Angel

HOY NIKI

We saw the video

Nicole

Napanuod ninyo?

Are you guys following my vlog?

Babylene

Ako hindi pero napapanuod ko vlogs mo hehe

Nicole

Mag-like at comment naman kayo grabe

Jewel

Sure ka bang gusto mong mag-comment kami?

Angel

Feed namin yung delusions ng fans nyo haha

Nicole

??

Jewel

Have you read the comments on your latest video?

Yung interview mo kay Andy?

Nicole

Busy pa ako mag-i-edit

Saka usually pinaparami ko muna yung comments so after two days ko babasahin.

Angel

GIRL BASAHIN MO DALI

SO YOU CAN GAIN SOME OUTSIDER'S PERSPECTIVE

Babylene

The world finally sees what we've been seeing since high school

Nicole

Haynako

Ayan na naman kayo

Angel

NICOLE

LOOK AT HOW ANDY WAS LOOKING AT YOU

DIDN'T YOU EDIT THE VIDEO?

HOW DID YOU MISS THAT?

Nicole

Andy edited that video

Teka nga check ko

Niki exited the chat to check the video. She could feel her palm getting sweaty. Bakit ba siya kinakabahan? Hindi na bago sa kanya na kinukulayan ng iba ang relasyon niya sa kaibigan.

Pinanuod niya ang sariling sabihin ang normal intro niya, with an added twist. She introduced Andy to the viewers, her roommate and best friend. Andy fixed the lighting and added texts and sound effects that made the video more entertaining. She let him edit the video because she wanted him to choose which questions and answers should be included there. Marami rin kasi siyang interjections and Andy might not be comfortable with some of the things she said.

Andy removed the things she said about his ideal type. The entire thing. He didn't even answer the question. After she asked the question, the video cut to when he was already glaring at her, and then, sunod na question na agad ang kasunod na frame.

Niki still couldn't get kung saan nanggagaling iyong sinasabi ng mga kaibigan niya na iba raw ang tingin nito. Ganoon naman talaga itong tumingin. Wala namang bago at wala namang ibang kahulugan iyon. But the commenters interpreted it differently.

@NotaSimpleGirl bestfriend lang po ba talga ??? Omg cute niyo po together

@notyourperfectkid bff premium pro max po ba? KIMMYY

@_thisiskittythecat ship ko na po kayong dalawa kahit bestfriend po kayong dalawa ang bagay nyo po

@JannaVillon I think you guys make a cute couple♡

@fvckyeahcxms Mag aminan na po kayo hihi

@woorijae yan ang gusto ko, taguan ng feelings

@lilycantavieja For sure may isa sa inyong nagtatago ng feelings HAHAHAHA

@Luoshine best friend? Bagay kayong dalawa sana kayo nalang

@Lyrysh21 Bakit di na lang totohanin ang lahat

@tragichealer15 ang bagay-bagay nila parang real couple, are they in relationship? 'Cause they should probably be - ang cute kasi nila.

@MargarineStories "best friends daw" bat parang may laman. grabe naman makatingin yung isa dyaaaaaan

@JKNytApol Sure na ba maagbest friends talaga?

@kimmyreadss bestfriends sa umaga lovers sa gabi

@Elorashia ang gwapong best friend naman nyan mhie, pwedeng pa mine? HAHAHA

The amount of comments telling them that they should be together and don't believe that they are just friends was overwhelming. It felt like high school all over again. Niki felt compelled to make another video as response to one of the comments.

"Hey, guys. Niki here. I just want to address this comment, and frankly, all the other comments on that video. Andy and I are just friends. We really are. Honest! We've been friends since high school. I've had boyfriends. He's had girlfriends.

"If we have feelings for each other, e di sana matagal nang naging kami, di ba? If I like him, I would confess to him and he would do the same. Kasi honest kami sa isa't isa. You're not the first ones to think that there is more to our friendship, you know. Lahat na yata ng kakilala namin, pinaghinalaan kami.

"But you see... a man and a woman can be just friends. And regarding naman sa pagtira ni Andy rito, well... the pandemic has been hard to most of us. Nag-struggle din ako nang malala, lalo na early this year. I got laid off from work and my then housemate had to go home to her province to take care of a sick parent.

"I couldn't foot the monthly expenses on my own so I asked Andy for help. Andy said he was looking for a new place so sakto na nakalipat sya rito. By the way, not that anyone asked, but living with my best friend is probably one of the best decisions I've ever made. I don't know for sure if it'll work out between you and your friend, since iba-iba tayo ng dynamic, but if you think that your friends can also be nice housemates, then I highly recommend this setup.

"Oh, and very important: get a cat. Cats are the best. Even if they would choose your housemate over you. As long as they know you are the one feeding them, they will still give you some kind of respect. No. Maybe not. But they would still depend on you." Niki smiled at the camera. "So ayun, I just wanted to address the comments. Please don't make it weird for us, guys. I hope that clears things up. Bye!"

–

Angel

Nakita mo na?

Nicole

Yep

Wala naman akong nakikitang kakaiba

Babylene

Beh, you really need to get out of your bubble

I mean from the inside siguro hindi mo kita

Parang red flags di ba?

Kapag nakatapat sa 'yo yung flag, di mo kita yung kulay

Pero kapag sideways, kitang-kita mo

Ganon din siguro sa inyo

Jewel

True. Sa outsider's POV iba talaga

Nicole

Hindi ba mas tama ako kasi ako yung nasa loob?

You're probably misinterpreting things because you're on the outside looking in

Angel

Beh lahat kami iisa ng nakikita

Yung strangers pa, mas reliable kasi hindi sila biased

Niki shook her head. May nakikita ba ang mga itong hindi niya nakikita? She was not usually that dense. She would know if there was something more. And Andy would be honest with her. Andy wouldn't let her date someone else.

No, they were wrong. She was right. There's nothing more.

Niki exited the chat and reviewed her video. Maiksi lang naman iyon kaya hindi na kailangang ayusin. She posted it right away.

–

But the more Niki pushed back, the more they insisted. One comment on her recent video read, 'Ate, minsan po kasi hindi natin kayang maging honest sa taong gusto natin lalo na po kapag takot tayong magbago yung relationship natin with them.' Niki liked the comment but didn't respond. Hahaba lang nang hahaba ang usapan e.

Another commenter suggested that she test Andy. Feel him out. Kung sigurado naman siya sa feelings niya, walang problema. But what if Andy was not being honest with her?

Niki didn't like the idea. But it was probably because she was afraid that things would change. Hindi naman siya takot sa confrontation. Si Andy naman ang palaging nauunang tumiklop. It just started getting scary kasi may possibility na tama ang ibang tao.

Niki replied to that comment with a short video.

"Okay. I still don't believe this is going to prove anything, but I understand that you guys need proof. So game. What do you guys want me to do? How do I prove it to you?"

Walang edit-edit. Diretso na agad ng upload. Idi-delete din naman niya ang videos na hindi nakasunod sa original format ng channel niya.

Pagka-upload ng video, nag-check muna si Niki ng email para tingnan kung may bagong replies galing sa companies na pinag-apply-an niya. Fortunately, there were two. May online assessment agad.

–

The following day, Niki set out to do the first comment she saw on the latest video. Don't talk to Andy for the entire day. Bukod sa hindi kakausapin, hindi rin niya ito papansinin nang buong araw. She wondered how Andy would react. High school pa yata sila noong magtampo siya kay Andy at kalahating araw niya itong hindi pinansin. Akala ng mga kaibigan nila ay LQ sila, kahit hindi naman sila.

Shewould still record the whole thing. For the content. She would do the same intro pero walang voice over at sound. And she would just keep the interesting interactions of the day.

Niki opened her phone's camera before going out of the bedroom. Andy had just finished cooking breakfast. "Good morning," bati nito.

She ignored him on her way to the bathroom. Pagkabalik mula sa banyo, inilagay niya ang phone sa ibabaw ng lamesa. On a selfie mode. Umupo siya para kumain. Andy cooked corned beef with potatoes. May malasadong itlog sa tabi. Saka sinangag. Her favorite breakfast.

Sumilip si Andy sa camera. "What are you filming today?" tanong nito sa kanya.

Walang imik siyang sumandok ng sinangag at kumuha ng ulam. Andy sat on the other chair and helped himself with the food. "You want coffee?"

Niki looked the other way as she ate.

"Bad mood?" narinig niyang tanong nito. She glanced at the camera. Andy shrugged and started eating.

–

Niki didn't know what ignoring Andy would accomplish, but it was kinda fun. Tatlong beses nang kumatok si Andy sa kwarto niya mula kaninang umaga. Hindi niya ito pinagbuksan sa naunang dalawang beses. Sa ikatlo, pinagbuksan na niya ito. Kailangan din niya kasing lumabas ng kwarto. Nabungaran niya si Ponkan sa kabila ng pinto.

"Meooow," the cat greeted. He sounded distressed. It probably had something to do with the chocolate tied on his collar. She crouched to take it from the cat when she suddenly heard the creaking of the other bedroom door. Nagkatinginan sila ni Andy. Nakasilip ito sa nakaawang na pinto. He slowly closed the door while maintaining eye contact. Napatawa nang mahina si Niki.

"Meowww."

"You want some treats?" pabulong niyang tanong sa pusa. Pumasok ito ng kwarto niya.

–

During lunch time, hindi kaagad lumabas ng kwarto si Niki. Normally, Andy would call her from outside kapag luto na yung pagkain. But it was already almost 1PM pero hindi pa siya nito tinatawag.

At that point, totoo na ang inis niya dahil sa gutom. She walked out of the room, determined to eat whatever was available. Kumuha siya ng spanish sardines na naka-jar mula sa cupboard. She was currently struggling with the lid when the main door opened. Nang sumilip siya mula sa kusina, nakita niyang kapapasok lang ni Andy. Naka-mask ito. He removed the mask and looked at her from the short hallway. He raised the plastic bag and Niki instantly salivated when she smelled what was inside.

Ibinalik niya sa cupboard ang sardinas. Si Andy naman ay inilapag ang plastic bag sa lamesa saka nito isa-isang inalis ang laman. He pushed a big box of food and a can of soda towards her. Saka nito dinala sa kwarto nito ang iba.

Niki opened her phone's camera when Andy was already in his room.

"So... update," bulong niya sa camera. "I wasn't able to film what happened earlier but uh... I think Andy just bought me my favorite food." Itinutok niya sa nakasaradong box ang phone. She gasped when she opened it. Birria tacos. "Thanks, Andy," bulong niyang muli.

She propped the phone on the table and started eating her lunch. Nawala na lahat ng inis niya nang mabusog siya sa pagkain.

–

From: Andy

Luto na dinner

Galit ka pa? 🥺

Hindi niya sinagot ang text nito. Niki went out of the room to eat dinner. Nakadulog na sa lamesa si Andy pero hindi pa ito kumakain. Mukhang hinihintay siya. Dalawang plato ang nakalagay sa lamesa. She took one and filled the plate with food. Saka siya pumunta sa sala para manuod ng TV habang kumakain.

While browsing for a good movie to watch while she ate, Andy walked towards the living room and sat next to her. Bitbit nito ang sariling plato.

"What are we watching?"

Niki put on the scariest movie she could find, but not before she opened the camera to record again. Very important. Andy scowled and walked back to the kitchen.

After dinner, Niki edited the video. Natawa siya sa mga pinaggagawa niya maghapon. But she decided to finally inform Andy of what was happening. Magwu-worry kasi ito kapag ilang araw niya itong hindi kakausapin.

To: Andy

Sorry! I was doing something for the vlog hehe

You didn't do anything wrong today.

–

Niki's next challenge was to act too sweet towards Andy. Nauna siyang gumising dito para maghanda ng agahan. Prito prito lang naman ang gagawin niya para hindi ganoon kahirap mag-prepare. The phone was already propped on a convenient place to capture most of their interactions in the kitchen.

"Good morning!" bati niya nang lumabas si Andy ng kwarto. Halos nakapikit pa ang mga mata nito.

"Mornin'," he sleepily greeted back. Lumapit ito at sinilip ang niluluto niya. Saka ito nagpunta ng banyo.

While he was there, Niki finished cooking the breakfast and prepared two plates. She filled both plates with food. Nagtimpla na rin siya ng kape. Pagkalabas ni Andy ng banyo, dumiretso ito sandali sa kwarto nito. Saka ito pumunta ng kusina para kumain.

Niki forked the longganisa and offered it to him with a smile. Medyo nagulat pa ito kaya napaurong ito bigla. His eyebrows were furrowed in confusion.

"Ah..." She opened her mouth, gesturing to him to do the same.

"You're scaring me."

"I just want to feed you."

"Para sa video na naman 'to?" tanong nito. Niki simply smiled at him. Andy, finally on board, took a big bite of the longganisa.

Andy caught on pretty quickly, so sinakyan lang nito ang trip niya buong araw. He even tried to outdo her by also being overly sweet on camera. It was sickeningly cringey. But it made for some hilarious clips. Which was what Niki wanted in the end, so it was a win-win situation.

Before they called it a night, Niki still had one more thing to do. She saw it on one of the accounts that just appeared on her feed one day. A challenge that was meant for best friends. Niki thought that she would do it, just to test Andy. Sa isip-isip niya, wala naman sigurong mangyayaring masama. She would tell him immediately that it was a prank, to not create any misunderstanding.

"Andy!" tawag niya.

His bedroom door was already open so he heard her right away. Nakikipaglaro ito kay Ponkan sa loob.

"What?"

"Lika rito saglit." She smiled sheepishly at the camera and gave herself a thumbs up.

Lumabas si Andy, kasunod si Ponkan. "Ano?" tanong nito nang makalapit sa kanya. She pulled him into the frame.

"I just want to try something."

In one swift motion, she cupped his face and tiptoed to give him a kiss. In the video that she saw, the guy friend immediately knew what was about to happen. Umurong ito kaagad at saka sinigawan ang kaibigan nito, na tumawa naman sa harap ng camera.

That was how it played out in Niki's head. Dahil alam naman ni Andy na para sa content lang ang ginawa niya buong maghapon, he would surely get a hint of what she was trying to do and he would immediately dodge it.

That's what's supposed to happen.

But Andy didn't move away. Napadiretso tuloy siya. Nahalikan niya ito bigla. Shit. That was not supposed to happen. Pareho silang hindi nakagalaw kaagad sa gulat. Niki didn't know how to tell him that she was just joking when the joke happened for real.

Niki took a step back but Andy moved forward. Kinabig siya nito sa batok at saka ito yumuko at inilapit ang mukha sa kanya. It certainly didn't turn out the way she planned.

Andy pressed his lips on hers and didn't waste any time to let her think. Maybe it was the months of being cooped up together that did it. They both missed being touched. Being kissed. Being intimate with someone.

Niki parted her lips with a sigh. It was good to be kissed again, that electrifying feeling that suddenly shoots up in her bloodstream and awakens every nerve in her body...

For a moment, it was not Andy. Lalaki ang nasa harap niya. A man. Not her best friend, but a man. And what was happening between them was not making any sense at all.

Time stood still as they explored each other's mouths, their kisses deepening with each passing moment. Niki put her hands on his shirt and pulled at it so he could be closer. His hands were entangled in her thick curly hair, without any plan to let go of her just yet.

Finally, just as they were about to run out of air, they pulled away, lips wet and eyes glazed. And slowly, the knots inside her brain began to unravel one by one.

It was a kiss that spoke volumes, and she was starting to feel their weight.

She let go of Andy and took a step back, realized later that her knees were just about to give away. It was a good thing that the table was just a few inches away. She leaned on it for support.

Andy slowly got over his shock and confusion and began realizing what he just did. "Shit," he muttered. He looked at her, eyes wide with panic. "Sorry, Niki. I didn't–" He took a sharp breath. "Shit!" he said again. Not knowing what else to say, Andy went back inside his room and slammed the door shut.