Lie About Love

Chapter 3

"Uy Sai, I heard you're going on a date with my cousin this weekend." Inirapan ko na lang siya habang sinisiko niya ako habang nakangiti. Katabi ko si Kyla in almost every class kaya in the end naging bestfriend ko na rin itong makulit na ito.

"Hindi nga 'yon date na tulad ng iniisip mo. We are just going to hang out as friends."

"Sus! Kuya Brian's not a bad guy plus my cousin has good genes." She placed her right hand below her chin as if to prove her point.

"Kyla..." I repositioned myself so I am already facing her and looking directly in her eyes. "Brian IS a really nice guy and yes, he is good looking too. BUT I am seriously not looking to be in a relationship right now. I'm just happy to be friends with him, that's it."

"Hay naku! Pagdadasal ko na lang talaga na ang 'pagkakaibigan' ninyo kuno na magbunga at magka-'ibig'an din kayo sa dulo."

"Please don't get your hopes high."

Bago pa makasagot si Kyla ay napagalitan kami ng professor namin dahil nahuli kaming nagdadaldalan, nag-sorry kami parehas at hindi na muna nag-imikan hanggang matapos ang klase. Umuwi rin naman agad ako pagkatapos ng klase at tumambay lang sa kwarto ko habang nanonood ng Kdrama. I usually spend my Friday nights at Kyla's house kaso ayun ang ate mo, confident ng makipag-date mag-isa kay Mark. Well, I'm happy for her and I hope Mark is the right guy for him. Mukha naman siyang mabait. Well, Cedric seemed nice to me before too until he just dumped me like trash. Teka, bakit bigla na lang pumasok sa isip ko si Cedric?

Inalis ko siya kaagad sa isip ko at inabala ang sarili ko, pinalitan ko na lang pinapanood ko from romance to horror. Nangangalahati na ako sa pinapanood ko nang biglang may lumabas na notification sa cellphone ko. It was a message from Brian.

"Hey Sai, see you tomorrow! I'm excited!"

Bigla akong nakaramdam ng kaba. Mga ilang minuto rin ako papalit-palit ng irereply sa kanya at ilang pagdadalawang isip bago ko mapindot ang send button.

"Ok. See you!"

As soon as I sent that message, I got up from my bed and went straight to my closet. I rummaged through my clothes and checked myself in the mirror to see which clothes fit me best.

"Ah! Bakit ba ako naa-anxious sa susuotin ko at para bukas?"

I gave up and threw all my clothes back to my closet. I jumped back to bed and tried to sleep, but my mind keeps on worrying about what tomorrow will be like. Hindi ko na rin namalayan anong oras na ako nakatulog, nagising na lang ako sa alarm ko kinabukasan. Naligo lang ako at kumuha ng simpleng damit: plain white shirt at black jeans. Nag-powder lang ako at lip tint.

Nang marinig ko na ang busina ng kanyang kotse, kinabahan ako bigla. Sinampal ko muna ang sarili ko bago ko buksan ang pinto.

'Chill ka nga lang Sai, para ka namang hindi nag-hang out with a guy friend before.'

Hindi naman ako ganito noong double date, or dahil ba nandoon din si Kyla? Kaya ba ako kinakabahan ngayon dahil kaming dalawa lang ang magkasama? Isang taon na rin naman kasi halos ang nakalipas ng huli akong makipag-hang out with a guy alone.

"Hey Sai, are you excited to try the best strawberry cake in town?" Bungad na tanong niya pagkasakay ko sa passenger seat.

I just nodded. I took a quick side glance at him. He was wearing a plain grey shirt and denim pants. Good thing, I opted to wear something casual too. He kind of smelled really good; there's a strong, fresh, citrus scent which suits his cheerful vibe. He was actually smiling while driving. Actually, I also noticed last time that he smiles a lot. He radiated so much positivity in him that I felt like a negative person like me shouldn't even be sitting next to him.