what if we happened

22. College Plan

Chapter 22: College Plan

Seren

I watched Elias as he served the drink in front of me. "Sana magustuhan mo," he said, smiling.

"Thank you," I replied, forcing a smile despite my apprehension. Naupo siya sa tapat ko, pa-circle kasi 'yong table namin with two chairs at nasa corner kami ng coffee shop.

I almost grimaced as I scrutinized the drink, so I bit my lip instead, trying to hide my distaste. I didn't like the green color and the whole thing!

Pinanindigan ko ang matcha flavor and lucky for me, the coffee shop had iced strawberry-matcha latte available, so that's what I ordered para maiwasan ang purong matcha ang mainom ko. Sayang pa man din na available sa coffee shop na 'to ang caramel latte at gusto ko sanang subukan. I was secretly praying that the sweetness of the strawberry would overpower the grassiness taste and balance everything out. Elias also ordered waffles and a slice of cheesecake, and as a matcha lover, iced pure matcha latte naman ang kaniya.

Bago ko itusok ang straw sa cup ay sandaling pinanood ko si Elias na effortless na humigop sa inumin niya, as if it were the most delicious thing in the world. Ako tuloy ang nandidiri sa kaniya. I couldn't fathom kung paano niya natitiis ang lasa ng matcha where it fact, it taste like grass.

Kailan ba naging masarap ang matcha?

"Sarap," Elias commented as he caught me staring at him. "Bakit hindi ka pa umiinom? Ayaw mo ba?"

Mas masarap pa si Elias kaysa sa matcha.

Not kidding.

"Selfie muna tayo?" I deflected, not answering his question, hoping to buy some time.

"Sige."

I took out my phone. We leaned in closer, ngumiti kami sa tapat ng camera habang hawak ang mga drink namin. Naka-ilan shot kami. Next thing I did was I upload it to my Instagram story. By the way, libre niya 'tong lahat. Wala pa akong nagagastos maski piso simula noong umalis kami.

"Send mo sa akin iyon, ah," he said. "Saka, i-follow back mo na rin ako." Binigyan niya ako ng nagtatampong tingin. "Mabuti pa si ano . . ."

Nahihiya akong ngumiti at tumango. "Oo, mamaya. Paiyak ka na yata."

Inuna ko kasi ang pagmamaganda kaya hindi ko pa siya fino-follow back. Kaunting pakipot muna, girl.

Inilapag ko ang phone ko at ibinalik ulit ang tingin sa drink na hawak. Tuluyan ko nang itinusok ang straw sa takip nito. This is the moment of truth. I need to put my preferences aside for the sake of our friendship, even if it meant sipping on a drink I wasn't completely fond of.

My gosh.

I have to do this.

Ramdam ko ang mga mata ni Elias sa akin habang kumakain siya ng waffle kaya kailangan ma-convince ko siya na favorite ko rin ito. Hindi ako puwedeng magpakita ng iba pang ekspresyon sa mukha. This was so hard. Palihim muna ako humugot nang malalim na hininga. Then, I finally lifted the straw to my lips. I took a small sip and to my surprise, 'yong flavor ng strawberry nangibabaw sa lasa, balancing the matcha just enough. I did not struggle at all!

Hindi siya lasang damo and had no bitterness whatsoever!

"This isn't bad," I commented, genuinely surprised. I started stirring the drink with the straw, taking another sip. Tamis ng strawberry pa rin ang nalalasahan ko. "Infairness, masarap. No joke." Guminhawa ang mood ko in an instant. Sa tingin ko ay kaya ko 'tong ubusin without any problem.

My reaction made Elias's smile grow bigger. "Sabi sa iyo, masarap dito, eh. Maliban sa kapehan na malapit sa eskwelahan natin, ito 'yong madalas kong dinadayo. Medyo mahal nga lang pero masasabi kong sulit naman," pagkukuwento niya. "Masaya ako na nagustuhan mo 'yong lasa."