Chapter 2— CLOSE ENOUGH TO NOTICE
1154 Words
CLARA'S POV
I didn't know kung bakit hindi ko mapigilan ang sariling maisip si Ethan.
I should have been busy. Emails piled up on my laptop. Marketing deadlines are looming. But every time I tried to focus, his grin popped into my mind!
The slow, careful smile, the way he leaned casually against my doorway like he owned the moment.
Arghhh! Nakakainis naman!
I shook my head, pressing my palms to my face.
"Stop it, Clara. Siya lang 'yan... gwapo, oo.. pero kapitbahay mo lang yun. That's it," I muttered to myself. But the words felt hollow.
By mid-afternoon, hindi ko na kinaya, I gave up on pretending I could work properly. Instead, I found myself at the balcony, a cup of coffee in my hand while watching the street below. The February sun was soft, the air crisp, and yet my chest felt tight.
Too tight.
I sipped my coffee and caught a movement across the hall.
A familiar figure..
Ethan..
Of course it was him. Leaning against the railing outside his own apartment, staring down at his phone as if the world didn't exist.
Natigilan ako.
His gaze flicked up, just briefly, and for a split second our eyes met. Tila lumukso ang puso ko nang magkatitigan kami, pero mas mabilis pa kay flash, agad siyang nag iwas ng tingin at nagpanggap na parang walang nangyari.
Tsk..
"Of course..." bulong ko sa sarili sabay ikot ng mga mata, pero ramdam na ramdam ko ang pag iinit ng aking dalawang pisngi.
Ano ba naman 'to. Para naman akong teenager nito!
I wanted to look away, but something in my chest refused. Part of me wanted him to notice me. Part of me wanted him to come closer.
"Stop it," I muttered again, sipping the coffee faster this time.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur. I typed at my keyboard but didn't really read my emails. I scrolled through social media, half-watching the people in my feed laugh, post, live normal lives while my own world felt quietly rearranged.
By the time the sun dipped low, turning the sky into shades of pink and orange, my phone buzzed.
Napatigil ako.
A message.
Coffee tomorrow?
Kumunot ang noo ko, it's just numbers. Walang pangalan. Just the words.
Agad na nag react ang puso ko sa nabasa. Bumilis ang pagtibok niyon.
I stared at the screen for what felt like an eternity before replying, almost reluctantly..
Sure.
It was only a word, but it felt like crossing a line. I hadn't even processed last night properly. And yet... there was a thrill I didn't want to admit.
The next morning came faster than I expected.
I stepped into the elevator,my bag slung over one shoulder, hair still slightly messy, and just a light makeup. I pressed the button for the lobby and leaned back against the wall, trying to act casual.
Biglang bumukas ang pinto kaya napaayos ako ng tayo sa gulat, and there he was again.
Ethan.
As if on cue.
He gave her a slow, deliberate smile. Casual. Calm. But she could feel it.. the energy that lingered behind his calm, like he already knew something she didn't.
"Oh, morning, neighbor." he said lightly, holding a small paper cup toward her.
I blinked. "Coffee?"
He nodded. "Figured you might need it."
Mabilis kong tinanggap iyon. Awtomatiko ang kamay ko.. Our fingers brushing. Again
That same spark as yesterday. My pulse thumped. I hated that it still got to me.
"You... you didn't have to," I murmured, glancing away. Ramdam ko na naman ang pag iinit ng pisngi ko.
My goshh..
"I wanted to," he said simply, his voice is calm but with that unmistakable undertone.. quietly possessive, almost smug.
I took a sip of the coffee, the warmth spreading through my body, and tried to convince myself it was just caffeine. Just coffee. Nothing more.
But when he leaned against the wall next to me, brushing close enough for me to feel the faint heat of his arm, I knew it wasn't just coffee.
"You look... tired," he said. Not a question. An observation.
"I slept fine," I lied.
"Uh-huh," he said, unconvinced. "Sure you did."
I gave him a pointed look, lips pressing into a line, but he didn't flinch. Not even a little.
"Why are you so... easy with me?" I finally asked.
He smiled. Not a teasing smile, not a flirtatious one. This one was measured, deliberate. "Because I like seeing you this way. Honest. Human."
My chest tightened. Human. He noticed. He saw. Too much.
Too much for a person na kakakilala ko lang..
Gusto kong sabihin sa kaniya na tumigil, na tigilan niya na ako, na huwag niya akong tingnan na parang importante ako sa kaniya, na parang pinapahalagahan niya ako, pero hindi ko kaya..
Because part of me liked it. Maybe even craved for it.
The elevator dinged, and I stepped out, trying to regain my composure.
He followed me, just a step behind. Not close enough to touch, not distant enough to ignore.
The walk to the lobby was quiet, but heavy. I could feel his eyes on me, quietly measuring me, reading me. And I hated that it made me shiver.
At the door, he paused. He turned slightly, tilting his head.
"Someday, coffee. Right?" he softly asked.
"Yes," I replied softly, almost breathless.
"Good," he said, satisfied. Before turning his back on me and walked away.. But I caught it again... that little flash behind his eyes. Sharp. Hidden. Calculated.
And just like that, he was gone.
I stepped out into the street and exhaled. My chest was tight. My hands shook slightly.
I knew this was dangerous.
Alam kong hindi ko dapat siya iniisip masyado. He's a stranger for pete's sake! Isang gabi lang ang pinagsaluhan namin.
One night stand lang iyon!
And yet... I don't think I can stop myself. Hindi ko man maamin, nagugustuhan ko ang presensya niya.
He makes me occupied. Hindi ko na naiisip masyado ang sugatan kong puso.
Later that night, I sat on my balcony, replaying the whole day in my mind. But suddenly my phone buzzed again.
A picture.
It was him. Leaning on the railing of his own balcony, smiling at me through the window. The caption says..
See you tomorrow.
My stomach dropped.
My first instinct was to ignore it. Delete it. Pretend it never happened.
But my thumb hovered over the screen.
And I knew I wouldn't.
That night, I had trouble sleeping again. Every creak of the building made me sit up, every shadow seemed like him standing there, silently watching me. And maybe... he was.
Maybe he always had been.
And just like that, something inside me shifted. Something dangerous, magnetic, addictive.
The man next door wasn't just a stranger anymore. He was a constant. A presence. A pull I couldn't resist.
And I didn't want to resist.
- Writer
