The double date started with lunch in a fifties-themed diner where the four young adults sat in a booth. Sage was seated on Lily's left and Ken was seated across him, on Tristan's right. Lily seemed to be very satisfied with her pasta but Sage was too distracted to enjoy his cordon bleu. 

Hindi siya makapaniwala sa inaasal ni Ken. It was as if her personality took a 180-degree turn. Simula nang makita nito si Tristan sa lobby, hindi na natanggal ang ngiti ng dalaga. 'Di naman sa nagrereklamo si Sage dahil maganda naman ang mga ngipin ni Ken, pero ngayon niya lang ito nakitang ngumiti, maliban sa mga pagkakataong naisahan siya nito o napigilan ang pagporma niya kay Lily. Isa pa, salad lang ang kinakain nito, eh noong nakaraang gabi, halos order-in niya na ang buong menu ng McDonald's. Something was up.

But what surprised him most was that she was being clingy to Tristan. She sat too close to him, held onto his arm while they walked, seemed very interested in everything he said, and consistently made an effort to keep the conversation going.

They were casually talking about childhood pets when Ken suddenly touched Tristan's face. She wiped some steak sauce from his cheek using her thumb. "We don't want that handsome face to get dirty," she said in a sultry voice. Mukhang ilalagay na ni Ken sa mga labi nito ang sauce pero bigla itong tumigil nang magtama ang mga mata nila ni Sage. She wiped it on a napkin instead.

Sage almost choked on his milkshake after witnessing her actions. Even Tristan was visibly surprised as it made him stop slicing his steak while a blush appearing across his face. Lily didn't seem to notice the guys' reactions while Ken simply continued talking as if what she just did was the most normal thing in the world.

Seeing some pasta sauce on the corner of Lily's lips, Sage thought of attempting the same move. Pagkagalaw pa lang ng kamay niya, napigilan na agad ni Ken ang balak niya. "Lily, may dumi ka sa labi. Here, use this," Ken said, handing a table napkin to her best friend and giving Sage a smug smile. Kahit pala busy si Ken sa kung ano mang ginagawa nito kay Tristan, hindi niya pa rin ito maiisahan pagdating kay Lily. Multitasker ang loko.

"So, Tristan, when's your birthday? Don't worry, 'di ako stalker. I just want to give you a gift on your special day," Ken asked, flashing him her killer smile.

Nag-replay sa utak ni Sage ang eksena sa unit 27G no'ng nakaraang gabi nang marinig niya ang salitang "gift" galing kay Ken. Pero hindi siya ang bida kundi si Tristan. This scene in his head brought back the queasy feeling in his stomach that he had been experiencing quite a lot lately.

"I'm sure Tristan can afford whatever you plan to give him," Sage said. He knew he sounded like a douchebag but he wasn't able to stop himself.

Bago pa tapatan ni Ken ang sinabi niya, nagsalita na si Tristan. "Hindi mo naman ako kailangang regaluhan, Kendra. Matutuwa na 'ko if you could spend some time with me on that day."

Ngumiti si Ken. "Aw, you're so sweet. So tell me when it is so we can set the date."

"It's on December 3," Tristan replied.

"So you're turning twenty-four on December 3?"

"Yeah. Are you sure you'll have time for me?"

"Of course, ikaw pa! Ilalagay ko na nga sa calendar ko ngayon eh," she said as she typed something on her phone. The way her voice pitch went up an octave sounded sketchy but Sage didn't comment on it.

Namangha rin naman si Sage sa galawan ni Ken. Hindi pa tapos ang unang date, nakapag-schedule na ito ng second date. So Sage decided to try his luck with Lily. "Ikaw, Lily, kailan ba ang birthday mo?"

Ken smirked at him. "Really? You're gonna use my line? Kaunting originality naman, sir," she said, rolling her eyes.

Now, that's the Ken he knows. Hindi niya naiintindihan kung bakit may pa-sweet act si Ken sa harap ni Tristan. But he felt a thrill, knowing that he can still trigger her to use her sharp tongue.

"March 19," Lily answered before Sage could respond to Ken's comment. Napansin din ni Sage na pinandilatan ni Lily si Ken. Parang warning na 'wag pumatol.

"So, do you have plans for your birthday? Maybe, you'd like to celebrate it with me," Sage said.

"Matagal pa 'yon, baka 'di mo na ako pinopormahan by that time," Lily replied nonchalantly. He really should work on making Lily like him. By the way she acted, it seemed like Lily wasn't even convinced that he liked her. Ang laking sagabal naman kasi no'ng best friend.

"Sa tingin ko nga, hindi na kita pinopormahan sa birthday mo kasi sinagot mo na 'ko by that time," Sage said confidently as he winked at the heiress.

Ken was biting her lip as she glared at him.

* * *

Apparently, no one planned for this date so the group of young adults ended up in an arcade.

May kanya-kanya silang expertise sa mga laro sa arcade. Tristan was good at games that were sporty in nature like shooting basketballs and air hockey. Lily had excessive luck today and was earning lots of tickets from luck-based games. Sage tried to impress Lily pero hindi siya hinayaang magpakitang-gilas ni Ken. They tried to outdo each other in Tekken, formula one racing, trivia games, Guitar Hero, shooting games and even getting larger stuffed toys from the claw machine. Unfortunately for Sage, Ken beat him in all of the games. Kahit sa pagkuha ng stuffed toy, si Ken ang nakakuha ng mas malaki.

Sage didn't like losing kaya parang kuminang sa mga mata niya 'yong vacant na karaoke room. Naaalala niya ang sinabi ni Lily tungkol sa pagkanta ni Ken. This was her kryptonite.

"Bihirang may available na karaoke room. Wanna sing?" Sage asked his companions. Lily and Tristan seemed excited and immediately agreed but Ken just had a blank expression on her face.

At syempre, hindi niya pinalagpas ang pagkakataong mang-uyam. "What's the matter, Ken? Takot ka bang matalo sa kantahan?"

"I don't sing, you win. Congratulations," Ken replied flatly.

Her tone made him feel sleazy. It was a victory pero bakit feeling niya nandaya siya?

They took turns with the microphone at dahil hindi kasali si Ken, si Sage ang palaging may highest score. Pero boses ni Tristan lang ang paulit-ulit na pinupuri ni Ken. She even rested her head on the football captain's shoulder while he sang.

Top scorer nga siya sa karaoke pero walang saysay kung hindi niya naman natatalo si Ken. And for some reason that he couldn't explain, Kendra sitting that close to Tristan annoyed the hell out of him.

"May ipis!" sabi niya, sabay turo sa pagitan nina Ken at Tristan. 'Di niya rin alam kung ba't niya ginawa 'yon. Parang napakababaw pero hindi niya napigilang mapangiti nang maghiwalay ang dalawa.

"Saan?" tanong ni Tristan habang hinahanap ang imaginary ipis na tinuro ni Sage.

"Gumapang sa ilalim ng couch," Sage replied, faking a worried expression. "Maybe we should go. Gusto n'yo bang manood ng sine?"

The group agreed as they left the karaoke room. Silang dalawa ni Ken ang huling lumabas at nanlilisik ang mga mata ng dalaga sa kanya. "May ipis ba talaga?" she asked when Lily and Tristan were out of earshot.

Sage smirked. "Now you know that I can block your moves too."

* * *

It should've been the perfect setup. Manonood sila ng horror movie at katabi niya si Lily. Once a scary scene plays out, he'll be right there, ready to comfort her. This was a tried and tested tactic. Everything would've gone smoothly. Kung 'di lang si Ken ang katabi ni Lily sa kabilang side.

Sampung minuto pa lang simula nang mag-umpisa ang pelikula pero inumpisahan na ni Sage ang galawan niya. Pasimple siyang nag-unat ng mga braso at dahan-dahang ibinaba kanyang kamay palapit sa balikat ni Lily. He was about to reach her shoulder when he felt a hand grip his forearm.

Napatingin siya sa kamay na pumigil sa kanya at hindi na nagulat na kay Kendra iyon. She gave him a threatening look and he withdrew his arm. Thankfully, Lily was too engrossed in the film to notice that the two have already started the usual feud between them.

Kung akala ni Ken na titigil na si Sage matapos maharang ang first attempt niya, nagkakamali ito. He took it as a challenge, a chance na maisahan si Kendra. Kaya agad niyang inubos ang popcorn niya. He would ask Lily for some and he would "accidentally" touch her fingers. If he gets there, he would be able to easily maneuver the situation so they end up holding hands.

"Hey, can I have some popcorn?" he asked Lily in a whisper.

Lily was about to nod when Ken spoke in a hushed voice. "I'm sure you can afford popcorn."

"But I don't want to miss a scene."

"Then you should have thought of that before you engaged in gluttony."

"Hindi pa 'yon gluttony, OA ka. Hindi naman ikaw ang hinihingan ko, bakit ang dami mong opinyon?"

"Ito, sa'yo na lang kung popcorn talaga ang gusto mo." Inirapan siya ni Ken habang inaabot kay Sage ang sarili nitong popcorn.

If he takes her food, Tristan, who sat on her other side, will probably share his popcorn with Ken. Baka ang dalawang 'yon pa ang mag-holding hands. The idea didn't sit well with him. Hindi niya hahayaang si Ken ang makagamit ng galawan niya so he declined her offer. "Ayaw ko ng flavor na 'yan."

"Kalokohan, pareho tayo ng biniling fla—"

"Shut up or I will have you both thrown out of the theater." Lily hissed. They both shut up.

* * *

Para paghandaan ang mga galawan niya sa sinehan, sinearch na ni Sage ang plot ng palabas. Para na rin hindi siya magulat sa jump scares at mawalan ng poise.

Malapit na ang nakakatakot na scene at binabantayan niya ang reaksyon ni Lily. Biglang nagpakita sa screen ang multo, just as he expected. Lily let out a small gasp. Ready na siyang amuhin si Lily kapag nagtago ito sa dibdib niya pero hindi doon nagtago si Lily. The heiress buried her head on her best friend's shoulder.

Ken patted Lily's head. "It's okay, Lily. Pwede ka nang tumingin ulit."

He stared at them in disbelief. You have got to be fucking kidding me.

Tiningnan din siya ni Ken at nakangisi ito. It was as if she knew perfectly well that his plan didn't work.

* * *

The rest of the movie was uneventful. Hindi na nakapagsingit si Sage ng galawan kaya maganda ang mood ni Ken.

"I have to use the restroom. Magkita na lang tayo sa lobby," Lily said.

Tristan's phone rang and his eyes widened when he checked the screen. "I need to take this call. Sunod na lang ako," he said.

"Don't take too long, baka ma-miss kita." Ken winked at the guy before he walked away.

"Sana maka-survive ka hanggang makabalik siya," Sage said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Tinaasan niya ito ng kilay. "Problema mo?"

"Ikaw," Sage snapped. "Why are you acting this way?"

"Hindi ka pa ba sanay? As long as I'm alive, 'di ka makakaporma kay Lily." She crossed her arms.

"That's not what I meant," Sage said as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Then please, enlighten me," Ken said, genuinely curious.

"May kakaiba sa 'yo ngayon. Hindi ka ganyan, bakit ka nagpapanggap? Stop acting like some patron saint ng kalandian!" Sage let out a heavy breath. "Do you even like Tristan?"

Ken's heart started to race at Sage's words. Was he jealous? She quickly pushed the idea away, it was highly unlikely. Malamang, wala lang itong ibang masumbat at naiinis ang lalaki dahil natalo niya na naman ito.

"What's not there to like? Eh, pangalan niya pa lang, sobrang gwapo na, Lance Tristan Xavier Galvez. He's gorgeous, athletic and very down-to-earth. 'Di tulad ng iba diyan." Ken paused for a moment to take a breath. "At kung patron saint ako ng kalandian, diyos ka ng mga haliparot. You have no right to judge and I don't need your approval anyway. Besides, 'di ba curious ka kay Selene? Ito ang typical date with Selene. Happy?"

"Happy? What is there to be happy about? Ikaw ba ang naka-date ko?"

Ken's eyes widened at his last statement and Sage mirrored her reaction, shocked at the words that came from his own mouth. "That didn't come out right," he started awkwardly. "What I meant was hindi ako ang naka-date ng sinasabi mong Selene. Ikaw rin ang nag-imply na iyon ang ikakasaya ko pero hindi 'yon totoo. Selene seems really fake. I'd prefer you—your best friend," he stammered.

"Oh," Ken said. Of course, this was still about Lily. But why was she feeling a bit disappointed?

Wala nang nagsalita sa kanilang dalawa pero 'yong puso ni Ken, nagwawala na parang nakatapos siya ng isang buong marathon. Worried that Sage might actually hear the pounding in her chest, she sneaked a peak at him but he was also in the process of stealing a glance at her. Nagtama ang mga mata nila at pareho silang mabilis na nag-ilag ng tingin.

"Aba, himala! Hindi sila nag-aaway." Muntik nang mapatalon si Ken. Hindi niya napansin ang pagdating ni Lily. "Ubos na ba 'yong mga topic na pwede n'yong pagtalunan?"

Before Ken could answer, Tristan walked right in front of her with his phone held up so she could see the screen. "Aren't these your friends?" His tone was serious.

It was a picture of Heidi and Matt, both cuffed in a police station. The color drained from her face. Nahuli sila at hindi niya madadaan 'to sa panlalandi.