APRIL 22, 2023・SATURDAY・11:24
Aljun shrieks as Noel pushes him towards the sea without warning. "Noel!" his voice echoes as he holds on to the rope.
Hakeem and Noel are already red and tearing up from all the laughing.
JR halfheartedly laughs as he watches them from a distance. He unlocks his phone and checks if there are any notifications or messages.
There are none.
While scrolling, he passes by Hazel's name. He taps it and sees all of their conversations.
6:59
JR: HEY. YOU HOME? STAY SAFE
TODAY 8:14 AM
JR: HI HAZEL. GOOD MORNING. ARE WE GOOD?
9:18 AM
JR: HAZEL, SORRY ABOUT YESTERDAY.
Suddenly, someone pats his shoulder which makes him jump a little. JR looks up and sees that it's Noel sitting down next to him, his shorts still dripping wet.
"Okay ra ka?" he asks.
"YOU OKAY?"
JR closes his phone and nods at him.
"Dili ka maligo?"
"ARE YOU NOT GOING FOR A SWIM?"
He looks as Aljun lets go of the rope and makes the jump towards the water.
Hakeem cheers him and claps his hands.
"Unya na siguro," JR says. "Init pa man."
"MAYBE LATER."
"IT'S TOO HOT."
"Okay." Noel smirks at him. "Kumusta man ang date gahapon? Abi nimo'g nakalimot ko no?"
"AND HOW WAS THE DATE YESTERDAY? YOU THOUGHT I'D FORGOTTEN, DIDN'T YOU?"
"Erm..." He adjusts his throat. "Ikaw? Kumusta man mong Maya gahapon? Nag-isturya namo?"
"ERM..."
"YOU? HOW WAS IT WITH MAYA YESTERDAY? YOU TWO TALKED?"
Noel doesn't respond immediately. He notices tiny droplets from his hair and lets them land on his palms.
There's another splash as Hakeem dives into the sea.
JR glances at Noel, assessing his face and awaiting a response. "Naa'y..." He clenches his jaw.
"Unsa inyong giisturyahan ni Maya?"
"THERE'S..."
"WHAT DID YOU TALK ABOUT WITH MAYA?"
Noel shrugs.
The bench creaks a little as he leans against it.
"Okay lang man gahapon," he says, oddly calmly. He sweeps his hair back. "Naa na gyud daw nanguyab sa iyaha. Dili si Gabriel, pero...kato. Ana siya dili daw siya interesado, pero...ambot."
"YESTERDAY WAS FINE."
"SO SOMEONE'S ACTIVELY PURSUING HER. IT'S NOT GABRIEL, THANKFULLY, BUT...YEAH. SHE SAYS SHE ISN'T INTERESTED, BUT...I DON'T KNOW."
"Unya giingnan pud nimo siya sa imohang gibati?"
"AND DID YOU TELL HER HOW YOU FEEL?"
Noel shakes his head. "Ambot bai. Murag nakamove-on na man siya. Wala na lang nako siya ingni kay murag nalipay na man siya. Basi'g tama na siguro."
"I DON'T KNOW, BAI. I THINK SHE'S MOVED ON ALREADY. I DIDN'T BOTHER TELLING HER BECAUSE SHE ALREADY LOOKS HAPPY. SHE DOESN'T NEED THAT."
"Aw. Sure man kaha ka ana?" JR asks. "Mao man gyud kaya na imohang gusto? Okay ra man kaha ka nga dili nimo siya ingnon sa imong feelings?"
"OH. AND ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?"
"IS THAT WHAT YOU REALLY WANT? ARE YOU OKAY WITH NOT TELLING HER YOUR FEELINGS?"
Noel smiles at him and hangs his arm on his shoulder. "Ang importante, happy si Maya." He purses his lips. "Kung happy siya, happy na pud ko."
"THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT MAYA'S HAPPY."
"IF SHE'S HAPPY, THEN I'LL BE HAPPY TOO."
"Okay," JR says looking clearly unconvinced. "Pero bai, kabalo man ka nga okay ra magselos, diba? Okay ra man nga dili ka pirmente happy para sa iyaha. Normal lang man na."
"BUT BAI, YOU DO KNOW IT'S OKAY TO FEEL JEALOUS, RIGHT? IT'S OKAY TO NOT BE HAPPY FOR HER ALL THE TIME. THAT'S NORMAL."
He nods.
The two of them sit quietly for awhile, watching Aljun's shorts land on Hakeem's face.
"Aljun!" Hakeem cackles as he throws the shorts back to the sea. "Sige langoy! Kwaa na."
"SWIM, BITCH! REACH FOR IT."
Noel and JR exchange some laughs.
"Tama diay. Naa'y giingon si...Maya sa ako about sa imo," Noel says, elbowing him.
"BY THE WAY. MAYA...WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT YOU."
"Ha?" JR's voice suddenly trembles, caught off guard by what his friend had just said. He can feel his hands start to sweat as he continues to listen.
"WHAT?"
"Oo. Ana siya nga..." Noel pauses and stares at him for a moment, eyebrows creased, deep in thought.
"YEAH. SHE WAS..."
"Bai. Uns—unsa ang giingo—"
"BAI. WH—WHAT DID SHE SA—"
"Kadali lang. Diba—" His eyes widen, as if realizing something. "Bai, wala pa ko nimo giingnan ba kung naunsa imohang date gahapon."
"ERM. SO—"
"BAI, YOU HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT YOUR DATE YESTERDAY."
"Pero..." JR opens his mouth, trying to say something but is confused about the sudden shift in their discussion. "W—wala...am—ambot. So, erm...unsa tong giingon ni Maya about sa akoa?" JR mutters, almost too quietly.
"BUT...WE WERE..."
"N—NOTHING...I—WELL, I DON'T KNOW. WHAT WAS...ER...MAYA SAYING ABOUT ME?"
"Aw, tama diay...kuan, ana siya...erm...kay...naingon man gud nako nga naga-board na ka. Kay abi nako'g nakabalo na siya. Pero kato wala diay siya kabalo. Ana lang siya nga wala nimo siya giingnan."
"OH, RIGHT. YEAH...SHE, SAID THAT, WELL...I TOLD HER THAT YOU WERE STAYING AT A BOARDING HOUSE, BECAUSE I THOUGHT SHE KNEW. BUT YEAH, SHE—SHE DIDN'T KNOW. AND SHE JUST SAID THAT YOU HADN'T MENTIONED IT TO HER."
JR closes his eyes and let's out a quick little breath of relief. "Aw. Okay."
"OH. OKAY."
"Wala na diay mo naga-isturya bai?" Noel asks him.
"YOU TWO DON'T TALK ANYMORE?"
JR shakes his head. "Wala na."
"NO. NOT ANYMORE."
Noel looks puzzled. "Ngano man? Close man mong duha di ba?"
"BUT WHY? YOU TWO WERE CLOSE, RIGHT?"
"Er...Ambot. Wala naman siya...erm...nagasabay sa ato, so..." JR crosses his legs. "Wala na lang pud nako siya isturyaha."
"ER...I DON'T KNOW. SHE DOESN'T REALLY...HANG OUT WITH US ANYMORE, SO..."
"SO THAT'S WHY I DON'T TALK TO HER.
"Bai." He exhales, frustrated. "Basig huna-hunaon ana nila nga ginapugngan tamo mag-isturya. Wala baya gyud mo nako giingnan o...kanang...gipugngan."
"THEY'LL PROBABLY THINK I'M STOPPING YOU FROM TALKING TO HER. I...JR, I NEVER TOLD YOU TO STOP COMMUNICATING WITH HER, YOU KNOW THAT."
"Oo, kabalo man ko ana. Pero..." JR shrugs. "Ambot lang bai. Siguro kay nakalimot lang pud ko'g isturya sa iyaha. Kay kung wala ta gasabay, busy pud ko sa trabaho, tapos...sa research—"
"YEAH, I KNOW. BUT..."
"I DON'T KNOW BAI. MAYBE I ALSO JUST FORGOT TO TALK TO HER. BECAUSE WHEN WE'RE NOT HANGING OUT, I'M EITHER BUSY WITH WORK, THEN...WITH RESEARCH—"
"Busy pud ka'g igat-igat." He chuckles lightly.
"ALSO BUSY BEING A FLIRT APPARENTLY."
JR rolls his eyes.
"Abi nimo'g nakalimot ko no?" He makes a funny face and playfully messes up his hair. "Hawud kaayo ka mu-change ug topic. Sige na dayon. Ingna na dayon ko unsa'y nahitabo sa inyoha."
"YOU THOUGHT I'D FORGOTTEN, DIDN'T YOU?"
"YOU THINK YOU'RE SO GOOD AT CHANGING THE TOPIC. WELL? GO ON. TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED WITH YOUR DATE."
JR grunts and fixes his hair. He shakes his head. "Wala."
"NOTHING."
"Wala?"
"NOTHING?"
"Wala. Wala'y...nahitabo. Dili gyud mi bagay."
"NOTHING. NOTHING HAPPENED. WE'RE NOT A GOOD MATCH."
"Unsa naglalis mo?
"WHAT DID YOU TWO FIGHT?"
"Oo...Murag ana."
"YEAH...SORT OF."
"Nag-unsa diay mo?"
"WHY? WHAT DID YOU DO?"
"Wala nag...nanihapon ra unya isturya gamay. Unya...kato. Ambot."
"NOTHING, WE WERE...JUST EATING DINNER AND JUST TALKING. AND THEN...YEAH, I DON'T KNOW."
Noel looks at him with concern. "Sorry bai."
"SORRY TO HEAR THAT BAI."
"Ayaw uy. Gi-expect na man pud nako."
"DON'T BE. I WAS EXPECTING IT ANYWAY."
"Sige lang bai." Noel gives him a reassuring smile. "Makakita ra ta'g para sa atoa puhon."
"DON'T WORRY BAI."
"WE'LL FIND THE PERSON FOR US SOMEDAY."
"Bai!" Aljun interjects, fresh out of the water and putting on his slippers. "Gutom na mo?" he says as he starts to make his way towards them, Hakeem trailing behind.
"YOU GUYS HUNGRY?"
"Medyo," JR says.
"A LITTLE."
"Kaon na ta," says Aljun, absentmindedly shaking off the water from his shorts.
"LET'S EAT?"
"Wala pa ta'y kan-on ha. Kinsa'y molung-ag?" Noel asks them.
"WE DON'T HAVE RICE YET. WHO'S GOING TO COOK?"
They all go quiet.
"Ikaw," Aljun says gesturing towards Noel.
"YOU."
"Nganong ako man? Ikaw uy. Dugay baya kaayo ka niabot ganiha ha."
"WHY ME? YOU WERE LATE EARLIER. SO YOU SHOULD DO IT."
"Sorry. Gipalaba pa ko ni mama. Ikaw na lang Hakeem."
"SORRY. MAMA WAS MAKING ME DO LAUNDRY. YOU DO IT, HAKEEM."
"Magsugba pa ko sa isda uy," Hakeem says.
"I'M GRILLING THE FISH."
"Ako na lang," JR says begrudgingly as he gets up from the bench. "Mga tamad gyud mo ba."
"I'LL DO IT."
"YOU LAZY FREAKS."
Aljun smiles and kisses JR on his cheek. "Thank you, bai. Labyu."
"THANKS, BAI. LOVE YOU."
JR grimaces and wipes Aljun's wet kiss off his cheek as the cousins laugh.
They all make their way toward the house.