Pieces Of You

Chapter 6

Patricia

The moment we stepped inside, alam ko agad na magiging problema na naman si Bianca ngayong gabi.

The music pulsed through the club while colored lights swept across the room. Servers moved effortlessly between tables carrying trays filled with cocktails and expensive-looking drinks.

Busy ang lugar.

Hindi iyong nakakasakal na siksikan.

Saktong puno lang para maramdaman mong buhay ang buong club.

May mga taong sumasayaw sa dance floor.

May mga grupo namang abala sa kwentuhan.

Some were celebrating something.

Others looked like they were simply trying to forget an exhausting week.honestly? relatable

"Finally," Bianca announced dramatically habang sinusundan namin ang staff papunta sa reserved table namin. "For one night, bawal pag-usapan ang trabaho."

Tinuro ko siya.

"Ikaw ang unang nagbanggit."

"That doesn't count."

"Paano naging hindi counted?"

"Because I'm making the rules."

Napailing nalang ako.

Some things never changed.

Pagdating namin sa table, agad na umupo si Bianca at inilabas ang cellphone niya.Across from me, inayos niya ang ilang hibla ng buhok niya bago tiningnan ang sarili sa screen.Not that she needed to.The woman somehow managed to look presentable all the time.

Tonight, she was wearing an emerald-green dress that suited her perfectly.Knowing Bianca, sasabihin niyang sale niya nabili iyon.

Nobody would believe her.

Meanwhile, si Marco, gaya ng inaasahan, menu agad ang inatupag.Food always seemed to have his full attention.His broad shoulders nearly blocked Adrian's view habang seryosong pinag-aaralan ang drinks list.

"Move."

"No."

"Marco."

"I got here first."

Natawa ako.

Fifteen years na silang magkaibigan pero parang walang pagbabago.Adrian looked seconds away from throwing the menu at him.

Between them sat Sophie.Long dark hair rested over one shoulder habang tahimik na nag-scroll sa phone niya.Somehow, she always looked effortlessly elegant.

Beside me, Vanessa settled comfortably into her seat.Simple lang ang suot niya compared kay Bianca.A beige dress paired with delicate jewelry.Nothing flashy.

Pero bagay na bagay sa kanya.

Professional.Exactly the way she carried herself even outside the office.

Though judging by the cocktail she ordered, mukhang desidido siyang kalimutan muna ang spreadsheets ngayong gabi.

A healthy decision.One I should probably learn from.

Across the table, Jez loosened the sleeves of his shirt before leaning comfortably against the booth.

The gigolo is annoyingly handsome.

A fact na matagal ko nang tinanggap.

Fortunately, years of friendship had made me immune.

"I'd like everyone to remember," he announced, "that tonight, Bianca is not my responsibility."

Bianca looked offended.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"You've known me for fifteen years."

"Exactly why I'm saying it."

Laughter erupted around the table.Even Vanessa smiled into her drink.A few minutes later, our drinks arrived.Then another round.Then another.

And before long, the conversation drifted toward old memories.

Which was significantly more interesting than discussing work.

Marco suddenly pointed at Sophie.

"Do you remember Palawan?"

Sophie's eyes immediately closed.

"Oh no."

A grin spread across Marco's face.

The kind that usually meant someone was about to get exposed.

"What happened?" Bianca asked.

"The kayak."

The entire table exploded.

Even Jez nearly spilled his drink.

Meanwhile, Sophie looked ready to disappear.

I mentally laughed.

"You're still bringing that up?"

"It deserves to be remembered."

"It deserves to be buried."

Bianca immediately sat up straighter."Wait. I wasn't there for that trip."

Marco looked delighted."We rented kayaks."

"Oh my God," Sophie muttered.

"And somehow this woman managed to get stuck."

Bianca blinked."Stuck where?"

"In a tree."

The silence lasted exactly two seconds.Then Bianca nearly fell off her chair laughing.

"A tree?"

"There was wind."

"Trees don't grow in the middle of the ocean, Sophie."

"They do near the shore!"

The table dissolved into laughter again.A little while later, Bianca suddenly pointed at me.

Pinanliitan ko siya ng mata."What?"

Her grin widened."Remember Bora?"

I covered my face."No."

"Absolutely yes."

Vanessa looked between us."What happened?"

Nobody helped me.fucking shit

Jez was already laughing.sinamaan ko siya ng tingin.

"Patricia got locked outside her hotel room."

Vanessa blinked."That's normal."

Bianca continued."Wearing only a towel."

Vanessa immediately choked on her drink.The entire table erupted.

Oh God.I wanted new friends.Immediately.

For the next hour, stories continued flowing naturally.Old vacations,College memories,Road trips that went horribly wrong.

Questionable decisions that somehow became funnier as years passed.

Nang Dumating ang pangatlong round ng drinks, everyone looked noticeably more relaxed.Including me.Which probably should have worried somebody.

Eventually, the music shifted.

The crowd near the dance floor erupted into cheers.Without warning, Bianca stood.

"Oh no," Sophie muttered.

"Oh yes."

Before anyone could protest, Bianca grabbed Sophie's wrist and dragged her toward the dance floor.The poor woman didn't even have time to resist.

Marco and Adrian followed.

A few minutes later, even Vanessa surrendered.I stayed where I was.

Comfortably.Exactly where I intended to remain.At least for a while.

From my seat, I watched them disappear into the crowd.

People moved with the rhythm while colored lights swept across the room.

Bianca swayed effortlessly to the music, one arm raised above her head while Sophie laughed beside her after finally giving up on pretending she didn't want to dance.

Nearby, Marco appeared convinced he possessed professional-level dance skills.

Nobody had the heart to correct him.Unti-unti nang nagwo-work ang alak.Less concerned about tomorrow.Less concerned about responsibilities.Just friends and Good music.

And one night where I could simply exist without worrying about the next morning.

The thought had barely crossed my mind when I looked up and noticed someone watching me from across the room.

Not in a creepy way.The kind of glance people gave when they happened to notice someone before looking away again.

Except he didn't immediately look away.For a brief moment, our eyes met across the crowded club.

Then someone stepped between us.

The moment disappeared.I frowned slightly.Maybe I imagined it.The alcohol wasn't helping.

Not that I was drunk.Just enough to stop paying attention to every little detail.

A few minutes later, Sophie suddenly appeared beside our table.Slightly breathless.

A little flushed from dancing.And definitely amused.

"Bianca wants everybody on the dance floor."

"No."

"That wasn't a request."

Napabuntong-hininga ako.

Unfortunately, years of friendship had conditioned us to listen to Bianca's nonsense.At least occasionally.

A few minutes later, I found myself standing among flashing lights and questionable decisions.

The dance floor was packed.Bodies moved with the music.Some people danced with impressive confidence.Others clearly relied on enthusiasm instead of talent.

The atmosphere didn't care.Everyone seemed too busy enjoying themselves to judge anyone else.

I laughed as Marco attempted something that should probably never be attempted again.

Adrian immediately refused to be associated with him.Sophie was laughing too hard to help.

Jez looked seconds away from abandoning all of us.

Meanwhile, Bianca appeared completely in her element.

The woman moved effortlessly with the music, somehow convincing complete strangers to join whatever chaos she was creating.

I shook my head.Then turned.

And nearly collided with someone.

A warm hand caught my arm before I lost my balance.

Firm enough to stop my fall without pulling me closer.

My breath caught for the briefest moment.

"Careful."

The voice was low.

I looked up.And for a brief second, parang humina ang ingay sa paligid.