I thought I was just seeing things when I looked out my window the next day.

Sanay akong nakikita na bakante 'yong kwarto sa tapat ng bintana ko, but today, as I yawned and stretched, a shirtless guy stared back at me from the other side.

My heart dropped as fast as my legs, my hands clutching the hem of my shirt. I couldn't believe that out of all the rooms in that house, his had to be across from mine.

Alam kong hindi dapat ako mag-complain sa makikita kong gwapong nilalang araw-araw, pero hindi ko alam kung hanggang kailan ako makaka-adjust sa panibagong routine na ito.

With my heart still racing, I stood up again, hoping he was already gone. Pagtingin ko sa kabilang window, nandun pa rin si Asher nakatayo, as if waiting for me to meet his eyes.

Thank God, may suot na siyang shirt, dahil kung hindi, baka bigla akong mamula dito.

Napansin ko ang pag-stretch ng labi niya from side to side, pero hindi ko siya binalikan ng ngiti dahil na rin sa kaba at gulat ko.

Turning my back, I finally proceeded to the bathroom, hoping the cold water would slow down my heartbeat.

After taking a shower, I headed downstairs and saw Tita Claire's note on the fridge.

Hindi ako nakapagluto ng breakfast, Jam. Sorry.

Nasa morning shift na naman ulit siguro siya. Sanay na ako sa ganitong set-up, considering mom was also a nurse.

At one point, gusto kong sundan ang footsteps nila, but I decided to go the long way and become a doctor instead.

Magsisimula na akong mag-aral ng pre-med course kong, Chemistry this year. Mahaba-haba pa ang lalakbayin ko.

Kumuha ako ng saging mula sa kitchen counter bago ako lumabas ng bahay. Nakita ko si Lolo Allan na busy sa pag-gardening sa tapat ng bahay nila.

When he noticed me, he waved his hands, catching my attention. "Good morning, Jam!"

I waved back at him. "Good morning, Lolo Al!"

"Punta ka na ba sa trabaho mo?" The old man asked, to which I responded with a nod.

Out of the blue, he called out for his grandson's name. "Ash!"

My reflexes weren't fast enough for me to run or hide, so instead of doing that, I pulled my head down, pretending to check my phone for the bus schedule.

"Ash!" I heard Lolo Allan calling out again, but I kept my attention on my phone.

"What's up, pops?" The sound of Asher's voice stopped me on my post as I slowly glanced up to where they were.

With only his sleeveless shirt and checkered boxers, he stood there in front of his grandpa as he messed his hair with one hand.

"Ihatid mo na si Jam sa trabaho," Lolo Allan ordered him and the guy immediately snapped his head towards my direction.

My mouth partially fell open, shaking my head lightly to decline the offer. "Lolo, okay lang po ako. Isang tricycle lang naman ako."

"Well, there you go." Asher shrugged, turning his back.

"Ash!" His grandfather cleared a throat, making him turn around again.

"I'll just go change clothes. Be right back." Asher brought his hands up in defeat, rolling his eyes and glancing at me in frustration.

Ilang minuto na ang nakalipas pero hindi pa rin ako makahinga nang maayos.

Katabi ko lang naman yung cute na kapitbahay namin na mukhang wala rin akong balak kausapin.

I was not the type to speak up first, but this time, I felt the need to, so I turned to him slowly. His eyes focused on the road and mine stuck on his gorgeous side profile.

"Everything all right?" Asher glanced at me.

I responded with a couple of blinks. Damn, I couldn't even stare without him noticing.

"S-Sorry," I mumbled, looking down.

"For what?"

"Naabala pa kita sa paghatid mo sa akin."

His head tilted to my side, lips forming a smirk. "It's all good."

"Mukha namang napipilitan ka lang," I wanted to say, but instead, ito ang sagot ko, "Ibaba mo na ako dito. Lakarin ko nalang."

"Grandpa knows how long it takes to go to the store from our house. I can't fool him." He faced me again, his smirk turning into a perky smile. "I said it's all right. Don't worry about it."

Tumango nalang ako. Ang lamig sa loob ng kotse kaya hindi ako masyadong makagalaw ng maayos.

Napatingin ako sa open glove compartment, a pack of cigarette peeking through.

Na-tempt akong tanungin siya tungkol dito, but decided against it. Tumingin nalang ako sa labas para maiwasan ang awkward na katahimikan sa loob ng kotse.

But few seconds later, I heard him speak. "I'm trying to quit smoking. Don't tell my grandparents about it."

I remained silent on my seat. His answer explained the weird stench etched inside the car.

When he cleared his throat, I turned to him. "So, you think you have electric razor now?" His face brimmed with mockery.

I almost choked in the air, if not for my remarkable self-control.

"Uh, hindi ko sure. I-check ko mamaya," I replied.

He snickered. "I'm kidding. Just wanted to lighten up the mood. Are you always this quiet?"

Oo, tahimik talaga ako. Ito palagi ang first impression ng mga tao sa akin, at usually, hindi ito nagbabago even after they got to know me. I was consistent like that.

"Sorry, alam kong naging rude ako sayo noon sa store. I'm normally better on most days." Asher's answer disrupted my thoughts, making me turn to him.

His expression turned from bright to sullen in an instant. There was something off, but I couldn't read his mind. "I heard you just moved here a few weeks ago?" He queried.

I nodded in silence.

"How are you finding it so far? Boring?" The way he was trying to hide his gloom made me more intrigued on what it was about. But I chose to ignore it.

"Uh, okay lang. Hindi naman ako lumalabas ng bahay kung hindi dahil sa trabaho," I answered.

And it was true. Hindi ko naman pwedeng ayain si Tita Claire dahil lagi siyang busy. Ayaw ko namang mag-sightseeing mag-isa. Wala akong tiwala sa poor sense of direction ko.

Asher chortled a bit, confusing me. "Really? Same here."

"Ah ganun ba," I mumbled. He flashed me a genuine smile. I just assumed it was genuine because his dimple was peeking out of his cheek again.

After that, we were back to being quiet again. Ang usual half an hour tricycle ride ko papunta sa work, nauwi sa isang forty-minute awkward car ride.

Wala namang traffic, but my driver took the long route, hence the delay.

Nang makarating na kami sa store, nagpasalamat ako kay Asher bago bumaba sa kotse niya.

Late na ako ng ilang minuto at kapag nalaman ito ni Boss Clyde, malamang tanggal na ako sa trabaho. Ang strict pa naman niya.

"Anong oras na?" Nagulat ako nang biglang may nagsalita pagkapasok ko palang sa may entrance ng store.

Nakita ko si boss sa may counter, nakatingin lang siya sa akin with his toned arms crossed over his bulky chest. Wala na akong takas nito.

I gulped down, peering at my watch. "8:15 po."

"Ikaw ang bagong staff dito, di ba?" The owner asked again, causing me to quiver.

"O-Opo," I answered in a soft voice.

"Sino ang nag-train sayo?" He continued to grill me, but before I could even answer, someone suddenly spoke from behind, startling me.

"Boss Clyde! How are you?" It was Asher who walked past me and moved towards the counter, high-fiving my boss.

"Ash! Nakabalik ka na pala. It's been a while." Boss Clyde smiled at him, suddenly forgetting that I was there being reprimanded.

"I just arrived a few days ago. I see you're still strict with your employees," Asher commented, glancing at me.

"Kailangan kong maging strict lalo na sa mga late na staff. Alam mo na siguro yon."

I suddenly got confused, but I chose to keep this confusion to myself.

Asher kept the smile on his face, nodding. "I know. But please, don't take it out on her. Ako talaga ang may kasalanan kung bakit siya late."

Boss Clyde shifted his attention back to me again. "Magkakilala kayo?"

Asher nodded, winking at me.

I just stood there, not wanting to convulse in front of my boss and the guy who was trying to kill me with his wink.

"Can you take it easy on my friend?"

Friend? Teka, hindi ako na-informed na friends na pala kami.

"Sige na. Kung hindi lang kayo magkaibigan..." Boss Clyde glanced at me before turning to Asher again. "Basta siguraduhin mong bibigyan mo ng signed album ang anak ko. Fan na fan ka nun eh."

"Of course." Asher raised his thumbs up at him.

Album? Sino ba tong Asher na to? Wala naman akong kilalang singer na Asher.

Hindi ko na siya natanong nang bigla na siyang nagpaalam.

Pero bago siya lumabas sa store, lumingon siya sa akin sabay smirk pa.

I didn't know if that was meant to be a friendly one or a "you-owe-me" kind of smile.

Medyo slow at boring ang first few hours ko sa shift. Umalis na rin si Boss Clyde kanina kaya naiwan na akong mag-isa dito sa store.

Wala namang masyadong customers, maliban sa isang batang lalaki na bumili ng slurpee kanina.

Nang biglang tumunog ang tiyan ko, napatingin ako sa may orasan sa wall at doon ko nalang na-realize na lunch break na pala.

When the door swung open, I prompted my eyes to open, ready to greet the customer. My eyes scrunched up, seeing the familiar guy next door with a paper bag in his hands.

When his eyes met mine, his cheeks rose up at an instant. "Hey, Jam! Lola wants to give you this," he explained, handing me a paper bag.

I peeked inside the bag and saw a box of banana muffins, its subtle scent bringing a smile on my face. Siguradong ni-bake niya ito. Ang sweet talaga ni Lola Olive.

Tinignan ko ulit si Asher. "Pakisabi naman thank you."

"I will. Anyway, nag-lunch ka na?"

His little smirk made me question his motive. Or baka paranoid lang ako.

"There's a really good restaurant near here," he added, his brows shooting up for a second.

I took a breath. Hindi ako pwedeng lumabas ng store. Sigurado akong alam rin ito ni Asher kung dati siyang nagtrabaho dito. "Uh, hindi ko pwedeng iwan tong store," I pointed out.

"Sure you can. I usually just go out and lock the door. Few minutes lang," pilit pa niya.

Ah, alam ko na. Sinadya niyang dumaan sa long route para ma-late ako kaninang umaga at ngayon gusto niyang iwan ko itong store habang nasa shift pa ako. Was he trying to get me fired?

"Do you want me to call Boss Clyde and ask permission? I'm sure he won't mind." Nilabas na niya ang phone niya.

Gusto ko siyang pigilan pero tinalikuran na niya ako para kausapin si boss sa kanyang phone. It took only a few minutes before he returned with a triumphant smile. "Let's go!"

The next thing I knew I was sitting inside a Chinese restaurant just nearby, with a guy, whom I was still trying to decipher.

"What do you want?" He peered at me, lowering the menu from his hand.

Hindi ko na kailangang tignan ang menu dahil alam ko na ang gusto kong kainin. "Uh... sweet and sour pork nalang. Thank you."

He let out a playful scoff. "You don't want any seafood or something?"

"Allergic ako sa seafood," I admitted in a low voice.

Shock crossed his face, but he quickly recovered. "Jannah Colston is allergic to seafood. Duly noted."

That made my cheeks burn. I brought my hand on top of the other to remind myself that I shouldn't be swayed by this guy.

For all I knew, gusto niya lang makabawi sa pagiging rude niya sa akin nung first time kaming mag-meet.

The whole time we were eating, Asher kept on talking about how he missed the food there and why he regretted not coming back sooner.

Nakikinig lang ako sa kaniya, mouth shut, not wanting to appear nosy by asking questions. My silence didn't even bother him as he carried the conversation for the entire half an hour.

Ngayon lang ako naka-encounter ng lalaki na ganito ka-friendly at chatty. Also, his laugh resembled that of a girl's giggle, which oddly suited him.

"Am I that stunning?" Asher suddenly asked, catching me off guard.

I didn't realize I had been diving into his ocean eyes the whole time he was talking.

"H-Ha?" Dropping my gaze from him, I grabbed the napkin from the table and wiped my mouth.

When he scoffed, I knew I failed to save myself from that embarrassment. "You've been staring at me since we got here, Jam."

I paused, keeping my head down. "H-Hindi ah."

"Don't worry. I forgive you," was the last thing he said, marking my first awkward lunch with him.

***