Pagkapasok namin sa hotel room, parang bagsak na bagsak na kami pareho. I mean, buong araw kami naglakad, nagpresent, at nag-isip ng design, so talagang wala na kaming ganang mag-isip ng malalim. Pati ako, feeling ko parang na-erase lahat ng energy ko, parang cellphone na low battery na.

"Grabe, Ys," sabi ni Theo, habang humihingal. "Parang buong araw na ako nag-march sa military camp." Tawa siya nang tawa, pero kita ko yung pagod sa mukha niya.

"Oo nga eh," sagot ko, halatang pagod na. "Parang may marathon tayo." I wasn’t even sure how I was still standing, but my legs felt like jelly.

"Sige, magbubuhos muna ako. Ligo lang ako," I said, trying to make it sound like a normal routine, pero internally, nagmamadali na ako. Baka kasi may ibang plans si Theo. Baka gusto niya magpahinga o kaya may ibang gagawin.

I quickly grabbed my toiletries, my heart suddenly pounding in my chest. I mean, I’ve been trying to act cool all day, pero ngayon, hindi ko na kayang i-ignore yung fact na kami lang ni Theo sa room. Kami lang ni Theo.

Napansin ko yung reflection ko sa salamin habang binubuksan ko ang bathroom door, and it hit me. Okay, this is it, Ys. Huwag kang magpapanic.

"Sure," sagot ni Theo, habang inaayos yung gamit niya sa ibabaw ng desk. "Habang naliligo ka, mag-aayos na lang ako ng mga notes natin for tomorrow."

Kahit hindi ko na makita si Theo, naririnig ko yung tono ng boses niya.  He is calm, relaxed. Parang wala lang, pero deep inside, I could feel that little flutter in my chest. This is gonna be awkward.

Pumasok ako sa banyo, pumikit saglit, tapos naglakad ako patungo sa shower area. Theo is right outside. He’s literally out there, just waiting for me to finish.

Wala na akong choice. I needed to calm down. This was just a regular shower, after all.

Habang tumutulo yung tubig mula sa shower, my mind kept racing. Ang daming thought bubbles ang dumaan sa utak ko. I didn’t want to overthink it, but I couldn’t help it.

Nasa kalagitnaan ako ng pag-shower when suddenly, I heard him. His voice wasn’t loud, pero it was soft enough to make my heart skip a beat.

“Ys, okay ka lang?”

Pagtanggal ko ng shampoo, I froze for a second. Did he just ask if I was okay? Why would he ask that? Oh my God, Ysmael, stop thinking like that.

I cleared my throat. "Oo naman!" Yung sagot ko parang hindi convincing at all. “Nagmamadali lang ako, sige, mamaya na lang tayo magchikahan.” My voice came out a little more high-pitched than usual. Smooth, Ysmael. Real smooth.

Tawa siya, halata yung amusement sa tono niya. “Okay, okay. You take your time, I’ll just wait here.”

I finished up quickly, making sure I wasn’t taking too long. Parang may deadline na ako, at hindi ko pa rin masabi kung bakit ang bigat sa pakiramdam.

Pagkatapos ng shower, I wrapped myself in the towel, feeling the cold air hit my skin.

"Okay lang ba, Theo?" I asked, pretending to sound casual, while inside I was panicking.

He looked up at me, and I could see that gentle smile again. "Oo, relax ka lang. Kung may kailangan ka, nandiyan lang ako."

For a second, there was something in his eyes, a kind of warmth I didn’t expect. Hindi ko alam kung ako lang ang nakakita, or kung may malalim na ibig sabihin yun, but for a moment, it felt like time slowed down.

“Okay, salamat,” sagot ko, trying to act casual, but my heart was still racing.

And just like that, we fell back into comfortable silence.

I went back to the bed, and honestly, I wasn’t sure what to say. I was tired, sure, but there was this quiet excitement in the air.

Ano ba ‘to? I tried to distract myself by unpacking my bag. Ang daming notes, mga folder, papers, lahat ng importanteng bagay, pero iba na ngayon ang focus ko.

Maybe it was nothing, maybe it was something. I didn’t know yet. But as I was putting my things on the desk, I noticed that Theo was sitting on the bed, looking at me.

He raised an eyebrow. “Ano na? Okay na?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m good,” I said, still feeling my heartbeat in my throat. I didn’t want him to know how nervous I was, or how much I cared about these small moments.

Gosh, Ysmael. Control yourself.

Pagkakaupo ko sa kama, tumabi si Theo, nakangiti. "It's been a long day."

"Yeah," I muttered, and for a second, the distance between us felt smaller than before. Huwag kang mag-expect, Ysmael. Huwag mong gawing complicated.

He looked at me and then casually said, "By the way, if you're hungry later, we can go out for dinner. Wala naman tayong ginagawa after ng seminar."

I couldn't help but smile. “Sure, sounds good,” I said.

But inside, I was screaming. Did he just ask me to go out for dinner?

Normal lang 'yan. Don't overreact.

Wala akong sinabi. Maybe it was just casual. But the way he looked at me, the way his eyes softened, it felt... different.

So I just nodded, trying not to blush. "Okay. Dinner it is.”