Leaving it to chance [ Serendipity Series #01 ]

XXIX: kalay-un

kalay-un— (n.) distance [bisaya/cebuano]

* should there be any bisaya words used throughout the chapter, translations will be provided.

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naw ko na 'yong apartment building ko. 

He groaned, covering his face with his pillow. "I know pero ayokong pumasok." 

"Jeremiah Kiel Ceniza. Malapit na boards mo! Sige na matulog ka na."

"In a little bit." Mikie sighed, pushing himself off the bed and walked to the bathroom. "I'll shower and then go to bed."  I hate how he's topless right now. I can't appreciate him and all his glory because I was out in public. I had to bring my phone closer to me to avoid on-lookers. My face was flushed but I wasn't sure if it was because of the cold or because of the display in front of me. 

I am going to go with the former. Yeah, definitely the former. 

Mikie walked into the bathroom and placed the phone on a shelf as he walked around to find a towel. "Hoy 'wag kang maghubad sa harapan ko! Nasa labas pa ako!" I scolded him, running quickly into the front door of my apartment building. 'Tong lalaking to! Pahamak talaga! Baka akalain ng mga tao may pinanood akong porno, jusko! I mean, wala namang paki ang mga tao rito but then again, may ilan talaga na napakajudgmental. 

Napalingon bigla si Mikie sa akin sabay tawa. "Hindi ako na inform na magbibigay palaga ako ng strip show sa'yo. Mahal TF ko, Korine!" 

e na. Maghi-hike pa ako pataas sa apartment ko. Ewan ko sa mga french bakit sila mahilig sa hagdan" I glanced at the staircase in front of me with so much dismay. 

"I love you," Sabi ni Mikie sabay ngisi, leaning against the sink. 

Now, for a literal up hill battle. When I first arrived in Paris, I was amazed at how beautiful it was. A family friend helped me get settled. She looked for my apartment, siya na nag asikaso sa mga paper works ko, sinamahan niya ako sa banko to open an account, and all that. Actually, ang swerte ko kasi may umalis sa apartment building niya kaya kinuha namin agad 'yong apartment. Maganda sana 'yong view ko kasi nasa higher floor ako kaso ang haba pa ng aakyatin ko. Minsan nga tinatamad na akong umalis. It was a struggle. 

The first month in Paris was quite difficult. I had to get used to the language (I took french classes prior to coming to Paris but using it on a daily basis was hard, not going to lie.) The culture here was very different. I missed home more and more. I was alone here. Sure, I had Mikie and my friendswho I talked to almost everyday but it was different. I was in a foreign land with no one but myself to turn to. 

Thankfully when classes started, I was able to meet people who later became my friends. Amelie and Suzanne. I became friends with Suzanne first as she was also an international student from Singapore. We got along quite well since we both absolutely hated the cold. Suzanne was half British and half Singporean. She grew up in Singapore and took university in the UK. Amelie was French but she grew up in Nice. She served as our guide in Paris since Suzanne and I were both foreigners. They made me feel less lonely but there were days where I craved to be home.