Chapter 81 #2
Gianna glanced toward the café entrance, amusement still lingering in her expression. "Come on."
Kairi didn't move right away. "You really aren't going to tell me?"
"I'll buy you coffee instead."
Binuksan ni Gianna ang café door and waited for her.
Napatawa si Kairi bago tuluyang lumapit. "That's bribery."
"It usually works."
"We'll see."
"It already did."
Kairi shook her head, still smiling, before stepping inside. Sumunod si Gianna a step behind her and before the door had even swung shut.
The familiar smell of freshly ground coffee greeted them the moment they stepped inside.
Mas tahimik ang café kaysa sa mga coffee shops malapit sa university.
A few customers were scattered around the room, some sitting alone behind open laptops while a couple by the window shared a late-afternoon snack.
Their conversation was little more than a murmur beneath the soft music playing overhead.
Gianna glanced up at the menu before looking back at Kairi. "Iced coffee?"
Napatingin si Kairi sa kanya, slightly caught off guard. "Miss, naaalala mo pa?"
"You've always preferred cold drinks," Gianna said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I didn't think that would've changed."
Kairi smiled faintly. "I though nakalimutan mo na."
A small smile touched Gianna's lips. "I remember more than you think."
For a moment, Kairi simply looked at her.
Lately, parang mas lalo niyang napapansin iyon.
Gianna remembered little things Kairi herself had already forgotten—mga bagay na nasabi niya years ago, little habits she didn't even realize she had, pati maliliit na preferences na hindi niya inakala na maaalala pa after three years.
"What about you?" tanong ni Kairi, glancing toward the menu.
"I'll order," Gianna said, then nodded toward the empty tables by the window. "Go find us a seat. I'll bring everything over."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure."
Sandali lang nag-hesitate si Kairi bago tumango at naglakad papunta sa may windows.
She chose a small table tucked into the corner, overlooking the street. From there, she watched Gianna wait in line, casually slipping her hands into the pockets of her jacket habang tinitingnan ulit ang menu.
It was such an ordinary sight.
Walang mabigat na conversation na kailangan nilang harapin. Walang painful memories na biglang kailangang balikan. Just Gianna ordering coffee while Kairi waited for her by the window and Kairi found it comforting.
Makalipas ang ilang minuto, bumalik si Gianna dala ang tray.
Inilapag niya ang iced coffee sa harapan ni Kairi, then placed an iced Americano beside her own seat. In between them, maingat niyang inilapag ang isang slice ng chocolate cake sa maliit na plate, with a single fork resting beside it.
Napatingin si Kairi sa cake bago tumingin kay Gianna. "You bought cake?"
"I thought you might be hungry," Gianna said, settling into her chair bago muling tumingin sa kanya. "You were in the library for two hours."
Kairi smiled as she looked down at the cake again. "Thank you."
Gianna simply nodded and picked up her drink. Napatingin naman si Kairi sa iced Americano sa harapan niya.
"You switched."
"Hm?"
"You used to drink lattes, cappuccinos," Kairi said, pointing at the cup. "Ngayon, black coffee na?"
Gianna wrapped both hands around the cold plastic cup. "I like black coffee now."
"Really?"
"It grew on me."
"Kailan pa, Miss?"
"Probably sometime after I moved."
Napailing si Kairi habang natatawa. "Hindi ko yata kayang masanay sa black coffee."
"You say that now."
"No, I'm serious," she said, lifting her iced coffee with a grin. "If I can't taste the milk, I start questioning my life choices."
Gianna laughed softly. "Fair enough."
Kairi took her first sip before reaching for the cake. The fork slipped easily through the soft layers and after the first bite she paused, eyes widening.
Napangiti si Gianna nang makita iyon.
"Okay, this is really good."
"I thought you'd like it."
"You've had it before?"
"Yeah, a few times."
Kairi took another bite before glancing across the table again. "Then why didn't you get one?"
"I'm still full."
"From lunch?"
"And from dinner yesterday."
Napatawa si Kairi. "Grabe, my mother really did feed you."
"Very successfully."
Napangiti ulit si Kairi habang hinihiwa ang isa pang maliit na piece ng cake.
Without thinking, inangat niya ang fork and held it across the table.
"Here."
Gianna looked at the fork instead of taking it immediately.
"Hm?"
"Tikman mo, Miss."
Doon lang napagtanto ni Kairi ang ginawa niya. Napatingin siya sa hawak niyang fork bago bahagyang nanlaki ang mga mata niya. "Wait."
Agad niyang binawi ang kamay niya at nagsimulang tumayo. "I'll ask for another fork."
Bago pa siya tuluyang makaalis sa upuan, Gianna reached across the table and lightly rested her fingertips against Kairi's wrist.
"You don't have to."
Napatingin si Kairi sa kanya.
"Kairi, we can share."
For a brief moment, neither of them moved.
Maliit lang naman ang gesture. Simple. Something people could easily do without thinking twice, pero after everything that had happened between them, somehow, it felt heavier than it should have.
"Are you sure?" mahinang tanong ni Kairi.
Gianna smiled. "I'm sure."
Slowly, Kairi sat back down and offered the fork again.
This time, Gianna accepted it. She took a small bite, paused for a moment as if actually considering the taste, then nodded.
"It is good."
"I told you."
She handed the fork back as naturally as she'd taken it.
Tinanggap naman iyon ni Kairi just as casually, though the warmth slowly creeping into her face made it obvious that she wasn't nearly as unaffected as she wanted to be.
She decided na mas mabuting mag-focus na lang sa cake kaysa isipin kung bakit parang biglang bumilis nang kaunti ang tibok ng puso niya.
It didn't work especially well.
The conversation wandered naturally after that, from the café itself to the small shops and places around the neighborhood.
Halfway through her drink, muling napatingin si Kairi kay Gianna.
"Miss, I still can't believe you're a director."
Gianna laughed softly. "We talked about this yesterday."
"I know, pero parang ang weird pa rin pakinggan."
"Why?"
"I don't know," Kairi said, stirring the ice in her drink with her straw. "I keep imagining you walking around telling people what to do all day."
"I don't do that. Most of my time goes to meetings."
Kairi groaned dramatically. "Miss, mas nakaka-intimidate naman iyon."
"It really isn't."
"It sounds pretty impressive to me."
She leaned back in her chair, studying Gianna with exaggerated suspicion. "And you can just disappear for two weeks?"
"I usually don't. I had accumulated leave."
"And walang nag-panic noong umalis ka?"
"My assistant director has been covering for me."
"Convenient."
Before Kairi could continue interrogating her about work, Gianna smiled knowingly and nudged the conversation in another direction.
"So, how are your studies?"
Napabuntong-hininga agad si Kairi. "Miss, you really had to ask."
"I did."
"I'm halfway through writing my thesis."
"That's good."
"It would be," Kairi replied, making a face. "Kung gusto ko lang talaga whatever I was writing there."
Gianna rested her forearms lightly on the table. "You're stuck?"
Kairi absently turned her straw between her fingers habang iniisip kung paano niya ie-explain. "Alam ko naman kung ano ang gusto kong sabihin. Iyon nga lang, I can't make it sound right."
"What are you writing about?"
Kairi started explaining.
She told Gianna about her topic, the argument she'd been trying to build for the past few weeks, and the particular section that refused to come together kahit ilang beses na niya itong i-rewrite.
Gianna listened without interrupting.
Paminsan-minsan, nagtatanong lang siya kapag may part na kailangan niyang linawin, then she'd let Kairi continue without cutting her off.
By the time Kairi finished explaining, napasandal siya sa chair with an exhausted sigh.
Gianna smiled.
"I could take a look if you'd like."
Napatingin si Kairi sa kanya. "You would?"
"If you're comfortable with that."
"I am."
She answered so quickly that she surprised herself, then pointed a warning finger across the table.
"But, Miss, be careful."
Gianna raised an eyebrow. "With what?"
"Sa mga sasabihin mo, your words."
Kairi tried to look serious despite the smile already tugging at her lips. "I don't need a former Literature teacher destroying my confidence."
Gianna laughed. "I wasn't that bad."
Napatingin si Kairi sa kanya in disbelief.
"Miss, you once spent ten minutes explaining why my introduction paragraph was 'trying very hard to exist without actually saying anything.'"
Napahawak si Gianna sa noo niya.
"Did I really say that?"
"You absolutely did."
"I was trying to help."
"You made me question kung marunong ba talaga akong mag-compose ng paragraph."
Gianna laughed again, shaking her head.
"Okay. Then I promise I'll be kinder this time."
"No grilling, Miss? Hindi mo ako pahihirapan sa bawat sentence?"
"I'll try not to."
"And hindi mo ako paghihinalain na maling degree program ang pinili ko?"
That made Gianna laugh. "I can't promise that one."
Kairi stared at her for a second before laughing too.
"See? I knew it."
Gianna smiled, taking another sip of her coffee. "But I'll do my best."
Kairi studied her for another moment before finally nodding.
"Okay, Miss."