As we come back from the island shoot and everything falls back into place as if nothing happened. Bumalik kami sa usual routines namin. Ginawa ko ang lahat to keep myself in check, holding back myself to not pull him close to me.
It’s not easy. Every time I’m near him, it’s like my body remembers the feel of his lips, the way he kissed me back but I remind myself over and over again that we agreed to take things slow. No rushing, just going with the flow.
“Pero nanghahalik?” my mind mocks, throwing my own words back at me. I try to push the thought away, but it keeps coming back.
After we finish unpacking our things from the island shoot, I head to the kitchen feeling the need to distract myself. The thoughts swirling in my mind about us are getting louder and I need something to calm down. I grab a cold water from the fridge to get back my thoughts from overthink things.
I glance into the living room and there he is Lan, sitting on the sofa with his phone looking as calm and collected as ever. The soft glow from the screen highlights his face, his expression unreadable, as usual. He is so absorbed in whatever he is doing that he doesn’t notice me watching him.
I lean against the counter, taking a sip from my drink my eyes locked on him. It’s frustrating how effortless he looks habang nakaupo lang doon.
Taking a deep breath, I walk toward him my heart pounding in my chest.
I sit down beside him on the sofa, close enough that I can feel the warmth radiating from him but not too close. I clear my throat, a fake cough, just to get his attention. He glances up from his phone, raising an eyebrow still that same calm expression that drives me crazy because I can never tell what he’s thinking.
“Kunin natin si Shinzui mamaya,” I say, breaking the silence. Shinzui, our cat has been at the pet shop while we were away on the island shoot, and I realize we need to pick her up soon.
Lan nods, his eyes softening just a little at the mention of Shinzui. He likes that cat and petty na kung petty pero nagseselos ako kay Shinzui, I am damn jealous against the cat!
I watch him for a moment longer “ mmmh, punta tayo later,” he says, putting his phone down on the side table.
I lean back against the sofa, trying to find a way to make a conversation toward something more personal without being too obvious.
I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. He is so calm, so unreadable and it makes me wonder how he can be so unaffected when all I can think about is what happened between us.
For now, though we have something else to focus on—picking up Shinzui, our cat.
We get ready to leave, and the silence between us is comfortable again.
He is the one who are driving to the pet shop its quiet but in a peaceful way. I steal a few glances at Lan while he drives his face focused but relaxed.
When we arrive at the pet shop, Shinzui’s caretaker greets us with a smile, leading us to where she’s been staying. As soon as Shinzui sees us, she lets out a soft meow, stretching her body toward us.
“Shinzui,” I say, kneeling down to pet her. She nuzzles against my hand, purring softly.
Lan stands beside me reaches down and strokes Shinzui’s head, and she purrs even louder, clearly happy to be back with us.
“Missed you,” I murmur to Shinzui. Lan scoop her up into his arms. She settles comfortably against his chest.
We thank the caretaker, pay for her stay and head back to the car. Shinzui sits quietly in my lap during the ride back, occasionally glancing up at me with her big eyes. I run my fingers through her fur absentmindedly.
When we get back to the condo, Shinzui immediately starts exploring again, like she’s checking to see if everything’s still in order. I laugh, watching her inspect every corner of the place as if it’s brand new.
Lan stands by the door, leaning against the frame, watching her too. There is a sense of peace in the room now, like we’ve crossed some kind of invisible line and things are starting to settle into place.
