All Strings Attached

Chapter Two: The Second Verse

The only problem is…

Now I want more.

“Tsk, this is bad” I murmured

____
Jairus' perspective

I hated how much I wanted Steve’s approval.

Itong lalaking ito, Oo idolo ko siya, kaso lang…Look at him! The guy was infuriating—lazy posture, sarcastic tone, at lagi la siyang kumakain ng kung ano ano habang may ginagawa!

Katulad na lang ngayon, may isang box na ata ng Chocnut yung nakain nya eh. He offered me some earlier, I said “No. Thank you. I am on a diet, I am avoiding sweets.”

Still, he threw one at me anyway.

“Catch this, theater boy,” he said, grinning.

Siyempre sinalo ko at kinain. Hindi dahil natakam ako sa amoy ng chocknut or dahil mahilig ako sa sweets, kundi dahil ayokong mapahiya sa kanya. Tama, yun lang ang dahilan.

Now we sat across from each other—me with my guitar and him scribbling something in his notebook.

“Ano ba yang sinusulat mo?” Tanong ko, habang pinupunasan ang tumutulong pawis sa leeg ko. Ano bang meron sa lugar na to? Bakit ang init dito?

He didn’t look up. “Your flaws.”

I scoffed. “So may listahan ka?”

He nodded. “Of course, gusto mong marinig ang verdict ko?”

“Hit me.”

He lifted a finger to count. “You enunciate too cleanly, like a news anchor. You should loosen your jaw.”

He lifted his second finger. “You breathe like a machine, stop it. Breathe like a human.”

Third finger. “And you’re too aware of how you look while performing. That smile? Masyadong praktisado.”

I stared at him. “Anything else?”

He looked up finally. His eyes softened, but just for a second.

“You're trying too hard to be unforgettable.”

That one landed harder than I expected.

“But...Akala ko…I thought that was the point—”

“Shhh, Im not done talking”
He shrugged. “Maybe. But you don’t have to try that hard, people will remember you if you’re honest. Be authentic.”

I didn’t say anything for a moment, I just looked at him.

He… wasn’t wrong.

Underneath all the teasing and sarcasm, Steve actually cared.

In his own weird way.

“Do you ever smile without teasing?” I asked before I could stop myself. Ugh, my mouth is running wild again. Why do my intrusive thoughts always win?!

He blinked. “Ha?”

“Ano… Ang sabi ko…Have you ever smiled for real? Like… genuinely?”

He tilted his head, brows raising. “Why, you trying to make me?”

I rolled my eyes, flustered. “Hindi ah! A-ano lang—tsk, never mind.”

But he smiled then, not the teasing kind.

A real one.

Huge, Loud and an almost freeful laugh…kaso pinipigilan niyang mailabas.

Damn it… Why did I feel my heart skip?

____
Steve's Perspective

He asked about my smile, It caught me off guard.

No one ever did that.

Most people cared about how I sang, what I thought of their singing, or whether I’d ever date a fan. But Jairus… he was different.

And now he was looking at me with this dumb, confused, almost-flustered face—At ngayon ay hindi ko alam kung gusto ko ba siysng halikan o asarin…

I chose neither.

“Let’s do harmony,” I said, standing. “I’ll play, you follow.”

His eyes widened. “K-kakanta ka?”

I rolled my eyes. “Shockingly, oo.”

We stood close—too close, maybe—but neither of us moved away.

[Steve strumming the chords for “Bakit ngayon ka lang”]

I strummed the guitar gently.

[Jairus singing the first verse]

Bakit ngayon ka lang?
Bakit ngayon kung kailan ang aking puso'y
Mayro'n nang laman?

He picked it up, instantly.

[Steve singing the second verse]

Sana'y nalaman ko
Na darating ka sa buhay ko
'Di sana'y naghintay ako

Our voices met halfway. His voice was lower, mine are higher. We weren’t perfect, we weren’t polished. But something about the messiness—about the way our sounds tangled—felt right.

…

[Both singing the last line]

Nais kong malaman
Bakit ngayon ka lang dumating?

He looked at me after the last chord.

“Hindi ka naman pala mukhang nakakatakot pag kumakanta ka eh. ” he said.

I nudged his shoulder with mine. “Ang ganda na ng mood ko eh, don’t ruin it.”

____
Jairus' perspective

Tumagal ng dalawang oras ang practice.

Ni hindi namin napansin.

By the end of it, we were both sprawled on the floor, out of breath and half-laughing after botching the last verse of a Bruno Mars song.

Steve turned to me, one arm under his head.

“Hmm...Actually, you’re not that bad,” he said quietly.

I smirked. “You mean I’m amazing?”

“I mean you’re less insufferable today.”

“Ha! Coming from you, that’s practically a compliment.”

He laughed—a real whole laugh this time, I liked that sound…Too much, maybe.

We fell into silence, only the soft hum of the wind from the open window behind us.

I looked over at him—his lashes, his jawline, the way the corner of his lips still curled like he was always one joke away from breaking the world open.

And suddenly, I wondered what it would be like to lean in. I mean, not physically.

But I didn’t. I shouldn't.

Because we were just… friends.

A mentor and student.

Right?

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