The middle seat was not my first choice. I wanted to sit near or on the exit row because it offered the quickest escape out of the deadly entrapment they call a plane. But the last-minute ticket left me with no choice. And so there I was, sandwiched between the most outgoing couple known to man who refused to sit next to one another. The lady preferred the window seat to admire the view, while her man preferred the leg space of the aisle seat. Both preferred to carry on a conversation with me as if we were close friends who hadn't caught up in a while.

Personally, I wanted to watch a movie.

Instead, I had a front-row seat to 'The Adventures of Randy and Laura' for the next hour and forty minutes. By the end of the flight, I found myself walking along with them to exit the airport while listening to them debate which of the places they had gone to had the best sunset. Randy would win if judged on photos alone, but Laura's description of the view either transported me there or made me long to be there, so I was a useless tiebreaker.

As the debate wore on, we approached the area for ground transportation and I rehearsed in my head how I was going to say goodbye to them. They were an interesting couple, but we had nothing in common. Still, I wondered if it may be rude not to mention anything about keeping in touch or offering to follow them on social media at the very least. They seemed like people who would appreciate that.

The anxiety over this decision led me to make a mental note never to speak to strangers again, regardless of how friendly they seemed. But then, a stunningly attractive man approached us, and I knew I was about to break that rule.

Or not.

I stood frozen, watching his lips move.

He must have been speaking to me because I heard Laura explain that I'm usually quiet. He gave me a warm smile and I thought that meant he found my silence cute rather than annoying since he graciously invited me to join his tour group and led us to his car.

**/////**

"Is this amount of traffic typical around these parts, Vinny?" Laura asked.

"No, some roads are closed to prepare for Araw ng Cotabato," Vinny replied. "The annual festival is a weeklong celebration of the city's founding. If you're interested, I'd be happy to show you around and introduce you to some of the activities before you call it a night. I have to warn you though, don't let yourself get too sucked in. You'll need all the energy you can muster for tomorrow."

I waited for someone to elaborate on tomorrow's plans, but the car remained silent. I guessed everyone was aware of the details except for me, leaving me with no choice but to ask, "What's tomorrow?"

"The ultimate destination: Matigol Falls. Five tiers of cascading water along lush green mountain ridges, Laya. You know it's so difficult to capture something like that on camera. No offense, Vinny, the photos you took are so amazing that it made us want to come here in the first place. But can you imagine, how much more spectacular would it be to see it in person? I cannot wait! Oh, I just realized, you weren't prepared for this trip, right? I have an extra swimsuit if you don't have one. But as for hiking gear..."

I didn't feel inclined to reveal that apart from a fear of flying, I also had a fear of heights and drowning. But the horror I felt must have shown on my face because Randy commented, "You haven't even asked her if she wants to go to the falls, pangga."

"She's on a spontaneous trip, pangga. That means that even though she doesn't have anything prepared, she's prepared for anything at the same time. And what could be more spontaneous than this? I think it's serendipitous. Of all the seats that you could have been in, you were seated between us on the plane."

"It was the last ticket," I murmured, but Vinny heard it anyway.

"Sounds even more serendipitous to me," he said. "Don't worry, Laya, I've got everything you'd need. And whatever I don't, we can get for you in the town this afternoon."

"I knew I was right about you, Vinny. You're the best!"

Randy coughed loudly, not intent on hiding his jealousy about Laura's statement at all. With a bright smile, she added, "Second to Randy, of course! I love you, pangga."

"Get a room," Vinny teased.

"You're supposed to take us to our room," Randy returned with a laugh as Laura hugged him tightly and gave him loud kisses across his face.

Vinny laughed. "I'm working on it!"

**/////**

Upon reaching Vinny's family-operated inn, I was introduced to the other couple on the tour, Gus and Cora. It came to light that all three men had bonded during their shared adrenaline-fueled pursuits in the north. They had been searching for a travel companion for Vinny without success.

That's how I found myself being practically shoved out the door to go shopping with him. Even his grandmother encouraged us to stick together while exploring the property, so as not to tempt the guests who were in committed relationships. (The inn catered exclusively to couples with most of their guests discovering them through the Wedding Expo.)

It all seemed rather amusing to me, but I did my best to maintain a straight face, just like Vinny. Later that night, I bumped into him as I got up to grab a glass of water, and I tried to find a way to back out of the plans for tomorrow.

"Any chance you can persuade them to go without me? Say you ran into me late at night and that's probably why I couldn't wake up in time to join you all."

"No."

"Please?"

"No, Laya. Don't you want to be able to say that you have the embrace of life with no regrets?"

"It's just really not my cup of tea."

"How can you know for certain if you don't try?"

I shrugged.

"Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning, yeah?"

**/////**

I saw Vinny in the morning. I wasn't even a minute late. He greeted me with a knowing smile and I memorized it. Every detail of his beautiful face. The way he looked at me like he was proud. That's how I wanted to remember him forever. When you get moments like this, the best thing to do is to walk away. But I didn't.

At least, not yet.

————
pangga shortened version of 'palangga' meaning love (Ilonggo dialect)