Chased By The Red Flag

2: First Chat

"Kalahating kilo ng baboy, uy, adobo! Puwede kong iluto na ito ngayong gabi, tapos hanggang bukas na. Isahang beses lang ng lutuan! Tipid sa oras!"

Kasalukuyan na nakaupo si Yuna sa lapag habang sinusuri ang laman ng mini fridge niya. Pinag iisipan kung ano ang lulutuin ngayong gabi. Mag isa lang siyang nananatili sa sarili niyang apartment kaya kung minsan, hindi na niya masyadong pinapahirapan ang sarili niya.

"Yeah, I should cook it tonight. Para hindi na rin ako masyadong busy bukas. Kailangan ko pang mag laba ng mga uniform sa madaling araw."

The ingredients are all sitting at the counter top, waiting for her right after she grabbed the frozen meat from the refrigerator. She dumped the whole plastic bag in a tub of water to thaw the meat in it and started chopping up the onions and garlic that goes in the dish.

Cooking is one of the things that she loves to do. One of her ways of relaxation, especially when the part where she gets to taste her delicious food comes. Her skills with using the knife is exquisite, making the chopping a lot more faster.

Leaving enough time for her to relax, she went inside her room while waiting for the meat to thaw.

"Thirty minutes siguro, yeah, that would work," she said.

May kaunting ngiti ang nakasilip sa maamo niyang mukha nang hawakan niya ang kan'yang cellphone. Alam niya na may oras siya na puwedeng lustayin sa panonood ng paborito niyang online streamer. Mahilig kasi siyang manood ng mga naglalaro ng games online, kahit na siya mismo ay walang oras para laruin ang mga ito, isa pa rin sa mga gustong- gusto niya 'yon.

Kaya lang, ang unang bumulaga sa kan'ya ay ang mensahe na nanggaling sa pinsan niyang si Carlie. Walang kahit na anong sinabi ang pinsan. Tanging ang kopya lang ng larawan ni Yuna sa beach ang naroon. He enhanced the photo, adjusted the exposure and changed up the filter. Mas lalo tuloy nakita ang kinis at ganda ng hubog ng katawan ng dalaga. Even Yuna herself was amazed to see how amazing it looks.

"Itong baklang 'to talaga. Pag dating sa pictures, kahit na ano kaya niyang gawin basta mapaganda lang. May magic yata 'to para maging ganito kagaling. Nasa bar pa 'yan ha?" bilib na bilib siya habang paulit- ulit na binabalikan ang larawan. Hindi kasi niya naalala na ganito ang itsura nito. This looked like a professionally shot photo of her.

"Shutek teh, mas lalo rin palang napansin ang nag he- hello kong dibdib pati hita. Tapos gusto niyang ilagay ko 'to sa profile ko? Sana okay lang siya," natatawa siya habang kinakausap ang sarili. Ngunit parang narinig ni Carlie ang kalokohan niya dahil sa biglaang message na pumasok sa phone niya.

"Make the account now. Try it while you are free! Kahit ten minutes lang!"

"Paano niya nalaman na may free time ako?" she rolled her eyes. "Kainis, magaling din talaga 'to kung minsan eh 'no? The timing!"

Out of curiosity, she scrolled through her phone to look for the unfamiliar app in it. Alam niya na kaagad na 'yon ang hinahanap niya nang makakita siya ng dalawang puso sa logo nito.

"Hi U? Really?" she read the name of it. "Sounds sketchy as hell, great."

Hindi niya inaasahan na sa isang pindot palang niya rito, kailangan na niyang mag lagay ng pangalan at edad bago pa siya makapasok.

"Name? Yun- oh, no, that's too noticeable," kagat labi pa siyang nag iisip. It took her a couple of seconds before typing 'Thea' on it, taken from her second name. "That's it? That is all I need for an account?" bulalas ng babae. "I was hoping to get bored while creating my account... now, what's my excuse?"

She saw a dancing cat that is waving as the loading screen followed by a choice whether she wants to talk to people nearby or someone very far from her. And of course, she chose the later option.

"Taga Mars sana kung puwede," bulong niya pa nang pindutin ito.

Ramdam niya ang pintig ng puso sa kaba dahil sa unang beses niyang gagawin ito. Hindi niya alam kung ano ang aasahan sa mga makakausap niya. They could be the worst person in the entire world! And knowing her self, she wont be able to move past that. It will be engraved in her mind being one of the things that she regrets the most and that specific though will pop up in her brain as soon as she's taking a very important exam and she knows it.

Within seconds, a blue name appeared on the side of her phone, next to two buttons. There are options to conduct a video or a voice call, and she made sure to move her finger away from it.

"Matteo?" she read the name and their chat message.

Matteo: ASL?

"Shuta anong ASL? Alternative learn- ay timang, ALS 'yon." Nagkakamot na kaagad siya ng ulo sa unang chat palang. Hindi niya pa nga alam kung ano ang isaasagot niya. "Hay, bahala na nga."

Thea: ASL?

Matteo: 26M London. You?

"Pusang gala, 'yon lang pala 'yon!" napahagalpak pa siya sa kakatawa nang mabasa ang sagot ng lalaki. "Twenty-one, Female, Philippines. Hi!" she said out loud as she typed it on her phone. Napaangat siya ng tingin sa hindi inaasahang reply.

Matteo: Kababayan! Hoy kumusta naman?

Thea: Akala ko ba London? Anong nangyari?

Matteo: Sorry naman. Dito lang ako ngayon, two months stay. Pinoy na Pinoy talaga ako.

Matteo: Okay, sorry, I lied. 1/4th German din pala.

Thea: 1/4th Shepherd? Tapos 'yong 2/4 ano pa? Aspin?

Matteo: Alam mo, hindi ko alam kung matatawa ako sa taba ng utak mo o kailangan mainis ako. Sure ka ba na 21 ka na?

Thea: Are you hinting that I sound immature?

Matteo: Didn't come from me Missy, come on, chill!

Thea: I don't mind. It's funny, though.

Matteo: Great to know that you are having fun! Anong ginagawa mo pala rito?

Thea: Kung sasabihin ko ba na pinilit ako ng pinsan ko na gumawa ng account dito, maniniwala ka?

Matteo: As crazy at it may sound, that is pretty common. Kadalasan sa mga nakakausap ko rito, nalaman din itong app through referral.

Yuna pouted as she nods, "Makes sense... gaano na kaya karami ang nakausap nito? Parang alam na alam niya na e."

Gaya ng tanong niya sa sarili, 'yon din ang tanong na sinabi niya sa lalaki.

Matteo: Long enough for me to meet you tonight.

Matteo: That's the lamest line ever. I just want to make you smile while saying that I couldn't even remember.

Matteo: Anyways... did you smile?

Yuna caught her own reflection on her phone, "G*ga ka Yuna. Naka- smile ka naman kaagad? Ang rupok mo rin kaagad!" she scolded herself while doing her best to keep a straight face.

Thea: Mukhang magaling ka sa mga gan'yan na linyahan ha?

Matteo: Hell yeah! Does it make you uncomfortable? Let me know,okay?

Matteo: I'll tone it down for you, kitten.

Thea: Oh really? Thanks puppy!

Matteo: Soon you'll be calling me a Good Boy and that sounds so f*cking fun. I can't wait.

Thea: You don't seem like a good boy though, so... nope! Never!

Matteo: I can't stop myself, sorry! Bad boy na kung bad boy. At least hindi mo pa iniiwanan.

Matteo: We can turn it around, I'll be the one calling you a Good Girl then.

"G*ga Yuna," she snapped on herself. "Bakit ka kinikilig? Masyado ka na bang uhaw girl? Hindi naman ha?" she took a deep breath before clicking on the profile of this guy named Matteo.

Pag bukas niya sa profile nito, maraming mga larawan ng magagandang lugar ang nakita niya. All of them are photos of nice views, mostly of the environment and beautiful cities. At ang ilan ay larawan ng lalaki na nakatalikod.

"Kung makikita lang 'to ni Carlie, panigurado titilian na niya ang likod mo," she started talking at the photo like a drunk woman who is starting to see things. "Ang laki ng katawan ha? Ang lapad ng balikat, parang handa na siyang pasanin lahat ng problema ko," nakuha niya pang mag biro. "Ikaw kaya talaga 'to Matteo? Well... whatever, it doesn't really matter."

Her field trip on his account was interrupted by his message.

Matteo: Are you ghosting me already or are you knocked out because you can't handle being called as a good girl?

Thea: Pick up lines don't really work on me Matteo.

Matteo: Excuse me, I don't say these to pick you up.

Matteo: I am trying to pin you down, actually.

Ay g*go, wild naman pala nitong Matteo na 'to!

Napapangiti si Yuna habang busy sa pag kausap sa lalaki. Hindi na niya namamalayan ang oras sa dami na ng napag usapan nila. She opened up how she's in University right now, trying to finish her studies while working part time jobs online as a freelance writer. She chose to stay as truthful as who she really is in real life while telling him about herself. However, she made sure to leave out the sad, depressing parts of her life.

Nabibilib siya sa galing magdala ni Matteo sa usapan. Kahit na anong sabihin niya, may maisasagot kaagad ito at palagi pa siyang may banat na nakakatawa. Muntikan pa nga niyang masunog ang niluluto niyang adobo dahil sa sobrang focus niya sa chat nila.

She found out that Matteo studied in the Philippines and right now he is managing his own business. Kaya rin siya nasa London, dahil sa trabaho niya. Of course, she takes every information he shares with a grain of salt. Hindi nila pinapaniwalaan nang buo ang mga ito dahil hindi siya sigurado kung totoo ang mga sinasabi niya. Baka katulad ng sinabi ni Carlie, bumubuo lang ang lalaki ng sarili niyang mundo para makapagkunwari rito. But she did not judge, instead, she went along with it. She spent so long listening to this stranger talk about how he was a former model and now he manages his own company.

"Sana all 'di ba?" bulong ni Yuna. She snapped a picture of her deliciously cooked meal and sent it to her new online friend. "Tara kain! I cooked this adobo," she said.

Matteo boldly replied, "That looks so good! Mukhang wifey material naman pala. I wish I have someone that can cook for me like that."

"Hindi naman siguro mahirap para sa'yo 'yan, hire someone maybe? Chef mo sa pang araw- araw, so that you can eat deliciously prepared meals as soon as you wake up."

"Nah, I prefer to be alone at home. Ayoko na may ibang tao na nasa bahay, I like peace and quiet. That way I can hear my own thoughts better."

Yuna's eyes shown a glimpse of the saddest stare at the message for a while before replying, "I completely understand what you meant by that." She looked around at her empty, apartment. "It's peaceful that way."

"If you plan to cook for me though, we can talk about it."

"You are one naughty guy huh?"

"Without a doubt miss."

"Maybe you like living alone so you could bring back girls home without worrying about your parents."

She almost chocked on her food when she realized what she just sent. This is not something that she usually tell people, something that is very out of her character. Maging siya nga ay nagulat sa sarili niyang utak. Immediately, she closed the app to avoid seeing his response. Her guts felt like they were tied up and knotted, thinking how awkward that message was. Handa na sana siyang burahin ang application nang biglaang lumabas sa screen niya ang preview no'ng reply ni Matteo.

"Not really, I don't bring girls home. Hotels exist for a reason you dummy!" she read it out loud. "Huh? Hindi siya nagalit? Bakit- huh? Bakit hindi siya nagalit?"

Thea: Hindi ka man lang nagalit na 'yon ang assumption ko?

Matteo: Why would I be mad? That's normal though?

Matteo: That's actually so cute! You are too innocent huh?

Thea: Nope!

Matteo: Oh yeah? So f*cking cute!

"Walang hiya, bakit ako naiinis? I feel like he's challenging me and it makes me squirm, being a competitive person. What the heck?"

She did what she didn't think she'll eventually do and she uploaded her photo on the app, making it her profile picture. Napangiti siya nang wala pang sampung segundo ay may mensahe na kaagad si Matteo patungkol dito.

"Uploading that photo makes ME less innocent, not you. D*mn, Mommy?" he said.

"Mommy?" she giggled to herself. "So, ikaw Daddy?" sagot naman niya sa lalaki.

Her eyebrows raised reading the reply of this guy, "Stop being too attractive. I am trying to be a nice, respectable guy out here. Baka magulat ka nalang at kumakatok na ako sa labas ng bahay mo d'yan sa Pinas."

She responded, "I'll be waiting then."

Matteo: Don't challenge me like that. You might regret it later, Thea.

Thea: Challenges are fun, wont you agree?

Matteo: Oh for sure! A hundred percent! Just don't back down from it and we'll be good.

Thea: I never back down. I could make you my b*tch boy if I really want to.

Matteo: Okay, stop being hot please? Thanks.

Hanggang sa matapos kumain si Yuna, at makabalik sa pag papahinga sa kama niya, hindi na nawala ang atensyon niya sa usapan nilang dalawa. She enjoys his company, as much as he does and it shows with how fast he replies to her all the time. Hindi na napansin ni Yuna ang oras, tumunog nalang ang alarm niya at nakita na halos alas dose na.

"Oh my goodness! I haven't done anything else! Anong ginagawa ko?" she looked at the time once again and decided to sit back in her bed and open up the app once again.

"I forgot to do my research papers because of you," she sent him a text.

"Focus on me more, I love your attention."

"Oh my God, this guy!" she's about to lose it over his messages.

She is in the middle of processing, thinking what she should respond with when she heard an unfamiliar ringing from her phone. She looked down and gasped, "Why is he calling?"

Hindi niya alam kung ano ang gagawin, hinayaan lang niya na tumunog nang tumunog ito.

Later on, she received a message from Matteo saying, "Can we talk via voice call? So that you can do your thing while virtually hang out?" sabi niya. Nakatulala pa rin siya sa mensahe nito nang mag dumating ang panibagong chat, "Don't ask me why I am doing this, please. I don't know as well. I am just so f*cking attached right now and I don't understand it either."

Maybe it was rush of emotions that she never knew existed before, or maybe it is because of the delusions brought to her by how late it is that night. But she was the one who proceeded to call the stranger she just met.

The ringing did not last long. He picked up quite instantly. However, the loud silence right as he picked up was like a cold shower that made her blood alive. Walang nagsasalita sa kanilang dalawa. Ang tanging naririnig lang ni Yuna ay ang mahinang tunog ng piano mula sa kabilang linya.

Three minutes of silence, and Yuna finally heard what she is waiting for. There was a deep voice that giggled. Making her gasp.

"Does piano help you with studying or is it too distracting?"

"G*go, boses palang, ulam na!" isip ni Yuna sa sarili. She held her breath and bit her lips to make sure that she wont reveal how attracted she is with his voice.

"Hello? Can you hear me or..."

"Ye-yeah, I can hear you," she whispered.

"Oh, f*ck," he cussed under his breath. "You didn't warn me that you sound like that Thea."

"Huh? I sound like what?"

"I swear, I am not trying to fall in love," he said. "You are breaking that in a night, what the hell? Stop being too hot, please."