Nilakad ko lang ang papunta sa park, hindi naman kasi iyon kalayuan mula sa bahay. Warm up na rin sa gagawin naming pag takbo. Papasikat pa lang ang araw at hindi pa ganoon kaliwanag ang paligid. Today wasn't just any day. It was a day I'd get to spend with Averianov again.

Papalapit pa lang ako ay natanaw ko na siya, nauna siya ng dating sa akin kahit pa wala naman kaming napag-usapang oras. I couldn't help but smile as I watched him stretching under a large oak tree. He looked effortlessly put together, dressed in a plain, fitted gray athletic shirt that hugged his toned upper body and black running shorts that showed off his strong legs. Gustong-gusto ko ang katawan niya dahil hindi iyon payat at hindi rin naman sobrang bato-bato. Lahat sa kaniya ay sakto sa taas niya, toned rin dahil nga physically active siya. I wanted my own body to be that toned.

When he noticed me approaching, he stood up straight and gave me a friendly smile. "Morning, Audrey,"

"Good morning, sir," gumanti ako ng ngiti. "Kanina ka pa ba? Pinaghintay ba kita ng matagal?"

"Hindi naman, nag-warm up lang ako ng kaunti habang naghihintay." His eyes drifted to my duffle bag, and he stepped forward to take it from my shoulder. "Here, let me take that."

Ipinaubaya ko iyon sa kaniya. He carried it over to a nearby tree, where he placed it safely behind the trunk.

"This should keep it out of the way while we run," he said, brushing his hands off as he returned to where I stood.

"Thank you, sir," hinigpitan ko ang tali ng aking buhok at naghanda na rin sa gagawin naming pagtakbo.

Averianov watched me intently for a moment, para bang may gustong sabihin pero nagdadalawang-isip. "Sir pa rin, hm?"

I blinked, confused. Ayaw niya ba tinatawag ko siyang sir? Eh, dati naman ay ayos lang sa kaniya, ah? "A-ayaw mo ba?"

"I'm not your teacher anymore, Audrey. So, why the 'sir'?"

I opened my mouth to respond but hesitated, feeling a bit flustered. Oo nga pala! Hindi ko na siya teacher. Kaya lang kung hindi ko siya tatawagin na sir, ano pala?

"I guess it's just out of habit," I admitted, scratching the back of my neck awkwardly. "It feels...weird to call you by your first name, eh. Paano ba dapat? Kuya?"

I cringed inwardly. Ni hindi ko nga tinatawag na Kuya si Oxygen!

Averianov's smile widened, his eyes softening as he watched me. "Bakit? Gusto mo ba akong maging kuya?"

Syempre, hindi! Dammit! Pakiramdam ko ay ang pula na ng mukha ko sa sobrang hiya na nararamdaman. Umiling ako, hindi na alam ang sasabihin.

"You can call me Ian. It's more casual, and we're not in school right now." He said gently.

"Ian..." I repeated, testing the name on my lips. It felt strange but in a good way—more personal.

Close na kami?

Kinikilig tuloy ako! I tried to keep my expression neutral, but I couldn't help the small smile that spread across my face.

He nodded, still smiling. "Much better, Audrey."

We began running at a steady pace, ang saya-saya ko ngayon kaya hindi ko alintana ang init nang unti-unti nang tumaas pa ang sikat ng araw. Kinikilig ako kahit pa hindi naman kami nag-uusap ni Ian. God, sinasanay ko pa lang ang sarili ko na tawagin siyang ganoon kahit sa isip ko lang.

For a while, we just ran in silence. Sinulyapan ko pa siya kung may AirPods ba na nakapasak sa kaniyang tainga pero wala naman. I didn't bring mine rin kasi gusto ko nga na mapuno ng usapan ang pagkikita namin ngayon. I felt curious to know more about him, lalo pa ngayon na first-name basis na kami ni Ian.

"Akala ko hindi na kita ulit makikita sa school," bigla kong sabi habang tumatakbo kaming pareho. "Mabuti na pala at magtatagal ka pa. Kumusta pala ang research mo?"

Alam kong kung siya lang ay mas mabilis ang gagawin niya, pero dahil kasama niya ako ay sinasabayan niya ang kaya kong takbo. I don't run much, kaya may kabagalan. Ayaw ko rin kasing masyadong hingalin dahil gusto ko nga siyang daldalin.

"It makes me very busy. Mas abala kaysa noong nag-ha-handle lang ako ng mga klase na naiwan ni Mrs. Vergara," he paused a bit. "It takes up a lot of time and energy, but it's something I'm passionate about, so I don't mind."

"Tungkol saan ba iyon? Ang alam ko lang ay may kinalaman sa dissertation mo. But I don't know about the specifics."

Ngumiti si Ian, mukhang natuwa sa kuryosidad ko tungkol sa ginagawa niya. "It's a study on the effects of environmental changes on local ecosystems. I'm focusing on a specific species of plants and how they adapt—or fail to adapt—to changes in their environment, such as pollution or climate shifts."

"So, you're looking at how plants respond to changes around them?"

"Exactly," he confirmed. "Plants are incredibly resilient in many ways, but they're also very sensitive to changes in their environment. By studying them, we can learn a lot about the health of our ecosystems and how different factors affect biodiversity."

"Interesting," tumango-tango ako. "That sounds like important work. Hanggang kailan mo naman iyon aaralin?"

Gusto ko talagang malaman kung gaano pa siya katagal mananatili sa school dahil baka mamaya ay hanggang bukas na lang pala! Madismaya na naman ako pag dating ng Lunes.

"A few more years," sagot niya. "Nasimulan ko na ito during my undergraduate studies, ngayon ay itinutuloy ko for graduate work. It's a long process, pero marami naman akong natututunan."

Nagpatuloy ang aming usapan. Sa buong umaga ay ang dami ko agad nalaman tungkol kay Averianov. Ayon sa mga kuwento niya ay lima silang magkakapatid, pangatlo siya sa pinakamatanda, at ang bunso nila ay matanda lang sa akin ng isang taon. They were all men, it made me wonder if kamukha niya rin ba ang mga kapatid niya. Kung oo, ay pinagpala nga talaga ang lahi nila!

Syempre, nagkuwento rin ako ng tungkol sa pamilya namin. I didn't want to assume that he already knew my parents, kahit pa nga ba hindi nawawala ang mga De Salvo sa sentro ng kung anu-anong kontrobersiya at intriga.

"My older brother is Oxygen, twins sila ni Ate Tami. Parang kami rin ni Anja pero hindi sila magkamukha. Pangit kasi talaga si Oxygen. Hindi ko rin alam kung kanino siya nagmana." Humagikgik ako at tinanggap ang inabot na bote ng tubig sa akin ni Ian. "They're about your age. Si Ate Tami ay nasa Italy, ilang taon na rin. Paminsan umuuwi rito pero madalas ay maiiksing bisita lang. Si Oxygen naman, busy na sa hotel. Nagpapanggap."

Tumango si Ian, pinakikinggan ang mga kuwento ko. I could see the glint of interest in his eyes sa tuwing nagsasalita ako. He would ask questions at times pero mas pinipili niya talagang pakinggan ako.

"Ang Mama ko, busy sa foundation atsaka sa..." I paused, hindi ko kasi sigurado kung puwede ko bang ikuwento sa kaniya ang tungkol sa Pentagon Defense. The organization wasn't really a secret pero may pakiramdam ako na dapat pa rin akong mag-ingat sa pagkukuwento noon sa iba. "... iba pang mga bagay. Ang Papa ko naman, he's a lawyer. Ikaw? Saan ang parents niyo? What do they do?"

Ian sat down next to me on the bench, placing my duffle bag between us. Hindi siya agad sumagot, hindi ko alam kung dahil ba sa tanong ko o dahil lang sa pagod mula sa ginawa naming takbo. Pero nang magsalita siya ay nakumpirma kong dahil iyon sa tanong ko...

"My parents died a long time ago," he said ever so casually, his tone almost dismissive, as if he were talking about the weather.

Hindi niya gustong pag-usapan ang kaniyang mga magulang.

"Oh... I'm so sorry, Ian. I didn't know."

He gave a small shrug, smiling slightly. "It's okay. It was a long time ago. I've come to terms with it."

Tumango na lamang ako. Hindi ko naman gustong ungkatin pa ang mga bagay na halatang hindi niya gustong pag-usapan. Nag-iisip pa lang ako ng paraan para ilayo na roon ang aming usapan nang siya na mismo ang gumawa nito.

"Gusto mo ba talaga ang ganito? Jogging during Saturdays? O may iba kang mas gustong gawin sa mga libreng oras mo?" Sa akin niya na naman idinirekta ang usapan.

I watched him as he finished the bottle of water he was holding. Parang lahat na lang ng gagawin ni Ian ay nagpapahulog lalo ng loob ko sa kaniya. He seemed so at ease, like he was genuinely interested in knowing more about me. Kumportable siyang kausapin ako kaya napapalagay rin sa kaniya ang aking loob.

Pero ano nga 'yung tanong niya? Hindi ko naman madalas ginagawa ang mga ganito. I spent most of my weekends lounging around, either watching something on my phone or getting lost in a romance book. Kung hindi naman ay lumalabas ako kasama ang mga kaibigan at kaklase ko, party sa bahay ng kung sino sa amin ang willing mag host. Jogging in the park wasn't something I did regularly. In fact, I never went to the park to jog on weekends until now. At dahil lang iyon kay Ian.

"Sa totoo lang," there was no point in lying. "This is a new habit I'm trying to form. Before this, my Saturdays were usually pretty lazy. I'd just stay home, read a book, or watch some shows on my phone."

Lumiit na ang tinig ko dahil ganoon rin ang pakiramdam ko. Parang mas naramdaman ko tuloy ang layo ng agwat namin hindi lang sa edad kundi maging sa interes. Ang lalim niya tapos ang babaw ko lang. Ganoon. Ganoon ang nararamdaman ko.

Ian chuckled softly, his eyes lighting up with amusement. "Naaabala ko pala ang lazy weekends mo kung ganoon..."

Agad akong umiling. Diyos ko! Gusto ko nga ito, eh. Gustong-gusto!

"Hindi, ah! Sabi ko nga sa'yo, I consider this as a healthy habit I'm trying to form. Gusto ko ito!"

Oh, please, Ian. Don't you dare make us stop seeing each other like this! Ito na lang ang nilu-look forward ko sa buong linggo tapos mawawala pa?

"Really?" Paniniyak niya, binalingan ako. "Hindi ka napipilitan lang?"

I put down the bottle of water he had given me and rummaged through my bag to find the sandwich I had made earlier. I wanted to prove that I was serious. I pulled it out, offering it to him with a smile. "Kung napipilitan lang ako ay hindi ako mag-aaksaya ng oras sa paghahanda nito. Alam kong gugutumin tayo pareho, kagaya nung nakaraan. Kaya ito..."

Ian looked at the sandwich for a few seconds, halatang hindi niya iyon inasahan. Ang akala ko pa ay hindi niya tatanggapin pero kinuha niya rin naman iyon makalipas ang ilang sandali.

"You don't have to do this, but thank you, Audrey."

"Wala 'yon," I said casually, trying to downplay how much I'd thought about it. "Naisip ko lang naman na mas maganda kung may kakainin tayo kahit paano."

He nodded, unwrapping the sandwich and taking a bite. "It's very thoughtful. Thank you."

Hay. Kinilig na naman ako. Palagi na lang ba akong kikiligin?

"Dala mo ang assignments mo, 'di ba?" Tanong niya, sumilip ng bahagya sa nakabukas kong bag at natanaw mula roon ang iilang notebook na isinilid ko. "Have you already answered them? Patingin ako, puwede?"

I grinned widely, my heart fluttering with excitement. Ang saya-saya ko talaga kapag ganyang malumanay at tunog malambing ang boses niya. His gentle and soft tone always made me feel so warm inside. With a bit of a show-off move, I pulled out my assignments from my bag. Syempre, mayabang talaga ako dahil pinagpuyatan ko kagabi ang pagsagot sa mga 'yan! I didn't want to embarrass myself or have him think I wasn't good at school. Sure, I wasn't as studious as Anja, but I wasn't at the bottom of the class either!

"Nasagutan ko na ang lahat! Kahit ang problems sa Math ay na-solve ko na!" Ibinigay ko sa kaniya ang mga iyon.

Ian took the assignments, his expression curious as he flipped through the pages. I watched him intently, eager to see his reaction. Nakagat ko pa ang aking ibabang labi dahil sa excitement. I had put in extra effort last night, hoping to impress him. Alam kong matalino siya, pero hindi rin naman ako mahina sa klase.

"Wow," he said after a moment, looking up at me with an approving smile. "Galing, ah."

I couldn't hide my smile. His praise felt like music to my ears, and I basked in it.

Then, he glanced back down at my assignments and asked, "Do you have a pen?"

Tumango ako ata agad na humugot sa bag ng isa upang iabot sa kaniya. Medyo kinabahan ako at sinilip rin ang assignment ko na tinitignan niya. May mali ba ako? Imposible! Paulit-ulit kong binalikan ang mga iyon kagabi. Sana pala inistorbo ko si Papa para i-check niya! O kaya si Oxygen. Kahit naman walang kuwenta iyon ay magaling 'yun siya sa Math!

"Hm," Ian noticed I was watching him closely, kaya siya na ang umusog palapit sa akin para mas makita ko ang gagawin niya sa notebook ko. "Tama naman ang sagot mo. This is good, but let me show you an easier formula to solve this kind of problem so you don't have to go through such a long computation."

Nakahinga ako ng maluwag. Pinagtuonan ng hustong pansin ang pagpapaliwanag niya. Totoong mahaba ang computation ko, umabot pa nga hanggang likod ng page!

He took a blank sheet of paper and wrote down the problem: 'If x + y = 10 and x - y = 2, find the values of x and y.' He then started explaining step-by-step, his voice patient and clear, breaking down the problem in a way that made it so much easier to understand.

"First, you add both equations," he said, writing it out for me.

Titig na titig ako sa mga equation na isinusulat niya sa notebook ko. I couldn't help but notice his penmanship. It was so neat and precise, each letter perfectly formed. Ang ganda! Nakakahiya naman sa magulong sulat ko.

And then there were his hands. Ang ganda rin ng kamay ni Ian. His fingers were long and elegant, the nails neatly trimmed and clean. His hand was big and seemed strong, with a hint of roughness to his skin, probably from the physical activities he enjoyed. Pero hindi iyon mukhang nakakatakot pagmasdan! Para bang hindi magagawang manakit o ano. Instead, they looked capable and gentle, like they could both protect and comfort at the same time.

I couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to have those hands hold mine, to feel the warmth of his touch and the strength of his grip. Would his touch be as gentle as his voice?

Tangina, Audrey Jeane! Focus! Tinuturuan ka nung tao! Iyon ang intindihin mo at hindi ang mga kamay niya!

I scolded myself internally, trying to shake off the thoughts that were distracting me from the math problem in front of me.

I forced myself to look back at the equations, trying to concentrate on what he was explaining.

"So you get 2x = 12," he continued. "Then, you just divide by 2."

Tumango ako nang matanto na mas simple nga iyon kaysa sa kung anu-ano pang pinaggagawa ko.

"Now, since x = 6, you substitute that back into one of the original equations to find y," he explained, looking up to make sure I was keeping up.

Nagpatuloy siya sa pagsusulat, sinusundan ko ang bawat galaw ng kaniyang kamay. Sinisigurong mas itinututok ang atensyon sa sinusulat at hindi sa kung ano pa.

"So, x is 6 and y is 4," he finished, smiling as he looked at me. "See? No need for a long computation."

I blinked, absorbing his explanation. Ang galing talaga magpaliwanag ni Ian. Ganyan rin siya sa klase noong sub-teacher namin siya. Pakiramdam ko ay mas maiintindihan ko kung siya ang magtuturo sa akin kahit sa loob lang ng twenty minutes ang buong lecture para sa buong grading period.

"Wow, that's so much easier than how I did it!" Pinasadahan ko ang computation ko, proud pa ako na napuyat ako dyan kagabi. "I had this long, drawn-out method that took forever."

He chuckled, handing me back the pen. "That's okay. What matters is that you got the right answer. But sometimes, knowing a shortcut can save you a lot of time and effort. Magkakaroon ka pa ng panahon na manuod o magbasa."

We continued working through the rest of my assignment, moving on to the other problems. Ang daming tinuro sa akin ni Ian. He patiently explained each step, showing me quicker ways to solve the problems and making sure I understood the logic behind each method. His explanations were clear and simple, and I could feel myself learning so much more than I had the night before. Or ever!

After we finished the math problems, he flipped through to my Advanced Biology assignments. Ian scanned over my answers, making sure my computations and reasoning were correct. Maayos naman daw ang mga gawa ko sabi niya, may ilan lang siyang tinama roon dahil nalito na siguro ako sa mga ginagawa ko kagabi. Mabuti na lang talaga at tinignan niya ang gawa ko.

"Salamat, Ian," mahina kong sabi. Hindi pa rin kasi ako sanay na iyon ang tawag ko sa kaniya.

"No problem," he replied, closing the notebook and handing it back to me. "You're doing great. Just keep practicing and don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it."

Kinuha ko iyon mula sa kaniya para maibalik na sa bag. Aayusin ko na rin sana ang dalawa pang notebook na nakabuklat nang bumaba ang kaniyang tingin sa hawak kong sandwich na bahagya nang nawala sa aking isipan.

"Ubusin mo na 'yan," he reminded me with a smile. "Kanina mo pa hawak 'yan,"

"Oh, right!" I laughed, bringing it up to my mouth and taking a bite.

As I chewed, I suddenly remembered something—I hadn't taken a photo today. Kailangan meron! Hindi puwedeng wala!

I quickly took out my phone from my bag, still chewing the sandwich, and held it up. Ian watched me curiously as I angled the camera, trying to get a good shot. I made sure the background showed a bit of my notebook, just enough to reveal a hint of Ian's handwriting, and a glimpse of his hand resting on the duffle bag between us. It was subtle, but it captured the essence of our Saturday morning.

"What are you doing?" Ian asked, amusement evident in his voice as he watched me carefully frame the shot.

I grinned, swallowing my bite before answering. "Just taking a quick photo for my Instagram story. Hindi kita isasama, huwag kang mag-alala!"

Maagap kong sabi dahil hindi ko sigurado baka mamaya ay ayaw niya ng ganoon.

He raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile playing on his lips. "And you think this moment is Instagram-worthy?"

Every moment with him is Instagram-worthy! Hindi nga lang Instagram, noh! Worthy sa lahat! Kinikilig ako! Nakakakilig siya!