Fidelity

60th

Nothing going on

"Nga pala," I uttered when we were already inside his car. "Pwede bang dumaan tayo sa Chunk? I really want to grab some cookies.. Madadaanan naman papunta sa bahay ko.. Kung ayos lang,"

Nahiya ako bigla nang hindi siya agad sumagot. Masyado na atang oportunista ang labas ko! Nagmagandang-loob na nga yung tao at sinabay ako tapos kung anu-ano pang detour ang dinedemand ko!

"It'll probably be closed by the time we get there.." he said while gazing on the screen by the dashboard.

I gasped when I did a mental math of the time. "Oo nga pala.. Hanggang anong oras ba ang Chunk? Kadalasan kasi ay tuwing hapon lang ako bumibili,"

"It closes by eight.." aniya. "We can still drop by though.."

I was just about to ask him what he meant by that when he started dialing a number. Nanlaki ang mata ko nang marinig siyang kausap ang isang staff. I almost stopped him when he asked if there's any cookies left!

Nakahinga lang ako nang maluwag nang marinig na wala na raw. I did say I want some cookies but I don't wanna trouble anyone just for it! Napalitan na ng hiya yung cravings ko kaya wag na lang!

Kaya naman laking gulat ko nang pagdating namin sa Makati ay nagpullover siya sa Chunk. All the lights were already off and it was obviously closed.

"May mixed dough sa fridge.. I can make something real quick," he said like it was nothing. He couldn't even look at me as if he was afraid to see my reaction. "It wouldn't even take 15 minutes.."

Nakanganga ako mula sa pagbaba niya sa sasakyan hanggang sa pagbukas niya sa saradong Chunk. I was lost for words. I can't believe I'm entering one of my favorite food places beyond its business hours! When no one else is around! Feels like a dream!

All the shame I have were instantly replaced by glee and amusement as soon as we entered the kitchen.

"This is hip! This is so hip!" hindi ko na napigilang ibulalas habang nililibot ang kusina. Si Davion ay agad na dumiretso sa fridge.

Isa-isa kong binuksan ang mga cabinet para silipin ang laman. I can't help but howl in fascination at every little thing I see. All the baking products were plant-based! Everything here is just vegan!

Davion was already re-kneading the dough and placing portions on the tray when I turned to him. Nagtungo ako sa pwesto niya at pinatong ang magkabilang siko sa counter.

"Pakiramdam ko ako si Charlie sa Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! This is so hip!" I was shuddering in excitement. Para kong nangingisay na ewan. "I can't believe I'm right where the magic happens!"

Saglit niyang tinagilid ang ulo. Nakanguso na na nang ibalik ang tingin sa dough. He cut the dough into portions and shaped them perfectly into cookies.

May nakahalo nang chocolate chips sa mismong dough ngunit nilagyan niya pa rin sa ibabaw ang mga nasa tray. He expertly added the chocolate chip on top of each portions and I couldn't help but gasp at how uniformed the pieces turned out.

"Wow..." was all I can utter before giving him a thumbs up from both my hands. "So hip..."

He bit his lip when its corners lifted. Muli niyang tinagilid ang ulo. He didn't even look when he took the tray to put it in the oven. His head keeps on facing the other way.

Labis-labis ang pasasalamat ko sa kanya noong gabing iyon. He didn't even let me pay for the box of cookies! That night, he drove me home and gave me free cookies. He's a living proof that vegans are full of compassion!

Hindi pa rin makapaniwala si Raya na ayos na ulit kami ni Davion. Akala niya raw ay hindi na kami magpapansinan kahit kailan. She was happy to know we're good now.

Sa araw ng kasal niya ay maluha luha pa sya nang yakapin ako para magpasalamat dahil alam niya raw na hindi madali iyon sa akin matapos ang masasakit na pinagdaanan ko.

"Sira! Hindi lang naman para sa kasal niyo kaya kami naging okay. I just really don't dwell on the past that much and we happened to be into the same things lately,"

Raya looks gorgeous even in her reception gown. Kung ang wedding gown niya ay may trailing tail, ito namang sa reception ay fairy fishtail ang design. Angat ang natural na ganda ni Raya sa classic boat neck detail ng dress. Just as perfect as I imagined it to be.

Masaya ang kasal at puno ng kantyawan ang reception. Sa dami ng iba't ibang set of friends ni Cal, aakalain mong may division ang bawat grupo pag pinagsama-sama sa isang kwarto. But it was the exact opposite. Lahat ay nagkakasundo at hindi mo aakalaing first time lang magkakilala ng karamihan. The atmosphere was really festive and celebratory.

Maingay ang lahat hanggang sa tossing ng bouquet. The one who caught it was Adea who was supposedly stepping back to avoid it. Napuno ng hiyawan ang bulwagan. Naiwan si Adea sa harap habang kami ay gumilid na. I was giggling along while looking at her reaction.

Bago pa man itoss ni Cal ang garter ay may mga nagchicheer na ng pangalan ni Davion. Almost all the guys pushed him when the garter flew into the air and it instantly landed on his shoulder. Halos mayanig ang venue sa sigawan.

I suddenly felt self-conscious when I noticed a couple of eyes on me. Nahuli ko ang pagsulyap sa akin ng isa sa mga naging schoolmate namin nung college sabay siko sa katabi niyang panay ang tili.

I bit my lip. Bago pa matapos ang pagsusuot ng garter ni Davion kay Adea ay hinugot ko na ang phone sa purse at nagpanggap na sasagot ng tawag sa labas. I just wanted to get away from the uncomfortable gazes that some were giving me.

Ngunit hindi rin maiwasang lumipad ng isip ko habang naglalakad. I couldn't help but think about Davion and Adea. The way the bouquet effortlessly landed on Adea and how people automatically knew who to root for right after. It makes me wonder...

"Solace,"

A warm and gentle grip on my wrist made me halt. Umangat ang tingin ko kay Davion. His hand slowly released may wrist when our eyes met.

"Hey.." realizing how close we were, I instinctively took a step back to get a proper look at his face. "What are you doing here.."

He licked his lips as if he was trying to figure out the right words to say or how to say it.

"There's.. nothing going on between me and Adea," aniya. He heaved a sigh. "I just wanted to tell you that.."

This is the first time in a while that Davion was able to look me straight in the eye without averting his gaze.