The Case of Falling For You

Chapter 34

I didn’t know how Andrè did it, but somehow, napapayag niya akong mag-skip ng first week of class. As in buong week wala kami sa Manila—nasa Baguio kami para “magpalamig.” Literal. Kasi nga daw, mainit sa syudad at malamig sa piling mo, Maricon. Tangina. Ewan ko ba kung bakit kinikilig ako sa ganun. Corny pero effective, parang Yakult.

On our way back, dumaan pa kami ng Pangasinan kasi gusto niyang makita si Ellie. Aww. Tapos true enough, walang pumasok na prof buong linggo. Swerte? Sadyang tamad ang universe ngayon? Hindi ko alam. Basta, wala akong guilt.

Pagbalik namin sa school, Jax was giving us the “ano-na-naman-ang-pinaggagawa-nyo” look. Alam mo ‘yung tingin na parang siya na lang ang matinong nilalang sa paligid? Ayun ‘yun. Pero hindi pa rin namin sinasabi na kami na ni Andrè. It felt weird to announce it like, “Hey guys! By the way, we now officially hold hands!”

Parang wala namang nagbago. Magkasama pa rin kami palagi—nadagdagan lang ng hand holding, occasional forehead kisses (na parang “bless” pero romantic), at siyempre ‘yung random “baby” ni Andrè na parang nasasanay na ako pero minsan kinikilabutan pa rin ako. Sino ka, ha?

Nasa hallway pa rin kami. Mukhang no show ulit ang professor namin. Classic. Oblicon dapat ngayon. At para sa mga ‘di pa tinatamaan ng realidad—Obligations and Contracts. The subject that makes or breaks your will to live. Sabi ng upperclassmen, ito raw ang foundation ng buong legal career mo. Which, frankly, is not helping my mental state.

“Andrè,” I said. Lumingon siya. “Magaling ka ba sa Oblicon?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ll see. Why?”

Tumingin ako kina Jax at Kaye na nagsimula nang magbasa. As in advance reading. Grabe. I didn’t want to call them nerds, but they were nerds. Hindi lang basta nerds—sila ‘yung tatlong araw na walang ligo basta makabasa ng codal level. May sariling highlight system pa.

“Feel ko mahihirapan ako,” I admitted. “Magpapaturo na lang ako kay Jax. Wala namang magagalit ‘dun, no? May nahanap ka na bang papakilala sa kanya?”

Ah yes, one of our more questionable hobbies as a couple: Finding the perfect girl for Jax.

Wala kaming idea kung anong type niya. Minsan feeling namin babae talaga gusto niya, minsan hindi kami sure. Pero ang alam namin, nagkaroon siya ng ex-girlfriend—and grabe, ang ganda. Parang artista na Valedictorian. Paano niya napaibig ‘yun? Anong gayuma gamit niya?

“Wala pa,” sagot ni Andrè. “But I tried to install Tinder in his phone. When he asked, I panicked. So I told him it’s mine.”

Napakunot noo ako. “What? But didn’t you already tell him you’re seeing someone?”

Tumango siya. “Right... So if he looks at me with full disappointment, it’s because he thinks I’m cheating.”

“You f*****g weirdo.”

He laughed. “I’m sorry! I just panicked. Alam mo ‘yung disappointed look niya? Nakakahiya talaga.”

Tama naman. Si Jax, laging parang bagong gising na prof na hindi impressed sa recit mo.

“Bakit mo ba kasi ininstall sa phone niya?”

“Because he needs to meet girls! If I install it in my phone, ako ang kailangang magreply!”

“Feeling mo naman magrereply ‘yun?” I asked.

“Ako na bahala dun, baby. Leave it to me. Jax won’t graduate without a girlfriend.”

Why were we so obsessed with Jax’s lovelife?

Baka kasi naubusan na kami ng shows sa Netflix. So ang latest binge namin: Real Life Drama – Jax Edition.

We stayed in the hall for a while, pero as expected: no prof. Kaya naman para hindi sayang ang bihis at ligo namin, dumiretso kami sa bookstore.

I stared at the Jurado Oblicon book na parang pinaplano ko nang i-marry. Mahal kasi. Parang tuition fee ng isang sem. And I wasn’t even sure if this was the required text!

“Are you gonna buy it?” tanong ni Andrè.

“Baka ‘di ‘to ‘yung recommended. And ‘di pa nga natin kilala ‘yung prof.”

Sumandal siya sa shelf at nag-cross ng arms. Lord have mercy. Ang mga ugat sa braso niya, parang sine-save ako sa kakulangan ng motivation. Alam mo ‘yung tipong, “Hindi ko na kaya magbasa ng codal… pero nakita ko ‘yung veins ni Andrè, kaya ko ulit!”

“If it’s not the required book, then I’ll buy the required one and we’ll exchange, okay?” sabi niya.

“Bakit mo naman gagawin ‘yun?”

“Ewan ko. You just look really conflicted,” he said, smiling. “And because we’re still going to the mall.”

“Oh sh*t!” I said. Oo nga pala! I promised to go with him to get a haircut. As much as I adored his wavy, K-drama-boy-in-the-rain vibe, law school isn’t K-drama. First sem pa lang may student na tinawanan kasi naka-ponytail siya. Atty. called him “Rapunzel.” Tragic.

I bought the book. Bahala na si Jurado.

We left, but as always—Manila traffic said no. May banggaan sa EDSA. We spent two hours stuck in the car. Sumigaw pa ako ng “I hate this city!” habang si Andrè ay chill lang, kumakanta pa ng Ironic ni Alanis Morissette.

Pagdating namin sa condo, late na. Most restos were closing, so we got fast food. Nasa unit ko kami, and he was setting up the table like a househusband.

“Are you really that determined to get me a haircut?” natatawang tanong niya habang kinakain ‘yung fries niya ng pabaliktad. Wala lang. Gusto niya lang mahirapan.

“I am,” I said. “Para hindi ka ma-lecture-an ng hair discrimination sa Oblicon class.”

“Eh kung gusto mo pala akong gupitan, eh ‘di ikaw na,” he joked.

Napangiti ako. “Don’t test me. May gunting ako sa drawer. Hindi lang pang-project, pangrevenge din.”

He smirked. “Scary ka, baby. Pero ang hot mo pag galit.”

“Put*ng—kumain ka na lang dyan,” I said, throwing a napkin at his face.

Pero kahit ganyan siya, kahit na minsan gusto ko siyang isaksak sa rice cooker... mahal ko pa rin. At least hindi niya ako iniwan sa traffic.

I looked at his stupid face.

Ang haba na talaga ng buhok ni Andrè. As in, malapit na siyang sabihan ni Atty. Ladezma na pwede na siyang sumali sa boyband o sumakay ng kabayo habang naka-topless sa El Nido habang may humahagis ng tubig sa likod niya in slow motion.

“Andrè,” I called habang sinasawsaw niya ‘yung fries sa ketchup like he was trying to baptize it. “Do you trust me?”

He paused, burger halfway to his mouth. Tiningnan niya ako na parang napansin niyang may masamang balak ako, which was, honestly, fair.

“What do you want?” he asked, may ketchup pa sa labi niya.

I smiled at him like a kindergarten student na may ginawang krimen sa Crayola. Mas lalo siyang nagduda.

“What are you planning to do, Maricon Santiago?”

I beamed wildly and rested my chin sa dalawang palad ko. “Mahal mo naman ako, ‘di ba?”

He slowly put the burger down. “Yes… but my love has its limits,” sabi niya habang masama pa rin tingin. “What do you want?”

I pouted and dramatically pointed at his mane of chaos. “Sobrang nababother na ako sa buhok mo.”

“Can’t you just wait ‘til tomorrow? I promise I’ll get a haircut first thing.”

Umiling ako like a disapproving tita. “Too late. Please let me cut your hair?”

“What?! You’re crazy!”

“Sige na? I’ll watch YouTube tutorials para ‘di ako magkamali! May nakita nga akong naggupit gamit lang kutsilyo—”

“There’s a reason barbershops exist, Maricon,” he said, raising a brow. “Because professionals should do it.”

Tumayo ako. Tumayo rin siya. Pero mas matangkad siya so talo ako, as usual. I walked behind him and hugged him from the back, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Sige naaaa? ‘Di naman kita papapangitin. Syempre, kapag pumangit ka, maaapektuhan din ang branding ko.”

He turned his head slightly, and I kissed his cheek for extra bribe points.

He groaned. “Still a no. Not my hair.”

“Sige na? Ano bang gusto mong kapalit?” I asked, this time while stroking his hair like I was taming a lion.

He turned fully until our faces were just inches apart. PUTCHA. Close-up alert. Eye contact was made, and I swear narinig ko theme song ng My Love From The Star sa background.

“Fine,” he finally said.

“Ano’ng kapalit?” I asked, sus.

“Soon. I’ll tell you when I think of something,” he smirked, like some bargain-loving demon.