"Ngayon ba 'yon?" tanong ni Ken kay Lily. "Nawala sa isip ko." Panic surged through her after realizing that she completely forgot about it.

"Oo! Hindi 'nyo ba napag-usapan kahapon? I saw two you talking on the couch," Lily replied.

Tumakbo si Ken papunta sa loob ng kuwarto niya at kinuha ang kanyang cellphone nang maalala niyang napag-usapan nga nila nga nila iyon no'ng nagpalitan sila ng phone number kagabi. Nakita niyang may isang missed call at isang text message galing kay Tristan. "Shit, tinawagan niya ako, hindi ko nasagot!"

Good morning, Ken. Pick you up at 11:30? she quickly read the text message.

Nadagdagan ang panic na nararamdaman ni Ken kaya't agad siyang nag-type ng reply. Sure, see you!

Lily was looking at their texts over Ken's shoulder when she scolded her best friend. "Alam mo namang napakatagal mong maligo tapos hindi mo man lang sinabing 12 na lang magkita."

"But it's him, ayaw kong mag-reschedule. Pa'no kapag 'di na siya pumayag?"

"Imposibleng hindi pumayag 'yon, ano ka ba?" sabi ni Lily. "Nakita mo ba 'yong hitsura niya noong pumayag ka, akala mo sinagot na siya eh. And the way he looked at you yesterday, parang ang lakas talaga ng tama sa'yo, Girl."

"Lily's right, mukhang may crush sa 'yo 'yon." Nagulat si Ken nang biglang magsalita si Sage. She forgot he was there in the midst of her panic and there was something different in his tone. Parang mas mababa 'yong confidence compared sa default nito.

"So, you were watching him watch me?" Ken asked Sage. "Isn't that creepy?"

"I wasn't watching you or him!" mabilis na sagot ni Sage. "Sadyang observant lang ako and Valerian mentioned something about Tristan being a Selene fanboy."

"He's a what?"

"Kapag pakikipagtalo talaga kay Sage, ang dami mong time, Kendra! Maligo ka na nga, maabutan ka pa ng date mong ganyan, ma-turn off pa sa 'yo," sabi ni Lily habang hinihila ang best friend nito papunta sa banyo.

"Kahit sampung beses maligo 'yan, nakaka-turn off pa rin!" hirit ni Sage, sabay tawa.

Inirapan ito ni Ken. "Wala namang gustong mang-turn on sa 'yo, Airbender!"

* * *

Base sa mga ingay galing sa banyo, matagumpay na napilit ni Lily ang best friend nitong mag-bubble bath. Bumalik ang eredera sa living room kung saan nakaupo si Sage sa sofa. "It's so kind of you to bring hangover soup for Ken and to take her home last night. You're such a lifesaver. Would you like some coffee? Wala ka bang hangover?"

"Wala 'yon. Alam mo namang I'd help you in anyway I can," Sage said with a smile. "Okay lang ba kay Ken na bigyan mo ako ng kape niya?"

"Ay, apartment nga pala ni Ken 'to, walang kape rito. Is green tea okay? Matcha, alak at tubig lang iniinom no'n eh. Wala rin naman siyang magagawa kung bigyan kita ng minamahal niyang green tea. Akong bahala sa 'yo," sagot sa kanya ni Lily habang naglalakad ito papunta sa kusina.

"Alright, green tea is fine."

Matapos ang ilang sandali, bumalik si Lily sa living room dala ang mahalimuyak na green tea na inilapag niya sa glass coffee table. Sage took a sip and was impressed by the perfect blend of sweet and bitter tastes.

"It's really good and it's making you even more attractive in my eyes. Aminin mo na, nilagyan mo siguro 'to ng gayuma," pagbibiro ni Sage.

"Really? I'm glad you like it. Sa wakas, may naka-appreciate din ng paggawa ko ng green tea. Masyadong mataas ang standards ni Ken pagdating sa green tea niya," Lily replied smiling widely. "Anyway, may kailangan ka pa ba kay Ken? Hindi naman sa pinapaalis na kita but as you know, may lakad siya ngayon."

"Wala naman akong kailangan sa kanya pero sa 'yo, meron."

"Huh? Sa 'kin? Ano namang kailangan mo sa 'kin?"

"'Yong puso mo. 'Yong puso ko kasi, iyong-iyo na eh." Sage winked.

"Gasgas na 'yang linyahan mo, umuwi ka na!" Napalingon ang dalawa sa pinanggalingan ng boses. Of course, it was Ken. Hindi talaga siya hahayaan nitong makahirit kay Lily.

Isang tuwalya lamang na abot sa mga hita nito ang nakabalot sa katawan ng dalaga. He swallowed at seeing water droplets slide from her thighs down to her nicely shaped calves. Agad na inilag ni Sage ang kanyang tingin. This wasn't a good time for involuntary bodily reactions.

Ken, on the other hand, did not seem to mind that she was almost naked in front of her guests. Kung sa bagay, sila na nga lang ang nakikipuo, ito pa ba ang mag-a-adjust?

"Hey! Is that my matcha?" Ken asked with a threatening tone.

"I made it for him, Ken. 'Wag ka ngang madamot sa green tea mo. It's the least you can give. Remember, siya nag-uwi sa 'yo nang buhay," agad namang paalala ni Lily kay Ken. Lumingon ito kay Sage at nagtanong ulit. "As I was asking bago mo pa maisingit 'yong banat mo, may iba ka pa bang kailangan?"

"Actually, I just had an idea. What if we just go on a double date with Ken and Tristan?" Sage asked.

"Like she'd agree to go a date with you," agad namang pagsagot ni Ken.

"Hmm. Actually, I do owe him a date, remember?" sabi ni Lily. "I-text mo si Tristan kung ayos lang sa kanyang may third and fourth wheel kayo."

"Wait! Lalabas ka nang may mga chikinini sa leeg?! Baka akalain ng mga tao na si Lily may gawa niyan!" Gagawin talaga ni Ken ang lahat para pigilan ang ipinangakong date.

"Eh sino nga ba ang dapat sisihin?" nakangising tanong ni Sage. "Kung gusto mo, pirmahan mo 'tong leeg ko para alam ng lahat na artwork mo 'to."

Visibly annoyed by his comment, Ken started to walk towards Sage but Lily intervened before anything violent occurred by grabbing the girl's arm. "Ken, it's fine. I don't mind, he doesn't mind. Stop stressing yourself over it. Samahan na kitang magbihis. Pahiram na rin ako ng Selene clothes mo para sa date!"

Pumasok ang dalawang babae sa walk-in closet at nagsimulang maghanap ng mga damit na isusuot. Ken also sent a quick text to Tristan informing him of their third and fourth wheel at pumayag naman ang football captain.

* * *

"What the hell are you wearing?" Sabay na nagsalita ang mag-best friend at pareho sila ng sinabi.

Pumasok si Sage sa kwarto at doon niya nakita ang suot ng dalawa. Ken was in her typical boyish get-up, a baseball jersey top, denim jeans and high-cut Chucks. Lily was wearing a yellow dress with spaghetti straps that reached just above her knees paired with blue ballet flats.

"Nagsuot lang ako ng appropriate para sa date. Ikaw, bakit ganyan suot mo? Date ba ang pupuntahan mo o try-outs ng baseball team?" sabi ni Lily. "Mag-effort ka naman."

"Hindi lang naman siguro damit ang tinitingnan ni Tristan. Pero ikaw, mag-ingat ka diyan kay fuckboy. You're showing too much skin," sagot ni Ken.

"Hindi ako manyak, 'no!" pagtatanggol ni Sage sa sarili. "Lily, you will look stunning in whatever you wear. Kahit black garbage bag ang isuot mo, makikipag-date pa rin ako sa 'yo," Sage said with a wink.

Ken just rolled her eyes. Wala na 'ata siyang masasabing paniniwalaan nito. Her phone suddenly rang and she immediately answered. "Hello? No, it's fine. Patapos na rin ako rito. Sorry for making you wait," she said to the person on the line who was most likely her date.

"Okay, bye." Ken ended the call. "Nasa baba na si Tristan! Ano na? Hindi ba talaga katanggap-tanggap 'tong suot ko?" It was the first time he had seen her panic about something that didn't involve Lily and the fact that she was panicking about Tristan sent a queasy feeling in his gut that he tried hard to ignore.

"He's here so wala na tayong oras maghanap pa ng ibang damit. Para pareho tayong maging satisfied sa OOTD ng isa't isa, palit na lang tayo ng damit, okay?" Lily was quick to come up with a solution.

"Okay, bilisan na lang natin," sagot ni Ken. Bumalik ang dalawa sa walk-in closet.

Left alone in Ken's room, nilibot ni Sage ng tingin ang kwarto. A cork board near the bookshelf caught his eye. Nilapitan niya iyon at nakita ang tatlong litratong nakadikit doon gamit ang thumb tacks.

One of the photos showed Ken and Lily standing on a football field in their high school uniforms. Halos walang pinagbago ang hitsura ni Lily pero ibang iba ang ayos ni Ken. Kulot ang mahabang buhok nito na abot baywang at may makeup ang mukha nito. Pamilyar kay Sage ang uniform ng Minerva International School dahil doon nag-aral ang kapatid niya kaya alam niyang sadyang pinakli ni Ken ang pleated skirt na suot nito.

One of the photos was more recent. It showed Ken with Heidi and Matt. Each of them were holding a shot glass containing a gold-colored liquid. Ito siguro ang isa sa mga pagkakataon na naranasan nila ang Stage Four Drunk Ken.

The last photo showed Ken—or rather, Selene—with a tall, good-looking guy who had an arm around her shoulder. Both of them were holding microphones, suggesting that the photo was taken in a karaoke place. They seemed close and Sage has never seen Ken with a smile as genuine as the one she had in the photo. 

Singkit ang lalaki sa litrato at parang nakita na ito ni Sage dati. K-Pop idol siguro. Ex kaya 'to ni Ken? Wala naman sigurong boyfriend ang babaeng iyon sa ngayon dahil makikipag-date pa ito kay Tristan. After all her taunts about his alleged fuckboy lifestyle, he couldn't imagine Ken being a two-timer.

Hindi napansin ni Sage na nasa likod niya na pala si Lily kaya nagulat siya nang magsalita ito. "Gwapo, 'no? That's Ken's e—"

"Please stop snooping around," Ken suddenly said in a cold voice. "And you," she continued as she faced Lily, "Please stop revealing details of my personal life."

Without another word, Ken walked out of the room and out of her unit. Tuloy-tuloy lang ang paglalakad nito hanggang makarating sa elevator kung saan naabutan ng dalawa ang dalaga. Bumukas ang elevator door at sumakay silang tatlo. There was tension in the air.

"Sorry na, Ken," Lily said. Whatever Lily was about to say about the boy in the photo surely made the heiress guilty. Sage just stood there, wala pa ring ideya kung bakit gano'n kalamig ang reaksyon ni Ken na pati si Lily, napa-sorry.

"Hindi mo kailangang mag-sorry. I just..." hindi na tinuloy ni Ken ang sasabihin niya nang bumukas ang pintuan ng elevator sa ground floor. She took a deep breath. "It's game time. Wish me luck."

Ken walked briskly towards the Tristan and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. Napanganga si Sage pero nang tingnan niya si Lily, mukhang inasahan na nito ang ginawa ni Ken.

"That was a classic Selene move, expect to see more of them today. Isara mo rin 'yang bibig mo, baka may pumasok na insekto," sabi ni Lily na may halong pagtawa.