Nagising bigla si Bea ng may naramdaman siyang humihimas sa braso niya. She opens her eyes at yung sikat ng araw agad yung bumungad sa kanya from a bedroom window na hindi niya na-recognize. She's pretty sure that this is not her room so she must've slept over someone else's house.
She slowly lifts her head and turns to her right too see the person she's currently in bed with. Hindi na niya din kasi maalala yung mga nangyari kagabi after nila umuwi because she was so drunk.
"Fel?"
She remembers na si Felicia nga pala yung huli niyang kasama kagabi. Nagkayayaan kasi sila ng mga college friends niya na mag bar hopping somewhere in QC. She and Fel were only introduced last night by a mutual friend at medyo nagkasundo naman sila. Hindi nga niya masyadong binibigyan ng pansin si Fel nung una pero etong si girl mismo yung lapit ng lapit sa kanya. She clung to Bea and flirted with her all night and so she isn't surprised that they ended up going home together after.
"Good morning!" nakangiting bati ni Fel sa kanya.
Bea internally panics. May nangyari ba sa kanila? She promised herself she won't do that anymore. Na-realized niya kasi na hindi naman magkakaroon ng progress ang buhay niya if she would keep sleeping around with anyone who's willing.
Now it looks like she's back to square one.
Napansin naman niya agad that Felicia is at least wearing clothes under the covers so she's a little relieved. When she looks down on herself, however, she finds that she's only wearing bra and undies so she panics again.
She gulps. "Di—did we...?"
Kumunot lang yung noo ni Fel na parang hindi niya ma-gets yung gusto itanong ni Bea. After a few seconds of staring at each other, mukhang na-realized din niya kung ano yung ini-imply ni Bea at natawa lang siya.
"No, we didn't!" sagot ni Fel na hindi pa rin tumitigil sa pagtawa, "You passed out kasi eh. Besides, I'm not the type who would take advantage of a drunk person."
Nakahinga naman ng maluwag si Bea. Felicia is pretty and all but she really doesn't see any spark with the girl. Kahit ilang beses siya nagpakita ng motibo kay Bea kagabi, she can't get herself to return the interest. If she were her old self, she's sure that she would take Fel on her offer without thinking twice.
"I removed your clothes kasi it reeks of alcohol at basang basa ng pawis." Fel continues to explain. "I don't have anything that fits you so I just let you sleep in your undies."
Huminga ng malalim si Bea. She's suddenly ashamed of herself.
"Sorry about that but thank you for looking after me."
"It's nothing. Hindi din naman kita pwedeng iwanan basta no? I don't know where you live so dinala na lang kita dito."
Bea smiles at her in gratitude. She may not be that attracted to her but Fel seems like the kind of person she would love to have as a friend. Maybe they can be friends instead?
"Do you really not remember anything from last night?" Fel suddenly asks.
Nag-isip ng mabuti si Bea sa tanong niya. Aside from going home and taking a taxi, hindi na niya maalala yung mga sumunod na nangyari. She must've passed out by the time they arrived at Felicia's place.
Umiling lang siya kay Fel bilang sagot.
Ngumiti naman si Fel sa kanya. She reaches out her hand to Bea's face and caresses her cheek. Bea can't help but notice the fondness in her eyes while they're staring at each other.
"Well, we kissed."
She doesn't know what to say to that. Hindi naman kasi siya nagulat. At least kiss lang yun. She's expecting much more intimate and she's relieved that nothing happened. She's drunk naman kasi so she forgives herself for that one misbehavior.
"And then you call me Jhoana..."
She tenses up at that. Did she really? That's so embarrassing!
She's pretty sure she's been over that girl for months. Wala rin naman kasi dapat ika-get over kasi they were nothing but mere acquaintances that met one night and kissed. What the fuck is wrong with her?
"I'm sorry." she sincerely tells Felicia.
"It's okay. I understand naman. Is she your ex-girlfriend or something? Sabi kasi ni Trey, you're single daw."
"She's..." Nag-hesitate siya. Hindi niya alam kung sasabihin ba niya kay Fel yung kung paano niya nakilala si Jhoana. Ang hirap din kasi i-explain so she decides against it.
"She's just some girl. Don't mind it na lang."
Felicia nods and Bea is glad that she didn't ask further. She's really starting to like this girl.
"Do you want something to eat?" tanong ni Felicia. Bumangon na siya sa kama at hinihintay yung sagot ni Bea.
Bea feels dizzy, "Uh, what time is it?"
Tumingin si Fel sa alarm clock sa may side table ng kama niya. "It's already two in the afternoon."
"Really? Shit!"
Tumayo agad si Bea mula sa kinakahigaan niya. Wala na siyang pakeelam if she's not wearing anything besides her undergarments and Fel is looking at her. She sees her clothes neatly folded on the chair beside her at dalidali siyang nagbihis.
"What's wrong?" Felicia asks her.
"Sorry, I really need to go. We have a family event today and I'm super late."
Hindi na rin nakasagot si Fel dahil nagmamadali ng lumabas si Bea ng kwarto. Sumunod naman siya hanggang sa makalabas sila sa house niya. Mukhang walang ibang tao maliban sa kanilang dalawa at super thankful si Bea dun.
"Listen, Fel..." Huminto siya sa may gate ng bahay at tumingin kay Felicia. "I really want to thank you for taking care of me while I was drunk. Sorry na din kasi naabala pa kita. I'll make it up to you some time and I really hope we can be friends."
Inabot ni Bea yung kamay niya so they can shake hands at kinuha naman yun ni Fel na nakangiti sa kanya.
"Sus, wala yun no? And you're welcome!"
Bea only returns the smile. She's about to say goodbye and leave when Fel grabs her wrist to stop her.
"Bea..."
Tumingin uli si Bea sa kanya para hintayin yung sasabihin niya. Napansin niyang seryoso yung itsura ni Fel and she wonders what she's about to say.
"We can be friends but I really like you so... I'm planning on becoming more than that."
***********************************
Nag-shower na agad si Bea pagkadating na pagkadating niya sa condo niya. Magsisimula kasi yung party ng dad niya ng 3PM and it's already 2:45PM. She's supposed to be there before the party starts. Her phone has been ringing non-stop even before she left Felicia's place and she's sure it's either her dad or her mom already looking for her.
She can still feel the hangover kicking in but she endures it as she gets her dress inside her closet. Uminom na lang siya ng gamot at ng maraming tubig para kahit papano mag-subside yung migraine niya. After niyang magbihis, binilisan na niyang nag-drive papunta dun sa hotel na venue ng party for her dad's birthday.
She scans her messages while in the car at nakita niyang marami siyang messages galing sa mom and dad niya, kay kuya Loel niya, kay Thirdy, at sa iba pa niyang mga friends. She decides not to bother to read any of them because she's already stressed as it is that she's running late.
She arrives at the party in an hour and a half dahil sobrang na-stuck siya sa traffic on the way. She's been cursing under her breath non-stop dahil sigurado siyang sermon na naman aabutin niya sa dad niya. Her dad is a very punctual person so he hates it when people get late on schedules.
She enters the reception area at nakita naman niya agad ang kuya Loel niya na may kinakausap na staff from the hotel. Her kuya Loel sees her and approaches her right away.
"Where have you been? Mom and Dad's been looking for you!"
"Sorry! I overslept and then I got stuck in traffic on the way here." she poorly excuses.
Loel raises his eyebrows, looking doubtful. "Didn't you set up your alarm or something? You know this day's gonna be important."
Nagbuntong hininga lang si Bea dahil hindi niya alam kung anong isasagot niya. Her kuya Loel knows her too well.
"Anyway, you're already late. Dad's pissed 'cause you're not with us when he introduced the family to the guests. I wouldn't want to piss him off more if I were you."
She rolls her eyes and shrugs. "Yeah, I know. I'll be extra careful not to piss him off more today."
Her brother lets out a sigh, "Come on then, let's get you inside." Inakbayan niya si Bea at sabay na silang pumasok sa loob ng venue.
Dumeretso naman agad sila sa table ng mom and dad nila so they can see na dumating na si Bea. Her mom gives her a warning look as she approaches but kisses her on the cheek when she leans in for one. She does the same to her dad who's sitting beside her mom and talking to one of his friends. She greets him happy birthday as she does so.
"We'll talk later." bulong sa kanya ng dad niya.
Tumango lang siya at umupo na sa tabi ng mom niya. She'll play the innocent and behaved daughter for now to please her parents para mabawasan naman yung kasalanan niya.
"What happened?" pabulong na tanong sa kanya ng mom niya.
"I forgot to set up the alarm and I overslept."
Same excuse. It's lame, she knows.
Tinignan lang siya ng mom niya and Bea knows that look too well. Parehong pareho talaga sila ni kuya Loel. Nagtitigan muna sila ng ilang segundo bago sumuko si Bea at nagkibit balikat.
"Fine." she sighs in defeat. "I... got drunk last night and overslept at a friend's house."
Hindi na siya nag-abala tumingin sa reaction ng mom niya kasi sigurado naman siya na she's disappointed. Ayaw na ayaw kasi ng mom niya na umiinom siya. Even her dad doesn't like it when she goes out with friends to drink at a bar or any public establishments. He allows her to drink but only when with family or close friends and if he's around.
Wala ngang idea yung parents niya na she's been frequenting bars and clubs a few months ago and having one-night stands with random girls. They don't even know that she likes girls. She's sure that they won't be able to take it at sigurado siya na ipapadala siya sa US para dun ituloy yung pag-aaral niya kapag nalaman nila yun.
That is, if they don't disown her first.
"Bea!"
"I know, mom!" she instantly defends, "Nagkayayaan lang kasi at hindi na rin ako nakatanggi. You know how my friends are. They're very persuasive."
Yeah, and that's why her mom doesn't like them that much.
Hindi na nakasagot yung mom niya dahil may biglang lumapit sa kanila na mukhang asawa ng isa sa mga clients ng dad niya para makipag kwentuhan. Bea is glad for the distraction at after siya ipakilala ng mom niya, nag excuse siya agad para kumuha ng drink.
Ang dami masyadong tao sa lugar and she has to carefully dodge them as she makes her way to the refreshments table. She's hoping na wala siyang makakasalubong na friend ng mom or dad niya dahil wala siya talaga sa mood na makipagusap. Wala siya sa mood makipag plastikan.
Naalala naman niya na dapat nandito din si Thirdy at yung girlfriend niya from Batangas kaya naman nag-perk up siya bigla. At least she would have something to look forward to in this party. She can't wait to meet Thirdy's mysterious girlfriend.
She gets a glass of red wine from one of the waiters and glances around the area to look for her best friend. After a few seconds of looking, nai-spotan naman niya agad si Thirdy sa may kabilang dulo ng room dahil sa signature hairstyle niya. Nakatalikod siya kay Bea at mukhang may kinakausap siyang ibang bisita. Napansin agad niya na nakaakbay si Thirdy sa isang babae na medyo mahaba ang buhok at mukhang morena na nakatalikod din sa kanya.
She smiles and she's about to call his attention pero bigla siyang sinalubong ng yakap ni tita Mozzy nung papalakad na siya papunta sa area nila Thirdy.
"Hi, sweetheart!" bati sa kanya ng mom ni Thirdy. "How are you? I haven't seen you in a while! You look so beautiful in that dress huh?"
"I'm doing good po, tita. Thank you for asking. How are you and tito Bong?"
"Ayun, still going strong pa din." Tita Mozzy laughs, "Wedding Anniversary na namin next month and we're planning on a mini get together. I hope you can come?"
Bago siya sumagot, tumingin muna uli si Bea sa pwesto kung saan niya nakita si Thirdy at yung girlfriend niya at nagulat naman siya ng bigla silang nawala. Ang bilis naman? Medyo na-disappoint siya dahil panibagong hanap na naman yung gagawin niya. Masyado kasing malaki yung venue ng party kaya pahirapan din maghanap ng hinahanap na tao. Napa buntong hininga siya at tumingin na lang siya uli kay tita Mozzy at ngumiti.
"Sure, tita." she finally answers, "I wouldn't miss it for the world!"
Pinisil naman ni tita Mozzy yung pisngi niya in adoration. "Ikaw talaga, kaya paborito kita eh. Just don't tell Thirdy, baka magselos."
"I won't po. Promise!" nakangiti pa rin niyang sagot.
"Oh siya, I'll let you go na! Baka kanina mo pa gusto makipag hang out sa mga friends mo."
Nag-excuse na siya kay tita Mozzy at dumeretso nang lumakad lakad para hanapin sina Thirdy. After around ten minutes of searching around the place, she doesn't find so sumuko na muna siya. She's sure naman na she'll find them later.
Napansin naman niya na naubos na niya yung drink niya so she calls out the passing waiter to get another one. Nung nakakuha na siya ng isang glass, she turns around to go somewhere else less crowded but she gets surprised when she bumps into someone who was behind her. She spills some of the red wine she's holding on her dress.
"Shit!"
"I'm sorry!" says the person she bumped into. A girl.
Hindi niya pa tinitignan kung sino man yun dahil busy pa siyang ine-examine yung stain sa dress niya. Shame, she really likes this dress.
"Don't you look at where your going?" medyo galit niyang tanong.
She finally looks up to the person responsible for her ruin dress and for a second, she's sure she's hallucinating. Tumitig muna ng matagal si Bea to make sure that she's seeing correctly bago siya napanganga. She can already feel her heart starting to beat rapidly at what she sees. Who she sees.
"Jhoana..."
Hindi agad nagsalita si Jhoana. Nakatitig lang siya kay Bea na mukhang hindi rin makapaniwala sa nakikita niya.
Hindi mapigilan hindi mapangiti ng sobra ni Bea habang nagtitigan sila. She's here. She's really here. Just when she thought she was over her, she's back and she's now in front of her again. Ang tagal niyang hinanap si Jhoana at eto na siya uli.
Her Ice Queen.
"I— I've been looking for you. I don't know where to find you."
Nanlaki naman ang mata ni Jhoana sa sinabi niya at napansin ni Bea na medyo nailang siya. Bigla siyang yumuko para umiwas ng tingin sa kanya.
"Bakit mo naman ako hahanapin? Hindi naman tayo gaanong magkakilala." nagtatakang tanong ni Jhoana.
Bea sighs and steps closer to her so they can be face to face. Hindi niya inaalis yung titig niya sa mukha ni Jhoana. She really wants to hug her but she doesn't want to startle the girl.
"Do you believe in fate?" she asks instead.
"Bea!"
Kung ano man yung sagot ni Jhoana, Bea doesn't find out because someone just calls her name and it catches both her and Jhoana's attention.
She turns to see who it is and she sees a smiling Thirdy approaching the two of them.
"Hey, tito Elmer's been looking for you." bungad ni Thirdy ng nakalapit na siya sa kanila. "Papakilala ka daw sa mga business partners niya."
Agad naman nag-hesitate si Bea at tumingin uli kay Jhoana. Hindi siya papayag na mawala uli siya sa paningin niya. She needs to at least get her number this time.
"Uhm, Thirds, wait lang —"
"Nakilala mo na pala si Jho."
Napahinto naman agad si Bea sa sinabi ni Thirdy. Jho? They know each other?
"What?"
Thirdy's smile widen and he moves closer to Jhoana to put his arm around her shoulder possessively. Bea immediately frowns at the action.
"Si Jho..." he states proudly, "My girlfriend."
Para naman binuhusan ng malamig na tubig si Bea sa narinig niya. It can't be. Hindi pwedeng siya yung girlfriend ni Thirdy from Batangas. It can't.
Binalik niya yung tingin niya kay Jhoana at nakita niyang nakatitig din 'to sa kanya na mukha rin naguguluhan.
Mukha naman napansin ni Thirdy yung pagtititigan nila at bigla siyang pumitik sa harap ni Bea para kuhanin yung atensyon niya.
"Huy, anong nangyari sayo?" he says, looking amused at her. "Anyway, hinahanap ka na dun. Huwag mo na pag-hintayin yung dad mo."
Bea only nods at that and spares one last longing look before excusing herself and leaving the two of them. Ramdam na ramdam niya biglang pagbigat ng puso niya at pagkadismayado niya. Walang kagana gana siyang bumalik sa table ng parents niya at pinilit yung sarili niyang ngumiti na lang nung pinapakilala na siya ng dad niya sa mga investors nila.
Parang gusto na niya tuloy umuwi at magkulong na lang muna sa kwarto niya dahil sa mga nalaman niya. Pinikit na lang niya yung mata niya at huminga ng malalim para kalmahin yung sarili niya.
She'll get over this. She will. Thirdy's her best friend. Jhoana's just another girl.
She'll get over her.
**********************************
A/N: i apologize for the late update. yung free time ko kasi nauwi bigla sa vacation so i didn't get to update right away. Hehe. also, ang dami JhoBea ganaps nung weekend, nakaka overwhelmed!
btw, yung felicia sa first part is felicia cui of ateneo! sobrang nagagandahan kasi ako sa kanya. im not sure why she's not part of ALE but i really hope she gets to play! Yun lang!