Play Pretend

C.03

Halos mabingi si Nicx sa tanong ni Arin. Hindi naman maingay sa paligid pero pakiramdam niya nakakabingi 'yung lumabas sa bibig ng best friend niya.

"I'm sorry pero ano? be your what?" she managed to ask, head tilting to the side.

Arin smiled at her sabay ginulo ang buhok nito.

"para kang aso." she immediately rolled her eyes at the statement.

"don't change the subject, anong meron? girlfriend? why?" she asked.

Malalim ang paghinga ni Arin bago siya nito sinagot.

"I told you kahapon na may dinner kami ng fam diba? well, it was a mess." sabi nito sa kanya.

"panong mess?" she asked.

"si lola, bigla akong tinanong kung kailan ako ikakasal." sagot nito sa kanya na nagpataas ng kilay niya.

"how on earth are you supposed to get married eh you've been single for years na nga." she said na tinanguan ni Arin.

"exactly, the first and last relationship I told my family was years ago and it was with Xandra.. so sabi ni lola, if wala daw akong nagugustuhan or new partner, she'd arrange for me to meet someone." nakayuko ng sabi ni Arin, clearly not liking the idea of being arranged to meet anyone.

"and clearly, you don't like that idea." sabi naman ni Nicx na tinanguan ni Arin.

"and in which part am I included sa scenario? bakit naisip mong gawin akong girlfriend?" she asked, left brow raised.

Huminga na naman ng malalim si Arin, hindi niya na alam ilang beses niya ng ginawa 'yun since they met but somehow, randam ni Nicx ang lalim ng problema ng best friend niya.

"my family knows yours, for years magkakakaibigan na ang family natin. it seems fitting na ikaw ang magiging girlfriend ko." sabi nito sa kanya that made her stare at her best friends face.

Nagtitigan lang sila for a whole ass minute bago sabay na natawa.

"here I thought hindi natin gagawin 'yung promise natin 3 years ago." Nicx said sabay umiling.

Right. 3 years ago, one drunken night, they promised each other na pag wala pa din silang mga partner after 3 years, they'd start dating each other.

"last Monday was the third year, diba?" she asked and Nicx nodded.

"you have to help me with this Nicx, tsaka, think of it na din as a request dahil pinaiyak at ginalit mo ako when Narda died sa Unforeseen." sabi nito sa kanya kaya natawa siya.

She's trying to write a new ending for that na nga eh, but well, Nicx is a mean person, pero exception niya si Arin so she does not see any reason to say no sa tulong na hinihingi nito. The ending of Unforeseen will still change, it's a gift for her best friend after all.

"oo na, ask me again." she demanded and Arin had this huge smile on her face sabay tumango-tango.

Nagulat naman si Nicx when she saw her best friend get down on one knee at hinawakan ang kamay niya, still with that huge yet charming smile on her face.

"Nicole Xyryl Villareal, Nicx, will you please be my girlfriend?" tanong nito habang nakatitig sa mga mata niya.

Weirdly enough, she felt her heart skip a beat. She's fully aware of her surroundings and yet despite the amount of people sa paligid, the noises from them and chaos from the world itself, boses lang ni Arin ang naririnig niya.

She chuckled at her thoughts sabay ngumiti din sa best friend niya bago sumagot.

"of course I'll be your girlfriend Arin." she said as her best friend, now her girlfriend hugged her.