"Dude, may problema ako."
Yun agad ang sinabi sa kanya ni Thirdy pagkatapos niyang sagutin ang tawag nito.
Naka ilang miscall din si Thirdy kay Bea mula kanina pero ngayon lang niya naisipan sagutin. Wala pa nga talaga siyang balak sagutin. Sadyang makulit lang 'tong si Thirdy at hindi man lang makaramdam na wala siya sa mood makipagusap sa kanya ngayon.
She can't help but roll her eyes even though she knows that Thirdy can't see her, "Ano na naman yun?"
"Gustong mag-emergency training ni coach. Tangina, paano yung costume party mamaya?"
Bea can easily detect the distress on Thirdy's voice. What's new? As usual, extended na naman yung training nila dahil yung defending champions last year yung makakalaban nila sa next game.
"Simple, dude. Huwag ka pumunta!"
Narinig niya ang pagbuntong hininga ni Thirdy sa kabilang linya.
"Yun nga ang problema. I promised Jho we would go and she's really excited 'cause it's her first time to attend a costume party."
"So what do you want me to do? Talk to your coach to let you attend the party?"
"As if naman papayag yun. Kilala mo naman si coach Tab diba?"
Hindi na siya sumagot. Hindi din naman niya kasi alam ang sasabihin niya. Isa pa, hindi niya maintindihan kung bakit siya tinawagan ni Thirdy para lang sabihin na hindi ito makakapunta sa party mamaya. It's not like they had agreed to go together? As far as she is concern, she has Felicia as her date and Thirdy has Jho.
"Bro, baka naman pwedeng..."
Thirdy pauses, making Bea impatiently scrunch her brows as she waits for him to continue.
"What?"
"Isama niyo na lang si Jho sa inyo ni Fel?"
Napataas agad ang kilay ni Bea sa narinig. Are you nuts? She instantly wants to tell him. The last thing that she wants to happen is to be stuck between Fel and Jho. On a date. Well, technically it's a party with all of their friends around but still... and besides, she just promised Jho that she would stay away from her and she can't do that if they will end up being together, hanging out like they are some kind of friends.
"Thirds, just tell her na hindi kayo matutuloy. Siguro naman maiintindihan niya yun." she reasons out.
"No. I still want her to go. Okay lang kahit hindi ako makapunta. I just don't want her to be disappointed... yet again."
Napakagat labi na lang siya habang pinagiisipan niya kung pagbibigyan ba niya si Thirdy. Sheesh! Bakit ba kasi naiipit lagi siyang sa ganitong sitwasyon? Kinakarma na ba siya dahil sa mga kalokohan na ginagawa niya dati? Pinagsisihan na naman niya yun ha?
She suddenly remembers the look on Jho's face yesterday and she harshly closes her eyes to rid herself of the image. She can't help but be disappointed at herself for losing control like that and forcing herself on the girl. Jho must think she's a horrible person now.
Pwede ngang tawaging harassment yung ginawa niyang pag-corner kay Jho dun sa cubicle eh.
Damn it, she can't do this!
"Sorry bro, I have to decline this time. Besides, I don't think she would still want to go if you're not there with her."
"So ganyanan na tayo ngayon? Nagkaroon ka lang ng girlfriend."
Bea had to roll her eyes once again at his accusation. "For the last time, Felicia is not my girlfriend!"
"Sus, di daw girlfriend pero she's courting you?"
"Whatevs, dude. I need to hang up na. Inaantok pa ko. Enjoy ka na lang sa practice niyo mamaya." she says sarcastically, pressing the End Call button even before Thirdy can say anything else.
Well, bahala siya sa buhay niya!
*************************************
Bea slept through the rest of the day day and she is thankful that no one else bothered her after that call with Thirdy. Makakasapak talaga siya ng tao kapag nagkataon. She wakes up at around two in the afternoon but only to loiter around her kitchen to look for something to eat.Buti na lang pinadalhan siya ng mommy niya ng chicken lasagna kay manang kahapon kaya may makakain pa siya ngayon.
She settles herself on the couch after finishing her food and washing the dishes. Since mamayang 8 PM pa naman yung party, she decides to kill time by watching a movie. She watches Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind since it's been a long-time movie recommendation from a friend and she's heard good reviews about the story.
As soon as the end credits roll, she instantly regrets watching it and silently curses her friend for recommending it. She usually is a tough egg to crack when it comes to emotional scenes in movies. But this one, this fucking movie had too much heartbreak and it's too depressing for her own taste.
She thought that the two leads suffered unnecessarily just because they wanted to forget each other. Kung minahal talaga nila ang isa't isa, hindi dapat nila gustuhin na kalimutan yung mga memories nila together dahil lang nasasaktan sila ngayon. She wouldn't want to forget someone she loved so dearly just to get rid of the pain.
After all, pain has always been part of falling in love. And besides, a memory is still a memory regardless if it's good or bad.
She decides that she's had enough movies for one day and goes to shower. It's already 5 PM and she still needs to stop by Fel's house so they can go to the party together. Mabilis lang din siya nakaligo at nagsuot lang ng pants at plain white tshirt. Kila Felicia na lang siya magpapalit nung costume na isusuot niya.
She arrives at Fel's house just in time and it's Fel's dad who greets her at the door. Mr. Cui gives her a big smile and tells her that he knows her dad and that he is happy that she and Fel are good friends. He even winks at her at the word 'friend' and it gives Bea the impression that he might know something.
Nagkwentuhan lang sila ni Mr. Cui sa may living room hanggang sa lumabas na si Fel mula sa kwarto niya na nakasuot ng isang sexy black dress. She is also wearing what appears to be a mouse headdress, black shades and painted whiskers on her cheeks.
"Baby girl, costume party ba talaga yang pupuntahan niyo?" Mr. Cui asks with a disapproving look on his daughter's outfit.
"Daddy!"
"I'm just saying. Wala na bang ihahaba yang dress mo?"
Bea has to agree to Fel's dad. Masyadong sexy yung suot ni Fel and it might attract unwanted attention later. She looks so gorgeous though and Bea silently wonders why she never gets attracted to her before.
Maybe she can give Fel and her a shot? Just to see if it'll work out?
"Don't worry, dad. Bea's with me naman." Fel says, interrupting her thoughts. She steps closer to Bea and clings to her arm as usual.
Nginitian lang ni Bea si Mr. Cui bilang sagot. He still looks unconvinced but he nods anyway. Mukhang may tiwala na agad si Mr. Cui sa kanya kahit ngayon pa lang sila nagkakilala.
Before they leave, she asks Fel if she can change into her costume in her room. Mabilis lang din siya nagpalit at pagbaba niya, literal na napanganga lang sa kanya si Fel.
"Oh my Bea, you look so hot in that costume. Let's take a selfie!"
She only chuckles and shakes her head as Fel clings to her arm once again and takes out her phone for a selfie. Bea is wearing a khaki flight suit from the Top Gun movie with matching Ray-Ban sunglasses. It's his dad's favorite movie and she thought Tom Cruise looked dashing with this uniform when she watched it for the first time so she decided to go with it.
It's already half past seven so nagpaalam na sila sa dad ni Fel bago pa sila ma-traffic on the way. Marami nang tao sa venue nung makarating sila. It looks like a lot of people made an effort with their costumes and Bea can barely recognize them even though most of the attendees are from their school.
"What time daw pupunta sina Trey?" she asks Fel over the loud music while they are sitting at one of the tables with some of Fel's batchmates.
"Not sure eh. Kasama nila si Pongs and some other friends kaya baka matagalan yung mga yun."
Bea spends the next few hours at the party just catching up with friends and watching Fel from time to time. Medyo nagkahiwalay kasi sila dahil magkaiba yung circle of friends nila. She notices that Fel is being carefree with her alcohol consumption while she's trying to manage her own because she will be the designated driver later.
"Bey!" someone calls out to her and she turns her head just in time to see Therese looking excited to see her.
She gives Trey a wide smile and a kiss on the cheek when she gets closer. She can't help but shake her head as she looks at her because she is wearing the exact same costume as Fel.
"Ang gwapo mo naman diyan sa costume mo!" Trey jokes, looking at her from head to toe. "Kung wala lang akong boyfriend baka agawin kita kay Fel."
"Baliw!" natatawang niyang sagot.
"Oo, baliw na baliw ako sayo. Tayo na lang kaya? I'll break up with Rex na for you."
She makes a disgusted face at her as a response. "Magtigil ka Trey, baka maniwala ako! Anyway, I see that you came as one of the three blind mice. Sino yung pangatlo?"
"Sino pa ba? Eh di yung kapatid kong makulit!" sagot naman ni Trey.
"Where is she? I haven't seen that kid in forever."
"Nandun sa may bar." Trey points to the crowded bar behind her. "Masyadong excited uminom ang lokaloka."
She squints and tries to look for Trey's sister, Ponggay from where she's sitting but there are too many people at the counter blocking her view. Tumayo na lang siya mula sa upuan niya at hinila naman paupo dun si Trey.
"I'll go say hi to the munchkin. Stay there muna."
Trey nods and Bea makes her way through the crowd looking for Ponggay. Sakto naman dahil konti na lang yung tao pagdating niya sa may counter. She can't see any signs of Ponggay though, so she sighs and sits on the barstool. She turns to the bartender and orders herself a drink since she's already there.
She sits there for a couple more minutes while waiting for her drink. Bigla naman dumami uli yung tao sa may counter at dahil medyo nakaharang si Bea sa harap, wala siyang choice kung hindi umusog sa kaliwa niya para bigyan sila ng space. Hindi naman niya namalayan na may nakaupo pala dun sa may katabi niyang barstool kaya nabunggo niya ito nung umusog siya.
"Sorry..." she starts to say when she looks at the other person but her eyes widens when she sees who it is.
After her conversation with Thirdy this morning, she really isn't expecting to see her tonight.
"Jho?"
Mukhang gulat din ang itsura ni Jho na makita siya pero agad din itong nai-compose ang sarili at ngumiti lang ng matipid sa kanya.
"Sinong kasama mo?" nagtatakang tanong ni Bea dito.
Maybe Thirdy figured out a way to attend the party with Jho after all?
"Sina Rex at Trey." Jho answers without looking at her. She can't help but notice a couple of glasses of what appears to be rum in front of the girl.
Napapatitig sa kanya si Bea. So Thirdy ended up asking Trey and Rex to accompany Jho? She should have known. Makulit nga pala ang isang yun kapag determinado talaga siya sa isang bagay.
Bea looks around and she sees that Rex and Trey are now sitting together at the table where she left her moments before. She frowns at Trey even though the girl can't really see her. She did not even bother to tell her that Jho is with them.
Tumingin siya uli kay Jho at napansin agad niya na namumula na ito at mukhang may konting tama na siya mula dun sa iniinom niya. Napaisip tuloy si Bea kung nakailang baso na ba siya for tonight.
"Bakit mag-isa ka dito?" she asks her curiously, "You should be out there having fun."
"I'm having fun here naman ah." Jho simply states, raising her glass of alcohol and drinking it one go.
Napatulala naman si Bea sa kanya. Kailan pa natutong uminom ang isang 'to?
"Hey, don't you think that you should slow down? Ang dami mo na ata nainom." Bea warns her after Jho takes another drink from the other glass in front of her.
"Ikaw talaga ang nagsasabi niyan sakin?" Jho finally looks at her and raises her eyebrows.
"Come on, Jho." Bea answers back, making a move to get the glass from her. "You know I mean well."
"Alam mo ang weird mo. I remember ikaw pa yung nag-iinsist na ibili ako ng drinks dati tapos ngayon pipigilan mo 'ko?"
"This is different. You've had too much na ata. You know there is such a thing as drinking responsibly right?"
This makes Jho laugh.
"Ikaw ba talaga yan? Nakakapanibago ha."
Sinamaan lang niya si Jho ng tingin at tuluyan ng kinuha yung baso na hawak niya. She pouts at her and Bea has to resist the urge to give in to her cuteness. Wrong timing naman na inilapag nung bartender yung in-order niyang drink kanina at agad na inagaw iyon ni Jho sabay straight na ininom bago pa siya maka-react.
"Hey! That was mine!"
"Kasalanan mo, inagaw mo yung sakin eh."
Napailing na lang si Bea habang nakatitig pa rin kay Jho. She's never seen this playful and wild side of her before and she isn't sure if she's liking it or not. One thing's for sure though. Her attraction to this girl did not lessen even for a bit and she wants to kick herself for thinking how hot Jho is looking right now with her red, sweaty face and those damn kissable lips.
Bea lets her eyes wander over her body with her white dress robe, gold headdress and arm bands accessories. She can guess that Jho is going for the Greek Goddess look with her costume.
Napansin naman niya biglang naging maligalig ito at tumitingin sa paligid nila na parang may hinahanap. Tumayo pa siya mula sa kinauupuan niya na muntik na niyang ikatumba. Buti na lang naalalayan siya agad ni Bea hawak ang mga braso nito.
"May hinahanap ka?"
"Yung kapatid ni Trey. Mag-rerestroom lang daw siya saglit. Mukhang 'di na 'ko binalikan."
"If you meant Ponggay then she's over there at the corner dancing with some foreigner chick."
Bea points to the area where she saw her a few minutes ago after bumping into Jho. She forgets saying hi to Ponggay altogether because she was distracted with the sudden presence of this girl in front of her.
Narinig naman niya ang pagbuntong hininga nito habang nakatayo at nakatitig lang sa mga nagsasayaw. Bea is about to ask her if there's something wrong but the other girl finally turns back around with a sweet smile plastered on her face.
"Sayaw tayo?"
"Wha–"
"Tara na, Mavi. Wag ka na maarte!"
Jho grabs Bea by the arm before she can say anything, dragging her to the dance floor where the other pairs are dancing to a sensual upbeat tune being played by the DJ on stage.
It's crowded and most of the people out there seems to be already drunk with the way they are dancing with their friends and their significant others. She is genuinely surprised, however, when Jho puts her arms on her shoulders prompting them to be closer as they move and sway to the reverberating music.
Bea isn't really expecting this. Naninibago talaga siya sa inaakto ni Jho ngayon. Ganito ba talaga 'to kapag nakainom?
Naramdaman agad niya yung biglang pagbilis ng tibok ng puso niya habang ganito siya kalapit kay Jho. Hindi niya napigilan ang sarili niya na mapatitig dito habang sumasayaw sila. Jho is just so beautiful it hurts. Hindi na rin siya nagdalawang isip na ilagay ang kamay niya sa mga bewang nito at mas lalo pang pinaglapit ang mga katawan nila. Kung ito lang ang tanging gabi na makakasama niya si Jho ng ganito, mabuti nang lubuslubusin na niya.
Kahit ngayon gabi lang kakalimutan niya muna ang pangako niya na lumayo. Kahit ngayon lang kakalimutan niya na may Thirdy na kaibigan siya at Thirdy na boyfriend ni Jho.
"So you've seen Top Gun?" she whispers on her ear over the loud music.
Jho frowns at her, "Huh?"
"You called me Mavi. Which I assume is your nickname for Maverick." she clarifies.
"Ahh," Nagliwanag naman ang mukha ni Jho at bigla siyang napangiti. "Oo. Favorite kasi yun ni papa. Naalala ko meron pa siyang VHS tape nun tapos palagi niyang pinapanood."
Napangiti din si Bea at mas hinigpitan ang pagkakayakap kay Jho. Natuwa lang siya dahil na-gets ni Jho yung reference ng costume niya. Felicia had to ask her about it during the drive and the confusion on her face was obvious when she told her about Maverick.
The song suddenly switches to a slower remix version of Jessie Ware's Kind Of...Sometimes...Maybe. Napapikit na lang si Bea habang dinadama niya yung init na nanggagaling mula sa katawan ng babaeng kasayaw niya. Kung pwede lang sana na ganito na lang sila parati. Kung pwede lang na sa kanya na lang si Jho.
"Who are you supposed to be anyway?" bigla niyang tanong dito.
"Athena, duh!"
Napangisi siya dahil may bigla siyang naisip, "So isa ka pa lang Jho-sa? Hmmm, pwede."
Natawa naman si Jho. "Ang corny mo rin 'no?"
"It's part of my charm." kibit balikat niyang sagot at kumindat pa dito.
Jho only rolls her eyes at Bea but she did not say anything more. They remain silent for a few minutes while dancing until she feels Jho's arms embracing her closer. She even leans her head completely on Bea's shoulder, making her feel warmer inside.
"Lalayuan mo na ba talaga ako?" Jho says out of nowhere.
Hindi agad nakasagot si Bea sa tanong na yun. Napahinto siya sa pagsayaw at lumayo siya ng konti kay Jho para matitigan ang mukha nito na nagtatanong. Her eyes are now glassy and she looks so serious. Unfortunately, Bea can't seem to read what she's thinking and why she is asking her that question all of a sudden.
She wants to ask her what that question means. Bakit Jho, ayaw mo bang layuan kita? sa isip-isip niya. Nararamdaman mo din ba yung nararamdaman ko ngayon?
Please tell me you feel the same way. Please.
But Bea chooses to not say it out loud and she continues to stare at Jho's face as if memorizing every detail. She is sure that she has never looked at any girl before the way she is looking at Jho now.
Maybe it is still too early to say that she's in love but she's pretty sure that she's heading there with the way this girl is making her heart melt with that just that one look of hers.
Bea isn't sure anymore what's happening around them. All she can see and feel is Jho. Her face is still unreadable but there is something in her eyes that's giving Bea a little hope that maybe Jho wants her just as much as she does.
She can't take this anymore. She can't keep resisting this urge to kiss her. She needs to kiss Jho now or she might just go crazy.
Bea is about to close the gap between them when she feels someone grabbing her arm, effectively pulling her away from the other girl.
"Excuse me." It's Felicia and she is already clinging to Bea as if she owns her. "If you don't mind, Jho. Can I borrow my date?"
Mukhang natauhan si Jho sa mga nangyari at nakatingin siya ngayon sa kanilang dalawa ni Fel na parang nakakita ng multo. She looks so shock at what happened and before Bea can say anything, she walks away and disappears from the crowd around them.
"Jho, wait!" tawag niya dito at akmang susundan pero bigla siya ulit hinila ni Fel.
"Bea, don't you dare follow her!"
Tinignan lang niya si Fel na ngayon ay mukhang galit na nakatitig sa kanya. Hindi niya rin alam ang gusto niyang sabihin dito pero inalis niya ang kamay nito na nakahawak sa braso niya at dalidaling tumakbo para habulin si Jho.
*************************************
A/N: and i'm cutting it there... i had to 'cause i made you guys wait long enough already. anyway, i'm on christmas break na so hopefully i can post the next chapter right away. this is supposed to be longer but i decided to write it on the next one na lang since mas intense yung mga susunod na mangyayari. forgive my typos. nakakatamad mag proofread fam.