The morning after sleeping over at her mom's family home
Birds were chirping as the sun light seeped through the beige curtains, I turned right and slowly opening my eyes. I looked at the digital clock that showed 8:00 am, I laid on my back, debating on whether to see if she or my parents were awake. I yawned, slowly sitting up, brushing my crazy bed head, and walking up to the bathroom brushing my teeth. I splashed my face with water to take out the sleepiness out of me, I walked to the kitchen, smell of Spam wafted through the air, making me feel hungry, mom and dad were completely passed out.
Alaine had her hair up in a bun, toasting some bread while Megan helped her place the crispy pieces of Spam on the white serving plate that was placed on the countertop.
"Good morning!" I greet, pulling out the chair
"Good morning!" Alaine says in a lively tone
She's much chipper now compared to when I last saw her, I poured myself a glass of Freshly juiced orange and drank it while she made me a plate.
"Thank you!" I say, as she hands me my plate of peanut butter toast, three slices of Spam and some fluffy scrambled eggs
Megan sat next to me with her plate that Alaine made, while she sat on the other end of the Kitchen bar area. We ate in silence, but noticed myself glancing at Alaine, who was enjoying the breakfast meal she cooked. Megan nudged me giving the eyebrow look, as she whispered asking if I wanted to exchanged seats, but I politely nodded my head "no" and we carried on finishing our meals.
Alaine volunteered washing my plate too, as I handed over to her, she thanked me, and started washing it. She paused looking at me, prompting me that she's got it all handed, I simply nodded and made my way to the Kitchen counter watching Megan draw on her coloring book. She started colored the elephant, while I poured myself a glass of water, she walked over to the dryer turning it on and gestured for us to go out into the patio.
We walked to the other side of the patio, where a swing set was, we sat on both sides, just taking in the sunny morning breeze. She looked at the clouds moving, appreciating the sky and it's beauty.
"Pretty, isn't it?" She asks turning her head to look at me and looked back at the sky
"Yes, has the sky here always been clear?" I ask, noticing how it's cloudy in the place I live in
"Not really, sometimes it rains but so far the weather has been good this week." She says, looking at me and admiring the sky
"Have you always been a sky person?"
"When I was 9, my dad brought us to this beautiful beach in Batangas. The calming waves, the sand below our feet and the blueish clear sky." She says, "It was beautiful, so whenever i look up, I feel like he's looking down, watching mom, my sisters and I."
"You must really miss him." I say, feeling how much she loved and cared for her dad
"I do but at the same time I have to be strong for mom." She explains, looking over to the living room to check if tita Dianne was awake
"I understand. I mean losing a parent is hard because you've made so many memories with them and they thought you lessons you'll bring with you to share to your future kids." I say, sounding so wise and all
"Yeah! You're right, I'm just blessed that mom still wants to bond with the people around her, feels like that's her coping mechanism."
"I agree, but how is Megan doing?" I ask
"She's doing okay, I mean sometimes she looks for him but at the same time she understands that he's no longer with us." She sighs as she watches Megan walk over to the play room, in the other side of the corridor.
"You and Madeline have been good sisters towards her. In fact, she's very talkative and completely understanding." I say complementing how strong Megan is
"She truly is. I mean we sisters have to stick together right since it'll only be us in the end."
"Yup! I agree."
Our small talk ended there, just swinging as we hear the swings squeak, we ended up walking back when we saw my mom walking towards the kitchen, both hands rubbing her temples as she grabbed herself a cup of brewed coffee.
"How was your sleep mom?" I ask, greeting her
"It was okay." She says, smiling at Alaine, who greeted her good morning
"How's dad?" I ask, still knocked out on the couch but this time his legs were showing while his blanket covered his top body.
"He probably needs some Advil and some hangover soup." Mom informs, sounding like this wasn't the first time they did a sleepover
"Mom made a batch of hangover soup." Alaine says, moving towards the fridge and getting a container
"Oooh!" Mom says, "That's perfect."
"I can go heat it when he wakes up." She says smiling and putting some into the bowl
She returned the hangover soup container in the fridge, leaving the bowl of hangover soup beside the microwave. It was close to 2 pm, when tita Dianne and dad joined us, Alaine, Megan, mom and I had already finished eating lunch while tito Caleb and his wife decided to eat lunch in their next door neighbor's house.
Dad finished the bowl of hangover soup that Alaine heated for him, complimented tita Dianne on how it still tasted the same when they were in their college years. She laughed while mom helped Alaine wash dad's bowl, Alaine had offered him some camomile tea which he obliged while mom and tita Dianne went to the patio chairs to have their girl to girl chat.
Dad kept himself busy by reading today's daily news and talked about how his older brother Michael, is working for Apple who is looking for interns, said that I would be a good fit to create a psychological app that I can pitch to them once I finish college. I mentioned to him, how that was a great idea but a challenging one, said that Tito Michael can help me create the UX and UI once I decide to make it.
We left tita Dianne's family home around five to head home and rest, Alaine and I decided to give each other phone numbers to text since she will be my plus one to the makeup launch party. I composed myself in front of her and her family members, but I couldn't help my excitement, the drive home was quiet, dad dozed off again in the back while mom was looking at the window talking about how cool her and dad was when they met back in college.
She mentioned how they would always be invited to the college parties, but they controlled themselves ever since I was born. I parked the car in our garage, locking the front door, and letting them go into the house first. They grabbed a pitcher of water to bring to their room, telling me that they were gonna head to bed early and that I will just order food for them.
The days were slow and the week consisted of meetings for the podcast, the launch party and me getting over Sabrina. Sabrina, was my ex girlfriend, a girl who I've been crushing on since freshman year, she was one of those girls who would always get booked for modeling jobs. She was a gym junkie, would always eat clean, would wear the trendiest clothes from Zara and Mango but still was super down to earth despite how beautiful she looked.
I scrolled through our photos on my phone, deleting all the memories we've made together, from being nominated as prom king and queen, to winning it, to going on beach trips with our friends and most importantly, to our first date. Memories of us gone and wiped out from my phone, despite all that, Alaine and I would send memes that we saw on Instaglow, and dating tips since she was still new at dating Zach.
We only saw each other as friends, as individuals whose parents know each other, plus I completely like Zach and her together. I dressed up comfortably, a black buttoned down flannel type shirt, with black jeans and a buzzcut hair that I asked my barber near my home to do. I unlocked my car, driving to her apartment complex with was 20 minutes away from my house, I parked in front of the long entrance heading to her lobby, and sat there for a few minutes until she walked towards my car.
She and I decided that it would be best to drive there together since she was my plus one, so I messaged her mom and she agreed, just as long as I brought her home before 2 am. I obliged, agreeing that I will bring home safely at that time.
I rolled down the passenger window, giving her a smile, she did a small wave, opening the door and sliding in. I noticed how lovely she looked in her white tank top which was covered in her black cropped flannel and a white mini skirt. I headed to the back exit of the apartment complex and drove to the venue.
The car hummed along the road, as she and I shared stories, turning our drive into a journey of shared memories. Childhood tales unfolded, painting vivid pictures of ourselves when we were younger, laughing at our first dream jobs, those whimsical aspirations that once fueled our imaginations.
Snakes and the deep ocean emerged as our conversational focal points when we dived into our fears. She revealed her unease about snakes, a fear many could empathize with. I, in turn, confessed to my own discomfort with the vast mysteries hidden beneath the ocean's surface. The idea of the deep, dark unknown sent shivers down my spine, which caused me to clench the steering wheel.
The conversation flowed effortlessly, seamlessly transitioning to upcoming plans. She mentioned her upcoming excursion to the National Art Museum with Zach, inviting me to join them. Although the idea of spending more time with her was appealing, I decided to play it cool since we saw each other as "friends" even if we would send each other memes.
"I'd love to, but I think I'll pass the time." I replied with a smile, masking the eagerness beneath the politeness. "You and Zach enjoy the museum, and don't forget to snap some photos. I'm sure it'll be a fantastic experience."
As we headed to the venue, the traffic start to build up as we all tried to converge in the main entrance lane. Girls in their outfits went down from the cars beside us and walked to the venue, making sure their name was on the guest list. I decided to park across the street, knowing we were a bit early to the event despite the ongoing traffic, I decided to make a detour, safely driving us to the VIP parking lot behind the venue, which was a Speakeasy.
We walked to the back entrance greeted by two bouncers who guided us to a room in the back where Vivian was. Vivian, being always the phone, told the person on the other line that she will call them back. She hung up the phone, removing her earphone and greeting us, she gave me the script, telling me to read through it while she introduced herself to Alaine, who was taking photos of the venue.
The venue exuded an air of sophistication, with the mobile bar standing proudly on the right side of the stage. The bar, a sleek and stylish centerpiece, promised an array of delightful concoctions that would soon be expertly crafted by the skilled bartenders.
Neat rows of white paper bags adorned a dedicated display area beside the bar, each bag a carefully curated gift for the attending influencers and content creators. The bags proudly showcased the logo of "TB" in an elegant script, mirroring the brand's signature colors of pristine white and ocean blue. The anticipation of the night was palpable, the bags holding the promise of beauty essentials that awaited their recipients.
Within these bags were carefully selected lip glosses and concealers, a thoughtful gesture that reflected Taylor's attention to detail. The variety of shades catered to different preferences, ensuring that each makeup lover and makeup enthusiast would find a touch of tailored luxury within their PR paper bags. The "TB" script logo in the center of the display added a touch of brand identity, a subtle reminder of the evening's purpose.
As the venue was filling up with micro influencers and content creators from across the Metro, interns and volunteers did some finishing touches while the micro influencers and content creators took photos in the photo booth which was set up near the entrance. The meticulous preparations mirrored the commitment of Taylor's team to ensure that every aspect aligned with the brand's image. From adjusting lighting to arranging the promotional materials, the collective effort was a testament to the dedication behind the scenes.
The event started of with me giving a speech of how happy I was to host Taylor's launch party for their makeup company. Lots of cheers and claps from the audience filled the room but I was only looking at one person Alaine, who sat in a table near the stage surrounding by UGC Content Creators who befriended her right away. I called Taylor to the stage, who wore a stunning blue dress and white heals, she epitomized the brand's colors with grace and elegance. Her presence added a touch of star power to the venue, and a hushed excitement rippled through the room as attendees eagerly awaited the unveiling of the night's offerings.
Her speech consisted of thanking her team, her manager Vivian, her sister who was her co business owner and especially to me who made time in her hosting her event. We took a photo together, before she headed down to make rounds and meet the guests. The night consisted of eating, drinking, photo taking, and making connections.
Alaine and I left around midnight, she looked pleased with the amount of products she got, during the drive to her place, she complimented me on how great of a host I was, she also was glad that she met her new friends and Taylor, who was so friendly to her. As we arrived in front of her apartment building, she asked me if I would like to have brunch with her in the Uptown area.
I said "yes", knowing that I had a free schedule, she smiled, hugging me before she left the car. As I watched her go up the steps leading to the entrance, she stopped and looked at me, she waved again and finally went into the main lobby greeting the guard who has in his post.
I drove home, feeling a bit different, my heart fluttered, I parked the car beside mom's car and went to my room. I changed for bed, got under my blanket and waited for her message, I heard my phone vibrate as I placed it down. She texted me goodnight with a heart beside it, I sent her a goodnight message along with a blushing emoji.
I placed my phone down and slept knowing that we would see each other again for brunch.