Chapter 4 - Unexpected Asungot
1419 Words
Nagkatinginan kami ni Lance habang nagkukuwentuhan sa lunch, halos nakalimutan ang mundo. Ang pasta niya, carbonara, halos hindi na niya natikman dahil sa palitan ng tawa at kilig na halos mapuno ang restaurant ng aura namin.
“Alam mo, Celine… kung ‘di dahil sa party na ‘yun, baka hindi tayo ganito kalapit,” sabi niya, sabay sip ng coffee.
“Gusto mo bang sabihin na accidental bonding ang tawag diyan? Kasi parang… kakaiba ang timing, ‘no?” sagot ko, sabay tawa.
Bago pa siya makasagot, biglang pumasok sa restaurant si isang babaeng naka-high heels at naka-red dress na parang naglalakad sa runway.
Sabi ng babae: "Lance, i've been looking everywhere for you."
“Ooookay…” bulong ko sa sarili ko. “Sino na naman ito?”
Si Lance ay napatingin rin, parang may nakilala.
“Oh… uh, hey, Diane” bungad niya, na may bahagyang ngiti.
Diane? Sino si Diane? Ang ganda-ganda niya, pero parang may jealous meter na agad nag-activate sa utak ko.
“Lance! Hindi ko alam na may kasama ka!” sigaw ni Diane, na halos ma-shock sa akin.
“Ah… hi, Diane… this is… uh—” sabay kindat ni Lance sa akin, parang nagsasabi: Ito si Celine, my… accidental disaster partner.
“Hi, I’m Celine” sabi ko, nakangiti at halos nakakatawang nakatingin sa kanya.
Si Diane, obvious, medyo nagulat pero ngumiti rin.
“So, you’re… the one?” tanong niya, na medyo may halo ng curiosity at friendly challenge.
“Uh… yep,” sagot ko, sabay hagikgik sa sarili. Ano ba, nakakatawa o nakakatakot ang vibe niya?
Lance, feeling awkward, nagbiro na parang relief:
“Well, we’re just having lunch. Nothing… scandalous,” sabay tawa.
Pero si Diane, hindi basta-basta. Tumango siya at nagmukhang may mischief.
“Scandalous lunch, huh? Sounds fun. Mind if I join?”
Tumingin kami ni Lance sa isa’t isa.
“Uh… sure,” sabi niya, halatang nanlumo pero may ngiti na okay lang.
Pag-upo niya, bigla siyang nag-order ng spaghetti. Pero sa tuwing titingin sa amin, halatang sinusubaybayan ang bawat galaw namin—parang CSI sa love triangle.
“Grabe, Diane , parang may paparating na eksena sa telenovela dito,” bulong ko kay Lance, na halos mapatawa siya sa comment ko.
“Seriously, Celine… parang ikaw ang bida na medyo nakakakilig, medyo nakakatawa,” sagot niya, sabay kindat.
Nag-order na rin kami ng dessert para mag-level up ang tension. Habang naghihintay, Diane biglang nagtanong:
“So, Lance… how do you know Celine?”
Napatingin kami ni Lance sa isa’t isa.
“Uh… long story,” sagot niya, halatang kinakabahan.
“Short story then!” sabi ko, sabay laugh.
“Well… Diane… we had a… uh… memorable night,” sabi ni Lance, halos magduda na baka iba ang pag-intindi niya.
Si Diane, halatang nagulat pero hindi masyadong na-shock, tumawa lang ng medyo nakakatuwa.
“Memorable night… huh? Sounds interesting. Care to elaborate?”
Si Lance, parang gustong dupluhin ang sahig sa kahihiyan.
“Uh… it was… um… a… pizza night?”
“Hahaha!” sabay tawa ko, halatang nakakatawa pero halata ring nakakaiinis sa kanya.
Si Diane, halatang amused, nag-shrug:
“Okay, pizza night. Sure. So… Celine, you’re the… accidental partner in crime?”
“Nakakatawa, ‘di ba?” bulong ko kay Lance, sabay kindat.
“Yes, very,” sagot niya, na halos sumabog sa tawa pero nagtangkang maging cool.
Nagpatuloy ang lunch na may halo ng awkward laughter, kilig sa pagitan namin ni Lance, at nakakatawang banat ni Diane na parang referee sa “love match.”
At kahit awkward, na-realize ko—parang mas nagiging exciting ang eksena dahil sa presence niya. Tila ba may paalala: kahit gaano nakakatawa at nakakaaliw ang bonding namin ni Lance, may mundo rin na nakatingin sa aming chemistry.
Lunch ended with dessert—tiramisu. Sa bawat subo namin ni Lance, halos hindi kami makatingin sa isa’t isa dahil sa kilig, pero nakakatawa rin dahil sa awkward glances na palihim naming pinapansin si Diane.
“Okay, next time, hindi na tayo maglalunch kasama ang paparazzi referee,” bulong ko kay Lance habang umaalis kami.
“Deal. Pero gusto ko na lang i-replay ang accidental night scene sa isip ko,” sabay kindat niya.
Halos mapatawa ako sa comment niya, pero sa loob-loob ko, alam ko—kahit nakakatawa at awkward ang lahat, mas lalo lang lumalalim ang kilig at connection namin ni Lance.
The next day, Celine crossed her arms, leaning against the door frame of the pantry, watching Lance pour coffee into his mug like it was some slow-motion coffee commercial.
"Wow," she said, her voice dripping with mock amazement. "Akala ko yung coffee machine lang ang marunong mag-drip. Ikaw rin pala."
Lance smirked without looking at her. "Good morning to you too, Sunshine. Still bitter as your black coffee, I see."
"At least my coffee is straightforward," she shot back. "Hindi tulad ng ibang tao na may pa-sweet, pero sa dulo… mapait din."
Lance turned to face her, leaning slightly on the counter. "Ouch. That was deep. Did you stay up all night just to think of that line?"
Celine tilted her head. "Nope. Sanay lang akong sumagot sa mga taong mahilig mag-assume."
For a moment, they just stared at each other—her eyes narrowing, his holding that infuriating glint of amusement. Then Lance took a slow sip of his coffee, as if to taunt her.
"You know," he said casually, "I still remember how you used to look at me in college. Yung parang… gusto mo akong sakalin, pero may halong konting… admiration?"
Celine nearly choked on her own coffee. "Admiration? Excuse me? That was not admiration, that was disgust. May difference yun, Mr. Feeling."
"Right, right," Lance nodded as if he believed her. "Pero bakit nung last party… hindi parang disgust ang nakita ko sa mga mata mo?"
Her face heated instantly, a mix of irritation and the kind of embarrassment she refused to show. "Lasing ako. Blame the tequila, not me."
Lance leaned closer, his voice dropping just enough to make her heart skip despite herself. "Tequila doesn’t kiss back, Celine."
Her jaw dropped. "You—!" She pointed at him, but no words came out. Lance was obviously enjoying this far too much.
Before she could launch into a comeback, someone walked into the pantry—Camille, their officemate, holding a folder. "Uh… am I interrupting something?"
"Yes," Celine answered instantly.
"No," Lance said at the same time.
They glared at each other like it was a game they’d been playing for years. Camille raised an eyebrow, slowly backing away. "Okay… I’ll just… leave you two… whatever this is."
As soon as Camille left, Lance chuckled. "You know, if you keep reacting like this, people might start to think we’re—"
"Don’t. Even. Finish that sentence," Celine warned, pointing at him again.
He stepped forward, closing the distance between them, just enough for her to notice how much taller he was. His scent—fresh coffee and that faint cologne she vaguely remembered from college—hit her like a traitorous wave of nostalgia.
"Relax," bulong nito sa kanya at may sabay pilyong ngisi. "I’m not saying we are… yet."
Celine's heart thudded in her chest, but she forced a roll of her eyes. "Keep dreaming, Lance."
He smiled knowingly. "Oh, I will."
Later that day
They ended up being assigned to the same project presentation by their boss—something about a partnership pitch that was supposed to be professional.
Supposed.
"Can you stop doodling hearts on the draft?" inis na untag ni Crline habang nirereview nila ang kanilang notes.
"It’s called visual creativity," Lance replied innocently. "Besides, they’re not hearts. They’re… abstract."
"They have arrows on them," she deadpanned.
"Fine. Siguro nga subconsciously, I’m inspired by someone." sabi ni Lance sa kanya sabay ng tinging makahulugan.
Celine exhaled sharply. "Oh my God. I swear, if you keep this up, I’m requesting a transfer."
"And miss this daily banter? No way," Lance said, leaning back with that infuriating grin. "Face it, Celine. You missed me."
She froze, not expecting the sudden sincerity in his tone. For a second, it was as if the noise of the busy office faded and she was back in that college hallway—him smiling at her like he knew something she didn’t.
But Celine quickly shook it off. "Missed you? Please. The only thing I missed was the peace and quiet when you weren’t around."
Lance chuckled softly. "We’ll see about that."
- Writer
