Let Love Happen

Chapter 5 - that prom thing

I stifled a yawn as Tristan walked in front of the Conference Room for his presentation. The meeting started at two and it's now thirty minutes past five in the afternoon. If I had known na tatagal ng ganito ang meeting, sana pinatulan ko na ang kapeng tinimpla ni Megan kahit na matabang iyon bago ako umalis ng Business Office.

I didn't want to seem bored pero mas hindi ko kayang umarte na excited akong makinig sa idi-discuss niyang proposal for the Christmas Party. I didn't have much to say apart from my budget proposal at kung pwede lang na lumabas na after ng part ko, ginawa ko na. It took almost an hour bago sila nagkasundo sa theme, another hour on the menu, forty-five minutes sa program and who knows how long sa venue?

Kabaligtaran naman ng inip ko ang energy ng kontrabida sa buhay ko dahil very attentive siya kanina nang mag-present ako ng budget. At bakit nga ba hindi? Inaabangan niya lahat ng maliit na pagkakamali ko at pinupuna maging ang kaunting kakulangan sa report ko. Bakit ko nga ba naisip na dahil medyo gentleman siya noong gabi bago mag-All Souls' Day ay magbabago na lahat? Who was I kidding when I thought he would be less obnoxious after our Halloween encounter? Fat chance. It has in fact worsened on the following days and weeks.

When we saw each other upon returning for work, he greeted me again with that smug smile. Ang maganda pa doon, may pasalubong siyang suman yakap sa lahat na kasamahan niya sa Business Office, except me. Ms. Kaira, my fellow Supervisor who handles Billing & Collection, was kind enough to share her suman with me but as much as I missed that native Batangas delicacy, parang hindi ko iyon malunok dahil sa inis.

I was also introduced to the Editorial Board of Primeworks Publishing the following week. I know na hindi instant ang pagiging writer ko rito. Magiging contributor muna ako ng monthly articles for the meantime. Dadaan pa iyon sa maraming evaluation bago makakapasa and that's okay. Ang hindi okay ay ang nalaman ko na pati pala sa Publishing ay kasama siya as on-call Graphic Artist and Photographer. Nagkakabarahan tuloy kami everytime na may meeting. Palagi niyang kinokontra ang mga idea ko.

"Ang gwapo talaga ni Sir Matt," I heard a not so silent whisper beside me. It was the Executive Secretary, who was taking down the Minutes of the Meeting, talking to Hailey.

"Oo nga, he's oozing with confidence at ang talino pa," Hailey concurred bago ako kinalabit sa siko.

"Don't you agree, Miss Audrey?" she then asked me.

By now I'm getting pretty much used to seeing girls drool over this piece of jerk. Sa tuwing may meeting, iyong upuan sa tabi niya ang pinakaunang nao-occupy. Sandaling tumitigil ang mga tsismisan sa opisina kapag dumaraan siya at kumikislap ang mata ng mga dalaga sa tuwing kinakausap niya. Kahit sa Ladies' Room, siya ang trending topic.

To give justice to these girls' poor taste, may mga qualities nga rin naman na admirable kay Mr. Yabang. According to them, he's good looking, funny, talented and smart. But in my opinion, that still doesn't give him a license to be a jerk.

When Hailey prompted me to answer her question by prodding me with her elbow, I gave her a disgusted look before rolling my eyes.

"Please don't ask me, I hate his guts," I frankly said.

She looked at me with disbelief before her eyes turned dreamy while watching Tristan connect his laptop to the projector.

"How can you not find him gorgeous? He's tall, he has a very manly complexion, he has a great body. Look at those eyes, they're to die for! And his thin lips, how could -"

I raised a hand to stop her from talking and pretended to throw up.

"Please...spare me the details," I begged in exaggeration, making Hailey laugh.

By this time, alam kong nahahalata na ng mga officemates namin ang tension sa pagitan namin. Nagiging past time na niya ang magpatawa at my expense sa office at kahit sa mga meeting, pinahihirapan niya ako sa mga tanong niya. As much as I want to propose a silent war, that was obviously not his style. At kung mas gusto niya ang all-out war, then I'll give him that.

"Good afternoon, everyone," Tristan confidently greeted while his computer was starting.

I straightened up on my seat and hid an evil smile. Ilang beses ba niya akong iginisa sa mga meetings at ipinahiya by pointing out my petty mistakes? It's about time I get even.

"My computer seemed to have some trouble starting up, forgive me for the minor delay," he apologized to the audience who seemed not to mind, especially the girls who were contented by just seeing him stand in front. The attendees of the meeting patiently sat still while I waited in anticipation for his wallpaper to come alive.

Tingnan ko ang self-confidence mo na 'yan, I challenged him in my head.

I was excited to see how embarrassed he will be when his laptop finally lit up. And when I heard multiple gasps of surprise from the Supervisors and Managers of Prime Publishing, I knew my little revenge was a success.

"What the-" he silently muttered.

His eyes widened as a bright pink anime image appeared on the projector. The girl was holding a multi-colored umbrella on a rainy day, complete with flowers and butterflies in the background.

"Nice wallpaper, Matt," Ma'am Zyrene commented, and everybody chuckled.

Goodbye admirers, I thought as I laughed wickedly in my mind.

He was out for lunch this afternoon when I went to his office to look for a supplier file. But instead, I saw his laptop. It looked so inviting and I couldn't resist replacing his dragon wallpaper with anime. Gusto ko nga rin sanang palitan pati mga images na ginamit niya sa presentation pero dumating na ang staff niya na si Hannah kaya hindi ko na nagawa. Maybe some other time I can do that.

I was trying so hard not to laugh as he met my eye. But instead of throwing me a dagger look, he actually smiled at me before turning to the others.

"My sweet girlfriend must have replaced my wallpaper. But come to think of it, she just gave me yet another inspiration. My proposal will focus on the venue and she infused me with another bright idea," he stated as a prelude.

With that said, he went on to suggest that instead of the previously agreed Garden Christmas Party, an indoor celebration should be considered because of the unpredictable weather. Kung hindi ka nga naman minamalas, my prank actually complemented his proposal!

"Sir Matt is really amusing. Umpisa pa lang ng presentation niya, may ice breaker na agad! He sure knows how to capture everyone's attention," Hailey whispered.

"Kahit naman walang ice breaker, okay lang. Sa gwapo ba namang 'yan, sino ang aantukin?" the Executive Secretary added and they both giggled.

I looked at his ash blue long sleeves folded up to his elbows and dark jeans before furiously rolling my eyes. Even if I disagree, I can't deny that he does look good. But more than that, his presentation was obviously well-planned. He has a very simple but clear comparison of costs for his proposal, qualitative and quantitative analysis of the possible savings, he has done site visits for several venues, and negotiated discounts. As much as I hate to admit it, he has everything all planned out.

"I have given you all the practical reasons why you should consider my suggestion. Cost wise, I have showed you the figures. And with the support of my anime wallpaper under the rain, that's all the more reason you have to approve my proposal. We don't want to ruin the fun by getting wet, do we? Unless you don't mind holding an umbrella during the party," he successfully finished and threw me a triumphant look.

The Management Team nodded at him approvingly. Everybody seemed to love his idea. Much to my dismay, my plot to make him look funny in front of others backfired and he even used it to his advantage.

Nakakainis!

I kept my mouth shut for the rest of the meeting which lasted until six thirty and left immediately after. I was still busy fuming while walking out of the building when Kelsey pulled me by the arm.

"Kelan ka pa naging bingi, friend?" she asked while laughing.

"Ha?"

"Kanina pa kita tinatawag pagkalabas mo ng elevator. Lumingon na lahat, ikaw na lang ang hindi!"

I gave her an apologetic look before scratching my head.

"Nagmamadali ka ba? Pwede mo akong samahan doon sa malapit na coffee shop na nabanggit mo sakin last week?" I asked instead.

She seemed confused but nodded anyway.

"Sure!"

The Espresso Haven is just a block away from our office. After a few minutes, we crossed the road and pushed the heavy glass door, instantly greeted by the aroma of fresh roasted coffee.

The place looked warm and cozy. Small chandeliers with soft white glow hanged on the ceiling, giving that elegant but homey atmosphere. Somehow, I felt relaxed as we walked to the corner table for two and sat at the antique wooden stool.

"I'll have caffè macchiato, please," I said while Kelsey ordered a caramel frap.

"So, what do you need the coffee therapy for?" she then asked when the food attendant left.

I'm not used to telling people how I feel. When I was a child, there were only two people I confide in - Ate Andrea and Tristan. But then we stopped being friends and Ate is not always around, so I usually just bottle up my feelings.

"Wala, I just need to fix my day with caffeine," I lied.

Kelsey was obviously not convinced.

"Wow. Now I'm more curious," she told me.

I waved a hand to dismiss the topic and asked her if there's any feedback about the article I submitted for the magazine. It was a feature write-up about celebrating Christmas away from home, but it's been a month and I haven't heard from the Editorial Board.

"For evaluation pa," she informed me and looked away.

"Yung totoo?" I asked again when I noticed that she was a bit uncomfortable.

She turned to me with hesitation before heaving a sigh of defeat.

"Base kasi friend sa narinig ko, medyo kulang raw ng substance. Kulang ng feelings, wala masyadong impact sa editors," she finally explained.

I nodded sadly while our respective orders were being set on the table. Feeling the need for it more than ever, I reached for my hot mug, hoping I could drown my disappointment with a dose of macchiato.

"Thanks for telling me," I whispered while wiping the coffee froth off my lips.

"Sasabihin ko naman talaga sa iyo but preferably not when you're in a foul mood. Eh kaso mapilit ka. But anyway, pwede ka namang mag-submit ulit," she encouraged.

"No, it's fine. I can handle rejection, believe me," I assured her and let out a humorless laugh.

She took a sip from her caramel frap and threw me a questioning look.

"Hugot ba 'yun?" she inquired.

I shook my head and was about to tell her not to take everything I say seriously when the coffee shop attendant carefully placed a Red Velvet cake on our table. It's my all-time favorite and it's a perfect match for my coffee - but I don't remember ordering one.

"I'm sorry, wala kaming order na cake," I politely refused.

The café staff smiled before speaking.

"Treat daw po iyan ni Sir sa inyo," he told me before pointing to the guy who was now walking towards us.

"Matt! Join us!" Kelsey greeted him while I make a face.

"Hi girls! Fancy seeing you here," he said and took a seat beside Kelsey, directly across me.

I narrowed my eyes at him and deepened my frown.

"What are you doing here? Saan ba ako pwedeng pumunta na wala ka?" I bluntly asked.

He smiled with great amusement and placed the cake right in front of me. It was luscious and mouth-watering but one look at him and I lost my appetite.

"Just giving you a little 'thank you' gift for the inspiration on my proposal. You and that anime wallpaper really helped," he said to me.

Kelsey looked clueless and he felt more than happy to fill her in with the details of the meeting earlier, paying much attention to my little revenge gone wrong. But instead of consoling me, she ended up laughing.

"Shrewd move," she complimented before giving him a high five.

"Hey! You're my friend, you're supposed to be on my side," I pouted at her, pretending to be hurt.

I took one hot sip after another and willed myself to savor the flavor of the coffee despite Tristan's presence. They talked about his photography on the last month's issue of the magazine while I tried to resist the temptation to taste the inviting Red Velvet covered in roux icing.

"Go ahead and take a bite, you know you want it. Anyway, it's for you," Tristan said, eyeing me.

I rolled my eyes to hide my embarrassment and was about to say that I won't eat anything coming from him when the cellphone he was holding suddenly rang. With one swift move, he tipped the cellphone to see who was calling and though it was quick, I managed to glance and find out who it was.

Amber.

Instead of answering the phone right away, he stood up and abruptly said goodbye to me and Kelsey.

"Gotta go. I'll see you around," he said in a hurry before taking the call as he walked out the café.

He looked really excited to answer his caller. He was smiling as he talked animatedly, and he seemed rather ecstatic as he jogged to his motorcycle. Without wasting another minute, he hopped on it and sped away, obviously in a hurry. The moment he was totally out of sight, I turned back to the table - only to find Kelsey staring at me while I watched Tristan leave.

"What really happened to the two of you?" she quietly asked.

That's one simple question that I find really hard to answer after all these years.

"I don't know," I responded in a small voice.

"But you were best friends since childhood. You grew up together," she prompted as if trying to knock some sense out of me.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I guess we just drifted apart."

"One sweet friendship gone sour. Pero sayang naman. Why didn't you patch things up?"

"There are times when a simple sorry isn't enough to fix what was broken," I told her.

"A piece of cake won't patch it up either, so I suppose you're not going to eat that?" she asked again while looking at the lonely red velvet in front of me.

"Nope," I said with conviction kahit gusto ko nang damayan ang kawawang cake sa harap ko.

She fell silent after that, I thought she was as ready as I am to drop the topic. But instead, she put aside her frap and leaned on the table to look at me closely.

"Tell me, is it still about that Prom thing?" she then inquired.

That Prom thing is one topic that I'd rather not talk about.

That Senior Prom is one bad memory na mas gusto kong ibaon sa limot at huwag nang balikan. Pero bakit ba kahit ayokong maalala, hindi ko mapigilan?

"Can we just change the topic, Kelsey?" I prompted but she just looked at me expectantly and I could only heave a sigh.

Tristan has been my best friend since Kindergarten. Bata pa lang kami, malakas na ang dating niya. He was charming, popular and everybody loved him. And yet he befriended the stuttering Yana and defended me everytime na may nambu-bully sa akin dahil bulol at maliit ako.

Our friendship continued in Grade School. He's a constant honor student at dahil palagi ko siyang kasama, he volunteered to be my tutor. Okay ako sa ibang subjects pero mahina ako sa Math during Elementary but he pushed me hard to study and never stopped hanggang ako mismo ay nakapasok rin sa Honor Roll.

He was also there when Papa left us. We were both in sixth grade when Ate suddenly excused me dahil matindi ang away nina Mama at Papa sa bahay. He even skipped class to come with us and I still remember how he held me tight to protect me while my parents threw everything inside our house out of rage.

In High School, we were inseparable. Hindi kami palaging pareho ng section pero sabay kami araw-araw mag-lunch. Pareho kaming nasa Campus Journalism at member ng High School Band. May mga bagong kaibigan man kami na nakilala, at the end of the day, kami pa rin lagi ang magkasama.

He was a great guy, if not the best. All those years na magkasama kami ay ipinaramdam talaga niya sa akin na importante ako sa kanya at mahal na mahal niya ako. That was twelve years of friendship and it didn't surprise me when my feelings blossomed into something more. I suddenly realized that I love him. And it wasn't platonic love anymore.

We were celebrating our twelfth Anniversary of Friendship the night before that fateful Senior High School Prom. Bagong bukas pa lang noon ang Taal Rooftop Diner sa Talisay na pareho naming pinag-iipunan para mapuntahan. The view was great because it was overlooking Taal Volcano. The place was elegant, and the food is of course expensive. I have no idea kung paano siya nakaipon dahil pareho naman kaming maliit lang ang baon araw-araw but that night, he took me there.

Under the stars on the rooftop, sinabi niya na may aaminin siya sa akin sa Prom na sana hindi ko ikakagalit at hindi ikasira ng friendship namin because it really meant a lot to him. Hindi ko alam kung sobrang assuming lang ba talaga ako pero during that time, I was so sure na aaminin na niya ang feelings niya for me the next day.

I barely slept that night. It was my first time to attend a Prom and I was very excited because he's my date. For years I've only watched fairy tales with him. Although I was disheartened when Papa left Mama, he convinced me that happy endings do happen. And I believed him.

Prom night came and I waited by the door, excited to hear him ask if I love him too. I have my answer ready - I was ready to admit that he was my first love. I was so sure back then that he loves me more than just a friend.

But I was wrong.

The Senior Prom Night that I have looked forward to for years didn't just end up in disaster. The thing is, it didn't even start - because my supposed to be escort stood me up.

Once in a lifetime lang ang Prom kaya aminado ako, big deal sa akin iyon. It was supposed to be the first formal dance I ever attended, and I dreamt of it for so long. Of all people, he knows that because it was him who I shared all of my fears, hopes and dreams with. Alam niya kung gaano ka-importante sa akin ang gabing iyon.

And yet he didn't come.

"It's been years, Audrey. Hindi mo pa rin siya napapatawad?" Kelsey asked again after a long pause, pulling me out of reverie.

I shook my head.

"I have forgiven. But I can't seem to forget," I admitted.

It was Kelsey's turn to sigh.

"Teka, may isa ka pang close friend noon diba? Si Amber? Anong balita sa kanya?"

Si Amber. Now that is one name that I'd rather not hear about.

"I don't know."

I shrugged my shoulders and slumped on my seat, wondering if asking Kelsey to come with me was a bad idea after all.

That prom thing. Ang akala ng marami, nagalit ako ng ganoon katindi sa bestfriend ko dahil lang sa hindi niya ako sinipot sa Prom. Sabi nila I threw more than a decade long friendship because of my pride. Ang babaw ko raw.

Of course, I was furious because I was hurt. Napahiya ako at masakit na hindi ako sinipot ng taong inakala kong hindi ako kayang saktan sa isang araw na napaka-special sana.

Bakit hindi nila maintindihan that I needed time to heal before I can forgive? Iyon lang naman ang hinihingi ko kaya ko siya iniwasan. Pero by the time na handa na akong marinig ang reasons niya, hindi na siya interesadong magpaliwag.

When I found out that he enrolled in the same college, I was surprised. Ang alam ko kasi ay hindi siya aalis ng Batangas dahil sa Mama at Lola niya. I was also hopeful. Hindi ko naman talaga kayang itapon ang friendship namin. I was ready to forgive and start all over again.

But reconciliation was not as easy as I thought.

For one, he's not the same guy I used to know.

And that's not all. He also found himself a new constant companion - si Amber na close friend namin noong High School.

It didn't take long bago ko nabalitaan na sila na. I was more than heartbroken. During that time naging national anthem ko ang mga kanta about falling inlove with your bestfriend and I lost count of the many times I cried myself to sleep at night.

Para akong sinampal - hindi lang dahil pinangarap kong ako ang maging girlfriend niya kundi dahil naalala ko iyong sinabi niya na ipagtatapat niya sakin sa Prom. Napahiya na naman ako. Noon ko lang na-realize na napakalaki ko palang tanga to think na sakin siya mag-confess ng feelings when all those times pala ay si Amber ang gusto niya.

Kaya niya siguro sinabing huwag kong ikagalit at huwag ikasira ng friendship namin ay dahil kaibigan ko rin si Amber. Kaya siguro hindi siya dumating on Prom Night dahil hindi naman talaga ako ang gusto niyang makasama.

It wasn't just about that Prom thing. There's a lot more to it than that.

I felt stupid. But more than anything else, I felt betrayed. And that's what made me hate him more.

"It's too bad that you two don't get along anymore. You were a great team. Remember sa school paper noong High School tayo? His artworks and photos always match your feature articles perfectly. Tsaka diba magkasama rin kayo sa Band noon? You sounded wonderful together," Kelsey reminisced in a sad tone.

A heavy lump formed on my throat and I tried to remove it by finishing my macchiato up to the last drop. But although I find coffee therapeutic, mukhang nawawala ang bisa nito sa mga topic na inuungkat ni Kelsey.

Desperate to find another way to calm my pounding heart, I pulled the plate of red colored cocoa cake with ermine frosting.

"You know what, I think I'll have to eat this cake after all."