Chapter 30
1292 Words
We had what I’d like to call lazy days. Like, legit. Nung may pasok pa, todo list galore ako—akala mo productivity goddess. Pero ngayon na may free time na kami? I just wanted to lie down like a log, bawi sa tulog, and embrace my inner sea cucumber. Sabi nga nila, rest is productive din. Char.
Andrè didn’t seem to mind. He’d stay at my unit like it was an Airbnb he didn’t pay for. But come 11PM, I always kicked him out. Boundaries, bes. Tsaka tandang-tanda ko pa 'yung time na 11PM na, tapos ang ingay niya, so I started wearing noise-cancelling headphones like a tita on a spa day.
“We have 8PM reservation,” he said, looking like a Pinterest boyfriend come to life. Naka-light blue long sleeves siya, folded halfway up his arms (para kita biceps, syempre), black slacks, and white sneakers na mukhang bagong linis gamit ang tears ng mga babaeng pinaasa niya dati. Casual lang siya, pero 'yung dreamy level, pang-K-drama.
“Ten minutes na lang, promise,” I said habang nagkukulot pa ako ng buhok, which is like, a full ritual. Mga isang oras na siyang naghihintay, but he was chill lang watching cartoons like a man-child. Pero ngayon, ramdam ko na may urgency na kasi may reservation kami—pero hindi pa siya at the level na kunot-noo seryoso. Kaya carry pa.
True to my words, natapos din ako. I wore a navy blue short-sleeved dress at block heels—alam mo 'yung simple pero ang lakas maka-‘I’m a girlfriend, not a situationship’ vibes.
“Tara na,” I said.
Andrè stood up from the couch, turned to face me, and smiled. Alam mo 'yung smile na parang “Yes, I’m in love with you, and I’m about to simp hard”? Ganun.
“Come here,” he said, arms open.
At dahil malandi ako, lumapit ako. I let him hug me and inhale my conditioner scent (Pantene, represent!). Akala ko nagmamadali na kami, pero hindi. He hugged me for like a solid minute. Bonus pa, may mga forehead kisses. Gusto ko tuloy umiyak. From kilig. And from the amount of time na sinayang ko sa mga lalaking walang ambag dati.
“Let’s go,” he whispered, after another minute of cuddle-fest. True to his words pa rin siya ha—wala pang isang linggo, and so far, wholesome boy siya. Holding hands and forehead kisses lang. To think na sobrang active ng energy ng lalaking ‘to dati! Proven and tested ng dingding namin, bes. Akala ko lang wholesome. Turns out, wholemeal din.
Tahimik lang kami sa car. I didn’t ask kung saan kami pupunta. I knew I could trust him. Wow, trust. Character development ‘to.
Since he told me na matagal na niya akong inoobserve, I started noticing the little things he did for me. Ako rin naman, nag-a-adjust! Di na ako nagsscroll ng memes sa f*******: agad-agad para when he shows me something funny, kunwari di ko pa nakita. Effort din ‘to, okay!
“Ano ‘to?” I asked when we stopped in front of a commercial complex na 'di ko pa na-explore. Kasi nga 'di naman ako gala sa Maynila. Sa condo lang ako, loyal.
“Basta,” he said, locking his car na parang may tinatagong sikreto. May pa-mystery boy effect.
Before pa kami makalakad ng maayos, hinawakan na agad ni Andrè ang kamay ko. Wala nang paalam! A big improvement from before na may pa-“pwede ba kitang hawakan?” effect pa siya. I hope ‘di niya ako tanungin ng, “Pwede ba kitang halikan?” kasi honestly, I will combust on the spot.
We reached the second floor. Stopped in front of a place called Sip & Gogh.
“Well, you said you liked painting, and I brought wine,” he said, pulling out a wine bottle from... where? Sa loob ba ng brief niya ‘to kanina?! Like, magic trick levels.
“What is this place?” I asked, sobrang curious and kilig na. Ang effort niya, bes! Hindi siya nag-go for the basic movie date or kape-kape lang. He really thought this through.
“Well, it’s basically where we drink wine and paint. Sounds fun, ‘di ba?” he said with a smug-but-cute smile.
Pagpasok namin sa loob, may instruction agad. Nagtying kami ng aprons na parang mga kids sa field trip. I chose Van Gogh’s Starry Night kasi classic! Tapos ko lang narealize... oh my god, kaya pala Sip & Gogh! Wow. My brain caught up late.
“Ready?” he asked habang nagtatali ng apron. I smiled. “Yes. Thank you for thinking of this.”
We were given a fancy little platter of crackers and cheese. Social. Ako na 'yung feeling rich kid kahit isang pirasong cheese lang kinain ko.
Sinilip ko ang canvas ni Andrè and oh my gulay. It was SO good. Like, may shading, may drama. 'Yung sa akin? Mukha lang siyang pre-schooler na sinumpong habang nagpa-paint.
“Daya. Ang ganda ng sa ‘yo.”
He laughed. “Yours looks okay naman.” Lies. But sweet lies.
“Ang talented mo rin talaga, e, no?”
He shrugged. “I’m okay lang.”
“Ang pangit nung sa ‘kin,” I said, showing him my mess of a canvas.
He pinched my nose. “Just follow the instructions. Sumunod lang ako,” he said like a true humble king, pero I SWEAR may hidden painting career ‘tong taong ‘to.
We sipped wine, munched on crackers, and painted like two classy titas on a weekend getaway. Nang kalagitnaan, tumigil siya sa pagpipinta para kuhanan ako ng maraming pictures. Pa-IG boyfriend levels. And I must say... magaling siyang kumuha ng candid pics. Naiiyak na lang ako sa support system.
“I’m done!” I said, proud na proud sa abstract monstrosity ko.
“Looks good,” he said with a smile that looked way too honest. Like sir, why are you lying to my face but making it sound sweet?!
“Palit tayo,” I pouted.
“Okay,” he laughed. “I’ll display yours in my room.”
“Talaga?”
“Of course. Gawa mo ‘yan, e.”
DEAD. Ubusan na ‘to ng kilig. I grinned. “Okay, fine. Kahit hindi ako magandang-maganda sa paningin mo, feeling ko naman patay na patay ka sa ‘kin kaya forgiven ka na.”
He laughed and kissed my forehead. “You’re crazy.”
Nagpa-picture pa kami with our finished paintings. May isang girl na nagtanong kay Andrè: “Are you a professional artist?” I almost rolled my eyes off my face. Ma’am, please.
“Let’s go?” he asked.
“Tapos na kayong mag-usap?” I asked, eyebrows raised to the heavens.
Kumunot noo niya. “Sino? ‘Yung babae?” I nodded. He laughed. “She was just asking. Let’s go?”
Di ako gumalaw.
“Don’t be jealous. You know I’ve got my eyes on only you, right?”
“Tss.”
“Well, if you’re this jealous,” he smirked, “I highly suggest you say yes to my proposition of destroying the damned wall separating our units. That way, you’ll see me 24/7.”
“Baliw ka ba? Wala pa tayong isang linggo, gusto mo na mag-live in tayo?!”
“Why not? In US—”
“Well, nasa Pilipinas ka kaya mag-adjust ka.”
He just shrugged. “Okay. As long as you’re just a door away,” sabay akbay na parang wala lang siyang binitawang kasal-level commitment proposal.
He carried both our canvasses habang palabas kami ng studio. Ugh, boyfriend material talaga 'tong lalaking ‘to.
- Writer
