Of Suitcases and Other Things

9

Nikko sleepily blinked her eyes. She stretched out her arms and straightened her legs. She did a half turn as she attempted to get up but found herself leaning precariously over the edge of the chairs.

In her haste to stop herself from going over, her clumsiness struck again, as she kicked out her legs catching the back of the chair.

The chair holding the lower part of her body moved away from under her and crashed to the ground. She was caught off guard and was unable to stop her body from sliding down to the floor with a thud.

Her tailbone screamed in pain, and she lay there for a few seconds with her eyes closed in agony.

"Mendoza?"

She opened her eyes and found Jay's face peering at her from the couch. She grimaced as she slowly picked herself up and sat on the remaining upright chair.

"Good morning! Gising na din si sleeping beauty." She faced him with an annoyed look.

"Huh? What are you doing here?" he looked at her confused.

"Let's see, saan ako magsisimula?" she pursed her lips together before continuing, "I couldn't leave here last night because I couldn't lock up. I couldn't lock up because I didn't have the key. I didn't have the key because the person who has it, wouldn't wake up. He wouldn't wake up because he was dead drunk to the world."

"Ako ba yung tinutukoy mo?" Jay sat upright to face her.

"Ay hinde, yung isa pang kasama ko dito sa kwarto." She rolled her eyes.

"Kasi," he said ignoring her remark, "wala naman sa akin yung susi."

"Excuse me, I looked everywhere for the key. It wasn't here. Lee said it was probably on you." she glared at him.

"Did you really look for it?" he raised an eyebrow at her, now fully awake.

"Of course I did! Are you calling me a li-" her eyes followed where his finger was pointing.

There on the cork board, hanging on a push pin was a lone key.

"That wasn't there yesterday." she frowned squinting at the key.

"Baka may multo tayo kasama kagabi." he said wryly.

"I doubt it. If ever there was, umalis iyon sa lakas ng hilik mo." She retorted.

"Grabe! Are you always this crabby in the morning?" he asked.

"Only if I spent the night somewhere I didn't want to be. Plus, I'm hungry." she said gathering her things.

"Where you off to?"

"Home, obviously! I need breakfast and a shower. I'm going to be back later this evening and I would like to spend some part of the day away from here." She opened the door and was about to leave when he called out to her.

"Hey. Uh...Why don't you let me buy you breakfast?"

She looked at him questioningly.

"Think of it as a thank you for not leaving the place unlocked." He shrugged.

Nikko thought for a moment, "I'm not exactly presentable, she gestured at her rumpled shirt and and morning hair.

"You look fine. It's not like it's a date, Mendoza." he snorted.

"I never insinuated it was a date. Don't put words in my mouth Faulkerson." Nikko gritted her teeth at him.

"Then why would you need to look good?" he pointed out.

"Because malay mo, may makakita sa akin na possible future boyfriend. Tapos ma turn off dahil kadiri yung itsura ko." she said smoothing out her hair with her fingers.