07

"Ang tagal naman ng boyfriend mo! It's so hot na here!" reklamo ni Anais kay Lili. 

Nandito kami ngayon nila Anais at Lili sa tapat ng arch ng UST habang hinihintay lumabas si Blaze. Mga limang minuto palang kaming andito pero panay reklamo na ni Anais. Palubog na nga ang araw eh init na init parin. 

"First of all, di ko pa siya jowa. Second, kakarating lang natin dito, natatagalan ka na. Third, tanggalin mo yang jacket mo para di ka mainitan,” sumbat ni Lili. Parang mas matanda itong attitude ni Lili kesa kay Anais. Yung pagka-seryoso niya sa studies niya nadadala niya sa amin. Si Anais naman ang childish minsan. 

"Ang hater mo!" Anais said while crossing her arms and pouting her mouth. 

Papunta kami ngayon sa Samgyupsalamat. Nag-aya si Lili dahil kakatapos lang ng kaniyang midterms. Kai went to his condo for a while to change his clothes while Dee said he's on his way. Friday ngayon kaya na traffic siguro siya. Lately, napapasama na sa amin sila Blaze at Dee except that si Blaze palaging nauunang umuwi o kaya naman may dala dalang libro katulad ni Lili. I'm surprised he can still hang out with us even though he has a lot on his plate. Mukhang seryoso talaga siya kay Lili. Pumupunta pa nga siya minsan sa bahay dahil gusto ni Nay Fellie na maayos niyang ligawan si Lili. His effort amazes me. 

"Hi kanina pa ba kayo?" tanong ni Blaze habang niyayakap si Lili. 

"Hindi naman,” sarkastikong sabi ni Anais. 

Nauna na kaming apat sa Samgyupsalamat. We waited for Kai and Dee to arrive before we started eating. Halos sabay pa silang dumating. 

"Hey, you brought your car?" I asked Dee as soon as he sat down beside me. 

"No, iniwan ko sa condo ko sa Taft. Hassle kasi pag may kotse akong dala tapos Friday pa,” he answered. I quickly glanced at his outfit. He was just wearing a simple grey top paired with its matching plaid button down shirt. He topped it with denim jeans and white sneakers. Kahit ang simple niya manamit, ang classy niya paring tignan. Sobrang effortless. 

"Uy, Blaze di ka busy?" tanong ni Kai habang inaayos ang kaniyang upo sa tabi nito. Pansin ko lang, lately, medyo dumadaldal na rin itong si Kai. Probably because hindi na siya yung only guy sa group namin. 

"Mukha namang hindi diba. Andito nga ako eh", he said sarcastically. Looks like Kai and Blaze have been getting along pretty well. Nakwento rin ni Kai na nagkakasalubong sila minsan ni Blaze sa UST kaya mukhang nagiging close na sila. 

"By the way guys, I'm actually going to start my youtube channel na. Subscribe kayo ah. Let's make vlogs together minsan,” Anais said excitedly. 

"G na g ako diyan,” I said while chewing my food. 

I heard Dee chuckle. "Dahan-dahan lang. You might choke yourself," he said while handing me a glass of water. I got it from him and drank it while looking away from him to hide my embarrassment. 

"Give me content suggestions then. Yung medyo challenging." 

"24 hours mag-jowa challenge,” Lili said. 

"My gosh, that's so fucking easy,” Anais smirked. 

"With Kai,” Lili said with a mischievous smile. 

Anais' eyes widened and she almost spit her food while Kai was shoving the lettuce in his mouth non stop. 

"Diba dapat Q and A muna? So that the viewers will get to know you more,” Dee said, breaking the awkwardness. While he was saying that, he was busy cooking the meat and guess what? Pagtingin ko sa plato ko ay puno na ito ng mga niluto niya. 

"Eat up." I smiled at his gesture. 

"Well duh. That will be one of my first vids of course,” sabi ni Anais habang naglalagay ng sandamakmak na kanin sa kanyang plato. Si Anais yung tipong sobrang takaw pero hindi tumataba, unlike me. 

"24 hours tagalog only challenge. As in walang halong English words,” suggest ko sa kaniya.

"I can do that,” pagyayabang niya. 

"Wala! Talo ka na agad diyan sinasabi ko sayo,” Kai said. 

Anais gave him a death glare. 

"Ay Blaze, how's med school?" I asked, changing the topic. 

"Eto, kinakaya naman. I still have a lot of years left and they'll be tougher than this kaya sinusulit ko nalang muna maging 1st year. Baka di na rin ako makasama pag nasa higher years na ako,” he said sadly while looking at Lili. She looked back at him with a smile on her face while gently caressing his hand. Napangiti ako sa kanilang dalawa. This is the first time someone actually reciprocated the love Lili is giving. She's the type of person na kapag na attach siya sa isang tao, nafafall na agad. She always took risks but in the end, they weren't worth it. Kaya sana naman si Blaze na ang tamang lalaki para sa kaniya. 

We continued eating at halos nagtawanan lang kami the whole time. Some customers were even staring at us but we didn't care at all. Ang saya lang sa pakiramdam na nadagdagan yung barkada namin and despite our busy schedule, we still make time for each other. I love my friends so much. 

"Ikaw Dee, what do you do?" tanong ni Kai. 

"My dad owns a shipping company and I currently work under him."

"What does Tita Sol do then?" I curiously asked him.

"Tita Sol?" Lili asked.

"Oh, uhm, I met his mom the other day,” I shyly said. 

"You met his mom and you didn't tell me? Nagtatampo na talaga ako sayo Dani,” Anais complained. 

"Oh shoot. I forgot to tell you about that. Sorry,” I apologized. My mind has been really preoccupied these days because of the charity ball. It's my first time planning these kinds of social events and I'm just not really used to it. 

"She's a painter,” Dee looked at me. "She sometimes joins exhibits in other countries. And even though she's not that known, some actually still buy her pieces."

Napanga-nga ako sa sinabi niya. His mom is full package. 

"You should show me her works. Baka magustuhan ng parents ko. They love filling our house with paintings,” Blaze shared. 

"Sige sige I'll tell her."

Pagkatapos naming kumain ng dinner, hinatid na ni Blaze si Lili sa dorm niya sa P. Campa habang si Kai naman ay umuwi na rin sa condo niya. Naunang umalis si Anais kanina dahil gagawin pa daw nila ng mga kagrupo niya ang kanilang thesis. Sa kaniya dapat ako sasabay pauwi pero sinabihan na pala niya si Dee na isabay ako. Bastos na bata hmp. 

Dee and I were left here walking towards España. Napuno na ng mga ilaw ang kalsada. Medyo humuhupa na rin ang traffic dahil lumalalim na ang gabi. 

I do not actually like walking around here at night. Natatakot akong baka manakawan dito. Kaya kapag inaaya ako ni Kai pumunta sa condo niya, it's either I go early or not go at all. But it feels so different right now knowing I am with Dee. It just makes me feel safe. 

"Alam kong busy ka pero aayain sana kita sa charity ball ng House of Suarez. It's for the benefit of Bahay Tuluyan. Sa December pa naman so you still have time to think about it. Invite ko rin sana si Tita,” I said out of nowhere. 

"Of course I'd be happy to go. Nakakailang pasama na rin ako so fair enough. But I still need to ask my mom if free siya,” he chuckled. 

"Sabi mo yan ah."

We stayed silent for a while. Nang makarating kami sa España, naghintay muna kami ng jeep bago sumakay papuntang Taft kung saan nakapark ang sasakyan ni Dee. The whole jeepney ride felt so calm. The wind was brushing through my hair while Dee and I talked about how jeeps make us feel nostalgic. Naalala ko tuloy yung mga panahong sasakay ako sa jeep na andami kong dalang mga tela papuntang Benilde. Madalas pa akong ma late dahil pinagpupuyatan ko ang mga projects ko noon. Nakakamiss tuloy maging estudyante. 

"I'll just get something upstairs. Ok ka lang dito?" he asked me. Andito na kami ngayon sa lobby ng condo. Halos malapit lang din sa condo ni Anais ito. 

"Uhm, actually pwedeng sumama? I need to use the restroom." I gave him an awkward smile. 

"Sure."

His unit is on the 18th floor. When he opened the door, I was a bit shocked to see how nice the interior was. It was minimalist. The colors were black and white and everything was just so neatly organized. 

"The restroom is there,” he pointed. Pagkabukas ko ng pinto, napasigaw ako ng makita kong may lalaki sa loob. 

"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry,” I said while closing the door. I looked at Dee with a worried look on my face. "May tao sa loob."

"Oh, right,” he said. 

The door opened revealing a man taller than Dee. May pagkasingkit ang kaniyang mga mata at medyo maputi rin siya. Feeling ko may lahi. He looks familiar though. Parang nakita ko siya sa party ni Anais noon. 

"Hi, I'm sorry,” he said while looking at me. He shifted his gaze to Dee. "I stopped by cause I thought you were here. Aayain sana kitang uminom pero mukhang may kasama ka pala. Paalis na rin naman na ako,” the man said. 

"Next time nalang dude,” Dee said. 

"Sige." He looked at me and offered his hand. "Zeke."

I shook his hand and smiled at him. "Chanel."

"Una na ako dude ah. Enjoy,” he told Dee while smirking at him. Napa 'tss' si Dee sa kaniya. He left the unit right after. 

"That's my best friend. He always goes here so yeah,” he said while laughing. I formed an 'o' with my mouth. Pumasok na ako ng banyo at inayos ang sarili ko. Pagkalabas ko ay nakita ko si Dee na kumukuha ng tubig sa ref.

"You want some?" he offered while pouring himself a glass of water. 

"No, it's ok. Baka maihi nanaman ako."

I sat on the sofa in the living area while waiting for him to finish when I saw a violin in the corner of the room. My eyes sparkled at the sight of it. 

"I actually started playing the violin again,” he said. Nakita niya ata akong nakatitig sa violin niya. 

"That's great! At least you have something to calm you with after a stressful day at work,” I said. 

"Another reason is that I want to play it with you playing the piano."

"Omg! We can do that. We can take a video of it too." I got excited with that idea. "Can you play just a little bit for me please?" I asked him with hopeful eyes. He sighed and grabbed his violin. 

"Don't judge me. It might sound rusty."

"Don't worry. I won't."

He stood in front of me and positioned himself. He rolled his sleeves up and started playing the melody of "Way Back Into Love". I honestly couldn't take my eyes off of him. He's like a professional. It's like he didn't take a break from playing based on what I'm seeing right now. 

When he finished playing, I happily stood up and clapped my hands as if I was in a sea of people watching him. 

"Ang galing mo! Para akong nanonood ng recital."

"You really think so?" 

"Yes, of course!" A thought suddenly popped into my head. "You actually gave me a really nice idea."

"What is it?"

"You'll see,” I said while giving him a grin. 

Today's a Sunday. It's been a week since my friends and I hung out. Andito ako ngayon sa sementeryo kasama sila Lili at Nay Fellie. Dumiretso kami dito pagkatapos magsimba. It's almost All Soul's Day but we chose to celebrate it today dahil ayaw naming makisabay sa dagsa ng tao dito sa mismong araw na iyon. 

I placed a bouquet of flowers beside my mother's tomb. 

Caroline Danna M. Suarez

Born: February 2, 19**

Died: April 26, 20**

Naglagay ng blanket si Lili sa lapag para makaupo kami habang si Nay Fellie naman ay nilalabas ang mga niluto niyang baon namin. We decided to have a picnic here para naman makasama namin si mommy. We even left a plate for her para kunwari andito lang din siya. 

Pagkatapos naming kumain, ay nagligpit na kami at umuwi na sa bahay dahil balak umuwi nila Nay Fellie at Lili sa probinsya para bisitahin ang kanilang mga yumaong kamag-anak. Anais will be with me for the meantime para naman hindi ako mag-isa sa bahay. I invited Dee and Kai to be with us today dahil may plinano akong gagawin naming apat. 

Pagkaalis nila Lili ay sakto namang dumating si Anais. She brought her mini light pink luggage and filming equipment with her. 

"Dani, help me naman. You asked me to bring this with me kaya ikaw magbuhat niyan."

I went out to help her carry her stuff and placed it in the living room. Anais went up to put her luggage in my room. I already set up the ring light and put the camera on top of the tripod. I placed them meters away from my piano. 

Kai and Dee arrived a few minutes later. Kai gave me the mic I asked him to bring. Dee, on the other hand, was holding his violin. Anais went down the stairs with a confused look. I haven't told any of them about my plan. 

"Ano ba kasi gagawin natin?" tanong ni Kai habang umuupo sa sofa. 

"Dee and I will be playing while Anais will be singing. We will film it for her first video on youtube,” I happily said. Naalala ko, Anais told me she used to join singing contests when she was a kid. She eventually grew out of it but she still sings as a hobby only.

"Oh my gosh. What a great idea, Dani!” Anais exclaimed. 

"Well, I wouldn't have come up with this idea without Dee.” I looked at him with a smile. He gave me a glance and smiled back at me while fixing his violin.

"So, anong gagawin ko dito? Extra?" tanong ni Kai.

Dee and I exchanged looks and I'm pretty sure we are both thinking the same thing.

"Actually, we need a male singer for this because it's a duet,” I told Kai.

"Hindi ako magaling kumanta."

"Wag ka ngang KJ, Kai. Sige na,” Anais begged and gave him an innocent look. I saw Kai trying to avoid making eye contact with Anais but failed in the end. 

"Sige na nga.  You owe me,” he said while pointing at Anais. 

"Way Back Into Love. You guys know that right?" I asked. They both nodded. Anais directed our positions. Dee and I are on the right while Kai and Anais are sitting on the stools on the left. We practiced it first before filming. 

Kai started the recording and went back to his position. I counted '3, 2 ,1' before I started playing the first note of the song. Anais sang the first verse, sumunod naman si Kai sa pangalawa, at nagsabay na rin silang kumanta sa chorus. Pumasok na rin sa eksena si Dee. 

We were just happily jamming to the song as if there was no camera. We were just enjoying ourselves. This could literally be our bonding time every time we meet. Kai said he's not good at singing but hearing him now blend voices with Anais sounds so heavenly. 

The song came to an end. I faced them and saw Kai and Anais staring intently at each other. 

"That’s a wrap!" I shouted happily. Nabalik silang dalawa sa katinuan dahil sa pagsigaw ko. We did a group hug and faced back at each other while laughing. 

"Ang galing pala natin. We should form a band,” Dee suggested.

"You guys did so great! Ang galing talaga!" Anais bounced with joy. 

"Magkaka sore throat ako sayo dahil dito eh,” Kai jokingly teased Anais. 

"Ano? Isa pa? Ibang kanta naman,” I said. Without a word, we went back to our positions earlier and jammed the night away.