You're Making Me Crazy, Professor [COMPLETED]

Nakarating na nga kami dito, and not gonna lie, ang ganda talaga. This isn’t what I imagined it would be—mas maganda pa. The sun was already setting at 5:45 PM, casting a warm, golden glow across the horizon. Tahimik ang paligid, at halos walang tao, na parang kami lang ang nandito. The soft breeze carried the scent of the ocean, and the sound of gentle waves added to the peaceful atmosphere.

I glanced beside me, and she was still asleep, her face relaxed and peaceful. Napatingin lang ako sa kanya, at hindi ko namalayang napangiti na pala ako. There was something so serene about her in this moment.

"Stop staring, Gomez," she muttered, her voice groggy as she slowly opened her eyes.

"How can't I if you're this beautiful?" I answered, still smiling.

"Right," she replied confidently, making me chuckle even more.

"Should we go now?" I asked, and she nodded, stretching her arms above her head before finally sitting up. Ang cute niyang panoorin habang nag-e-exhale ng malalim, trying to shake off the sleepiness.

Pagkababa ko ng sasakyan, agad kong kinuha ang gamit naming dalawa. Habang inaayos ko ang mga bag, napansin kong nakatayo lang siya, nakatitig sa malayo. She was admiring the view, her eyes reflecting the sunset’s glow.

"The sunset is so beautiful," she murmured, her voice soft, almost like she was talking to herself.

"You're right. It’s beautiful," I replied, though my eyes weren’t on the sunset—I was looking at her.

Bigla naman siyang tumingin sa akin at nagtaas ng kilay. "Can you hurry up?" she huffed, impatience clear in her voice. Para bang may humahabol sa kanya.

"Oo na, boss," natatawa kong sagot habang sinisiguradong kompleto ang gamit namin.

She rolled her eyes pero kita ko ang bahagyang ngiti sa labi niya.

"Follow me," I said after securing everything.

May tinuro nga si Lola sa akin na pupuntahan namin. Sabi niya, may kababata siya rito na pwedeng tuluyan namin. Alam na raw ng taong ‘yon na darating ako ngayon, at inaasahan na nila ako.

Medyo kinakabahan ako habang naglalakad kami, dala ang mga gamit. Hindi ko alam kung anong klaseng tao ang sasalubong sa amin, pero tiwala ako kay Lola. If she said this place was safe, then I believed her.

As we walked further down the quiet path, the sun had almost disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving behind streaks of deep orange and purple across the sky. The air was cool, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine. It was peaceful, almost too peaceful, as if the whole place was untouched by the outside world. 

Ms. Sanchez walked beside me, her posture relaxed. Pero nahalata kong nilalamig ito kaya inabot ko sa kanya 'yung jacket ko.

"Wear this. Masyadong malamig dito sa labas." sabi ko, offering my jacket. Hindi na ito umangal pa at agad naman nitong kinuha 'yung inabot ko at sinuot.

She didn’t seem the least bit interested in where we were going or what we were supposed to be looking for. It was like she was just passing through, indifferent to the fact that we could easily get lost. 

I glanced at her. "You don’t seem worried at all." 

"Should I be?" she replied without looking at me. 

"Well, we are looking for a house we’ve never been to before, in a place we don’t know, and we have zero confirmation that we’re even going the right way," I pointed out. 

She shrugged. "If we’re lost, we’ll just turn back." 

"Grabe, nonchalant 'yarn?" biro ko.

She finally turned her head slightly, giving me a blank look. "Panicking won’t change anything."