Past 1 a.m. na kami nakauwi ni Lan sa condo, tahimik pa rin kaming dalawa N
nakaupo siya sa sofa, mukhang pagod pero kalmado. Sa isip ko, gusto ko sanang tanungin kung sino 'yung lalaki na nakausap niya kanina. Pero nagdadalawang-isip ako. Alam kong hindi ako dapat makialam sa personal niyang buhay, habang naghuhubad ako ng outer suit ko nakita ko si Lan na hinubad din ang kanya at lang ang inner white polo shirt, malinis at simple pero bagay na bagay sa kanya. Tahimik pa rin siya, parang nag-iisip, pero hindi ko na itinanong kung tungkol saan.
"Hey," sabi ko, breaking the silence as I hung up my suit. "Do you want some ice cream? I think we still have a tub in the freezer."
Napatingin siya sa akin, his expression unreadable as usual, pero halatang interesado kahit paano. After a moment, tumango siya nang bahagya. "Sure."
Tumungo ako sa kusina, grateful for something to distract me from my curiosity. Kinuha ko ang ice cream at dalawang spoon, then walked back to the living room. Nilapag ko ito sa maliit na coffee table, and we both sat down on the couch.
"Here," I said, offering him a spoon. He took it without a word, and we both started eating, the cold sweetness filling the quiet space between us.
As we sat there, spooning ice cream in comfortable silence, I still couldn't shake the thought of that guy. I wanted to ask, but I stopped myself. It wasn't my place to interfere in his life. Lan had his own world one that I was only just beginning to
understand. Maybe one day he'd tell me, but tonight, I figured it was enough that we were here, sharing ice cream at past 1 a.m., both too tired to ask too many questions.
For now, that was enough.
Kinabukasan, habang nakahiga pa ako sa kama, nagvibrate ang phone ko sa tabi. Sunod-sunod na notifications ang dumating mga alerts mula sa
social media at articles na nagta-trend. Napaupo ako, medyo nanlalambot pa, at kinuha ang phone ko. As soon as I unlocked it, my screen was flooded with posts, tags, and messages.
Our appearance at last night's event was everywhere. Ang daming pictures naming dalawa ni Lan papasok pa lang kami, sitting together during the event, pati 'yung subtle glances ko sa kanya, which is to my surprise, didn't go unnoticed.
"Holy shit," bulong ko sa sarili ko habang nag-scroll. Ang daming speculative headlines.
"Xian Alleje Spotted with Mystery Man, are they Just Friends or there is more?"
"The unnamed man and Xian Alleje's Chemistry Ignites at High-Profile Event."
Napailing na lang ako. People really do love to make up stories out of nothing. Hindi ko alam kung matatawa o maiinis ako. Sure, we went together and sat beside each other, pero now everyone was making assumptions as if may there are something sa amin. The photos made it look more intimate than it really was. The way we sat close, the quiet moments we shared during the event, even the glance I gave him.
I sighed and leaned back against the headboard, I wondered if he'd seen all this yet. Knowing him, he probably wouldn't care too much, pero hindi ko maiwasang isipin kung ano ang magiging reaksyon niya.
After a few moments of debating whether or not to tell him, I got up and headed to the kitchen, hoping to distract myself with coffee.
Habang nagtitimpla ako, naramdaman ko ang presensya ni Lan na pumasok din sa kitchen, still looking half-asleep. He was in his usual plain clothes, parang hindi affected ng kahit anong ingay online.
"Morning," sabi ko casually, hoping he hadn't seen the news yet.
He nodded at me in response, then went to grab a glass of water. Tahimik lang siya, as usual, pero nagdadalawang-isip ako kung dapat ko ba siyang tanungin.
