“Does Cove even know that you’re sick?” her friend, Ash asks worriedly.
Max doesn’t know when was the last time that she had a proper meal or had a meal that doesn’t make her throw up right after. It’s been a week since that night and the tension just won’t leave them even just for a moment.
A week of silence also meant a week of changes. Different routine.
Cove would always wake up at least an hour earlier than Max. Which helps her finish preparing for school, easy to escape any chances of doing things at the same time as Max.
Of course, it wasn’t easy. They’re living together, which made it worse.
“She doesn’t have to.” She responded weakly, trying to catch her breath.
Ash then raised her right eyebrow at Max “You two are currently living together, anong she doesn’t have to?”
Ash definitely had a point. Max is still Cove’s responsibility, it’s her place, she accepted Max wholeheartedly. Looking after Max that is living under her roof, is the least that she can do for the latter.
“She’s had enough of me, I don’t want to add up sa baggage na meron siya.” It feels as if every time that Max speaks, she loses even more energy. This volleyball class must come to an end.
Ash had to shuffle her hair in frustration and stomped her feet. She was definitely not having it.
“For fucks sake, you guys are best friends.” Ash said while trying to catch her friend’s eyes because it has been looking at who knows where, showing the discomfort she’s been feeling since the morning.
“Ash, I can handle this.” Max quickly responded, hoping for her friend to end the conversation.
But just like how stubborn Max is, Ash just wouldn’t back down that easy.
It was her first time witnessing her friend being this vulnerable and unwell after all, how can she not get worried and try her best to help? Max likes taking good care of herself, she makes sure that she is presentable wherever she goes or whatever she does.
But this Max? This one looked like a student who has a class from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM that also has to do graveyard shift at work.
“No, you’ve been throwing up all your meals. You can’t even walk properly and your eyes. Your eyes are giving it all away, tignan mo kung gaano kadilim yang mata mo.”
“Let’s just continue playing, Ash, maiinis na saatin classmates natin.”
Mas makulit pa pala saakin tong batang to. “Clinic first? Please, Max?”
Max’s eyes immediately shifted from weak to a strong and serious gaze at her friend. “Hell no. Ash, isang oras nalang naman, let’s just finish this P.E class.”
They can go for hours with this argument, only if they weren’t in class, if there weren’t their classmates waiting, Ash definitely won’t let this one pass without making her friend accept her care.
“I can’t force you, Max, but please tell me pag hindi mo na kaya.”
Max weakly nodded “Yeah, I won’t make a scene.”
She said before walking back to her position earlier when the game started.
But even before starting another set, a loud thud was heard from a distance by everyone in the gymnasium.
“MAX!” almost everyone in the gym screamed her name in unison when they saw her lying on the floor.
Cove, who was on the other side of the gymnasium suddenly sprinted her way to the other side of the gymnasium.
Cove has never run this fast before.
“Excuse me, excuse.” She said while trying to make her way through the people that gathered around Max.
She then finally reached the girl and knelt down beside her. “Tabi. Tumabi kayo.”
Cove placed a finger and checked below the latter’s nose to feel if she’s breathing.
A sense of relief came to her as she felt her breathing, she wasn’t unconscious, she was just too weak to handle everything right now.
“Pwede bang lumayo muna kayo?” Without looking up, Cove felt how everyone was not moving an inch away from them and still staring at Max.
“SABING TABI, KITANG NAHIHIRAPAN HUMINGA YUNG TAO.” She screamed while looking at their classmates irritatingly.
This made everyone make way for her to be able to lift Max up from the ground and start walking to the clinic.
Eksena ka, Max ha! Ayan. Ayan na hero mo. Ash internally said with a small smile forming on her lips.
“Thank you po, Nurse. I’ll stay nalang muna po, last class naman na po namin yun.”
Cove thanked the school nurse that was on duty before she left to let Max nap comfortably in bed.
She took the latter’s jacket that she was wearing when she fell and started folding it.
“Pucha ka Talaga, Max, skip mo pa meals mo.” She started to whisper.
“Sirain mo pa routine mo.” Cove said while placing the folded jacket on Max’s right foot.
“Talagang binibigay mo pa sa ibang babae pati mga pagkain na ako ang naghanda para sayo.”
She said jokingly while taking the stool beside the bed to take a seat.
“Yan sige, ganyan pa. Eksena ka tuloy sa court.” Cove looked at her own hands, not knowing what else to do.
“Max, I’m sorry.”
“So galing sayo yun?” Max suddenly asked.
Cove almost fell and placed her hands on her chest when she heard Max suddenly speak. “PUCHA NAMAN MAX”
“Im sorry, Covey.” She chuckled.
Cove just nodded and tried to catch her breath first before focusing on the younger again.
“Headache?”
With her eyes still half closed, the younger managed to answer with a low voice. “Nah, dizzy.”
“Sabi ng nurse take this one.” She took the capsule from the small cabinet beside the bed and tried giving it to Max. But there was horror in her face which made Cove confused.
“I can’t swallow capsules.” Max admitted shyly.
Cove just gave her a nod and thought of another way that the younger can take the med. “Do you want me to crush it? Put it sa water mo.” She asked with uncertainty.
“Yuck, bitter.” The disgustful expression that she showed the older should be funny, but this made the latter even more worried, not knowing what else to do to make her take the capsule.
“I know but you need to drink eh, no choice tayo.”
“Skip the med.” She responded without hesitation. Which also earned a raised brow from the older.
“NO? You either take the pills or ill crush it so it’s easier to swallow.” Cove tried to convince the younger more.
But this is Max that she’s dealing with. The stubborn Max she always knew.
She knew that Max would rather suffer because of this sickness than take pills or capsules that she hated for the taste and believed that doesn’t really work at all, it’s just people mentally thinks that it does so of course, they are convinced that what healed them is the medication.
“None.”
“Choose.”
“I just said, none, covey.”
Lord, patience po. Salamat.
“Gusto mo sabayan kita uminom? Since sumakit din naman ulo ko dahil sayo.”
It’s just a medication for headaches or dizziness, Cove thought that it wouldn’t hurt her at all.
Cove then raised the pill to the younger’s eyes “Oh ito ha? Kita mo lulunukin ko to.”
“Cove.” Max lifted herself from the bed when she saw Cove putting the capsule between her teeth, making sure that she sees it.
Max did not know that Cove would really do it if she has to. Of course, she doesn’t want her to do it, she has to think fast before Cove gets to swallow the capsule. And the dizziness she has right now isn’t helping.
Well. Fuck it.
Max cursed internally when she felt herself making a move to stop Cove from swallowing. Bahala na. She then held Cove’s left cheek with her right hand and moved it to face her.
She took the capsule that was placed between Cove’s teeth.
Max just swiftly took the capsule from Cove’s teeth using her lips and swallowed it immediately before she even thinks about hesitating again.
Oh.
Cove did not know how to react and started to scratch the back of her neck. That was a whole minute of deadly silence that fell into the room after what happened.
“Uh.. uhm, is that even healthy or.. what?” Cove chuckled nervously.
“Who cares? I took the pill and got to swallow it.”
The older doesn’t know how can Max be so chill about it when internally, she’s literally screaming and is fighting for her life. And that mess inside her head even had the audacity to play with her at this moment so she just moved without thinking too much.
She grabbed Max’s face and gave her a quick peck on her lips.
“Now, ako dapat ang magtanong if that one is healthy?” she asked.
“No, it’s a reward, since you took the med.”
She started looking around because suddenly, she felt the presence of every little thing around the room. The blanket is red, the lamp is yellow, and the walls are light green. For Cove, everything else seemed to be a little more interesting than it was earlier.
“Oh yeah? Sure. Thanks, I guess.” The younger just let out a small laugh, having fun with the way Cove was obviously panicking inside.
Hindi parin ba obvious?
What do I do now?
Bahala na si Darna.
“Max, I like y-“
It was Max’s turn to hold her face and give her a quick peck on the lips.
In disbelief, the older distanced herself, moving her seat away from Max, “Para saan yun?”
Max smiled widely at the latter, “Nakakaadik pala.”
“Siraulo.”
Fortunately, before another awkward silence falls into the room, Max was quick to remember about what she interrupted “What were you saying? Sorry for uh, yeah, interrupting.”
“Sorry.” The older said quietly.
“Parang hindi naman yan yung sasabihin mo.”
“Yeah, but I have to apologize parin for what happened last week.”
Max’s gaze softened. She’s thankful that Cove recognizes her feelings with what happened, this made her heart feel relieved after a week of overthinking and painful game of trying their best to avoid each other.
“Thats fine, you were right, and naiintindihan ko naman kung bakit hindi mo na kaya pigilan sarili mo that time. Im sorry.” She smiled and nodded.
“Are we good now?”
“I should be the one asking that. Are we good?”
Max took a deep breath.
She didn’t really expect or need Cove to forgive her immediately. She recognizes the fact that she made a mistake, she was right, she made her feel those things when all Cove did was try her best to be there and help her.
“Yeah. I like you, Max” Baka mag backout pa ako eh.
“Like as a friend or…”
“Narinig mo ba akong nagreklamo nung kinuha mo yung pill? Narinig mo ba ako nagreklamo nung umisa ka pa?” Cove tried to play it cool.
“If that’s something that you usually do with your friends, Im leaving.”
Ito naman si sambakol agad ng mukha eh.
Cove stood up and tried to walk away but Max was quick to hold her wrist and stop her from taking more steps away from her.
“Teka wait, Cove naman. I was just making sure.”
“Edi ayan, I like you, Max. Not as a friend.”
Then they both became silent and just stared at each other. Cove did not like this kind of silence because it had so much uncertainty and unwanted tension.
“You don’t have to say it back or say anything lalo na if you don’t feel the s-”
Max held Cove’s face and locked their lips once again. This time, she made sure that it felt like something, that it could pass the message to the latter. This one lasted a few more seconds longer than the first two stolen pecks they had done earlier.
“That’s the third time and my answer, if you still don’t get it, ako ang aalis.”
Max tried to remove the blanket over her legs and reached for the jacket placed on her foot.
But was immediately stopped with Cove grounding her in place by holding both of her shoulders firmly, not letting her move an inch.
“No. Walang aalis.”
Cove held Max’s face and made her way for her forehead to meet the younger’s
“Dito ka lang.”
She took a deep breath.
“Dito ka sa’kin.”