Chapter 22:

Last night was fun, but speIt was so hard to keep up with audiences's energy. Nakauwi kami na papasikat na ang araw.

Kaya ngayon ay kumakain na kami ng brunch. I glanced at Yus sitting across me, who was just calmly eating.

He looked like he had not even slept.

"Are you okay? Hindi ka ba natulog pagkauwi?" I asked, lifting my glass of water.

Habang umiinom ay nakatingin pa rin ako sa kaniya. I was slowly drinking my water, like how slowly he responded to my question, as if though he was contemplating whether he should answer it or not.

"I just slept for an hour. Hindi ako makatulog nang tuloy tuloy dahil gising na gising isip ko," he finally said, then sliced off another piece of pancake.

“Oh…” I blinked, then looked down at my own plate. I honestly thought we’d do some water activities today since I skipped them yesterday.

I just shrugged. Whatever happens later, happens. We still had two days left before heading home anyway.

“I’ll go try the water activities by myself, then” I said casually. “You should stay in and get some rest,”

I saw how his brows furrowed. "Huh?"

My lips parted, just as confused. "Ano ba? You said na one hour lang ang natulog mo e. Then mag stay ka na muna sa suite mo. I can't have someone na walang energy dahil medyo extreme ang water activities na gagawin ko,"

Seriously, he’s so hard to talk to sometimes.

"Who said that I can't keep up? Mas mabuti nga 'yon e...dahil hindi na tayo makakapag nightclub kasi bagsak na ako sa pagod sa water activities palang," then laughed.

Masama ang tingin ko sa kaniya sa kalagitnaan palang nang sinasabi niya. I knew exactly where he was going with it—and I was right.

I let out a deep sigh. "Gosh, you're so unfair. My plan pa naman is to try their water activities here, then go night clubbing sa ibang station,"

The left side of his lips twitched. "Pft. Are you sure you can handle all that? Extreme water activities in the morning and clubbing ‘til sunrise again?"

He almost laughed, but ended up just shaking his head.

"What do you mean? I can—"

"Your body can't keep up with all of those. Ayokong mag alaga ng sakit ngayong review week," he cut me off.

Halos magpanting ang tenga ko dahil sa mga sinasabi niya.

"Then I should also stay here. Bukas nalang ang water activities...pero mamaya pa rin ang nightclub," I said, then continue eating my food.

Tumingin ako sa paligid at dumadami na ang mga kasama namin dito sa buffet area. Looked like most of them stayed out ‘til dawn too, just like us.

"Huh?...Ano bang meron at gusto mong mag night club nang mag night club dito?" he asked with his brows furrowed again.

Halos samaan niya na ako ng tingin. Gusto ko tuloy tumawa dahil sa reaksyon niya. I leaned back in my seat, chewing slightly while keeping my eyes on him. Once I swallowed, I finally replied.

"Because I get to meet a lot of new people?” I said casually.

He rolled his eyes and picked up his glass of water, like he needed to cleanse himself from hearing that. "Your contact list is already reaching its limit,"

"How silly of you. Contact lists don't have any limits," I rebutted.

“Or maybe…” he said, narrowing his eyes at me. “You’re meeting up with some guy. A summer fling. And he’ll be there tonight,”

I scoffed in disbelief. Shaking my head, I took another sip of water.

"Hook up? With a guy that I've just met? No way,"

"Sus. Umamin kana lang," he said, still pushing that stupid accusation.

I let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Over my drop-dead gorgeous me. Please. I wouldn't stoop that low,"

"Talaga ba, Azalea?" he teased.

"I'm having fun all by myself. Hindi ko kailangan makipag date ngayon.Boys from this generation are just too stressful," I said.

Pagkatapos namin kumain ng brunch ay nagpaalam na siya na magbabalik tulog. I just nodded at him, not even budging from my seat. I wanted to explore the hotel since we didn’t get to do that yesterday, from being too exhausted.

I reached for my phone, which had been buzzing quietly on the table. I have been hearing it for a while, but I ignored it earlier.

Puro sa groupchat ng klase namin ang may pinaka maraming message. Our class president had sent the schedule for our upcoming two-day exams, including the proctors and assigned rooms.

Agad kong nilagay ang mga ito sa calendar ko bago nagbasa pa ng ibang mensahe nila. Some were complaining about the schedule, while the others were already stressing over the proctor on day one—apparently, that one’s super strict.

After that, I went through my text messages. May isang unknown number ang nag text kaya pinindot ko 'to. The left side of my lips stretched when I saw the message.

From: Unknown

Hi! Are you available this week? I'm planning to take you sana sa isang place na alam ko. They serve the best foods there!

It was obviously the guy I met at Morato. Even the way he typed sounded exactly how he talks. That made it easy to figure out who it was.

I let out a small sigh as I saved the number under “Taft Guy from Morato”. He toled me his name that night, but honestly….I already forgot it.

To: Taft Guy from Morato

Hello. I'm sorry but I'm not available this week e :(

My eyes widened a bit when he immediately responded. Mukhang wala siyang ginagawa ngayon ah?

From: Taft Guy from Morato

Oh, why? Are you doing something ba?

To: Taft Guy from Morato

Yep. So sorry. Next time nalang.

From: Taft Guy from Morato

Oh, alright. Tell me nalang kung kelan ka free.

Hindi na ako sumagot sa kaniya at pinatay nalang ang phone. I looked around and noticed how the breeze gently rustled the palm tree leaves.

Eating in this area was incredibly relaxing. It felt like being one with nature. The dining space was open, and the weather was perfect—not too sunny, not too cloudy.

Nang humangin muli ay hinawakan ko ang buhok na nakisabay bago tumayo. One of the staff came over with a round tray to clear the dishes. I gave a small smile and thanked her before walking toward the other side of the al fresco area.

The whole place had this cozy, warm vibe. It didn’t feel like the other fancy spots I’d been to—it was different. Or maybe I just felt that way because of the architecture?

There were plants and trees everywhere, all clearly well taken care of. Most of the furniture was made of rattan, especially the chairs, which added to that earthy, natural charm.

Ngayon ay nasa outdoor pool na ako. The pool was circular and had this stunning color that reminded me of the Atlantis ocean–a gorgeous mix of crystal teal and deep turquoise. There were trees around it too, and lots of greenery.

No one else was here.

Sunod ko namang pinuntahan ang gym. I didn’t go in, I just peeked from the outside through the glass wall. There was one person inside, jogging on the treadmill while adjusting his headphones.

The mini tour took me about fifteen minutes in total. Nang matapos ay bumalik ako sa suite para i-charge ang phone at kinatok ko pa si Yus kung totoong tulog na nga ba. But he did not open the door, so I guess he was really sleeping.

Dumaan pa ako sa dining at nag request kung pwede ba akong hatiran ng maiinom at snacks. Hapon na at kaya mas malakas ang hangin. There was a lovely view just past the pool area, so I headed there. There were a few tables and chairs set up—perfect for sitting back and relaxing.

A few minutes later, after they brought over what I asked for, I noticed something from the corner of my eye–a familiar figure. I glanced at him again, and he was just Looking out at the peaceful view beyond us—the ocean.

He was obviously a few years older than me—maybe five—and clearly not from around here either, just like me.

Sumabog ang buhok ko dahil humampas na naman ang malakas na hangin kaya kinolekta ko ito at nilagay sa kaliwang balikat bago sumimsim sa iniinom na tsaa. I heard him clear his throat, which made me glance at him once more.

This time, our eyes met. Both corners of his lips curled into a friendly smile, so I gave him one back.

"Are you a new guest here?" he asked as he started walking toward me.

Huminto siya sa harap ko at nakatingala lang ako dahil may katangkaran siya. I gave him a small nod before gently setting my teacup down on the table.

“Yes, I am” I replied. “Azalea,” I extended my right hand toward him for a handshake.

He glanced down at my hand, then smiled again. “I’m Don,”

I watched as he walked around and stood behind the chair across from me, one hand resting on its back. “Can I sit here?”

"Of course," I said.

I ended up spending a good amount of time just talking to him—and surprisingly, he was fun to talk to. Akala ko pa naman ay medyo malamig at strikto dahil sa hitsura niya na akala mo ay natural na nakasalubong ang kilay. But that impression quickly faded the moment he started talking and smiling.

He told me he was a business owner but also still finishing pre-law—majoring in economics. When he asked about me, I didn’t hesitate to share. He seemed like a genuinely good and interesting person.

Naputol lang ang pag uusap namin nang tinawag ako ng pamilyar na boses. I turned my head over my shoulder and saw Yus—clearly just fresh from the shower. His hair was still glistening.

He glanced at the man sitting across from me before a smirk started forming on the right side of his lips.

"Don't," I warned immediately.

Alam ko ang lalabas sa bibig niya at aasarin niya ako. Nasabi ko sa kaniya na hindi ko kailangan ng lalaki pero ngayon na naabutan niya akong ganito ay mag iisip na naman siya ng kung ano ano para lang mang asar.

He let out a chuckle before shifting his gaze back to the view ahead of him. I returned my attention to the person I was talking to and smiled. “He’s Prius, a friend of mine”

“Oh…” he nodded, then glanced again in Yus’s direction. “I see,”

“I thought he was your boyfriend,” he added with a small laugh.

Nanlaki ang mata ko bago natawa rin. "Oh, no...he's not. We're bound to be just friends,"

Ano ba 'to? Hanggang dito ba naman?

We continued chatting for a few more minutes, mostly about my sophomore life, until his phone rang and cut our conversation short.

"I have to take this call," he said politely.

I nodded. "Yeah, go ahead" I said, pressing my lips together in a small smile.

Sinundan ko siya ng tingin habang naglalakad na siya papalayo at kausap na kung sino man ang tumawag sa kaniya.

"I see that you're having fun by yourself," came a teasing voice behind me.

Inirapan ko siya nang magtama ang mata namin pagkalingon ko. Kakabalik niya lang dahil may kukuhain daw sa loob na kung ano na hindi naman niya nasabi.

"What? Aren't we going to your night club?" he asked, that playful glint back in his eyes.

"This early? Papalubog palang ang araw. I have to take a bath pa before we go out,"

He suddenly pinched his nose. "Kaya pala hindi pa rin nagbabago suot mo,"

I immediately looked down at what I was wearing and glared at him. "Hey! I took a bath—"

Lagi akong nagpapalit ng damit bago matulog. He should know that by then!

Laying in bed while still carrying all that dirt and sweat? Absolutely not. That’s like inviting all kinds of bacteria to cuddle with me. No freaking way.

"Hindi 'yan ang ibig kong sabihin," he laughed.

Tumayo na ako para makaligo na habang nakatakip pa rin siya sa ilong niya. He was really pissing me off with that childish gesture.

May sinabi siya pero nagtakip agad ako ng magkabilang tenga bago naglakad pabalik sa loob.

–

Now we were inside a new nightclub–different vibe, new crowd. We were seated at the bartender’s area, waiting for our drinks to be served.

"So, you like him?" he teased with that smug little chuckle he always does whenever he wants to stir something up.

I glanced to my right when a hand placed my Piña Colada in front of me, followed by Yus’s rum and coke.

I took a sip of my drink and shook my head. "Like? I don’t. He is just… interesting,"

He scoffed. "Your eyes were almost twinkling while talking to him. Are you sure you're being true to yourself?" he asked as he shifted in his seat.

I let out a groan and threw my head back in disbelief. “Oh my gosh, Yus. You’re giving me a headache,”

He let out a chuckle. "I'm just asking,"

"Then stop asking such silly questions," I said, then turned my attention to the crowd, rotating slightly on the high stool.

The music was loud, heavy on the bass, and full of energy. People were dancing like there was no tomorrow. I watched them slowly sipping on my drink.

"I'll be back," he said, which made me glance at him. He showed me his phone screen—his girlfriend was calling.

I just nodded.

"Couple responsibilities," I muttered to myself as I crossed my legs.