daggers

daggers #30

"WHOOO! NICE ONE, GUYS!"

"ANG GAGALING NIYOOOO!! PROUD NA PROUD KAMI SA INYO!"

"AAAAAA FIRST RUNNER UP!"

"WHOOOO THE BEST TALAGA!"

"GO, USTEEEE!"

when the competition ended and the winners were announced, UST SDT's resting room was suddenly filled with loud voices and cheers when the Salinggawi Dance Troupe entered and started congratulating each other for making it to the top 3 of the UAAP Cheerdance Competition and won as the 1st runner up.

"congrats sa atinnn!" josh said as he extended his arms, welcoming his bestfriend in a bear hug.

"congraaaaats! grabe proud na proud ako sa'yo! ang dami nung tumbling mo ha!"

"hoy, jah! mas grabe kaya yung sa'yo! ang haba nung tinumbling mo eh. muntik ka nang umabot hanggang katipunan!" justin pinched josh's waist for teasing him.

"kainis ka! pero thank you. grabe sobrang kinakabahan kaya ako kanina."

"alam ko. kaso feeling ko nakita mo si sir stell kaya lumakas yung loob mo eh."

"HOY-"

justin was about to lash out on josh but the room was suddenly filled with noise once again when some of the members UST's sports team entered to join in congratulating them too.

"AAAAA PROUD NA PROUD AKO SA INYOOOO!!" ken said as he ran towards josh and justin and squeezed them together in a tight hug. they all hugged ang exchanged kind words to one another.

after a few more moments, the people in the room started leaving one by one and decided to just have their congratulatory party some other day so that they may have some time to chill for the rest of the day.

"saan niyo gusto pumunta? my treat!" ken excitedly said, skipping on his way out of the resting room.

"wow ang galante mo naman today!" justin teased and josh chuckled.

ken laughed and went infront of the other two to walk backwards as he faces them.

"syempre! sobrang proud ako sa inyo dalawa 'no! ang ganda kaya ng performance niyo. tapos yung mga stunts? grabe ang linis! pati yung mga-"

"ken, wait."

josh said, tapping ken by his chest and pulling him by his wrist to stop talking. they all went silent, standing a few meters away from their professor, stell.

justin immediately felt his heart race. ken was about to walk towards stell but josh held his arm, making him come to a halt.

"love..." josh whisper-shouted towards ken.

"what? kakausapin ko lang naman, love." ken replied, alternating his gaze from josh and justin, who's also looking at him with furrowed eyebrows.

"ikaw ba jowa ni sir stell? hayaan mo sila ni justin ang mag-usap. baka kung ano pang sabihin mo eh."

"love naman. wala ka bang tiwala sa'kin?"

"sa mga ganitong bagay, wala. let's go na." josh said sarcastically and pulled ken away, who desperately whispered a "sapakin mo agad" to justin, pertaining to stell. justin chuckled before pushing ken away to go with josh.

and now he stood there, 3 meters away from his boyfriend.

stell walked up to him and smiled a little as he stood directly infront of jah.

"uh... i uhm... i bought you... flowers." he said, handling the bouquet of yellow and white tulips wrapped in a black wrap to justin. UST's color. justin thought. "congratulations, jah."

tulips. how did he know these are my favorite?
the younger smiled... genuinely.

"thank you." he said and stell frowned. the younger immediately noticed and his heart ached at the sight. stell wronged him and he was aware of it. justin was hurt but his love for the other still matters the most.

"can we talk?" stell asked. justin reached out his hand to ruffle the older's hair while stell felt flustered in his touch.

"of course." justin replied and they walked side-by-side to stell's car. the older had to fight the urge of holding the younger's hand, thinking he might reject him if he held it.

he opened the car door for the him though, which made justin feel butterflies.

they drove for more than 2 hours straight and justin immediately knew where they went.