Arrange Hearts

CHAPTER 8

The Next Day

The library was quieter than usual, with only the soft rustling of pages and the occasional whisper filling the air. I sat at one of the large tables, my notebook open in front of me, though my thoughts were a million miles away. It wasn’t like me to feel this distracted—lalo na pag alam kong may project session ako with Felix. Normally, I’d be over the moon. But today, my mind kept drifting back to last night.

Evan.

His teasing voice, the way he said goodnight… I shook my head, trying to push the thought away. Focus on Felix, Ada. You’ve liked him for so long. And Evan is just a scum bag I've evet known. He's only teasing me, and he's good at it. It's nothing for him, Ada, focus. I was about to review the project outline when I saw Felix approaching from across the room. My heart did a little flip, as it always did when I saw him.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Felix said, taking the seat beside me. His smile was soft, almost shy, and that made my heart race even more. It always had this effect on me. I smiled back, feeling the familiar warmth in my chest. This is how it’s supposed to feel, I reminded myself.

“No worries,” I replied, trying to sound casual. “I was just going over the outline. I thought we could start with the design?”

“Sounds good,” he said, leaning closer to look at my notes. His arm brushed lightly against mine, and I felt a warm flush rise to my cheeks. Felix is the one. I’ve always liked him. This is what I want.

But as we worked, I found myself drifting. Felix was so calm, so thoughtful, asking for my input on the project. He was kind, just like always, and I should’ve been happy, right? But every now and then, that stupid moment with Evan flashed in my mind—his teasing grin, the way he looked at me.

Why was I thinking about him?

“Ok ka lang ba, Ada?” Felix asked suddenly, breaking me out of my thoughts. I blinked and realized I hadn’t been listening to a word he just said. “You seem distracted.”

“Oh, uh, no. I’m fine,” I said quickly, trying to cover my awkwardness with a smile. “Just thinking about how to phrase the design.” I bit my lip. Felix noticed. Ugh, get it together, Ada.

Felix nodded, though he studied me for a second longer than I was comfortable with. “Well, you always write well, so I’m sure whatever you come up with will be great,” he said, his voice so sincere it made me blush.

“Thanks, Felix,” I muttered, looking down at my notebook. My heart skipped a beat. How was it that Felix could make me feel so flustered with just a few words?

We settled back into working, and for a moment, it was perfect—just the two of us. It was peaceful, easy. This was what I’d always wanted. Felix is the one I like. Not Evan. Just Felix.

But then my phone buzzed, snapping me out of my thoughts. I glanced at the screen, and my heart raced for an entirely different reason.

It was a message from Evan:

“How’s the project going? Need any help? 😉”

Seriously?! I stared at the message for a second, my face heating up again. I quickly flipped my phone over, hoping Felix didn’t notice. Why was Evan texting me? And why did my chest feel weird seeing his name pop up?

“Everything okay?” Felix asked, his eyes briefly flicking to my phone before meeting mine again. He sounded casual, but there was a hint of curiosity in his voice.

“Oh, yeah, just a random message,” I lied, trying to sound calm. But my mind was spinning, and I couldn’t shake that stupid fluttery feeling.

As Felix went back to reading, I tried to refocus on the project, but it was no use. Evan’s message, that stupid winking emoji—it was all I could think about.

And that terrified me.

Felix is the one you like, I reminded myself again. But no matter how much I tried, Evan was still there, lingering in the back of my mind like a shadow I couldn’t shake.

After a few hours of working, I leaned back in my chair, arms stretched high above my head. My shoulders felt stiff from sitting for too long, so I let out a soft sigh of relief. Just as I was settling back, I noticed Felix doing the exact same thing—stretching his arms, yawning quietly. We caught each other mid-stretch, and our eyes met.

There was this awkward pause before we both burst out laughing. It was the kind of laugh that felt easy, natural—like we both needed the break from the intense focus.

“Grabe, synchronized pa tayo,” Felix said with a grin, shaking his head. His eyes sparkled with amusement, and I couldn’t help but smile back.

“Practice lang,” I teased, mimicking a stretch again, making it look exaggerated.

Felix chuckled, leaning back against his chair. “Sino mas magaling mag-stretch, ikaw o ako?” He shot me a playful look, clearly trying to challenge me.

I raised an eyebrow, playing along. “Ako, syempre. Mas flexible ako, no.”

“Talaga ba?” he said, raising both eyebrows now, clearly amused. “Di halata. Parang mas stiff ka pa nga kaysa sa akin.” He motioned towards my shoulders, as if to emphasize his point.

I rolled my eyes, but I was still smiling. “Eh ikaw nga, kala mo di napapagod. Pero kitang-kita ko na nangangalay ka na rin,” I countered, nudging him lightly with my elbow.

He laughed, a soft, genuine sound that made my heart do that weird little flutter again. “Okay, fine, patas na lang tayo.”

“Ay, parang talo ka na eh,” I teased back, unable to resist.

“Magaling ka lang mang-asar,” he shot back, still grinning. "Pero next time, ako naman panalo sa stretching, ha!"

I smirked, crossing my arms. “Tingnan natin, Felix. Baka sa susunod, di mo na ako matalo.”

He leaned in slightly, giving me a mock serious look. "Challenge accepted, Ada."

And just like that, the teasing turned the atmosphere light again, bringing back that familiar, comfortable feeling between us. It was moments like this that reminded me why I’d liked Felix for so long. Simple, playful, and just so… easy.

But then, in the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but remember Evan’s teasing grin. Bakit ba ang kulit mo, Evan? I thought, shaking my head slightly as I tried to focus back on Felix. This is Felix. This is where you’re supposed to be.

Still, as our laughter echoed through the quiet library, I couldn't fully silence the other thoughts swirling in my head.

Malapit na talagang matapos ang project namin ni Felix. I should be relieved, right? Matatapos na din ang stress, wala nang late nights sa library, walang deadlines to worry about. Pero a different kind of stress started creeping in—does this mean Felix and I would never have a reason to spend time together again?

I couldn't shake the thought. Sure, we'd still see each other in class, maybe exchange a few smiles or small talk, but it wouldn’t be like this—just the two of us, working side by side. Paano na lang kapag natapos na 'to? Back to normal na ba? Just classmates?

With a sigh, I tried to push the thought away as I walked down the hallway to my next class. Stop overthinking, Ada. Matatapos na lang, ginagawan mo pa ng drama. But I couldn’t help it. My mind was buzzing with what-ifs.

Pagliko ko sa next corridor, I saw Violet walking toward me. I almost didn’t recognize her at first. She looked... different. Usually, Violet’s the type who's always lively, always smiling—pero ngayon, her face was pale, her eyes downcast, like she hadn’t slept. Something was definitely off.

“Violet?” I called out softly, walking toward her. She looked up, and I could see the exhaustion etched on her face. It wasn’t just physical—something was weighing heavy on her, you could see it in her eyes.

“Hey, Ada,” she greeted back, her voice barely a whisper. She tried to smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

I frowned, stopping in front of her. “Okay ka lang ba? Parang hindi ka okay…” I asked, concern creeping into my voice. Violet was never like this.

She shrugged, trying to act like everything was fine, pero halatang she's struggling. “Medyo pagod lang. Lots of stuff going on,” she said, pero I could tell there was more to it than that.

“Hindi ‘yan ‘pagod’ lang, Violet. You don’t look like your usual self,” I insisted, lowering my voice. “May problema ba?”

She hesitated for a moment, like she wasn’t sure if she should tell me. Her fingers fidgeted with the strap of her bag, and she looked down. “It’s just... some personal stuff. Nothing big.”

I raised an eyebrow. Nothing big? She looked like she was carrying the weight of the world. “Alam mo, you can talk to me, right? Hindi kita pipilitin, pero kung kailangan mo ng kausap, nandito lang ako.” I gave her a reassuring smile, hoping she'd open up.

She sighed, her shoulders slumping as if the weight she’d been carrying suddenly became too much. “Honestly, Ada, I don’t know. I just feel... lost.” She paused, looking around the hallway as if making sure no one was listening. “There’s just so much happening. Family stuff, school stress… I feel like I can’t breathe.”

My heart tightened at her words. I hadn’t seen Violet like this before. Usually, she was the one who had everything together. “I get it, minsan parang ang dami sabay-sabay. Pero Violet, you don’t have to carry it all alone. Have you talked to anyone about it?”

She shook her head. “Not really. I didn’t want to burden anyone.”

“Hindi burden ‘yan. Friends tayo, ‘di ba? Kaya nga nandito kami—para makinig, para tumulong.” I reached out and lightly squeezed her arm. “Kung kailangan mo ng break or someone to vent to, just text me, okay? You’re not alone.”

For the first time, Violet’s eyes softened a bit. It wasn’t much, but it was something. “Thanks, Ada. I might take you up on that,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

I nodded, giving her a small smile. “Anytime, Violet.”

As she walked away, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of worry. Whatever Violet was going through, it wasn’t something that would just go away overnight. I hope she’s okay, I thought, watching her disappear down the hallway.

I turned towards my classroom, still thinking about Violet and her struggles. But somewhere in the back of my mind, that nagging thought about Felix resurfaced again. Pag natapos na ang project namin, what happens to us?

And just like that, I realized—things weren’t as simple as I wanted them to be.

And I also realized na classmate kami ni violet pero pinauna ko siya maglakad. Face palm, Ada. I called out "Violet, wait up!"