Te Quiero (hiatus)

10 - The First Foodhop

Waking up the next day was the absolute worst. My head was throbbing and I could still feel the heat of the acid burning the pit of my stomach when I jumped out of the bed to wash up.

Amia's still passed out on the bed even after I finished taking a bath and doing my morning rituals. Every part of my body hurt, and that wasn't even surprising. Last night, Amia totally went crazy and kept jumping up and down, right to left, and everytime she unintentionally hit me with her jumps, it left bruises on my arm, which I could confirm now in the morning light. Napailing na lang ako at the memory. God, we really went crazy last night.

As I sat in front of the vanity mirror, trying to remember what happened the night before, a horrible realization crashed over me. Oh, shit. Oo nga pala. I saw Rhys kagabi! The fucking coincidence.

I quickly ran back to the bed to get my phone—and there. A new text from an unregistered number was waiting to be read.

Morning sleepyhead. Are you alive?

My mouth hung open. Oh, my god. It wasn't a dream. It was real. It was really him. I'd say na it was really a small world but then again, I'd always known that was his turf. Lagi siyang nando'n. He told me himself.

Napatunganga ako for a few minutes. Should I reply? Wala na akong excuse this time. My little challenge was out the window now that we'd seen each other again.

I was still a bit disoriented so it took time for me to process what I was going to say. Mas better kung simple lang, so I kept it short but meaningful.

Yep, thanks for checking in.

When there was no reply even after a few minutes, I decided to go down to prepare for breakfast. Actually, dapat lunch na because it was almost 1 p.m. My cousins were not here but they left a note on the refrigerator where they'd be—a habit we started years ago because Kuya Cairo's not really one for texting. So we keep tabs through notes instead.

I prepared a light meal for me and Amia. Nagising na rin siya after another hour and we were in the midst of our brunch when my phone pinged.

Rhys:
Whoa you woke up real late. But then again you were too drunk last night.

Me:
Drunk or not, I always have long sleeps. Don't be surprised.

As I sent that, I stared at the screen, doubts filling in my mind. Tama ba 'tong ginagawa ko? Starting a communication with him might dismantle every image I had of him. Admittedly, I was kind of afraid. The fear that this second (third?) meeting would eventually destroy the good feelings I associated with him was churning in my gut. He was good and all things admirable in my head kasi. I painted him with all the good colors and memories that I had with my greatest solo trip. But seeing him now here in reality, where the nitty gritty of life was, faraway from the dreamy happiness of Negros, was bursting the bubble I made. I was afraid of the eventual truth I'd discover the more I get to know him. It would disrupt the illusion. He might change and change the perception I wrapped him in.

Here, he felt real. Human. With all the sharp and rough edges.

Was I ready for that?

I knew I was being unfair but I couldn't help overthinking this. That was my greatest flaw. Overthinking. Kaya nga lagi akong sinasabihan na perfectionist at paranoid nina Ate Bali.

"Huy!" Amia exclaimed, shaking me. Nakakunot ang noo niya as her eyes flicked back and forth beween my phone and my face. "Who you talking to? Why are you glaring at your phone?"

Releasing a long sigh, I turned to Amia and told her everything. Unlike Shane and Ance, she wasn't a hopeless romantic. She's one of the few people who could understand my fear of commitment kahit na she doesn't share it. She'd definitely not tease me.