I'm feeling better ever since you know me
I was a lonely soul but that's the old me

-Feel Again by One Republic

--

Pakiramdam ni Lena ay nabalanseng muli ang mga bagay-bagay nang hindi magpakita si Cyrus sa kanya nang mag-Lunes. He'd usually come over to cook dinner for her at night. O kung tinatamad itong magluto, aayain naman siya nitong lumabas.

That Monday though, neither of those things happened. Naturally, she's worried. This was something that she was expecting to happen. So the very next day, she called Martin to check on Cyrus.

"Yeah, he's here," he told her. "Bakit?"

"Uhm, wala naman. Sige, thanks."

"Teka lang naman. Tumawag ka lang para do'n?"

She thought of something else to ask. "Busy ba sya?"

"Oo. May special project sya ngayon, e. Tinatapos nya 'yong design. Sabi ko kasi, before Friday, dapat gawa na."

"Ah. Okay."

"Ako, 'di mo kukumustahin? Ganyan ka, ha. Kinakalimutan mo na 'ko," kunwari ay nagtatampo nitong sabi. She could tell if he's just teasing. Rinig niya sa boses nito.

"Tigilan mo nga ako."

"Iba na talaga kapag may boyfriend, 'no?"

"Shut up."

Martin laughed. "Hey, listen, why don't you come over? Para rin ma-check mo 'yong folding table na pinapagawa mo. And I'm sure he'd like it if you visit."

"Sige. Try ko," she said half-heartedly. Gusto niyang makita si Cyrus. Ayaw niyang makita si Martin.

"Punta ka na. O-order akong pizza."

"Suhol ba 'yan?"

"Oo. Para pumunta ka. Kapag nandito ka kasi, gaganahan 'yong magtrabaho."

She sighed. "Fine. Pepperoni ang order-in mo, ha."

--

It was Lena's second time at Martin's shop slash office. Ayaw kasi niyang pumunta roon dahil puro lalaki ang trabahador nito. Martin doesn't really like to have them there, dahil nagkakagulo ang mga nandoon. Lalo na noong minsang dumalaw doon si Lacey. Muntik nang may masuntok si Martin dahil sa selos.

True to his word, Martin ordered pizza. Dalawang box pa ang in-order nito. He gave the box of pepperoni pizza to her.

"He's downstairs," he told her.

Kakaunti lamang ang empleyado ni Martin, wala pa yatang bente. Furniture-making ang pinakang-ginagawa roon, pero hindi mga ordinaryong pagkakarpintero ang trabaho. Hindi kasi simpleng furniture ang ginagawa nila. Some needs some serious engineering.

They spend their time designing furniture and building prototypes. Usually, iyong mga multi-functional o komplikadong gawin ang dinidisenyohan nila. Tapos kapag sobrang dami nang kailangang gawin, kumakausap si Martin ng isang furniture-making company para mag-mass produce. Iyong maraming tauhan. They can only take so much pieces, anyway.

The guys also build the furniture. Kapag iilang piraso lamang ang gagawin, sila-sila na rin ang gumagawa. Kaso, mas mahal.

She went downstairs, to the workroom. She immediately saw him. He's cutting some wood with a mobile circular saw, with his earphones on kaya hindi siya nito narinig na dumating. Tutok din ito sa ginagawa kaya hindi siya nito kaagad nakita.

He's a bit sweaty. Basa ang likod ng sando nito. The sight of his bare arms made her very uncomfortable. She suddenly had the urge to get back upstairs and just go home. Pero napako ang mga paa niya sa sahig nang patayin nito ang makina. He removed his earphones and picked up a bottle of water next to him. Saka ito sumandal sa lamesa at uminom.

He froze when he finally noticed her. She gave him an awkward smile.

He removed his protection goggles and walked up to her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Ano... dumadalaw lang."

"Kanino?"

"S-Sa 'yo."

That made him smile. But it quickly faded when he saw what she was holding.

"Pizza na naman, Lena?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

He lifted the lid and took one slice. He finished it with three bites.

"Akala ko ba ayaw mo ng pizza?"

"Sabi nino?"

"Kasi... palagi kang nagagalit kapag nagpi-pizza ako."

"That's because you eat pizza every day," he told her. "I like pizza, too, pero hindi ko naman inaaraw-araw." He picked another one. Isinubo nito iyon sa kanya, saka sinabing, "Besides, I'm hungry."

She chewed on the piece of pizza while he finished the slice. Dinala nila iyong box sa lamesa. Doon sila kumain katabi ng mga kahoy na pinuputol nito kanina.

"What are you making?"

"A folding table. May babae kasing nag-design ng table na gustong natitiklop ng sampung beses. Sumasakit tuloy ang ulo ko." He gave her a wink after saying that and she instantly knew that he's talking about her.

"You're making it?" mangha niyang tanong.

"Yeah. Pangalawang subok ko na 'to ngayon." He gestured at the materials scattered on the table. "It's even harder than the rotating table."

Her jaw dropped.

"Don't tell me gawa mo rin 'yon?!"

He grinned. "I did. Impressed?"

"But Martin told me-"

"I told Martin to take the credit. Baka kasi hindi mo tanggapin kapag nalaman mong iba ang gumawa," paliwanag nito.

He drank again and handed her the bottle after.

"What else did you make for me?" she asked before drinking.

"The bookshelf with hidden compartments. The fan with double set of blades. Ang dami pa, e."

Hindi siya makapaniwala sa narinig. The bookshelf was her gift to Kenna on her 16th birthday. She designed it but didn't know how to build it, so she asked Martin to help. All along, akala niya'y ito ang gumawa ng mga iyon.

She was about to ask for more details when Martin came down.

"Hey, love birds!" he greeted.

"Go away, Martin," Cyrus told him.

Martin laughed but slowly backed away. "I was just checking if you want some Coke."

"We have water," sagot ni Cyrus.

"O-kay. Sige, akyat na 'ko." He was muttering something about Cyrus being too cranky while he was climbing the stairs. Siya naman ay tiningnan ang kasama. His annoyance immediately disappeared the moment Martin was gone.

"Stop that."

"What?"

"I don't want you to hate him because of me."

His expression softened. "I don't hate him, Lena. He's just really annoying sometimes."

She didn't argue. Kahit alam niyang minsan ay nababahala na rin si Martin dahil palaging nagagalit si Cyrus dito. She knew it was because of her. Sana nga lamang ay hindi dumating ang panahon na kamumuhian ng dalawa ang isa't isa dahil sa kanya. Ayaw niyang makasira ng pagkakaibigan.

--

Lena stayed until Cyrus was done working. Dapat ay mag-i-extend pa ito, pero pinilit ito ni Martin na umuwi ng maaga. So they set out for dinner at 5PM.

Para maiba naman ng scenery, inaya siya ni Cyrus sa condo nito. Doon na lamang daw sila maghapunan. She was curious to see what his place looks like so she agreed. After a quick tour at the grocery store, dumiretso na sila roon.

Unang-una niyang napansin pagkapasok sa condo nito ay ang kalinisan ng loob. Walang kakalat-kalat. Bigla siyang nakaramdam ng hiya dahil napakakalat sa bahay niya. Partida pa, siya ang babae, but he's neater and more organized.

"Feel free to look around," sabi nito habang inaayos ang mga pinamili.

Tumango siya at inikot ang sala. Marami itong litrato ng pamilya nito. There are some on the side tables. May ilan din sa ibabaw ng estante sa ilalim ng salamin. May family picture din na nakasabit sa pader.

Sunod niyang tinungo ang banyo. It was also clean, walang kadumi-dumi ang sahig. Maayos ang pagkaka-arrange ng toiletries. Kahit ang towel, hindi tabingi ang pagkakasabit.

Next, she headed to what she guessed was his room, but it was locked. Nahiya naman siyang pabuksan iyon kaya bumalik na lamang siya sa kusina.

He was making a stew so after cutting all the vegetables, inilagay lamang nito ang mga iyon sa stew pot at saka hinayaang maluto.

"Tapos ka nang mag-ikot?" tanong nito sa kanya.

Umiling siya. "Nakasarado 'yong kwarto mo."

Kinuha nito ang susi at pinuntahan ang kwarto nito, with her tailing behind.

"May susi kasi nitong condo sina Clem. Ayokong may nakikialam ng gamit ko kaya palaging sarado 'tong kwarto," paliwanag nito habang binubuksan ang pinto.

Nang makapasok ay agad nitong hinawi ang kurtina. Napatitig siya sa bintana.She could see the city lights from there. They were breathtaking. Malaki pa 'yong bintana kaya marami ang kita. She couldn't help but be amazed.

"I bought this unit because of that view," he told her. "Ganda, di ba?"

She nodded in agreement. Then she made a mistake of turning around. He's taking his shirt off. Agad siyang nag-iwas ng tingin at gumilid palabas ng pinto, pero napansin nito kaagad ang plano niyang gawin kaya inunahan siya nito sa may pintuan at isinarado iyon.

Cyrus started walking towards her with a teasing smile plastered on his face. Her heart was already beating too loud for comfort. Umurong siya nang umurong, until her back hit something solid.

He only stopped walking when their faces are a few millimeters apart. Halos hindi na siya humihinga. It's like he's inhaling the air, leaving very little for her.

Ipinatong nito ang kamay sa tabi ng mukha niya. Then he leaned even closer, only a hairline away. From her peripheral vision, she saw his hand slide down. A few seconds later, she heard something open. Pagtingin niya sa kanan niya, bukas na ang pintuan ng closet. Cyrus stifled a laugh then leaned in and took a shirt. Isinuot nito iyon.

Akala niya ay ligtas na siya, pero bigla nitong isinara ang pintuan ng closet at inilagay ang mga kamay sa tigkabila niya. She was definitely trapped.

"I really want to kiss you right now," he said. Yumuko ito at idinait ang mga labi sa tenga niya. "Can I kiss you, Lena? You can hide in my closet if you want to."

She shivered all over. Her heart was screaming yes while her head was still trying to be rational. When he pulled away and stared at her intently, she was torn between wishing for the earth to swallow her and throwing all her cautions in the air.

Maybe she should just sneak under his arm and hide inside the closet until her breathing stabilizes. But she couldn't move a muscle. Para siyang ikinadena roon.

"Ah. To hell with it."

He crossed the little distance between them and she quickly melted and molded into his arms. She let the kiss deepen. She let it go on. And it was the most exhilarating thing she's ever felt.

She whimpered in complaint when he finally ended it. They were both breathing heavily, the air still thick around them, when he took her hand and put it on his chest. She could feel his heart beating hard against her fingers.

"Do you feel that?" he asked. "This is what you do to my heart, Lena."