Chapter 45
Hi, Miss Baby. Busy ka? Gusto mo ba manood ng sunset later? Doon sa favorite spot ko. After my class.
Okay. But I’m still in a meeting.
It’s okay, I can wait for you, Miss Baby. Good luck sa meeting!
I said that to her, and I couldn't help but smile while typing it. Pagtingin ko sa paligid, ayun na nga—nakatingin na ‘yung mga kaibigan ko sa akin.
Nasa loob ako ng classroom ngayon, attending my afternoon class kasi nga may importanteng meeting daw ‘yung baby ko. Hehe. Oo, baby.
“Grabe ngiti mo, abot hanggang Mars,” biro ni Cecilia habang nakakunot-noo, pero may halong ngiti rin.
“New bebegirls nanaman ‘yan?” dagdag ni Kinsley habang tumatawa.
“Of course not. I only like her,” I answered truthfully.
“Sus, guard may inlab,” sabat pa ni Cecilia kaya napatawa nalang ako.
“How’s it going with you and Ms. Sanchez? May improvement na ba?” tanong ni Eliana habang naka-slouch sa upuan niya.
Gusto ko sanang sagutin ng “Oo. Nasobrahan pa nga sa improvement.” Pero pinigilan ko sarili ko.
“Wala. Ganun pa rin. But it’s okay,” sabi ko, pagsisinungaling obviously.
“Sabi ko naman sa’yo, itigil mo na. Kawawa ka talaga kay Miss. Malamig pa sa yelo ‘yan,” sagot ni Kinsley.
Hindi na ako nakasagot kasi pumasok na si Ms. Dizon. Yep. Siya ‘yung subject teacher namin today.
“Good afternoon, everyone. We’ll just have a short discussion today because I have something important later,” sabi niya kaya sabay hiyawan ang mga kaklase ko. Kulang na lang mag-iyakan sila sa tuwa.
Lately, I’ve been trying to distance myself kay Ms. Dizon. Hindi ko maipaliwanag pero may something talaga sa kanya. The way she talks to me, the way she looks at me… parang may weird vibe. I’m not comfortable with it.
After 30 minutes, tapos na ang class. That was my last subject for the day. At tingin ko hindi pa tapos ang meeting ni Cynthia, knowing na it’s with some big-time international entrepreneur.
As I was about to leave, narinig ko ang boses niya.
“Gomez, honey. Can you come here for a second?” sabi ni Ms. Dizon.
“Yes, Miss?” I said, walking toward her.
“Are you busy, honey? Can I talk to you for a minute outside?” tanong niya. Wala pa naman akong gagawin dahil matagal-tagal pa ‘yung hintayan kay Cynthia, so I nodded.
“I’m not busy, Miss. And sure po,” I answered politely. She smiled.
While we were walking out of the room, naririnig ko na ‘yung bulungan ng ibang students. Ugh. All those shippers. Sobrang kulit nila.
Kung magshi-ship sila, pwede bang kay Miss Sanchez nalang?
Habang naglalakad kami sa hallway, nag-text ako kay Cynthia para mag-update.
Hi, Miss Baby. Done na class ko. I’m with Ms. Dizon, she asked me to come with her outside the university—sa parking, kasi may sasabihin daw siya.
Seen.
Two minutes na. Still no reply. Pero nakita niya agad. Maybe she’s really busy pa with the meeting, so hindi ko na siya iniistorbo pa.
Pagdating namin sa parking lot, halos kami lang ang tao doon.
“What do you want to say, Miss?” tanong ko. I honestly just want to get this over with. I mean, yes, she’s Ate’s friend, pero we never really clicked. Same vibes kay Ate Diana. I just don’t vibe with her.
“Wait a minute, honey. I’ll just get something from my car,” sabi niya. I nodded at naghintay naman ako.
Habang naghahalungkat siya sa kotse, sinilip ko ulit phone ko. Still no reply. Gusto ko sanang mag-message ulit pero baka makaistorbo lang ako.
“Sorry for making you wait, honey,” sabi ni Ms. Dizon when she came back. May hawak siyang maliit na box.
“It’s okay, Miss.”
“Actually, I asked you to come here because…” she started, holding the box. “I wanted to say something—”
“Gomez.”
Napatigil ako. I know that voice.
Paglingon ko, it was Cynthia. I was completely shocked. Why is she here?
“Why are you here, Cy—Miss?” I asked, my voice stumbling.
“You messaged me. Am I interrupting something?” malamig niyang tanong. “Let’s go. You asked me to go out, right?”
Napatingin ako kay Ms. Dizon. She wasn’t able to say what she wanted to say. Pero ngumiti lang siya.
“It’s okay, honey. I’ll just say it next time. Thank you for your time,” she said before getting into her car.
Pero bago pa ako makagalaw, naramdaman ko ang kamay ni Cynthia na mahigpit na humawak sa pulso ko. She started pulling me.
“Hey, stop holding me so hard. Masakit,” I said, trying to pull my wrist gently.
“I didn’t mean to. Sorry. Let’s go,” she replied, loosening her grip but still leading me to her car.
“Why are you here? Akala ko hindi pa tapos meeting niyo?” I asked, half-worried, half-guilty.
“Yeah. It’s not done yet. But you messaged me you were done with class, so I rescheduled it. I’ll finish the meeting online later,” she said.
Nagulat ako. She did that… just to see me?
“Hey, you didn’t have to do that,” I said while getting into her car. She even opened the door for me.
“Do you want to eat anything?” she asked instead.
“You.”
“Be serious.”
“Eh ikaw lang naman gusto ko kainin. Hindi ba pwede?”
“No.”
“Fine.”
“Stop being stubborn, Sylvia. Are you hungry? Do you want to buy something before watching the sunset?” Cynthia asked, her tone calm, but there was something clipped in the way she said it—like she was trying to sound casual, pero halatang pilit.
I was about to joke again, maybe throw another flirtatious line, but something in her expression stopped me.
The slight crease between her brows, the way she kept avoiding my gaze—it wasn’t just tiredness.
It was something heavier.
Baka makasira pa ako ng mood niya kung magpatawa pa ako ngayon.
So instead, I gave her a small shrug.
“Mhm, I’m not really hungry. Pero kung may gusto kang kainin, ‘yon nalang din sa’kin,” I said, watching her from the corner of my eye.
There was a beat of silence before she spoke.
“Honestly… I want to try street food. The tosok-tosok,"
Napatingin ako agad sa kanya. The way she said “tosok-tosok” was so serious, so careful, like she was unsure if she said it right. Hindi ko napigilang matawa—hindi para manlait, pero ang cute lang talaga niya.
She turned to me, lifting an eyebrow. “What’s funny, Sylvia?”
“It’s tusok-tusok,” I said, grinning. “Pero sure. Ako na magda-drive.”
I reached for the car handle, already getting out before she could say anything else.
“Why? I can drive,” she said behind me.
“You’re tired. Just rest, okay? Let me drive for you,” I answered, already walking around to the driver’s side.
She didn’t protest further. That silence again. We switched seats in a quiet, unspoken agreement, and soon I was behind the wheel, driving us away from the university.
There were tons of vendors outside the campus gates—selling kwek-kwek, fishball, isaw—but I didn’t trust the ones there.
I’ve seen how chaotic it gets during rush hour.
Minsan hindi na nagugustuhan ng tiyan ko ‘yung pagkain, and I didn’t want her first tusok-tusok experience to be a disaster.
Kaya instead, I took a different route, papunta sa kilala kong mas malinis at hindi crowded na lugar.
It was also closer to my favorite spot, the one I wanted to show her before the day ended.
We drove in silence for a while, the city passing us by in flashes of movement and color—tricycles weaving in traffic, people walking with umbrellas kahit hindi maaraw, students still in uniforms crowding sari-sari stores.
“Are you okay?” tanong ko habang hawak ko 'yung manibela. “Tahimik ka masyado.”
“Just exhausted,” she said softly.
I glanced at her. She was looking out the window, her fingers tapping lightly on her lap. I could tell her mind was somewhere else—farther than the roads we were passing.
“Exhausted lang ba talaga? Or may iba pa?” I asked gently, keeping my eyes on the road but my attention on her.
She didn’t answer at first. I thought maybe she didn’t hear me, but then she inhaled quietly, and when she exhaled, her voice was low.
“Why did you let yourself come with Seinna?”
And there it was.
My grip on the steering wheel tightened a little. Her question wasn’t loud, but the hurt behind it rang louder than any horn on the street. I could feel my throat tighten.
“Because she just wanted to say something important,” I answered, my voice calm but honest. “I’m sorry.”
No reaction.
Her face was still turned away, her eyes following nothing in particular. I hated that I couldn’t read her right now.
“Are you upset because of that?” I asked again. “Wala naman ‘yung ibang meaning. I don’t like her, you know that.”
Still, nothing. Just more silence.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
I pulled the car over to the side of the road. The sudden shift made her glance at me, her expression puzzled. I parked gently, turned off the engine, and took off my seatbelt.
She watched me without saying a word.
“I’m sorry,” I said again, this time facing her completely. “Please don’t be upset.”
Her eyes met mine. For a split second, I saw something flicker—hurt? doubt? jealousy?—but just as fast, it disappeared behind her usual composed look.
I didn’t think. I just leaned forward and kissed her. A small, soft kiss. Not meant to distract, or confuse, or provoke. Just a simple gesture, like pressing pause on everything else around us.
“I won’t do that again, okay?” I whispered after I pulled away slightly. “Just don’t be upset.”
She didn’t say anything at first. Then slowly, she turned to face the windshield again.
“Fine,” she said after a beat, and this time, a tiny smile ghosted on her lips. She tried to hide it, but I saw it. And I felt a little weight lift off my chest.
I started driving again, at tahimik lang si Cynthia sa tabi ko—nakafocus siya sa daan, hindi na muling nagsalita.
I glanced at her from time to time, pero hindi ko siya iniistorbo.
Her arms were folded, her gaze fixed outside the window, and I wondered if she was still thinking about what happened with Seinna.
Eventually, nakarating din kami sa spot na sinasabi ko—'yung medyo tagong area na malapit lang sa riverside, kung saan maraming food stalls pero hindi masyadong matao. This was my go-to place every time gusto ko ng tahimik na tusok-tusok session.
Agad kaming bumaba ng kotse. Medyo mahangin na kahit mainit pa rin, and the scent of deep-fried food mixed with the faint scent of the river. It was oddly comforting.
And then, I saw her.
“Si Lola Marie!” bulong ko, medyo na-excite pa. She’s my favorite street food vendor. Matanda na siya, pero palaban pa rin ang energy. Nasa pwesto siya, nag-aayos ng lumpia at fishball, at may katabi siyang batang babae na agad kong nakilala—si Alexandra, apo niya, na isang taon lang ang tanda ko.
“Hello po, La. Kamusta po kayo?” bati ko kay Lola Marie, sabay ngiti.
“Hala, iha! Buti at napunta ka ulit dito. Mas lalo kang gumanda, iha,” sagot niya agad habang tinitingnan ako mula ulo hanggang paa na para bang lola kong hindi ako nakita ng ilang taon. Napangiti ako nang mas malaki, kasi parang laging genuine ang compliments niya—laging may warmth.
I turned to look at Cynthia, who was standing quietly beside me, her hands clasped in front of her. Tahimik lang siya, nakatingin sa paligid, pero parang medyo naiilang. Baka feeling niya out of place siya, kaya hinawakan ko ang kamay niya softly—just a light squeeze to remind her I was there.
Napatingin siya sa akin, then looked at our intertwined fingers, but she didn’t pull away. Not yet.
“Hello, Sylvia. Na-miss kita, kakamiss ka rin pala,” bati ni Alex, na may mischievous grin sa mukha. She was in a faded college shirt and denim shorts, mukhang kakagising lang or bagong ligo.
Napangiti ako. “Sus,” sagot ko, sabay irap pero playful.
Si Alex talaga, ever since before, palaging may ganitong banter. She used to tease me endlessly whenever I came here, pero never in a mean way. Sadyang makulit lang talaga siya.
“Sino pala ’tong kasama mo ngayon, iha? Ngayon ka lang nagsama ng ibang tao, ah,” tanong ni Lola Marie habang inaayos ang stick ng isaw.
Napalingon ako kay Cynthia, who now looked a little stiff. Still holding my hand, pero halatang unsure.
“My friend po,” sagot ko, though my voice came out softer than I meant. Honestly, I didn’t know what else to call her in that moment. “Friend” felt safe... pero also, somehow wrong.
And just like that, Cynthia gently pulled her hand away.
Parang biglang lumamig ang hangin.
“Ah, ganon ba. Ganda ng kaibigan mo,” sabi ni La Marie, with a teasing tone. I smiled again, trying to shake off the awkwardness that started to creep in.
“Syempre po,” sagot ko, trying to lighten the mood. Future wife ko 'yan, eh.
“Ano gusto mong kainin, Cyn?” tanong ko, hoping to shift the energy.
“I saw on Facebook, the color orange. What’s that called?” tanong niya, seriously curious.
Nagkatinginan kami ni Alex. “Orange?”
“Yeah. I think it’s called… pekpek?” she said quietly.
Buti nalang mahina ang pagkakasabi niya. Otherwise, lagot kami.
“Ha?!” I choked out, trying so hard not to laugh. “Ano gusto mong kainin?”
She looked confused. “Pekpek?” ulit niya, with furrowed brows, like she was trying so hard to pronounce it properly.
Pfft.
“Noong nakaraan monay, tapos ngayon pekpek. Masyado ka nang halata, girl,” bulong ko sa sarili ko, sabay pigil ng tawa.
“What?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at me, dead serious.
“Wala po,” sagot ko agad, acting innocent.
“Isa nga pong kwek-kwek, tsaka lahat na rin po ng nandito, kukuha po ako,” sabi ko kay Lola Marie, who just nodded and started cooking while Alex helped prepare the sticks.
“Oh, so it’s kwek-kwek,” Cynthia mumbled to herself, eyes on the sizzling pot.
I was biting my lip to keep from laughing. Pekpek daw.
Habang hinihintay pa rin namin lutuin ni Lola Marie ang mga street food, umupo kami ni Alexandra sa gilid, parehong nakasandal sa lumang mesa. Si Cynthia, nakatayo lang sa likod namin—tahimik.
"Grabe, Sylvia! Ang dami kong kwento sayo, swear. Since nung last na pumunta ka dito, ang dami nang nangyari!" bungad ni Alexandra, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Talaga? Spill. I'm all ears." sabi ko habang nakatingin sa kanya, genuinely curious.
"Ay, ganito kasi 'yon," sabay lapit pa niya. "Naalala mo si James? 'Yung ultimate crush ni Marian dati?"
"Oy oo, 'yung may braces tas laging may dalang gitara?"
"Yes! Alam mo ba—may anak na sila!"
"What?!"
"Oo, girl! Hindi ko rin alam kung kailan nangyari, pero bigla na lang nag-post si Marian ng baby bump tapos 'yung caption, '3rd wheel ka na, James' "
Napatawa nalang ako."Gosh, high school drama turned teleserye in real life."
"Exactly!" sabay hampas niya sa braso ko. "Tapos si Trina, 'di ko alam kung naloko o nakaloko pero nasa abroad na ngayon. Bigla na lang nag-post ng 'Starting over again in Dubai' tapos with matching new guy."
"Ang wild niyo pa rin dito. Parang hindi kayo tumigil sa chismis saga."
"Huy, life updates 'to, hindi chismis," sabi niya sabay tawa, pero halatang aliw na aliw rin siya.
Habang kami ay nag-uusap ni Alex, ay hindi tumabi sa amin si Cynthia. Instead, naglakad ito palayo sa amin, at nakatayo lang, naglilibot sa paligid.
"Wait, may pupuntahan lang ako." pa-alam ko kay Alex kaya tumango naman ito.
I walked towards Cynthia, and I grabbed her by the waist.
"Are you okay? You seem so quiet." I said, but she's not answering nor looking at me. Hays, para akong may kasamang kailangan pilitin bago mag salita.
"I'm fine. Stop bothering me, and go back to your 'friend.' " sabi niya sa akin, at madiin ang pagkabigkas nito.
"Mhm, bakit? Ikaw lang gusto kong kasama." sabi ko sakanya, at pilit inaalis niya ang kamay ko na nasa bewang niya.
"Really? You almost forgot that I'm here with you because of her." sabi nito, rolling her eyes.
She's definitely jealous.
"Are you jealous?" pang-aasar ko sakanya.
"I'm not. It's not in my vocabulary, Syl." sabi nito sa akin. Maniwala bobo. Joke.
I grinned and moved closer to Cynthia, standing in front of her like a persistent puppy.
"Sure ka ba? Kasi para kang galit na batang inagawan ng laruan," I teased, arms crossing while tilting my head.
She let out a deep sigh and finally looked at me. "Sylvia, can we just go watch the sunset?"
"Okay," I replied simply, but I gently held her hand again—this time, she didn’t pull away.
We went back to where Lola Marie was, and I said goodbye to Alex. "Balik ako next time, pakitirhan ako."
Alexandra laughed. "Marami pa 'to, wag kang mag-alala. Ingat kayo!"
We took the food and walked back to the car, and this time, Cynthia was a little quieter, but she wasn’t ignoring me anymore. In fact, she kept glancing at me like she wanted to say something—but didn’t.
As we drove to our sunset spot, there was a comfortable silence between us. The kind that says we’re okay, even if we don’t talk too much. The sky was starting to turn soft orange and pink as we parked by the quiet hill overlooking the sea.
I laid out the food on the bench, as we sat there, watching the sun slowly dip into the horizon.
"Are you sure it's safe to eat?" sabi nito, hesitating if she would eat it or not.
"Of course. D'yan ako laging bumili, trust me. Hindi naman kita papakainin ng hindi safe." sabi ko reassuring her.
Cynthia stared at the food like it was a chemistry experiment. Her brows were furrowed, and she kept poking the fishballs with her stick like they were going to bite her back.
I picked one up and dipped it confidently into the sweet-spicy sauce. “Try this one. Fishball. Super basic, but it hits every time.”
She hesitated, then mirrored what I did. Her lips parted slightly as she took a bite, chewing slowly. Her expression was blank for a second—but then her eyes slightly widened.
“...It’s good,” she admitted, sounding almost offended.
“Told you. Street food supremacy.”
She picked up a squidball next. “This looks like a meat meteorite.”
“Trust me, that one’s elite. Crunchy outside, soft inside. Like me.”
She gave me a side-eye. “You’re not soft.”
“I am inside. You just bring out the hard shell.” I joked.
Cynthia shook her head with a small smile before dipping the squidball. “Fine. Let’s see.”
She took a bite—and nodded slowly, chewing with a little more enthusiasm this time.
“Okay. This one… better than the first,” she said, wiping the corner of her lips with a tissue I handed her.
I popped a cheesy dynamite roll in my mouth. It was spicy, warm, and deliciously cheesy. “Want this one?”
“What is that?” she asked, eyeing it suspiciously.
“Chili stuffed with cheese and ground meat, wrapped in lumpia wrapper. It’s called dynamite roll.”
“Are you trying to kill me?”
I laughed and offered her one. “Not today.”
She bit into it cautiously. The crunch was satisfying. Then her eyes suddenly widened.
“That’s spicy.”
I quickly handed her a cup of gulaman. “Here, drink this. Pang kontra anghang.”
Cynthia took a long sip and cleared her throat, blinking fast. “You tried to kill me. Confirmed.”
I grinned. “But you liked it, admit it.”
“…It was good. Just—surprisingly violent.”
We both laughed, and I felt her start to relax more, her shoulders no longer stiff, her frown softening into something almost playful.
She picked up a kwek-kwek next and examined it like she was about to write a review. “This was the… ‘pekpek’ I was trying to say, right?”
I choked on my fishball and started coughing. “Kwek-kwek, Cynthia! For the love of all things decent!”
She smirked, clearly amused. “Well. I see the confusion now.”
I shook my head, laughing as I wiped sauce off my hand. “You’re never gonna live that down, just so you know.”
Cynthia just shrugged and took another bite of the kwek-kwek like it was nothing. “I regret nothing.”
And as the sun melted into the sea and we ate in comfortable rhythm, dipping, biting, laughing, and sharing sips from the same cup, I thought to myself—this moment, this simplicity, this food, and her beside me—was my kind of perfect.
But honestly, I’m still confused. Everything that happened last night, pati ngayon—was it really real? Totoo ba 'to? Like… does she actually like me? Kasi, paano? How did it even happen?
My thoughts were spiraling when I suddenly heard her voice, snapping me back into the moment.
“Hey, are you even listening?” she said, sounding slightly irritated.
“Ah, of course. Ano nga 'yon?” sagot ko agad, kahit alam kong wala talaga akong nakuha sa sinabi niya kanina. At ayun, inirapan niya lang ako.
“Just nevermind,” sabi niya, halatang may tampo.
“Sorry na,” I said quickly. “I was just… thinking. About us.” Tumingin ako sa kanya, seryoso. “Totoo ba talaga lahat ng 'to?”
Tahimik siya sandali, and I could see her thinking, bago siya nagsalita ulit.
“Why? Is that hard to believe?”
“Yeah… kind of. I mean—do you really like me? Like, for real? Paano? Bakit?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because of your silliness.”
Napakunot noo ako. “Ha? Silliness talaga?”
“Yes. You’re annoying, but somehow in a charming way. You’re stubborn, loud, talkative… but you make me feel light. Like I can breathe again. And I didn’t even know I needed that until you came.”
Napatingin ako sa kanya, trying to process her words.
“I didn’t even like you at first, okay? You were too loud, too clingy. But then you kept showing up. You stayed even when I tried to push you away.”
I laughed a little. “So I basically annoyed you into liking me?”
She smirked, then rolled her eyes. “Maybe. But also because… you saw me. The real me. You never tried to change who I am. You just… accepted me. And that scared me.”
Those words hit different. Parang biglang lumuwag 'yung dibdib ko.
“I’m not perfect, Syl. I have my issues. I overthink, I shut people out. But if you’re willing to stay, even when I’m messy… then maybe, just maybe, we have something real.”
Napangiti ako habang tinitingnan siya. Kasi kahit hindi pa malinaw ang lahat, one thing’s for sure—when she talks like that, when she looks at me that way… it feels real.
“Then I’ll stay,” I said. “Even if you’re complicated. Kasi ikaw 'yung gusto ko.”
For the first time, she didn’t roll her eyes or pull away. Instead, she reached out and held my hand, her fingers wrapping around mine.
Simple lang, pero ramdam ko.
I looked down at our hands—how her fingers naturally found their place between mine. Ang lamig ng palad niya, pero nakakakalmang hawakan. Tahimik lang kaming dalawa habang pinagmamasdan ang dapithapon sa harap namin.
"You know what would make this perfect?" I asked, breaking the silence.
"What?"
"Fishballs."
She raised a brow. “You’re already holding a whole bag of food. How much more do you need?”
“Not for me, for the vibe,” I said dramatically. “Imagine, romantic sunset, holding hands, and you’re eating tusok-tusok. Iconic.”
Cynthia chuckled, a rare, soft sound I don’t always hear from her. “You and your obsession with street food.”
“Come on, admit it. You like it too now,” I teased, nudging her elbow lightly.
“I like the sauce,” she said casually, popping a kwek-kwek in her mouth. “Still not sure about the hygiene, though.”
“Ay nako, wala ka talagang tiwala kay Lola Marie. Do you even know her vinegar won ‘Best Sawsawan’ award in my heart?”
She shook her head with a smile. “You’re unbelievable.”
“Unbelievably lovable,” I corrected, flipping my hair with exaggerated flair.
She let out a snort, and for a moment, I felt like I won the jackpot. Making her laugh felt better than anything else right now.
“Taste this,” I said, picking a squidball and dipping it in the spiciest sauce. “Don’t chicken out.”
She stared at it like I just handed her poison. “What’s in that? It looks radioactive.”
“Just trust me.”
After a short pause, she leaned forward and took a bite from my hand. Literal. From. My. Hand. I swear my soul left my body for three seconds.
She chewed thoughtfully, and then—
“Oh my god,” she said, eyes wide. “That’s actually… good?”
“Right? I told you. Spicy squidball supremacy,” I said, smug and satisfied.
“I hate that you’re right.”
“Get used to it. I’m always right,” I said, proudly biting my own fishball.
As the sky turned darker, and the first stars peeked out, I glanced at her again. Her face was soft in the warm glow of the fading sun, her lips stained a little orange from the sauce, and her eyes looking somewhere far—but her hand never let go of mine.
“Hey,” I whispered, squeezing her hand gently.
She turned to me. “Yeah?”
“Let’s do this again.”
She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she just nodded. A small, quiet nod—but enough.
“Next time,” she said, “you’re not feeding me mystery sauce.”
“Deal,” I laughed. “Next time, taho.”
“Oh my god.”
The sky had settled into deep navy blue, stars scattered like confetti above us.
The cool breeze carried the faint scent of vinegar, oil, and grilled isaw from a nearby stall.
Nasa bench pa rin kami, hawak pa rin ang kamay ng isa’t isa.
Cynthia was sitting closer now, her shoulder brushing against mine—unintentional, maybe, but she wasn’t pulling away.
“Your hands are cold,” I said softly, turning mine to envelop hers.
“They’re always like that,” she replied, looking down at our fingers. “But yours are warm.”
I smiled. “I guess we’re perfect for each other then.”
She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.
Tahimik ulit. But it wasn’t the awkward kind. It was the type that made you feel full even without saying anything.
I leaned my head on her shoulder gently. “Don’t move. I’m comfy.”
“I wasn’t planning to,” she said, her voice low and calm.
I closed my eyes for a moment, savoring the stillness. “You know, I never imagined this.”
“What?”
“This. Us. Sitting like this. Talking like this. Eating kwek-kwek together like we’re in some indie film.”
“You’re dramatic.”
“I’m in love.”
Napatawa siya, and I felt it in the way her shoulder shook a little. I didn’t open my eyes—I wanted to stay there, frozen in this moment.
“Hey,” she said after a few seconds.
“Mmm?”
“You’re easy to love too, Sylvia.”
My eyes fluttered open at that. I turned my head slightly so I could look at her. She was already looking at me.
“What did you say?” I asked, heart skipping.
She didn’t repeat it. Instead, she lifted her hand and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, her fingers lingering just a second longer on my cheek.
I wasn’t sure who moved first—maybe we met halfway—but soon, our lips touched. Soft, slow, and tender. It wasn’t like the teasing kiss from earlier. This one felt like something was being said without words.
When we pulled away, she didn’t speak. Just rested her forehead against mine.
And I whispered, “Street food and soft kisses. I think I’m in trouble.”