ngayon, si Cody na ang nagsalita as he cupped her shoulder again. He put a gentle pressure para maramdaman ito ni Bea. And that actually helped.

"Ha..Huh?" Napakurap-kurap ang dalaga. Dahil sa marahang pagpisil sa kanyang balikat, mabilis siyang napalingon kay Cody. She suddenly pressed her lips together nang magkalapit ang mukha nila ni Cody. To be precise, it was almost 3 cm nalang at magdidikit na sana ang ilong kanilang mga ilong.

She could already smell the fragrant mint lingering on Cody's suit. Hindi niya rin naikaila ang warm gushes of his breath na dumampi sa kanyang mga labi na nagpatigil ng kanyang paghinga.

Cody curved his eyebrows.

"A-ayos ka lang?" His gentle and caring voice crawled on her neck papunta sa likod ng kanyang tenga. He gently brushed Bea's cheeks para icheck kung nanlalamig ito, to think that she actually turned pale kanina.

Natauhan si Bea sa kanyang nagawa.

'Hala. Nawala ako dun ah.'

She blinked few times feeling Cody's hand on her face. She quickly backed away. Not because away, kundi... there something she needed to do first...

"Oh...oh... ayos lang ako. Haha. Don't worry. May naisip lang kasi ako." She reassured sa kanila. Upon closing her lips, she threw a confused gaze kay Cyrus.

'W-who are you to me?'