To The Moon And Back

26

"What the heck is this, Engineer? Ang baduy! Hindi 'to pang summa cum laude level."

I scrunched my nose as I looked at my annoying assistant—este, pinsan kong partner sa project—si Zach. Or as the world knows him, top-notch Architect Galvez.

In our family, though? Just the same old pasaway cousin who thinks he's God's gift to architecture.

"Excuse me, Architect," Hindi ko napigilang sungitan siya ng tingin. He was grinning like the smug idiot he is, nakapamewang pa habang nakasandal sa upuan. Aliw na aliw talaga sa sariling pang-aasar niya, e.

"Ang baduy nito kasi design mo. Mukhang tinamad ka pa nga," ngiwi kong sabi. "Function over flair, sure, but even practicality has standards."

Zach and I had been roped into the expansion project for Destileria Del Fierro, with me handling the engineering side and him in charge of the architectural design. Dapat ay simple nga lang 'to, e—ifa-finalize namin 'yong layout para sa bagong pasilidad ng distillery at titiyakin na gumagana ang lahat habang kaakit-akit pa rin sa paningin.

Pero simula nang makatrabaho ko siya, wala nang naging simple. Madalas kaming magtagal dahil sa mga hindi naangkop na ideya niya. He'd come up with some grand, eye-catching design, while I'd be the one to remind him that distilleries need structural integrity, not Instagrammable exteriors.

Tumawa lang ang lalaki. Ngayon ay nage-gets ko na kung bakit halos isumpa siya ni Cali tuwing magkukrus noon ang landas nila rito sa kompanya. Like her, I hated how his eyes lit up like they always did when he was about to make some smart-ass remark.

"Sabi na nga ba, tatakbuhan mo 'yong design ko. But hey, practicality? Talaga? You call this practical? More like napaka-safe. Sa sobrang safe, it's almost boring."

Pinagkrus ko ang mga braso ko at nagtaas ng isang kilay. "Okay, Mr. Creative, gusto mo lagyan ko ng waterfall para may drama? O ano, grand entrance na may spotlights?"

"Waterfall? You mean a fountain?" putol niya, umiling-iling sa lubos na hindi makapaniwala. "Please, pinsan, kahit minimalist, dapat may konting wow factor pa rin. Para pagpasok pa lang ng tao, wow, this is Del Fierro. Hindi wow, did they run out of budget?"

"You know, something that says class and heritage, hindi tipid-tipid."

I smirked. "Right, because everyone's going to notice the design and not the fact na distillery 'to at hindi museum. Kung gusto mo ng wow factor, tumingin ka na lang sa salamin."

Lumawak ang ngisi ng lalaki. "Nice try, pero practical doesn't mean boring. Your idea sounds like a... glorified school project. I could get Tito Daniel to whip up something more exciting at half the cost."

I rolled my eyes at him, unable to help the smirk that crept onto my face. Seriously? Si Tito Daniel pang matagal nang nananahimik?

"Sure, go ahead, hire Tito Daniel. Just don't cry when he gives you a layout straight out of 1985."

He snorted, pretending to be offended. "Feeling ko naman, kung ikukumpara kayo, his ideas are still better than yours, e. By the way, kailan ka pa naging anti-design?"

I leaned forward, crossing my arms on the table and tilting my head. "Naging anti-Zach, you mean? Hmm, ever since Cali complained about you monopolizing our hangouts just to rant about design woes and terrible clients. Oh, and how she doesn't understand why she fell for an architect with questionable taste."

Napalitan ng iritasyon ang kanyang ngisi, and I knew I struck a nerve. Umayos siya ng upo, a glint of playful challenge in his eyes. "Ay gano'n, ha? Is that what you two talk about on your so-called 'girls' night'? Akala mo lang 'yan. You should hear her swooning when she thinks no one's around."