Occasionally

Alex enjoys nature!

I'm here

I waited at 7-11 where I parked my car last week on a Saturday morning. It was pretty chilly in the morning since the holidays are coming in. I wore my cerulean blue hoodie that matches my navy blue cap, along with cream knee-high shorts and white Nike shoes. I wore my glasses today instead of my contacts.

Karl and I continued talking via phone after work hours. During the morning, I would just send him a simple message and he would reply later in the afternoon when he was less busy. I'd call him when he's walking home. It was the highlight of my week.

As for my dreams... well, I try my best not to trample my every waking day due to that. It doesn't happen often, which was a blessing. But when it does, it takes extra effort to get out of the bed.

Today is an exception. I woke up in the best possible condition. I was smiling. I was humming Taylor Swift songs on the ride to Laguna. I even bought some breakfast sandwiches for us to eat on the way there. To say that I'm excited is not enough to describe what I'm feeling.

After a few minutes, I saw him walking towards my car. He's under a blue umbrella. He was wearing a striped polo matched with navy blue jeans and sandals. Internally, I thought that Paula was right—Karl is indeed a fashion disaster. But I find it one of his quirks.

I got out of my car and welcomed him. "You look cute," I said to him.

"Shut up," he said. But he was smiling at me. I opened the door for him—which, he was taken aback—and he jumped right in.

"Are you hungry?" I asked. I pointed the sandwiches on the dashboard. "You can eat if you want."

"I already ate. Thanks. Maybe later."

"You excited?"

"Nah."

I nudged his arm. "It's showing."

He bit his lip and said, "Just drive."

I played my newly curated Taylor Swift playlist and started the engine.

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Karl was silent on the ride. I already opened the windows for him so he can rest his face and feel the fresh breeze. Thankfully, the ride going to San Pablo was really smooth—barely any traffic unlike in Manila. It was a refreshing ride as if my lungs is being cleaned from all the pollution I'd inhaled.

He was tapping his feet and fingers to the beat of Taylor Swift's Delicate. He occasionally sings along. I sometimes catch him stealing a glimpse of me in the rearview mirror. And I smile at him and say, "You look cute."

"Please stop saying I'm cute."

"But you are!" I poked his side and said, "You're even blushing."

He shifted his seat so I couldn't reach his stomach. "I am not," he defended.

"So, where do you want to go today?" I asked, changing the topic. "The only thing I know about the place is Sampaloc Lake after a quick Google search."

"Sure, let's go there."

"Anywhere else that you'd like to go to?"

"Let's just go wherever our feet lead us," he suggested. He turned his head to look at me while still leaning on the side of the car.

I nodded. "That's actually a good idea."

He just smirked at me, as if saying, Yeah, right. I'm always right.

"Do you want to play a game?" I asked.

"What game?"

"Each time we ask a personal question, we also have to answer it," I proposed. "It has to be alternating. So once I start, you'll ask the next one."