The Last Rule

Chapter 26 - Rest

'Di kita pipilitin

Sundin mo pa'ng iyong damdamin

Hayaan na lang tumibok ang puso mo

Para sa akin

(Para sa Akin by Sitti)

"Anong title?"

Tanong ko kay Dos habang ina-apply ko ang serum ko sa ilalim ng vanity mirror lights. He was on the other line, seated on his bed, a guitar comfortably resting on his lap. He looked... exactly how he always looked when relaxed, messy hair, oversized shirt,  white blanket loosely covering him. I could see him perfectly on my phone's screen, and honestly, it made me smile without thinking.

Time heals, or so they say. And maybe they're right. The awkwardness, the almost-kiss, the almost confession during the sleepover night. It was slowly dissolving, erased by time and by normalcy. Or at least by the comforting illusion of normal.

Tonight felt... ordinary. Just like any other Friday night.

It was a normal call. Random chatter. Sharing stupid memes. Talking about nothing and everything. And then... he decided to sing.

Because he was bored.

And I was secretly delighted.

It wasn't a secret that he could sing. Literally no one was surprised. He had that voice high for a guy, clear and effortless, but not in a feminine way. Just... beautiful. It made you want to listen. Like really listen. And it made me forget everything else for a while. Forget stress. Forget deadlines. Forget everything except him.

"Kantahan mo rin ako," he said, putting the guitar aside.

"Ha? Bakit?" I asked, eyebrows raised.

"Gusto kong marinig," he replied casually. As if it were the simplest thing in the world, like asking for a glass of water.

"I don't sing," I muttered, fluffing my pillows on the bed and sitting down.

I could see him adjusting his phone, probably leaning it against his pillow, but then it tilted sideways and nearly fell. 

"Not right now," I added. My voice softer this time, because... truth? I did sing sometimes. In the bathroom. In the shower. And sometimes I even got compliments.

But when someone like Dos, someone talented, someone who could sing professionally if he wanted, asks me to sing?

My confidence disintegrates.

In the end, he didn't push it. He just hummed, strummed a bit on his guitar, and I drifted into sleep while still on call. Again. And yes, I was always the first to fall asleep. But there was something comforting about it. Knowing he was still there. Knowing he would notice if I woke up. Knowing he cared quietly.

The next morning, I woke up with a 12% battery on my phone and a 'Good Morning, Sunshine' text from Dos. All my mornings since Dos happened I wake up with this, and it's scry to think that I'm getting used to this.

"Deadline will be tomorrow," our professor announced, expressionless, no emotion, no remorse. And everyone groaned.

"Ang daming deadline!"

"Pa-major talaga!"

"Feeling niya siya lang subject natin."

Typical. Those are the common phrases that I heard from my classmates pero kahit anong reklamo namin, we all know na gagawin at gagawin parin naman namin ang mga activities at magpapasa on time. I took a deep breath at saka tumayo mula sa upuan, ready to leave.