NEXT week.

I'll be meeting Seph's mom next week. At hindi dapat iyon ang iniisip ko ngayon since may upcoming final exams pa kami this month. I was dizzy looking at the numbers. I think my brain would burst anytime, especially with our law subject that did nothing but burden our light work.

"Kumain muna tayo, Ruby. Mamaya mo na 'yan ipagpatuloy," kalabit ni Angela sa blouse ko.

"Pero hindi pa ako nangangalahati sa pagsusulat."

I borrowed her notes for the exam. Exam na namin bukas at nagka-cramming ako ngayon dahil sa sobrang dami ng lessons. Three major subjects for tomorrow, two minors for the next day and the other two major subjects have their own schedule lalo na sa Other Commercial Laws na gabi namin gagawin.

"Hindi ka makakapag-isip ng maayos if gutom ka," pagpupumilit niya.

I closed the notebook and agreed to her suggestion. Nakaramdam na rin ako ng gutom ngayon, and I really need to take my lunch. Sinundan ko lang si Angela papuntang cafeteria. Konti lang ang estudyante today unlike other days. Siguro busy din ang iba.

"I heard from Seph na pupunta raw dito ang mommy n'ya next week just to meet you," aniya tsaka naupo pagkatapos umorder. "Is that true?"

Tumango ako at nilantakan ang pagkain. "Kinakabahan ako."

"I can feel it," she looked at me. "Are you sure na kaya mong harapin ang mommy n'ya?"

"Not sure, but I don't want to put her efforts in vain just to see me," sabi ko. "I hope she's different from Adam's mom."

Napangiwi si Gelai at tumango-tango. "She made an effort. Mabait naman siguro ang mommy n'ya. Just tell me if nagkaproblema ang pagkikita n'yo."

"Sure."

Agad kaming bumalik ni Angela sa CBA Lobby upang ipagpatuloy ang nasimulan kong pagsusulat ng keywords. May duty ako mamayang hapon until 9 PM. Makakaya ko naman sigurong isabay ang pag-aaral at pagtatrabaho, or maybe I could ask tita Manager for an exam break. Valid naman ang reason ko.

My phone pinged and saw Seph's name printed on the screen.

Seph Sweety (He renamed it like that)
Text me when your class is done.

- I'll wait at the lobby after class, Precious. Ily ♡

Pahapyaw akong napangiti. Ang sweet ng jowa ko Lord. Sana siya na forever kahit alam ko na walang ganun. Package na talaga, gwapo, sweet, matalino tsaka mayaman.

Ruby : Opo kuya. Ilyt :*

Nilagay ko sa mesa ang phone ko, waiting for his reply.

Seph Sweety : Don't call me that.

Ruby : Bleeeh :P

Seph Sweety : Text u later. Tapusin lang namin to.

Ruby : Sure sure. Kitakits latuur.

Nakangiti kong ibinulsa ang cell phone tsaka ako bumalik sa pagsusulat.

"Ngiting-ngiti ka dyan?" nakangisi akong sinundot ni Ivy ng tumabi s'ya sa akin.

"Ang sweet ng kuya mo."

"You mean, ang sweet ng boyfriend mo."

I pursed my lips to hold back the kilig. Tumango ako bilang sagot. The atmosphere between me and Ivy had gotten closer again. I realized that I was the only one overthinking about it. Ano naman ngayon kung may gusto si Ivy kay Adam? It's fine with me. Pero hindi pa rin nagsi-sink in sa utak ko na kailangan n'ya akong siraan patalikod.

"I have to talk to you about something, Ruby," sabi niya bigla. "Maybe after exam na lang siguro para makapag-concentrate ka kahit papaano."

"Importante ba 'yan?" I asked without looking.

Umiling s'ya at kumagat sa kanyang kinakain na burger. "H-Hindi ko alam, siguro."

"Just tell me," I smiled. "If it's bothering you that much, then you have to at least tell me what."

"T-Tungkol kay mommy."

My heart pound and decided to stop writing, facing Ivy. "What about her?"

"She's not really what you think she is," she said.

"Mabait naman siya, Ruby, but she's very manipulative so please 'wag kang susunod sa mga gusto n'ya, and please bear with her mouth," she sighed. "Masakit magsalita si mommy."

Mas masakit naman ako magsalita. I mean, I frequently cussed at people especially to guys. But I can't curse in front of my boyfriend's mom.

"I'll try," I hesitantly smiled. "By the way, pati ba daddy mo pupunta?"

Her eyes widen as her mouth gaped. "J-Joseph hasn't told you about dad?"

"Wala s'yang nakwekwento sa akin," I replied.

"Why? May dapat ba akong malaman?"

"Dad passed away when we were eight years old," she glumly replied, staring at her foot. "He was stabbed by his political enemy. Yung mga magsasaka sa probinsyang kinalakihan namin."

Nalungkot ako bigla dahil sa kanyang kwento. Joseph never told me anything about his dad. That made me curious even more.

"Sorry to hear that."

"It's not your fault he died. Mom didn't approve with him entering politics pero iyon talaga ang gusto ni dad. No one could stop him, not even Seph," she smiled bitterly. "Not even me. That's when mom became so manipulative because of what happened. Gusto n'ya na laging s'ya ang nasusunod sa pamilya. She already claimed the patriarch role."

"Magkapareho sila ng mama ko," komento ko.

"I know right," she chuckled. "Moms are the best woman in the world. A-As what I was saying, 'wag ka masyadong mag-alala. Joseph will be there for you."

I just hope that nothing bad will happen. Naalala ko bigla ang sinusulat ko at agad na itinuon ang atensyon sa notebook.

Lumabas ako ng classroom papuntang CBA lobby upang makita si Seph. There he was, sitting, resting his head on the table while closing his eyes. Mukhang nakatulog kahihintay sa akin. He informed me that his afternoon class ends at 1 PM at tinatapos na lang nila ngayon ang huling plates. I sat beside him, observing how godly his features were. Napakagat labi ako nang mapansin ang ibang estudyante na nakatingin sa side namin. I decided to wake him up, shaking his broad shoulders.

"Gising na, Seph."

"Five minutes," he murmured.

"I still have work."

He groaned, blinking his eyes open. He looked around and paused for a yawn. Napatingin s'ya sa akin at ngumiti.

"Good morning, Precious."

Namula ako at nag-iwas ng tingin. "Pwede ba? Tumayo ka na riyan at baka mabawasan ang sahod ko."

Nag-unat muna s'ya ng kamay at paa bago tumayo kasama ko. He took his three-day break at the café beforehand kaya ako ngayon ang namomroblema. No exams for Seph dahil final requirement na nila yung plates that's why they're giving the best they can. While me? Kailangan ko pang magpasa ng letter, so I can have my three-day exam break.

Sumakay kami ng jeepney papuntang café. Akala ko ihahatid n'ya lang ako, but he stayed inside the staff room to wait for me.

"Magpahinga ka na sa boarding house," nag-aalala kong tugon. "I can handle myself. You need to take a rest somehow. You look really beat up."

Hindi n'ya ako pinakinggan. Para s'yang bingi na mabilis dinukdok ang kanyang mukha sa mesa at natulog. Napapailing akong lumabas at agad na pinalitan si June sa counter.

"Akala ko nasa break si Joseph mo?" pagtataka niya.

"He is. Sinamahan niya lang ako rito."

Ngumisi s'ya na may halong panunudyo. "Kelerg eke beh. Sana may jowa ako gaya ni Joseph."

"Jowain mo 'ko, June," singit ni Carlo habang nakangising nagtitimpla ng kape.

"Sabi mo?!"

"Ligawan mo ako ganun. Sasagutin kita agad, promise."

"Kapal muks!" untag n'ya at napairap sa kawalan.

Same as before, the usual café routine. Nothing new. Agad kaming umuwi ni Seph pagkatapos ng shift ko. He bought me some dinner, hindi na Mang Inasal. Binilhan n'ya rin ako ng peanut brittle at iilang dark chocolates bago kami umuwi.

"What's up with these?" tanong ko nung nasa convenient store kami at nagpapa-punch ng mga pinamili.

"You have exams. You have to eat chocolates para gumana 'yang utak mo," he replied, pulling a hundred bill from his wallet. "I can help you study when we get back. Tutal naman, tapos na kami sa final requirement namin."

He meant what he said to me. Tinulungan n'ya nga akong mag-aral inside his room. His roommate was nowhere to be found. He said na may group study daw si Ry sa bahay ng kaklase niya, and I know Ivy wants to study alone kaya hindi na ako nag-abala pa na mag-aral sa kwarto namin kaya dito ang bagsak ko.

"You know accounting?" I asked.

"It's easy compare to my subjects." Yabang. "Let's start."

Tinulungan n'ya ako sa pag-aaral sa major subjects ko. He wrote the notes to my Commercial Law to reduce my workload. I studied Marketing first, then Managerial Accounting. Kapag nahihirapan ako sa isang problem, tumitigil siya sa pagsusulat at tinatry niyang eexplain sa akin sa isang simpleng paraan.

"There are two ways to solve Financial Statements," he said. "First, Horizontal Analysis and then the Vertical Analysis. Horizontal Analysis is also known as comparative analysis because you're comparing both years. Year 1 and Year 2," he was scrawling something on my notes. "This is the easiest formula I can give you, Precious. Current year minus base year over base year multiply by 100."

Instead of listening to his explanation, I kept staring at his features and found myself unintentionally smiling. We were five inch apart, and I want to kiss those lips of him. I could even smell his expensive perfume. Nakakaturn-on talaga ang mga pabango ng mga lalaki. He turn to me when he realized what I was doing.

"Are you listening?"

Tumango ako at pahapyaw na ngumiti. Agad akong bumaling sa kanyang sinusulat.

"Continue."

"You look tired already," he puts the pen down.

"Let's continue this tomorrow. You need to get some sleep para marefresh iyang utak mo."

Pinanood ko lang siyang tumayo habang kumukuha ng iilang unan sa gilid. Niligpit ko ang mga gamit ko at nilagay iyon sa side table.

"Where are you going, Precious?"

"Babalik sa room?"

"Dito ka na matulog," utos n'ya. "Hindi ka gigisingin ni Ivy mamayang madaling araw."

"May alarm naman ako."

"Alam ko. Pero mas effective pag tao ang yumugyog sayo. Ayokong malate ka sa una mong exam," he motioned his hand to his bed. "I'll sleep on Ryle's bed. D'yan ka na sa kama ko matulog."

"Ayoko nga!" uminit ang pisngi. "Baka may makahuli pa sa atin dito."

"Why? Wala naman tayong gagawin na masama. Bakit nila tayo mahuhuli?" he sneered playfully.

Umawang ng konti ang bibig ko pero walang salita ang lumalabas mula rito. Napakagat labi ako habang bumabalik sa kanyang kama.

"Bwiset ka talaga!"

Tinawanan lang ako ng loko at nahiga sa kama ng kanyang roommate. "Besides, girlfriend na kita kaya naman-"

Agad ko s'yang tinapunan ng unan sa mukha kaya natigil s'ya sa pagsasalita.

"Tumahimik ka nga d'yan!"

"Biro lang, eto naman. Wala akong gagawing masama sa 'yo."

"Sinabi ko bang meron?" I chide. "Good night, Seph."

"Teka lang," tumayo s'ya at naglakad papunta sa akin.

"Bakit?" May kailangan ka pa ba?"

Nagulat ako ng bigla siyang lumuhod sa sahig upang titigan ako. He then kissed me on my lips, leaving my heart thumping like crazy.

"Good night, Precious."

Tatayo na sana siya ng higitin ko siya pabalik. I captured his lips with mine. I badly want to kiss him, at hindi sapat ang smack lang, nakakabitin iyon. Natigil kaming dalawa when someone opened the door.

"Hoy, little bro 'yong-" nanlaki ang mga mata niya habang nakatingin sa aming dalawa na magkayakap. "Serry. Excuse meh."

Napapahiya niyang isinara ang pinto. Napapikit ako habang namumula sa sobrang hiya tsaka ako tinawanan ni Joseph.

"Damn, cute," he said, patting my head. "Matulog ka na. Maaga ka pa bukas."

"Gigisingin mo ba ako?"

"Of course. Good night," hinalikan n'ya ang noo ko at bumalik sa kama ni Ryle.

"Good night, Seph."

Mabilis kong tinakpan ng kumot ang aking mukha. Shit naman, pangalawang beses na natigil ang pagtatangka namin sa isa't-isa ah. Kung hindi mahuhuli ni Ryle, mahuhuli naman ni Joanna.

Nakakahiya. Ayoko na kahit gusto ko pa!

——

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