Lea's tequila-filled system was startled when the telephone on her hotel's nightstand started ringing. Bewildered and worried, she reached for it before she could try to recount the events of the day that led her to be in a drunk and dazed state.
"Lei?" On the other end was Regine, whose sniffling elevated Lea's worry. "Can I come over to your room?" Regine's words were slurred, which led Lea to remember snippets of the night. They were drinking and headed to their respective rooms, but Regine hadn't stopped, Lea reckoned.
"No, Babe. I should come over to yours. You sound more drunk. Hold on a minute, my Babe, yeah? I'll be there in a jiffy!" Lea exclaimed, which seemed to coax Regine a little. "Ok... ok..."
***
Lea was unsure whether to buy something, but she called for room service to be delivered to Regine's suite. Luckily, it arrived at the same time as she did, and she knocked on Regine's door and said, "Room service po kay Miss Regine Velasquez!"
Regine opened the door; her usually pink-flushed face was more intense, and her eyes were swollen to the core. "Bakit naman may ganyan ka pa, Babe?" Regine laughed, still sounding a tad inebriated as she let Lea enter, pushing the table filled with meals Regine couldn't register just yet.
"Because... sa tingin ko, you're hungry, sad, and gutom at the same time, Lea said. Regine giggled, a laugh so melodic that Lea was in pure awe just by listening to it. "Lea, gutom, and hungry are the same!"
But their blissful exchange was fleeting as the joy gradually subsided, leading to a weeping Regine once again.
"What's wrong, Reg? Are you craving a different meal?" Lea was one step closer to requesting another round of meals just to coax Regine into peace. "No, Lea, he broke up with me over the phone." And whoever he was, his name need not be said. Lea knew clearly who he was.
The thing about friends with benefits is that there's no contract as to how things would be dealt with once half of the company went south.
Lea watched Regine fall in love with another person, and suddenly the former wasn't the latter's favourite drunken company. But that's the thing about friends with benefits—you don't fall in love. At least, you shouldn't. But for the many things Lea excels in, not falling in love with Regine is the very thing she was aware she would never succeed in.
Regine blabbed about how stupid she felt because, for the past few months, she had been spending time with him, all she could see was the good. And he was good, Regine insisted. But he revelled in the fact that Regine saw only the good in him. And Lea knew that he was good only because Regine gave him the much-needed boost of ego he needed.
Regine was head over heels in love with him, and Lea could only support where her favourite human finds happiness, even if it meant losing Regine to a person who Lea knew would break her heart in the long run.
Lea made sure to listen to Regine, and she did; she made sure the latter was well-fed and hydrated. Spoonfuls of meals flew like aeroplanes into the storyteller's midst, which made her giggle despite the tears flowing from Regine's eyes.
"Thank you for taking care of me lagi," Regine kissed Lea's lips. The latter knew it didn't mean anything except to give thanks, but her heart swelled nonetheless. "You have me, Reg. Always," Lea whispered as she watched Regine's eyes all aflutter, fighting the feeling of drunkenness and sleepiness.
Regine fought the boost of melatonin in her system and kissed Lea once again, but this time, it was on her forehead—one that might seem trivial to all but meant the world to the latter.
