Between the Walls ( Exception Series #2 )

PROLOGUE

Exception Series #2
MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS OF :
Exception Series #1 #3 and #4

PROLOGUE

There comes a point in every person's life when they break. Sa iba, heartbreak. A failed exam. A betrayal, siguro.

Saakin? It was a moan. Not mine, of course. Sa kapitbahay ko na akala mo walker at may motel sa apartment.

For the seventh night in a row. I lay there, lifeless, soulless. The squeaking. The pounding. The low grunts like someone was choking.

I had tried everything. Praying. Headphones. Cursing. More praying.

I even played "Ama namin" on a Bluetooth speaker na naka high volume at tinapat doon sa wall ng banyo, where his bedroom was next to.

Call it petty, but it was sleep-deprived desperation.

And to be fair, sinubukan ko naman maging good neighbor. I'd put up with the knocking. The creaking.

But when you start having no sleep for a whole night ng dahil lang sa ungol, trust me, you'll snap as well.

Hindi ko pa nga kilala kung sino ba ang may ari ng apartment na 'yon, yet bad impression na agad binigay sa akin. I never saw him. Or her. Or them.

Ang alam ko lang eh, they were Olympic-level performers auditioning for a reality show called Love Island.

Still, I tried to remain calm as much as I could.

"Oh god. They're at it again." I muttered to myself. Hindi ba nag papahinga 'yung tao na 'yon. Araw-araw talaga. Hindi ba uso motel? Oh baka naman motel talaga 'yun.

I shook my head and shifted my mind to try and focus on what I was reviewing but damn, the moans were louder than usual.

I tried ignoring it again but after hours of it, I just snapped. I can't afford to fail this subject.

So I stopped what I was reading and threw the papers on the ground. "That's it, I'm gonna go there right now and yell at everybody."

I frustratedly got up and put my slippers on, rage just taking over my body and mind.

I knocked. "Tao po? Hello." I stood there, my mind second guessing itself.

No answer.

Should I knock again or just leave. This is getting embarrassing.

No. Enough is enough. This is for my peace of mind. I prepared myself for another knock, eyes shifted to the ground.

But before I could knock again, the door flung open, leaving my hands still in the air.

I took a deep breath before talking.

"Sorry for disturbing, pero—" I immediately stopped when I lifted my head.

I stood there, frozen with the figure in front of me.

Messy black hair. Oversized shirt. Sleepy eyes. That nerdy aura that made you want to lend him your notes and maybe your soul.

Aritsune Xao Shimizi. Aritsu.

Classmate. Seatmate. Honor student. Vice president of our block, my 'assistant'. Also known as the guy I may or may not have a dumb little crush on since midterms.

"Pres?" he blinked at me, surprised. "You okay? Why are you knocking this early?"

Pres. God I used to flutter when I hear him call me that, but now I'm just disgusted.

"Y-You live here?" I asked, nauutal utal na sa mga nalalaman ko.

He tilted his head, a smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah. Bakit? May kailangan ka ba?"

Oh no. Oh no no no no no. This boy. This sweet, sleepy-eyed boy who corrected my grammar during a group report and gave me coffee without asking for it.

He was... the moaner, the motel owner, the walker. I wanna throw myself into a manhole.

I could feel my brain rebooting, like a lagging laptop that couldn't comprehend the fact that its favorite playlist was sung by its own crush.

'Yung utak ko sumisigaw na ng "Abort mission! You're standing in front of your cute classmate ng naka pambahay na hello kitty and tsinelas na hello kitty din, accusing him of being the Moaner of Room 402!"

"You okay?" he asked again, softer this time. No, I'm not okay!

All I could think about was the time he lent me a mechanical pencil during midterms.

The same hand that lent that pencil... was possibly the same hand—JUSKO!

I didn't even realize I had taken a step back until my slipper made a sound against the hallway tile.
My mouth was dry. My knees weak. Palms sweaty. Tangina, spaghetti.

"Hey? You look... pale."

"You were the one making... all those noises?" wala sa sariling kong sabi before I could even stop myself.

I don't even know why I asked that, god! Bakit ko pa ba tinanong kung alam ko naman ang sagot? Gago ba ako? Bobo ba ako? Lord naman...

"Oh. You heard that?" He asked, standing there, just looking as soft and innocent as a cup of cupcake fresh from the oven.

He scratched the back of his head like this was a minor inconvenience. Like I had just told him he left the light on, not that his nightly kinks made me question my own sanity.

"Sorry," he said, not even pretending to be embarrassed. "I didn't think it was that...loud."

Didn't think it was that loud? Kuya, my AirPods have trauma. My Spotify Wrapped will now include moaning as a genre.

"Akala ko insulated 'yung wall," dagdag niya pa, na parang ikaka intindi ko 'yon?! I stared at him like he just confessed to war crimes.

While I dealt with the revelation that this man might be responsible for keeping me on three hours of sleep and three shots of espresso daily.

I blinked, as if my eyes could somehow reset the image in front of me.

But no, he was still there, messy-haired, soft-voiced, probably fresh from the 'oven'.

Why him? Why out of all the neighbors in the world, the universe gave me him?

I wanted to cry. Or laugh. Or both.

But I wanted answers as well. I wanted peace. I wanted a full eight hours of sleep without background vocals.

He tilted his head again, the same way he does during group projects when he doesn't get your logic but is too polite to say you're wrong.

"So... are we gonna talk about this?" he asked.

Putangina? Anong klaseng tanong 'yon? Isn't he aware of what he's doing?   

"Aalis nalang ako. Uh, sorry" I muttered, already turning.

"Wait—Pres?" I paused. I didn't want to look back. But god, sa sobrang rupok ko, I looked back.

"Gusto mo ba sumali? Baka naiinggit ka eh." His grin widened, lazy, teasing. Making me feel different kinds of emotions.

Seryoso ba 'tong tarantado na 'to?

I was shocked, surprised, confused and somehow, mad. Like how could he possibly think that I'm just like his FUBU's.

"You know what? Ang bastos mo, gago."

"G ka ba sa FUBU?" tanong niya, nag make face pa na parang curious. Like it was some kind of good offer.

Surprised, I blurted out the first thing that came into my mind. "What the hell? Tinatarantado mo ba akong gago ka?"

"Kidding." he said, 'yung tanginang nakaka gago niyang ngiti, nakasuot pa rin. "Mostly."

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