Strings of Memory

Chapter 16

Lunar Harmony

The celebration we had during lunch break wasn't enough for my deskmate dahil pagkatapos ng klase ay nagyaya pa siya sa isang fast food restaurant.

"This is the real celebration for our band's formation," sabi niya habang inilalapag ng crew ang order namin.

Tinitigan niya kami isa-isa bago namuo ang isang ngiti sa labi niya. Her eyes were almost twinkling as she looked at us.

"First of all, I want to thank all of you for joining me on this journey. Alam kong may mga bagay kayong isinakripisyo para dito, and I promise you won't regret it."

Then she turned to Rive.

"Rive, thank you for joining me. Sobrang grateful ako na ikaw ang number one supporter ko simula pa noon."

Ngumiti si Rive. He put his right hand over his chest before doing a graceful bow.

Sunod naman siyang lumingon kay Elliot. "Eli, I know how much hard it was for you to join us. I was very insensitive nung nag-usap tayo, so I apologize if I said anything offensive. But I still stand with what I said that time." She paused for a moment, locking eyes with Elliot before continuing. "This is the best time to pursue our dreams."

Tumango si Elliot at ngumiti.

Ngumiti naman pabalik ang deskmate ko. "I promise that you won't regret your decision in joining us." She said with determination in her voice.

Binaling niya ang tingin kay Zeira. "Zeira," tawag niya. "In the short time we've known each other, I could see how determined you are into becoming a professional musician. Kaya huwag kang mag-alala, we're just as determined as you are. We will definitely make it."

Napangiti si Zeira, halatang na-appreciate ang sinabi niya.

Then, her gaze shifted to me. My heart immediately pounded harder in my chest.

"And Wynther," she said, flashing me a smile that made me swallow hard.

I don't know if it was the way she smiled or the way my name rolled off her tongue, but it made my pulse race.

Umayos ako ng upo at tumikhim bago ko siya muling tinitigan.

"This wouldn't be possible without you," she continued. "Thank you for giving me the push I needed when I was feeling anxious about my dream. Thank you for accompanying me kahit na alam kong napipilitan ka lang dahil hila ako ng hila sayo kung saan-saan."

She chuckled at that, and instead of feeling annoyed, I found myself unable to get mad. There was something about her smile today—something so bright that I couldn't bring myself to ruin it.

There's really something about her today that makes her glow even more. She looks almost radiant in my eyes, and it's not irritating. Actually, it's the opposite—it's captivating.

Maybe it's because the band is finally complete. Yes. That must be the reason.

"This is the first step toward going professional. We have a lot of things to do before we get to where we want to be but for now—let's celebrate to our hearts' content!" she declared, raising her iced tea.

"Woohoo!" sigaw ni Elliot sabay taas ng baso niya.

Napatingin tuloy ang ibang customers sa amin, pero wala silang pakialam. Patuloy lang sila sa pag-iingay na sinamahan pa ni Rive, habang tahimik lang kami ni Zeira.

Napahawak ako sa noo ko at napailing. These idiots. They don't even care that people are staring. Ugh.

"Let's meet up at our clubroom after class. I have an important announcement to make." Bungad ng deskmate ko pagkapasok niya ng classroom.