11
"I really think he likes Lia." I groaned when I heard Evi's words. Heto na naman kami!
"I don't know... didn't you say na he's like that to everyone? Like he's very malapit to girls?" Ani Rishi sa nag-aalalang tono.
Hindi ko alam na sineseryoso nga talaga nila ang "case study" na ito tungkol kay Atien. I know that it's quite intriguing but I would never expect myself to be as invested as they are.
"They're so interesting kasi, Lia... they're everywhere but also not... it's like you're in their circle but also not. Iyong tipo na nandiyan lang sila at feeling mo ay pantay na kayo pero hindi. They're physically within an arm's reach but it will remain as such."
Hindi ko naman kilala ang pamilya ni Atien maliban na lang sa iilan niyang pinsan. But I guess it's different for Evi because she grew up in the city. May mga alam siyang hindi ko alam.
And maybe Atien's family is huge... hindi ko nga lang din alam.
"Do you have a thing for him? Or baka one of his cousins?!" Napasinghap si Carson sa napagtanto ngunit napailing lang si Evi. She rolled her eyes and turned to the side.
I smirked. Mukhang hindi si Atien ang sentro ng kuryosidad niya.
"Alis na 'ko, kikitain ko pa ang test subject natin," nakangisi kong sambit sabay ayos ng bag.
Huli na nila naintindihan ang ipinapahiwatig ko at natawa naman. We spent a few minutes in the library doing nothing but talk. Paminsan-minsan ay may kaniya-kaniya kaming ginagawa ngunit tuwing may isang magsalita, o kahit magtanong man lang, nagiging kuwentuhan na iyon.
"Oh? Kakagising mo lang?"
Kumunot ang noo ni Atien at napatingin naman sa sariling suot. He's wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a plain white tee. It was the kind of shirt that's supposed to be loose on his body but it still fit him snugly.
"What? No..."
I smiled sheepishly when I realized that his style for today is simply different that his usual polo and shorts. Napakapresko niyang tingnan. Iyong tipo na feeling mo ay kakagising niya lang mula sa mahabang siesta.
Our condominium has a designated study area. It was always full, especially at night. But since it was only late noon, we got a good spot to ourselves.
The large table was secluded because of the divider. Our place was also set at the side so we got a good view of Manila Bay. Maaliwalas ang paligid, hindi mainit ngunit hindi rin malamig. Everything was just calm like how my morning started earlier.
Ito lang din ang gusto ko. I'm not asking for a perfect college life. I just want to be able to gracefully and effortlessly appreciate every moment in time. Whether it's a grand one or an everyday, seemingly mundane one.
"Your exam consists of a practical part, right? Do you have Statistica?"
He spent the next minutes helping me master the steps of the analysis we're doing. The software isn't available to Mac users but Atien has this remote access that I have no idea where he got from.
Mabilis lang namin natapos ang topic dahil maikli lang naman iyon at madaling intindihan. Pasensyoso rin kasi si Atien at kahit paulit-ulit minsan ang mga tanong ko ay mukhang hindi naman siya naririndi.
"Do you have plans tomorrow?" Anito habang naghihintay kami ng elevator.
I shrugged. It's that day of the week wherein majority of the students have no class. It's made for studying and complying with requirements. But since I'm done with what I planned on doing tomorrow, which is to study, I'm free already.
