"Ano? Naka-score ka na ba?" deretsong tanong ni Jiv kay William. Kararating lang ng binata sa bar kung saan nila napagkasunduang magkita. Maraming tumitingin sa direksyon nila ngunit hindi ito binibigyan ng pansin ni William. Agad siyang kumuha ng bote ng beer mula sa bucket na nasa ibabaw ng mesa at tumangga siya rito.

"Gago," malutong na mura ni William habang nagpipigil ng ngiti. He wasn't the kiss and tell type of guy pero sa inaakto niya ngayon, halatang-halata naman na agad ang sagot niya sa tanong ng kaibigan.

"Tangina! Iba talaga ang kamandang mong gago ka!" natatawang sambit ni Jiv. Maya-maya ay nagpresinta na siya ng isang toast para daw sa namumulaklak na love life ni William. Napapailing naman na sumunod si William sa inaasta ng kaibigan sabay inom ng whiskey mula sa basong iniabot sa kanya.

"E nasa'n na siya ngayon?" tanong ni Jiv nang mahimasmasan sa katatawa.

"Hinatid ko na sa kanila."

"Ha? Ang bilis naman? Hindi ba iika-ika 'yon?" nakakunot ang noong tanong ni Jiv na para bang iniisip pa kung paano naglalakad ang dalaga ngayon.

"Siraulo. Hindi namin ginawa 'yon!" sigaw ni William sa kaibigan sabay batok dito. Sure, he was too forward when he kissed Aisleen multiple times a while ago but he wasn't the type of guy who would go all the way, especially when it's his first time talking to her. Kahit naman na nagmukha siyang gago kanina sa ginawa niya, iginagalang pa rin niya ito. Heck. He's even sure now that he likes her more than he had realized before. Para siyang asong ang gusto lang ay mapansin at mapagbigyan ng amo niya. That's how whipped he was right now.

"Tangina mo. Akala mo pa naman matinik ka." Napailing na lang si Jiv sabay tungga ulit sa beer. Hindi na sumagot pang muli si William. Tahimik na lang siyang umiinom ng alak, pinipilit iwaksi sa isipan niya kung paano sila napunta sa paghahalikan ni Aisleen kanina.

***

"Whose condo is this?" tanong ni Aisleen kay William nang makarating sila sa floor ng condominium building. Tiningnan lang ni William saglit ang dalaga at binuksan na nito ang pintuan ng unit.

"Papasok ka ba nang kusa o kailangan pa kitang pilitin?" tanong ni William kung kaya't tahimik na lang na sumunod si Aisleen kay William at pinagmasdan nito ang kabuuan ng unit ng binata.

Pinaupo siya nito sa sofa at para bang biglang nagbago ang aura ng dalaga matapos niyon. She looked like she was this snob and serious girl who's trying to threaten someone else through her gaze. Pinigilan ni William ang mapangiti sa nakikita niya. He has been observing her for so long but he didn't know that Aisleen was capable of doing something like this. She could easily change her reaction and expression in just a snap... and that just made him fall for her even more.

"Explain. What do you want and of all places, why did you bring me here?" deretsong tanong ni Aisleen and she crossed her arms in front of her chest. William had to gulp a couple of times and he tried his best to divert his attention somewhere else.

"William, huwag ngayon," pagpapaala niya sa sarili niya.

Mukha namang nakahalata si Aisleen dahil agad din nitong pinaghiwalay ang mga braso niya. Sinamaan pa siya nito ng tingin kaya't matinding pagpipigil ng ngiti at tawa ang ginawa niya upang hindi na lalong magalit ang dalaga sa kanya.

"I told you, I want you."

"Want? Are you freaking kidding me? I'm not some material thing that you would grab whenever you feel like it. I'm sure you're aware naman that want is different from like and even love, right? So which is which?" William was clearly enjoying this. Pigilan man ni Aisleen ang paglabas ng emosyon sa kanyang mukha, kitang-kita naman ni William ang lahat ng 'yon sa kanyang mga mata. He could easily read every emotion through her eyes and he's certain that he's going to win this little charade that they're having now.

"Take a guess," William answered with a smirk at napataas ang kilay ni Aisleen dahil doon.

Ah, si Aisleen nga pala 'tong kaharap niya. Mailap at hindi basta nagtitiwala. William thought. He then cleared his throat at inayos na rin niya ang pagkakaupo niya upang makaharap nang maayos ang dalaga.

Sinagot ni William ang lahat ng mga katanungan ng dalaga. He did his best to convince her pero hirap na hirap pa rin siyang paniwalain ito sa mga sinasabi niya. Hindi man halata, pero kabadong-kabado na siya lalo na noong inaamin na niya ang tungkol sa mga sulat niya. He never did things like this before. Sa kanya lang. And it's frustrating the hell out him dahil hirap na hirap na siya sa sitwasyon niya ngayon.

If only he could prove everything with a kiss. William thought at napatitig na nga siya sa dalaga. Lumapit siya sa kinauupuan nito at inanggulo ang mukha nito upang magkaharap sila nang maayos. Now that he was seeing her this close, he couldn't help but admire her even more. She was too perfect in his eyes and there's no way in hell that he'll ever let her go.

"If what I just said still didn't not answer your question, then listen to me carefully. I like you, Aisleen. I like you, your personality, and whatever flaws you may be hiding beneath that façade that you have. At kung hindi ka pa rin naniniwala sa sinasabi ko, I hope that this one will." Bago pa makapagsalitang muli ang dalaga, William closed the gap between them. He kissed her with all his might and heck. He didn't regret even a bit of it.

As expected, itinulak ni Aisleen palayo si William. Kung dahil sa gulat o galit, hindi rin sigurado si William. Pulang-pula ang pisngi ng dalaga at para bang nagkaroon ng pag-asa si William dahil sa nakikita. Ipinagpatuloy nila ang pag-uusap at para bang walang balak si Aisleen na paniwalaan ang kahit na anong sinasabi niya. Puno pa rin ito ng pagdududa.

Hindi naman ito masisisi ni William. Masyadong mabilis ang mga pangyayari at ni minsan, hindi naman pala nito binasa ang mga sulat na ipinadadala niya. Which frustrates him big time. He had a difficult time in writing those, tapos napunta lang din naman pala sa wala.

"So bakit nga biglang nagbago yung isip mo? Bakit lumapit ka bigla sa akin ngayon?" tanong ni Aisleen at halata na rito ang pagka-inis sa sitwasyon. It was pretty obvious that she's not the type of person who trusts people easily. Kaya rin siguro halos wala rin itong kaibigan sa school.

"Would you rather let the people know na kaya hindi ako makalapit sa 'yo dahil natotorpe ako?" sagot ni William.

"Yes!" walang prenong sagot ni Aisleen sa kanya pero pagkatapos ng ilang segundo, napahinto ito bigla. "Wait. Ano?"

"You heard me," nahihiyang sagot ni William, wala nang balak pang ulitin ang sinabi niya. It was too much for him to admit his feelings right now. Mas lalong hindi na kakayanin ng ego niya kung uulit-ulitin pa niya sa harap ni Aisleen na natotorpe siya rito.

"Pinaglololoko mo ba ako? You're saying na natotorpe ka pero kung makahalik ka kanina, you're acting like you're an expert in this field. You're underestimating me way too much. Hindi ako tanga," naiinis na sagot ni Aisleen sabay tingin sa binata. Pagkakita niya rito, halatang hindi na ito mapakali sa pagkakaupo. Hawak hawak pa rin naman nito ang mga kamay ng dalaga ngunit patuloy ito sa paglalaro dito na para bang pinipilit na iwaksi ang kung ano mang naiisip o nararamdaman nito. Nang magtuma ang kanilang mga mata, doon na napansin ni Aisleen ang katotohanan. Nakita niya rito ang kaba, hiya, at hindi kasiguraduhan.

"Fuck. Tanga rin ako pagdating dito, okay? I don't know how I should act and what I should say. Look, if I'm really an expert like what you're saying, we would have been a couple already by now. Madadala ka na dapat sa sinasabi ko at sa ginawa kong paghalik sa 'yo," sagot nito sabay tingin sa labi ng dalaga. Napalunok naman si Aisleen at dahil dito, nakaisip si William ng ibang paraan para matapos ang usapan.

"You know what? Forget everything I've just said." Akmang hahampasin na ni Aisleen si William ngunit nagpatuloy ito sa pagsasalita.

"Forget about those damn letters. Forget the scene I caused earlier. Forget all of the negative thoughts that are running inside your mind. If I have to appear stupid just to have you beside me, then let's just be stupid together, shall we?" Bago pa makapag-react ang dalaga, sinunggaban na ito ni William ng halik at sa pagkakataong ito, hindi na siya nabigo.

***

William and Aisleen tried it out. Sinubukan nila kung magwo-work out nga ba ang lahat. It was obvious that Aisleen was very skeptical about it. Ang dami pa rin nitong pagdududa sa binata but William has been nothing but patient. He wasn't used to this pero pinilit pa rin niyang ipakita sa dalaga na totoo ang nararamdaman niya. That he wasn't just doing this to get under her skirt and that he really has feelings for her.

And so he did his best to earn her trust. Little by little, they were opening up to each other and they found out about their similarities and their differences. While doing so, they explored a lot of things as well. And they really did explore. No'ng una, nagsimula lang sa mga pahalik-halik not until the fire consumed them whole and they gave into each other's earthly pleasures.

Did they regret anything about it? Probably not. What started out as a one time thing happened again and again. Minsan, napapaisip si William kung kinain niya rin ba ang sinabi niyang hindi naman sex ang habol niya kay Aisleen dahil sa dalas ng paggawa nila n'on. But when realized the amount of love that he had for her, the doubts that were slowly filling his system faded away.

He had never felt like this before. Tanging kay Aisleen lang. And if given the chance to live again, he would choose to be with her over and over again.

And that's exactly the reason why he decided to finally introduce her to his mother. He wanted her to know how lucky he was to have someone like Aisleen in his life. Na kahit hindi ipinilit sa kanya, he found the one who makes him happy and the one who would probably pass their standards.

"Have you ever wished you were born in a normal family?" Aisleen asked William while they were on the way to William's house. Excited na ang mga mommy ni William na makilala si Aisleen but somehow, it made Aisleen anxious.

"What do you mean?" tanong pabalik ni William. He was driving but he couldn't help but worry about Aisleen as well. She's usually not like this and so he would try to glance at her and hold her hand whenever he could.

"Yung wala silang ie-expect sa 'yo kasi hindi naman kilala yung pamilya niyo. Tapos you're free to do to everything that you like. No one will judge you for being who you are and hindi kailangang kalkulado yung bawat galaw mo. Sometimes kasi, I just find myself hoping that I was more normal. If that was the case, maybe I could have found more friends na hindi lang lumalapit sa akin kasi gusto lang nilang gamitin ako. And who knows? I might actually be known by people because I was pursuing my passion and not because I was the daughter of this rich couple na walang ibang ginawa kung hindi makipagplastikan sa ibang tao," ani Aisleen. Dahil doon, biglang ipinarada ni William ang sasakyan sa gilid ng kalsada. He's too worried about the girl beside him. Hindi niya alam kung bakit ganito ang naiisip nito gayong sa tingin niya naman ay wala nang maipipintas pa sa dalaga.

"Aisleen, you're already perfect with the way that you are now," William said. Halatang-halata sa mukha nito ang pag-aalala kaya mas lalong nagiging emosyonal si Aisleen ngayon. She just felt her walls breaking down in front of him. Gustuhin man niyang paniwalaan ang sinasabi ni William, at the end of the day, she would still feel like she's not enough.

"Well, I was programmed to appear perfect in front of other people."

"Remember the first time I told you that I like you?" William asked at tumango naman si Aisleen bilang sagot.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again. I like you, your personality, and whatever flaws you may be hiding beneath that façade that you have. I loved you for being true to yourself whenever you're with me. Just don't think too much, okay?" William said then he pulled Aisleen for a hug at bumuhos na ang luhang kanina pa pinipigilan ng dalaga.

"Aisleen, I love you. And from now on, I will be your safe haven. You don't need to pretend and to force yourself to be on par with your parents' standards. You've exceeded my expectations and God, you're so perfect that I can't bring myself to believe that you're actually mine," bulong ni William kay Aisleen and at that moment, he just knew that he would never ever let her go.