More than a week has passed and Nicki was slowly getting back to her usual self. She no longer have nightmares and she's no longer crying herself to sleep. She owes it a lot to Sheena who was very patient with her. That night when she finally broke down was probably the last time that she cried. Now, she's feeling a little better. Despite the fact that she still thinks of that bedimpled guy from time to time, she knew she's already on her moving on phase. She finally realized she can't be stuck with the past. Although there were still unanswered questions in her head, she decided to just let the universe take its course. As promise, she will still give RJ a chance to explain if and when they see each other again, but she doesn't want to hold on to it. With or without hearing him out, she wanted to move on. So she's taking baby steps, and Sheena has been there to support her every step of the way.
The real score between Nicki and Joaquin was still one of the top gossips and issues most of the students talk about within the campus. They have to admit that their popularity in school was one the reasons why they can't easily get away with it. Though there were some who believe that they're just friends, more students believed otherwise. That's because they still see them together in campus. Joaquin is very persistent. Even though Nicki made it very clear to him that what she can offer is nothing more than friendship, he still wouldn't budge. He doesn't bring her flowers anymore, yet he sticks like a glue and would still hang out with her and Sheena more often. So it's becoming really hard on their part to explain to everyone, but they decided to just let them be. After all, they've already cleared to their teammates and close friends the real status of their relationship or lack thereof, and that's what's important.
Today, their last class was dismissed early due to an emergency meeting of the College Instructors. Nicki checked her watch and realized they still have a lot of time to spare. Their training is scheduled at 6pm and it's just around 4 in the afternoon. Since Grand Towers was just a few minutes away from their campus, she invited Sheena to stay in her condo unit first so they can rest and freshen up before training.
Tara na Sheens! Dun na
tayo magrest muna!
"Nics, as much as I want to join you, eh may schedule ako ng consultation with my adviser para sa thesis ko. Mabuti nga at maaga tayo nadismiss para mapuntahan ko na siya agad."
Totoo ba yan? Wala ka naman nabanggit kanina eh. Ayaw mo lang yata ako
samahan. Huhu. Coding pa naman ako,
wala akong dalang auto. Hmpf!
Sige na mag-uber na lang ako mag-isa.
"Gaga! Nawala lang sa isip ko. Besh naman, syempre sasamahan kita kung keri ko. Lamuyen! But, ibang usapan na toh, thesis na toh besh eh."
Just then, Sheena's phone beeped with an incoming text message. She checked her phone and read the message then turned to Nicki to show the text message she received.
"See?! Tinatanong na ni Ma'am Geronimo what time ako pupunta sa office niya for my thesis consultation. Mabuti pa puntahan ko na now then i'll text or call you afterwards. If maaga kami matapos, go ako sa condo mo para sabay na tayo pumunta sa gym. If hindi, i'll just see you sa gym na. Okies?"
Okay, fine fine. Sige na, gumora ka
na dyan at baka sisihin mo pa ko pag
di mo naayos yang thesis mo. Haha!
I'll wait for your text or call later na lang.
"Ayan, very good! Tara na, sabayan kita papunta sa entrance. Nagbook ka na ba ng uber mo?"
No, hindi na. Dumeretso ka na kay
Ma'am Geronimo para hindi sayang sa oras. I'll book an uber na lang pag malapit
na ko sa gate. I'll be fine, Sheens.
Don't worry about me.
"Okidokies. See you later. Ingat ha. Message mo ko if nakasakay ka na ng uber mo and send me the name and the plate number of your uber ride. Para lang safe. Hehe!"
OA lang ha?! Pwede ko ngang lakarin
from here yung condo like ginawa ko this morning. Tinatamad lang ako ngayon.
"Hay naku, wag ka na maglakad wala kang kasama. Sige na, send me the details na lang. Punta na muna ko kay Ma'am."
Jeez! OA much talaga toh!
Sige na, go ahead. Goodluck ha!
I'll be fine. Sunod ka na lang dun.
****************
Meanwhile, on another campus just a few blocks away...
RJ was already walking his way to his destination. His classes today would've ended at 4pm but since they have to meet with their partners to prepare for the reporting, their instructor dismissed them early. He was paired with Janina, a consistent Dean's Lister in their university. She's pretty and kind but she's the type who would rather choose books over boys. So once the instructor was out of sight, Janina already went down to business. She told RJ that her last subject would end at 5pm and ask to just meet him after that because she needs to prepare for an oral examination. They've only exchanged numbers and she told him to do some research since he has no more classes for today, while she finishes hers. She asked him to go to that coffee shop near her condo unit just a few blocks away and just wait for her there. RJ could only nod in response. She's bossy but RJ was thankful about it. Because the last thing he needs right now is a distraction. As soon as RJ agreed, she gathered her things and walked away.
So now, RJ was still threading the path to his destination.
Malapit na, RJ. Konti na lang.
Baka naman today, matyempuhan
mo na siya.
His mind was already preoccupied lately with thoughts of a beautiful lady with pretty doe eyes who plays volleyball excellently. He's been doing this since Monday. He decided to push his luck and wait for her across the street, just outside the main entrance of her campus. Everyday since Monday, he would have a 15-20 minute-walk from his university to hers. He would just stand by the pillars across the street and look at the sea of students getting out of the campus, hoping he would finally see her. Yet everday, he would go home to their condo unit exhausted and moreso, disappointed.
Earlier, he spoke with Kristoff and Jerome and they told them that there's no confirmation yet from Benilde about the tune-up game. And up to now, there were no updates yet or whatsoever if the tune-up game will push through or not. He checked his watch, it's just a few minutes after 4 o'clock in the afternoon. He can already see the entrance of her school. He still remained hopeful that maybe, just maybe, he would catch a glimpse of her today so he wouldn't have to wait for the schedule of the tune-up game to see her and to speak to her again.
And just as he reached his spot across the street, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He leaned his back on one of the pillars, still having a clear view of the main entrance, and pulled out his phone to check the message.
And while he was busy tinkering on his phone, a girl with her pretty doe eyes was already making her way out towards the main entrance of the campus. It was at that exact moment when she stood by the entrance, moving her head sideways as if looking for someone, that RJ was able to send his reply to Kristoff and turned his head towards the entrance smiling. But his smile faded and his eyes grew wide as he saw her.
Susmaryosep! Ni-nicki!
His heartbeat raced as he forced himself to move. He was nervously making his way towards the pedestrian lane, never taking his eyes off of her. Hoping she would spare him a glance.
Kingina ka, RJ, wag kang titiklop!
Kasubuan na toh! Bilisan mo na!
Lord, thank you po, thank you po talaga!
And just when he thought their eyes met as he was about to cross the pedestrian lane, a black sedan car stopped in front of her. The driver went down and approached Nicki. He stopped on his tracks when he saw her smile at the driver and hurriedly made her way to the passenger seat. He felt his heart crushed when he realized that it was the same guy in Boracay. His ex-boyfriend. He heaved a deep sigh as he saw them drove away.
Too late, Faulkerson. Wag ka ng umasa!
****************
"Are you alright? May naiwan ka ba?" Joaquin asks Nicki as he noticed her looking back absentmindedly.
Huh?!
Nicki replies, not really
understanding his question.
"Sabi ko may naiwan ka ba? You keep on looking back eh. Pwede pa tayong bumalik, di pa naman tayo nakakalayo." Joaqui offers, realizing that Nicki might have left something important because she keeps on glancing back.
What?! No! Uh...i mean, wala akong
naiwan. Sorry, i just.. uhm chinecheck
ko lang yung nabook kong uber...
Nicki quickly responds as she sits up,
now focusing her eyes on the road as
she tries to calm the fast beating of her
heart, and hoping Joaqui wouldn't notice.
"Aaah...yaan mo na. Cancel mo na lang. Mabuti nakita kita. Why didn't you bring your car pala?" Joaqui asks while he quickly glanced at her then back on the road as he drives.
Thursday eh. Coding.
Nicki answers shortly as
she looks outside her window.
"Ah, okay. Asan si Sheens?" Joaqui continues to ask, trying his best to keep the conversation going.
Meeting with her thesis adviser.
Nicki said then she suddenly reached
for her phone inside her bag.
"Owww i see. May training kayo later diba? Nakausap ko si Coach Patty kanina eh. Buti pa kayo may training na. Next week pa daw kami eh.
Uh, yeah, meron nga.
She coldly replies without
sparing him a glance.
"Bakit uuwi ka pa?"
Uhm, rest lang saglit.
She's already busy
tinkering on her phone.
"Tipid mo naman sumagot, baby girl. Are you sure ok ka lang? Sino ba yang katext mo?" Nicki side-eyes him when she heard him call her baby girl then continued to type her message as she replies to him.
Ugh, Joaquin, please don't call me
that anymore. Si Sheena tinext ko.
Medyo masakit lang ulo ko, pero
kaya naman. I just need to rest a bit.
"Oh, okay. Sorry sorry, hindi na. Chill ka na dyan. Eto na tayo, malapit na po."
She nodded in response and she was more thank thankful that Joaqui didn't bug her anymore. They stayed silent for the rest of the ride. When they reached her building, she didn't wait for him to open the door for her. She said her thanks and immediately got out of his car.
As soon as she reached her unit, she sat on her sofa. She took a deep breath and held her chest, as if that will make her heartbeat calm.
Bakit ba ko kinakabahan? Di naman sure kung si RJ nga yun. Tsaka kung siya man yun, eh ano naman ngayon? Hindi ka na papaapekto diba? Okay ka na, Nicki. Deep breaths lang yan. Inhale. Exhale.
She went to her kitchen and poured herself a glass of cold water. She drank it in an instant, still thinking if it's really him that she saw.
Pero bakit naman siya mapapadpad sa labas ng campus? Hindi na nga nagparamdam diba? Bat magpapakita pa? Hindi siguro siya yun, namalikmata lang ako. Pero nakita namin siya sa Rob last time eh. Ibig bang sabihin nun nandito lang din siya sa malapit? Oh gahd! Bat ko pa ba iniisip yun? For sure naman kahit nandito siya sa malapit, malamang wala naman siyang pakelam. Haaays...
Just then, her phone beeped. It was a message from Sheena.
Si Sheena talaga! Parang mas excited pa siyang makita si RJ. Hindi man lang ako tinanong kung okay ako. Unbelievable!
She shook her head as she typed her reply. But what made her heart beat wildly against her chest was Sheena's message after a few minutes.
She immediately replied to ask Sheena what happened but the latter didn't reply anymore. She bombarded her with a few more messages but she still didn't receive any response.
Shit! Did she actually see him there? Babalik ba ko dun? Pero bakit ako babalik, eh iniwasan ko nga siya kanina kaya ko pumayag na ihatid ni Joaquin eh. Baka may gawin siya kay Sheena? Ano naman gagawin niya sa best friend ko? Pero harmless naman si RJ, i think. Ano ba? Bat ba ko kinakabahan? Eh ano kung magkita sila ni Sheena dun? Baka mapaaway si Sheena... Baka saktan niya si RJ. Teka, bat ba ko nag-aalala sa tukmol na yun? Bat ba ko natataranta? Wag muna magpanic, Nicki! Hintayin muna natin reply ni Sheena. Breathe, Nicki. Breathe.
She was now on her living room, pacing back and forth, thinking of what happened. Sheena's not yet responding to any of her messages and she's beginning to feel anxious not hearing anything from her. She was already dialing her number when she finally received Sheena's reply.
Sheeeenaaaa! Ugggghhh!
Masasabunutan talaga kitaaaa!
She couldn't believe it. Of all the things she thought of, it never came to her mind that Sheena's text message would be for a completely different reason.
Kasi naman si RJ yung usapan tas biglang ganun? Naku ka talaga besh! Aatakihin ako sa puso dahil sayo! Nakakaloka!
She shook her head and laugh at herself as she sent her reply.
Sheena sent her a few more messages asking her to go back to the campus and join her in watching their basketball team practice so she could check out the new guys herself.
Tsss! So much for overthinking, self!
Si RJ na naman kasi nasa isip mo eh...
She sprawled on her couch suddenly feeling tired and hungry with what she did earlier. But at least she felt relieved that it wasn't about him. She told Sheena that she will just fix her things then go.
****************
He's a little bit early. It's only quarter to 5pm when he reached the coffee shop where he's set to meet Janina so they could work on their report. Fortunately, the place was near Nicki's campus so he easily found it.
It was just small cafe and there were only a few people inside when he entered. Most of them looked like students who were also here to study. He went straight to the counter and ordered one hot Caramel Macchiato. Then he chose one of the tables beside the window just a few steps away from the entrance. Once his drink was done, he finally settled in his seat. His thoughts went back to Nicki as he played with the stirrer in his coffee mug.
Ang ganda pa rin talaga niya. Parang pumayat lang ng konti pero sexy pa din. Haaay! Sana man lang nalapitan ko bago dumating yung....yun. Pero wala ka na RJ, malamang nyan nalimutan ka na nun sa tagal mong di nagparamdam. Sayang! Pero kung nagkaayos man sila nung mayabang na yun, kahit makapagsorry na lang ako. Yun lang naman talaga gusto ko eh. Yung makahingi ng tawad tsaka magpaliwanag kung bat di ko natupad yung pangako ko. Well, sana lang pakinggan niya ko kahit alam ko na huli na lahat. Pero ang ganda talaga niya kahit sa malayuan eh. Yung ganda na di nakakasawa tingnan. Tapos yung ngiti niya kanina. Susmaryosep! Lalong lumakas yung kabog ng dibdib ko nung ngumiti siya eh. Kahit alam ko naman na di para sa'kin yun, ayos lang. Pero Lord sana makita ko siya ulit please... last chance na, sige na naman... mabait naman po ako... promise hindi na ko matutulala—
"So tutunganga ka na lang dyan?!"
RJ thought the question still came from his clouded mind so he answered pensively.
Hindi na po. Promise! I'll grab that chance.
"What?! Anong chance?"
Yung ibibigay niyo po, promise di ko sasayangin!
RJ responded oblivious to the fact that the voice came from the lady who's now seated in front of her.
"What??? Hoy, Faulkerson! Nahihibang ka na ba?"
He was only taken out of his reverie when he heard his last name and he felt somebody kicked his foot under the table.
Huh?
He looked down on his feet then looked up and was startled to see Janina already in front of her.
Oh Shit! Janina sorry sorry. Kanina ka pa?
"Are you ok? You looked like someone na nabasted sa mukha mong yan eh. Haha! Well, anyway, I just arrived. Mabuti na lang pangalawa kong natawag sa oral exam kaya nakaalis na ko agad after. Nag-Uber na ko para mabilis. So, let's get down to business. Seryoso ko sa studies ko Faulkerson ha, kaya please lang wag mo idamay ang report natin kung brokenhearted ka. I need you to focus, pwede ba yun? May mga pag-aaralan pa ko later so bilisan na lang natin. Are we good?"
Wow! Ang dami mo agad nasabi noh? Okay na, let's do it dahil gusto ko rin makauwi ng maaga. Bili lang ako ng food while you set-up. Anything you like?
"Iced coffee na lang and honey-glazed donut. Here!" She reached for her purse and pulled out a bill but RJ didn't take it.
No, sagot ko na ito. Mas marami ka naman for sure macocontribute sa report kesa sa'kin. This is the least I can do. Hahaha!
He stood up then lined up in the counter to order.
****************
She took a quick shower to freshen up. She dressed casually and comfortably, put on some blush and lip tint then she's good to go. She looked at herself in the mirror and check if she was presentable enough.
While she prepares to leave, her mind went back to the guy she saw earlier and if it really was RJ whom she saw. She shook her head to erase the thoughts in her head. She checked the time, it's only a few minutes after 5pm. She could still spare some time to grab a bite at the coffee shop across their building before she books an uber ride.
Move on na, self! Bat ba iniisip mo pa rin?!
Hindi mo namimiss yun! Hindi! Kinalimutan ka diba?! So he doesn't deserve to be missed.
Mabuti pa nga sumunod ka na lang kay Sheena
at baka naman may makilala kang mas okay
dun sa new guys na sinasabi niya. You need some distraction.
She was already in the elevator going down but her mind was still elsewhere. She's hoping that when she gets to their campus, the guy she saw earlier will be gone.
Kahit pa kalook-alike lang siya, sana wala na. Jeez! Nakakapraning na! Bakit ba natetense ako? Diba dapat mas kabahan siya kasi siya yung may atraso sa'kin? Hay Nicki, gutom lang yan. Gutom ka na kaya kung anu-anong naiisip mo.
A few moments after and the elevator doors already opened. She hurriedly walked to the lobby, dismissing her thoughts of RJ. She found it hard to not think about him and she thought that's the reason why she feels so nervous. She stopped at the entrance of their building and checked out the café across to see if there's a queue so she could estimate time for her ride. When she saw that there's only a guy in the counter, she decided to book an Uber. She quickly ran across the street when she got a confirmation. 10 minutes. She got 10 minutes to get some food.
She swiftly pushed the door of the café and went straight to the counter. Thankfully there's no one in line. She ordered two bagels with cream cheese and one Caramel Macchiato to go. She found a vacant table in front of the counter, so she went to it and sat facing the barista as she wait for her orders. While waiting, there's this uncanny feeling in her chest and her heart continues to beat a rather fast rhythm.
Gahd! Is this just because I was running to get here really fast or am I really nervous? But why am I nervous? Jeez! Nasobrahan na ata ako sa kape tapos coffee na naman ulit ngayon. Eh favourite ko naman ito sooo...
The bagels and coffee were delivered to her in no time. She checked her Uber ride and saw that she only got two minutes left before the driver arrives so she hastily grabs the takeout bag and her coffee and headed to the door. But she was completely surprised when she pulled the door open and her eyes accidentally landed on someone smiling, the dimple on his left cheek showing. She got a glimpse of the guy who kept bugging her mind and her heartbeat battled against her chest. She was rooted on her spot, holding the door open as she saw RJ just a few steps away from the door. He was looking at the person in front of her who happens to be a girl. She couldn't see the girl's face though because her back was turned on her. Her heart clenched and she didn't know why. When she turned her eyes back to him, she saw him smile.
Jeezus! Tanginang ngiti yan! Lolokohin ka lang nyan teh! Wag ka maniwala, magaling mambola yan! Wag kang padadala sa dimple niya.
Uggghhh!!! Nakakainis kaaaa!
She didn't know how long she stared at them but she stopped when she felt her phone vibrated. She checked who it was and saw that the driver has arrived to pick her up. She took one last glance but her blood immediately rose up to her cheeks when their eyes unexpectedly meet. She quickly rolled her eyes then sprinted towards her ride. She found the car waiting in front of the café. She quickly opened the door and slid herself in without looking back. But just when she was pulling the door close, it was slowly pulled open and she was left in shock.
Nicki!
****************
A/N: Si RJ na nga kaya? Ito na ba ang hinihintay natin na eksena? Hindi na nga ba palalampasin ni RJ ang pagkakataong ito? Kung si RJ man, anong gagawin ni Nicki?
What do you think guys?! Let me hear your thoughts.
Thank you all for reading!
Xoxo,
tinkybella16