Kim emerged from her room, all ready for work, when she found Maja at the kitchen bar, sipping her coffee.
“Pards, ang aga mo naman. Anong oras ka nakauwi kagabi?”
“Almost 11 na.”
Maja furrowed her brows. “Late na ha. Wala kang kasabay?”
“Uhm… si Xian. May OT din siya.” Kim tried to hide her smile.
“OT? Eh nakasabay nga namin ni Matt yun sa train pauwi. Bumalik siya sa office?” Maja was puzzled.
“Ganun ba?” Kim was equally puzzled.
“Ayiiii!!! Malamang bumalik siya dun para sunduin ka. In fairness, ume-effort!”, Maja teased.
Kim could no longer hide her smile. “Effort ka d’yan!” Then she remembered what Xian was wearing last night – rubber shoes and denim pants -- on a Monday. Employees were only allowed such attire on a Friday. “Hmm.”
She said goodbye to Maja, opened the front door and was surprised to see Xian leaning against the wall.
“Xi? Ba’t andito ka?”
He gave her a bright smile. “Susunduin ka… sabay na tayo pumasok.”
“Ah okay…” She looked up to meet his gaze.
He took her hand and brought it to his lips, planting a kiss on her knuckles, sending warm currents along her arm. “Na-miss kita.”, he said softly.
“Ako din.”, she whispered.
Then, he held both her hands and pulled her close, placing her arms around his waist into an embrace, and enveloped her with his own arms. Lost in each other’s eyes, their faces were centimeters apart.
“I love you, Kim.” He whispered against her lips.
“I love you too, Xi.” She smiled.
And he moved in, covering her lips in a tender kiss.
Kim suddenly pulled back and pointed with her lips to her right. “CCTV.”
Xian grinned from ear to ear. “Buti na lang pinigilan mo ‘ko, kundi…” He held her hand to lead her to the elevators.
“…Kundi, may live show.”, she teased.
He gaped at her, feigning shock. “Kim!”
Kim had decided to go with the flow and not pressure Xian into giving THE explanation she needed. He knew he owed it to her, but they both didn’t want it to appear forced and to just let it happen, when it happens. The opportunity soon presented itself 2 days later, after work. They were sipping wine and eating pizza while watching The Incredibles on Kim’s laptop. They sat on the floor in Kim’s room with their backs against the bed and the laptop positioned at their feet.
Halfway through the movie, Xian suddenly remarked, “You know what, she wanted to be like that … a superhero.”
“Sino?” Kim was puzzled.
Xian looked at her. “Si Gaby.”
Kim took a deep breath. “This is it.”, she thought. She had been preparing herself for this. She promised herself that she would keep an open mind and just listen.
“Talaga? Bakit?”, she prodded.
Xian took a sip from his glass. “Member siya nung SJYF … uhm… St. John’s Youth Foundation yata yun.”
