All Strings Attached

Chapter Four: The strings of the Heart

After our performance, he just… left. Like I didn’t mean anything.”

“Nasabi mo man lang ba yung nararamdaman mo sa kanya? I mean, verbally?”

“Hindi.” Steve chuckled, empty. “Hindi ko na sinabi kasi na realize ko na, I wasn’t the kind of person he’d ever notice that way. Maybe, for him, I was just some noise in the background.”

I stepped closer. “Steve, alam naman natong dalawa na hindi ka ganon. You are more than that.”

He finally looked at me. “Yeah, yeah. But now that I said thst to you, na gets mo na siguro kung bakit ayaw ko nang makasama siya sa iisang space ulit.”

I swallowed hard. “Yeah, I do.”

Silence settled between us.

I thought of walking away, telling Jean it was over, that I couldn’t convince Steve. That this whole thing was doomed from the start.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I did the one thing I knew how to do when words weren’t enough.

I sang.

Soft and careful. A chorus from a song we rehearsed.

[Rain by Bruno Mars]

There's no religion that could save me
No matter how long my knees are on the floor, oh
So keep in mind all the sacrifices I'm makin'
To keep you by my side
To keep you from walkin' out the door

Natuwa naman ako nang sabayan niya ako sa pagkanta

'Cause there'll be no sunlight
If I lose you, baby
There'll be no clear skies
If I lose you, baby
Just like the clouds
My eyes will do the same if you walk away
Every day, it'll rain
Rain, rain

Steve blinked. Then shook his head like I just said something insane.

“You’re ridiculous….and quite dramatic.”

"Baka naman, romantic~" He laughed, and I smiled.

“Kailangan ko talaga to,” I said again, gently this time. “Pero hindi lang dahil sa audition, Iwant to grow. I want to prove I’m more than a face that can flirt and a voice that can hit notes, and if you don’t come with me… I don’t think I’ll get the chance.”

He looked at me, long and hard.

Then finally—finally—he spoke.

“Sige na nga. Sasama ako.”

I blinked. “Wait, seriously?”

“Aba, parang gusto mo pa atang bawiin ko ah!”

“Oy, oy! Walang bawian! Touch move!”

We both laughed.

“Sasali ako, pero may kondisyon.”

“Go! Sige lang, name it.”

He stepped closer… Too close.

“I’m only joining if I get to stick around you.”

My breath caught.

“…What does that even mean?”

He shrugged. “Kung ano yung sinabi ko, yun na yon. If I’m doing this, I’m doing it because you’re the reason. So you better not ditch me mid-practice, hang out with Jean and his bandmates too much, or leave me alone.”

I laughed, almost in disbelief. “Are you being possessive right now?”

“I’m just being clear.”

There was something in his voice—teasing, yes, but honestly too. It made my chest warm in the weirdest way.

“Sige,” I said.

“Sige?”

“Tinatanggap ko ang kondisyon mo”

He grinned. “Good.”

Then he added, more softly, “Let’s wreck this audition.”

___
Steve's Perspective

Hindi ko alam kung paano niya ako napasabi ng ‘oo,’ Maybe it was the way he sang the lyrics back to me like those are dedicated only to me. Maybe it was his eyes—the way they saw past my deflection, past my past and straight to my heart…Or maybe because I just liked him.

More than I thought. More than I should.

When I walked beside him toward the practice hall, there was a lightness in my chest I hadn’t felt in a long time. And that terrified me.

But for now, I could pretend it was just music pulling us closer.

And maybe… just maybe… I’d let myself hope again.

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