Perfect Pair (Patrick POV)
1426 Words
“Kung hindi tayo bagay sa mata ng lahat, bakit parang gusto nila tayong gawing totoo?”
Nasa loob ng isang luxury restaurant sa Ortigas si Patrick Valdemor, nakaupo sa long table na puno ng campus elites, sponsors, at ilang media people na inimbita para sa “celebrity recognition night” ng university.
Sa tapat niya, si Alyssa Monteverde.
Hindi sila magkatabi dahil sa gusto nila, kundi dahil sa konsepto ng event.
Perfect Pair Award.
Isang label na hindi nila pinili, pero kailangan nilang gampanan ngayong gabi.
Patrick leaned back on his chair, relaxed ang posture pero malamig ang presensya.
“Walang gustong gawing totoo,” sagot niya.
Alyssa looked at him calmly.
“Then bakit tayo nandito?”
“Because they like stories,” sagot ni Patrick.
Alyssa nodded slightly.
“And we’re the easiest one to sell.”
Sandaling katahimikan.
Sa paligid nila, may mga cameras, flashes, at mga bulong na hindi naman talaga bulong dahil sinasadya talagang marinig.
“Grabe, bagay talaga sila.”
“Campus royalty vibes.”
“Power couple energy.”
Patrick heard everything.
Pero hindi siya reactive.
Sanay na siya sa ganito.
Pero ngayon, iba.
Kasi hindi lang siya ang topic.
Si Alyssa din.
At hindi niya alam kung dapat ba siyang ma-please o ma-annoy.
“Smile ka naman,” bulong ni Brian mula sa gilid, nakatayo bilang escort ng team.
“Hindi ako modelo,” sagot ni Patrick.
“Hindi, pero kayo ang poster couple ngayon,” sagot ni Brian.
Patrick didn’t smile.
Pero tumingin siya kay Alyssa.
She wasn’t smiling either.
Pero hindi rin siya stiff.
Controlled lang.
Parang alam niya ang role niya pero hindi niya ito sinasapuso.
“Ganyan ka talaga?” tanong ni Patrick habang nakatingin sa kanya.
“Ganyan ano?” sagot ni Alyssa.
“Hindi nag-aadjust sa expectation.”
Alyssa tilted her head slightly.
“Bakit ako mag-aadjust kung hindi ko naman choice ang expectation?”
Patrick smirked.
“So you’re saying you don’t care.”
“I’m saying I don’t obey noise.”
Patrick leaned forward slightly.
“Noise?”
Alyssa looked around.
“This.”
Crowd.
Cameras.
Whispers.
“Everything that tries to define us.”
Patrick paused.
That line hit differently.
Not because it was deep.
But because it was accurate.
“Then what are we?” tanong niya.
Alyssa looked at him directly.
“Two people sitting at a table.”
Patrick smirked slightly.
“That’s it?”
“That’s all it is.”
Sandaling katahimikan.
Then the host of the event approached their table.
“Ladies and gentlemen, our campus MVP and Miss Monteverde, please stand for the recognition segment.”
Patrick stood up first.
Automatic.
Control.
Habit.
Alyssa followed.
Hindi siya late.
Hindi rin siya exaggerated.
Just aligned.
Sa stage, habang pinapakita sa malaking screen ang highlights nila from games, events, at campus appearances, naririnig ni Patrick ang applause.
Pero hindi niya ito nararamdaman.
Sanay na siya sa ganito.
Ang hindi sanay sa kanya ngayon ay yung fact na may kasama siya sa spotlight na hindi sumusunod sa same emotional rhythm.
Alyssa stood beside him.
Hands relaxed.
Expression neutral.
Pero hindi lost.
Present lang.
“Perfect pair talaga,” sabi ng announcer.
Patrick almost scoffed.
Perfect.
That word again.
Sa gitna ng flash ng camera, may isang moment na nag tagpo ang mata nila.
Hindi long stare.
Not dramatic.
Pero enough.
Enough para maramdaman niyang hindi siya nag-iisa sa spotlight.
But also enough para maramdaman niyang hindi siya kinokontrol nito.
After the segment, bumalik sila sa table.
Mas malakas na ang energy ng crowd.
Mas open na ang comments.
Mas obvious na ang narrative.
“Ang lamig nila pero bagay.”
“Parang power couple na walang drama pero intense.”
Patrick sat down.
Ininom niya ang tubig sa harap niya.
Alyssa sat down beside him, pero may slight distance pa rin.
“You hate this,” sabi niya.
Patrick looked at her.
“I don’t hate it.”
“You tolerate it.”
Patrick smirked.
“That sounds more accurate.”
Alyssa leaned slightly back.
“I don’t tolerate it.”
Patrick raised an eyebrow.
“Then what do you do?”
“I observe how long people will keep forcing meaning on something meaningless.”
Patrick paused.
That line again.
Meaningless.
She didn’t romanticize anything.
She didn’t dramatize anything.
She just stripped things down.
“Bakit ka pa sumasali kung ganun?” tanong niya.
Alyssa looked at him.
“Because I want to see if meaning appears on its own.”
Patrick leaned forward slightly.
“And does it?”
Alyssa paused.
“Not yet.”
That answer lingered.
After dinner, lumabas sila ng restaurant for the post event media photoshoot.
Mas controlled ang environment ngayon.
White backdrop.
Sponsors behind.
Photographers calling their names.
“Patrick and Alyssa! look here!”
Patrick stood on one side.
Alyssa stood beside him.
Close enough for perception.
Far enough for distance.
“Closer please,” sabi ng photographer.
Patrick didn’t move.
Alyssa didn’t immediately move either.
Sandaling katahimikan.
Then she stepped half a step closer.
Not leaning.
Not touching.
Just adjusting.
Patrick noticed.
She never overcommitted.
Even in physical space.
“Smile!” sigaw ng photographer.
Patrick gave a slight smirk.
Alyssa gave a small controlled smile.
Camera clicked.
“Perfect!”
After multiple shots, they were allowed to step down.
Brian approached immediately.
“Bro, trending kayo ulit.”
Patrick didn’t respond.
Alyssa overheard.
“Of course,” she said lightly.
Patrick looked at her.
“You like that?”
Alyssa shrugged.
“I like predictable outcomes.”
Patrick smirked.
“That’s ironic.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m the opposite of predictable.”
Alyssa looked at him.
“No,” she said calmly.
Patrick frowned slightly.
“No?”
“You’re predictable in patterns, not actions.”
That made him pause.
“You analyze me too much.”
Alyssa nodded.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you make it easy.”
Patrick stared at her.
Easy.
That word didn’t sit right.
After the event, nasa parking area na sila.
Cars waiting.
Security holding crowd back.
Patrick opened his car door.
Alyssa was about to enter her own vehicle when he stopped slightly.
“Hey,” he said.
She turned.
“What?”
“Do you enjoy this?” he asked again.
Alyssa looked at him for a second.
“Which part?”
“All of it.”
Alyssa thought briefly.
“No.”
Patrick raised an eyebrow.
“Then why stay in it?”
Alyssa answered simply.
“Because I’m not reacting emotionally doesn’t mean I’m absent.”
Patrick paused.
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
Alyssa nodded slightly.
“I know.”
Then she added,
“I just didn’t answer the one you actually meant.”
That made him stop.
“You think you know what I meant?”
Alyssa looked at him calmly.
“Yes.”
Patrick smirked slightly.
“And what did I mean?”
Alyssa leaned slightly toward him.
“You’re asking if I feel what people assume I feel.”
Sandaling katahimikan.
Patrick didn’t deny.
Alyssa continued.
“I don’t.”
That answer was firm.
Not defensive.
Not emotional.
Just final.
Patrick watched her.
For the first time, hindi niya mabasa kung advantage ba yun o disadvantage.
“Then what do you feel?” he asked.
Alyssa paused.
Then answered,
“Nothing that you think I should feel.”
That line stayed.
Longer than expected.
Then she entered her car.
Before closing the door, she looked at him.
“See you in the next expectation.”
Then she closed it.
And left.
Patrick stood there for a moment.
Watching her car leave.
Brian approached.
“Bro, what was that?”
Patrick didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he opened his own car door.
“Nothing,” he said.
But even as he said it, hindi siya convinced sa sarili niyang sagot.
Inside the car, habang bumababa ang city lights, nag ring ang phone niya.
Group chat.
Screenshots again.
“Campus wants official couple interview.”
Patrick stared at it.
Then looked out the window.
And for the first time since he became MVP, he realized something uncomfortable.
He wasn’t controlling the narrative anymore.
He was inside it.
“Patrick?” driver asked.
Ngunit bago siya sumagot, another notification popped.
Alyssa.
Message:
“Don’t get used to it.”
Patrick didn’t reply.
He just stared at the screen at tahimik niyang naibulong sa sarili...
“This is getting unnecessary.”
“Sir, saan po tayo?” driver asked again.
- Writer
