Everything Started on New Year's Eve

First Date

Dahil sa kawalan ng ibang kailangang gawin, I busied myself with my residency applications. Nag-order na ako ng Transcript of Records, nagrequest na ng class standing ko, humingi ng letter of good moral character from the dean of my college and a lot of other things. Nagtanong-tanong ako sa mga classmates ko na nauna nang surgery residency and nagsimula na akong magbasa ng mga required reading for General Surgery. Kailangan ko nang mag focus sa future ko at may limang buwan pa akong palugit.

It was a lazy Thursday night at tapos ko na lahat lahat ng requirements. Nai-submit ko na din sa mga ospital ang applications ko.

Damn, I needed a distraction before my thoughts get back to the witch and the gray-eyed devil.

I sat on my desk and opened my laptop. I needed to make a timetable and a list of the things I wanted to accomplish or try in the next five months of my life

Number one: gusto ko matutong mag bake.

Hindi pa tapos ang summer kaya baka may mahanap pa akong summer classes at short baking courses. Para lang may bago akong matutunan. I have a sweet tooth at na-e-excite akong isipin na kaya kong i-bake ang lahat ng cookies and cupcakes complete with all the chocolate, caramel, strawberries and cherries on top.

After a few minutes, may nahanap ako na summer baking workshop. Kinuha ko agad ang address at phone number ng school para matawagan bukas na umaga. 

Next, gusto ko din matuto mag football. Soccer-football, not American football. Naisip ko bigla sina Jaxx and Seb. They used to play for the football varsity in noong highschool, they should be good. Maybe they can teach me. And I bet Jaxx would look so hot in –

Cara, ano ba! Stop it! Scrap football, ora mismo! I clucked my tongue. Concentrate, Cara, kaya mo to!

Tick, tock, tick, tock…

Hay no, hindi. Hindi ko kaya. I need a glass of water, and just my luck, my water bottle is empty. Crap.

Bumaba ako para kumuha ng tubig. On the way down, narinig kong may nagdoorbell. Mabilis na pumunta si Ate Tessie sa gate. Rinig ko yung bawat palak ng tsinelas nya. May narinig akong nag-uusap pero hindi ko ito pinansin.

Sumilip ako sa ref para hanapin kung may natitira pa ba sa dinala ni Mom na cookies pero ang meron lang ay ang tira namin ni Val last Friday na Cheetos. Kinuha ko na lang din ito at sinara na ang ref. Cheetos and water bottle in hand, pabalik na sana ako sa kwarto nang masilayan ko si Jaxx na nakaupo sa sofa.

“Hey,” he stood up and smiled boyishly, revealing the dimple on his left cheek. 

“Hey! To what do I owe this pleasure?” I smiled back; I think masyado akong kinilig. 

I went around the coffee table and sat on the single sofa chair to his left. Nilapag ko ang Cheetos at tubig sa mesa and offered him some junkfood. He sat down but held his palm up to decline at tinitigan ako.

Na-conscious ako bigla. I crossed my arms over my chest and discreetly tried to feel my side. Buti na lang I was wearing a bra! Bahala na what my shirt or shorts looked like basta may bra.

There was a pregnant pause and medyo naiilang nga ako sa tindi ng titig niya. I cleared my throat and smiled at him. This seemed to effectively snap him out of his thoughts.

“Oh yeah, right. Wala lang. I just missed you. You haven’t been coming to the office and you’ve ditched practice ilang beses na. What’s up with that?” kumunot noo nya.

“Right.” I drawled. Hindi ako naniwala sa kanya. “No really, bat ka nandito?” I started to munch on some Cheetos. Natawa sya ng konti at kinuha ang foil pack ng Cheetos sa kamay ko, rolled it closed and placed it on the table.

“Hey! What the heck?” ako naman ngayon ang kumunot ang noo ko. No one messes with my junkfood and me! I reached out of the rolled pack when he placed his hand over mine to stop me. I felt tingles run up my arm and I felt my ears start to burn.

Goddammit! Mabilis kong hinila kamay ko.

“I came here to check on you and to… ask you out. To hang out.” He added the last part quickly, as if to correct a blunder. The confident smile he had faltered a bit but he quickly recovered when he saw how red my ears were.

“You didn’t have to come all the way here to ask me to hang out. You could have just called or texted.”

“Well, I wanted to make sure that I would not be getting a ‘no’ for an answer. And even if you said no, andito na ako, dressed for the part. Tara na, don’t think. Go out with me.” Now his smile grew wider and more confident.

 Did he just ask me out? Was he aware of what he said?

 Naah. Baka nagkamali lang sya. Surely he meant na go out with him as friends. Diba nilinaw nya na he wanted to ask you out to hang out? Don’t read too much into it. I assured myself.

 Pero bakit ang gwapo gwapo nya? He was just in a white polo shirt, dark navy jeans and loafers and yet he looked like he could model for GQ magazine.

 And here I was in a pambahay faded pink cartoon shirt with a ratty collar and fluffy light blue shorts that have seen better days. Pambihira naman talaga!

 “And if you’re done staring maybe you could get changed so we can go, yeah?” the mocking smile he had did not disappear as he slowly leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and continued to stare at me.

 “I was just thinking of what to wear based on what you’re wearing. San mo ba balak pumunta? I don’t want to be over- or under-dressed.” Inirapan ko siya.

 “That dark blue short dress with sleeves would be nice. No need for heels.” He tapped his finger thoughtfully on his chin. “You can wear jeans too if you like. Basta the dark blue dress is your peg on how much you should dress up. Just bring a jacket. It might get cold.” He said shrugging his shoulder.

 I thought about wearing the dress he had in mind but I kind of felt a bit defiant. Besides, sabi nya baka malamig. So I opted for dark jeans, a black turtleneck cotton top with the sleeves up to the elbow, and flats. Finished with light mascara and lipstick, a messy bun, and some sparkly earrings and I was done in 20 minutes.

 May kausap sya sa telepono pagkababa ko.

 “No I can’t tonight, I’m busy.” He turned in my direction as I landed on the last step, and smiled softly, his eyes twinkled, and I felt myself blush as my heart thumped harder in my chest.

 What the hell was wrong with me? Bakit ba ako namumula? Lagi naman naming tong ginagawa ah, hindi ito bago! We used to grab beer and chips and hang out a lot na kaming dalawa lang. How is this different? Why the hell was I blushing?!

 Goddammit, Cara! Huminahon ka!

 He dropped the call after a very rude, “Whatever. Later.”

 “Shall we?”

 “Let’s.”

--

 Hindi naman masyado matagal papunta kung saan nya man ako balak kidnapin. Kinamusta ko siya at ang trabaho niya. Nagkwento sya kung gaano nakakapagod ang pagplansta sa mga kailangang mangyari sa kumpanya nila, habang ako naman, naikwento ko sa kanya ang pag-apply ko.

 Wow, ang boring ng buhay ko. Masyadong pang adulting na talaga mundo nila.

 We went to an alfresco wine bar in Antipolo with a great overlooking view of the city. It was tucked a few hundred meters away from the highway so hindi mo na maririnig ang tunog ng traffic or cars passing by. Parang log cabin ang lugar. Mukha itong dating rest house ng isang mayaman na pamilya na ginawa na nang bar at restaurant.

 Maganda ang lugar, maraming hanging plants at mga bulaklak, which added to its uniqueness. Strings of fairy lights draped around the ilang-ilang and acacia trees that surrounded the area giving an ethereal glow to the cabin and its veranda. The warms mood lights were low and the ambiance was nothing less than romantic. 

We walked to the receptionist who smiled courteously, but I noticed how she was checking out Jaxx. “Good evening, sir. Reservation under what name?”

“Jackson.” he said without looking at the receptionist. I felt satisfied that his attention was not on any other female. I’m so petty.

 The lady briefly consulted the tablet she had until she found the name.

 “Yes. Right this way, please. It’s not a full house tonight so you can sit anywhere you’d like. I would recommend the veranda. It is a lovely evening and the skies are clear. The view would be beautiful tonight.” She suggested, leading us to the area showing the view. 

 It was indeed very beautiful. I’ve been to Antipolo a couple of times pero di ko nakita tong side ng city na ito.

 We thanked her as we took our seats across each other. Jaxx called the waiter who brought us the wine list and a menu. We ordered a bottle of red wine and tapas. When the waiter left, I turned to Jaxx, not able to hold my curiosity any longer.

 “Jaxx, why are we here?”

 “I told you, I missed you and I wanted to hang out with you. Di ka na nagpapakita sa amin e.” He gave me a pointed look.

 “And I wanted to check this place out for a while. They’re getting rave reviews and I want to be here before posers and socialites swamp it. How do you like it?”

 “It’s cozy and pleasant. A bit too romantic for friends, with dim mood lights and the fairy lights hanging around, but the view is spectacular. Maganda din yung outdoor touch and the plants in the cabin. It reminds me of that place in Baguio with high ceiling, crisscrossing beams, and big windows leading to a view of the city as well.”

 “Hill station?”

 “Yeah, that’s the one. Do you remember nung nag roadtrip tayo nina Seb and Ace dun?”

 We took a lot of road trips to the beach, to the mountains, from Ilocos to Sorsogon, ang dami naming napuntahan. In those nine months, ang daming nangyari, both good and bad. We sorted out our “artistic differences” – actually sila lang yung nina Ace, Seb, and Jaxx. I was not that much musically inclined to actually write songs and compose melodies.

 We talked about how “innocent” I was before I started hanging out with them, how my alcohol tolerance has improved immensely. Once I got really drunk last Halloween and how they had a problem getting me out of the fire exit because of my Maleficent headdress.

 “That was really some crazy shit.” He said shaking his head with a wide smile. He took a sip of his wine and continued to stare at the wineglass as he swirled it lightly. “You should really learn to hold your drink, Scarlet. You were lucky when we found you nung birthday ni Seb. Imagine if some guy like your asshole ex found you.”

 Of course, he had to bring it up. Napairap ako. Okay na sana e, he had to bring up that dreadful event in my past. I didn’t want to talk about it but it was always a constant reminder of how I should be careful. How every girl should be careful, na hindi basta boyfriend, safe person to be around na. It was one of the reasons why I have stayed single since then.

 “How’s your hand, by the way? I hope that fracture isn’t bothering you anymore.” He fractured two bones in his hand beating Collin’s face to a pulp that night. I thought he was going to press charges against Jaxx but his parents dropped the complaint.

 Si Dad ang nag-opera sa kamay nya and of course, si Mom ang anesthesiologist.

 “It’s all good now. Feels brand new. Minsan lang there’s a bothersome gnawing pain if I use it too much or if it gets too cold. Like after Seb’s birthday. It hurt like a b***h the entire night after the second set, I could hardly hold anything. I asked your dad when I could have the plates removed. Hopefully, that will solve the issue.” He said looking at his left hand while closing and releasing his fist.

“Thanks, by the way. For finding me and returning me to my Dad in one piece. At pina-piggyback mo pa ako kahit na masakit pala kamay mo.” Nahiya akong isipin na he was literally carrying me when he was in pain.

 “Yeah, I figured Seb would have thrown you in the nearest gutter if he found you first.” He said awkwardly rubbing his nape. Ayaw nyang naka-focus sa kanyang act of kindness ang conversation.

 “Anyway, hey, I heard from Seb na you’re going away?” eto na, one of the questions that’s been eating me inside since the day I heard it.

 “Oh yeah. Didn’t I ever tell you?” he tilted his head and his brows furrowed a bit, kunwaring buong akala nya ay binalitaan nya na ako. Sinungaling!

“Duh, I would not be asking if sinabihan mo ako.” I answered sarcastically. I was hurt na hindi nya ako sinabihan na aalis sya. But the hurt was more because I knew I was going to miss him, and I was afraid. I did not want to lose him.

 “Really? That’s weird. I thought I told you all this time.” he gulped the rest of the wine. Without looking at me, nagpatuloy siyang magsalita.

 “Anyway, the plan is to take an MBA in Wharton for two years. That’s the fastest course for the MBA na full-time. There is an option na 18 months but I don’t know if I can do that. I’ll still be working part-time with Ace during that time. Baka di na ako matulog kung ganon.” A half grin formed on his face. He looked tired just thinking about it and mukhang he is undecided kung talagang ipagpatuloy nya or not.

 “Parang di ka excited about it? The last time you went for international studies you were bouncing off the walls a couple of months before leaving. Speaking of which, kelan alis mo?”

 “August, first week. May orientation for international students or something like that. My dad said he’ll introduce me to my half-brother when I get there. What he doesn’t know is we’ve been constantly communicating. He helped me a lot with my application and he found me a place to stay. He’s a cool guy.” His lip turned up to a small smile.

“Teka, August? Lapit na nun ah! Barely 3 more months. Aaaaw, pano na kami dito?” I pouted and faked sadness and bitterness. Actually, I tried to pass it as fake, pero yung totoo, I was sad and bitter.

“I have two months to decide. I can always delay that or just say no to it altogether. Pwede naman kasi dito mag MBA, though Dad won’t be paying for it. I really want to be with them though, you know that. But I’m a little torn right now.”

 “Yeah, I know how much you want to be with your dad in New York. So what do you mean you’re torn and you have 2 months to decide? Di pa ba decided yun? What’s stopping you anyway? It isn’t like you have a girlfriend or anything to hold you back.” Pagalit ko sa kanya. Minsan talaga tanga tong mahal ko. Este, kaibigan ko.

 “Well, I’m… working on that. I just hope I get the answer I’m wishing for before my 2 months are up.” He sighed and closed his eyes. Covered his face with one hand as he rubbed his eyebrows.

 I nodded understandingly. I took the last sip of my wine, swirling it in my mouth before swallowing it.

 Teka, ano raw sabi?