Tadhana

- 6 : Bliss -

With the friends getting home at around 10:00 PM, they decided to immediately hit the hay, saying their "goodnight"s, and falling asleep. Thanks to their early sleeping time, they managed to wake up all energetically at a healthy hour. By 8:00 AM, Sienna, Sonia, and James were already eating breakfast at Coffee Fever.

Sienna took a bite of her blueberry cheesecake, savoring its taste and texture in her mouth, when suddenly, James spoke up, "Uy, bukas na yung first day ng classes ninyo diba?". The two girls nodded, with Sonia sighing, "Reqs, clearance, at kung ano-ano pa ulit...". "True," her mother figure shook her head, "As much as excited ako, nakakatakot pa rin... Feeling ko babagsak talaga ako at some point.". "Hindi naman uy, tali-talino mo kaya," the accountant retorted, with the cafe's owner backing her up with a, "Oo nga naman, top five agad noong kaka-transfer sa atin noon? 'Tas hindi matalino? Hellu?".

An airy chuckled escaped Sienna's lips, "Top five nga noon, pero malapit na mag-repeat noong distance learning, ano 'yan?". She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow.

"Eh kasi naman... could you really blame yourself? May pinagdaraanan ka noon." her daughter-like friend countered.

"Kung babagsak ka 'man, kay Asher lang iyan, or sa sh*tang kanal," joked James, although, could one really say that he was joking? After all...

"Nasabi ko ba sa inyo? Nahulog ako sa kanal one time..." Sienna felt her cheeks flare up from the embarrassment of the memory. 

"So..." James snickered, urging Sonia to continue his statement; and so she did, "Hindi mo i-dedeny na mahuhulog ka kay Asher?".

That's what hit their economist friend ever so hard, yet so effortlessly - a critical hit!

The heat that was felt on her cheeks felt a lot hotter now, even slightly feverish. "N-No! H-Hindi ako mahuhulog kay... kay Asher! Okay?! W-We're just... friends...? Childhood friends, yeah... just that, no more, no less. I-I don't even know if he considers me as a friend.". the black-haired student sighed at the end of her sentence.

"Di mo alam if he considers you as a friend?" James said with a raised eyebrow. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he continued, "P*tang*na, alam-alam mo I'm this close," he pinched his fingers together, representing how close he is, "to buying you actual glasses so you could realize how blind you are!". 

Sienna looked at Sonia for backup, only to find her friend shaking her head, with a similar facial expression to James's, "Nakakainis naman yung slow burn na ito,". A small chuckle is heard from the accountant. 

"Kaya nga eh, sis, open up your eyes," James shook his head as well, his purple locks following suit. "Yung heart mo din, ha, one day," Sonia followed up, teasing the economist.

"Blind? Slowburn?" questioned their dumbfounded, dense friend, "Anong relate 'nun kay Asher?". 

Due to this, the other two had to remind themselves that as much as they loved Sienna, patience truly was a virtue.

-

Later, a light bulb would comedically appear above James's head - an idea to help them relax, and to help open Sienna's eyes. Before heading to make a new batch of cakes, the mentioned cafe owner went over to his friends, "Well, since magstastart yung school year ninyo, kung gusto ninyo, mag-leisure time muna tayo ganon, like, movie night, tas video games.".

"The calm before the storm talaga," joked the ever so dense student, "Pero I like it! It could also be bonding time for us din, you know? Make us feel like teenagers again before we have to enter a new chapter of adulthood, a.k.a existential crises and student loans.".

Sonia took a sip from her coffee before replying, "Sa true lang, pero oo nga naman, mag-relax tayo bago mag start yung hassle.". 

The trio agreed, showing it through nods and "mhmms". The purple head then added, "Kung gusto ninyo, pwede kayo mag-invite ng mga kaibigan ninyo na na-meet ninyo; baka pwede mag get-to-know din. And, kapag may cute na guy...", his voice trailed of, a snicker and a chuckle following in its fleeting tracks.