SaiLem Three {DANGER: I'm Falling For You}

17. Today My Life Begins

Cyann

I wake up with a huge grin on my face. Pagkatapos naming kainin ni Clementine kagabi ‘yung ‘nachos with the good memories’, I finally decided to start anew. Naks.

Kidding aside, I realized that Clementine is right. Kailangan kong magbago for the sake of the woman I’ll choose to be with for the rest of my life. It’d be a huge leap pero naisip ko ring more than worrying about a female, I had to do it for myself too.

Gusto kong patunayan sa sarili kong I am capable of living a normal, monogamous relationship – just like Kuya Vlad and Ate Max or Ate Carsie and Kuya Eric. It’s not yet too late for me.

Too cheesy, I know. At nasabi ko na rin dati na I’ll turn a new leaf and it didn’t go so well. Pero ngayon, seryoso na ako. Tingin ko kasi, I bypassed the puppy love stage too soon. Kahit pa’no, gusto ko ring maranasan ‘yun. I mean, everyone has to start with the basics, right?

And I think… after listening to my recorded ‘confession’ to Clementine and assessing my feelings for her for the nth time, I’m pretty sure it’s nothing serious. I like her, true. But do I love her? I don’t think so. I don’t feel THAT strongly about her. At least with that, I’m certain.

Besides, I don’t even know how that feels. I’ve never fallen in love with a girl yet in the first place.

So, let’s see where this ‘like’ would lead me.

Aaannd, what do you know. It just takes me outside the room that we use for our thesis class. May ibang students pa sa loob.

I glance at my watch and realize na napaaga ako ng konti. Dati kasi, makikipagkwentuhan pa ako with my team. But today, I deliberately took a shower in a hurry para hindi ulit ako ma-late. Nasabi kasi sa’kin ni Lem na nilipat ako sa group nila because I wasn’t showing up with my previous group. So to avoid being dropped from the class altogether, kailangan kong bumawi sa bagong groupmates ko.

Without anything else to do, binaba ko na sa floor ‘yung duffel bag ko and I sit against the wall to pass the time just when I spot Clementine briskly walking towards my direction while reading a book. It’s amazing how she does that—dodging people on her way probably only using her peripheral view. Pero baka mamaya madapa siya sa ginagawa niya.

“Hey you,” tawag ko sa kanya pero she just keeps walking kaya tumayo ako to block her way.

And as planned, she bumps into me and is about to snap pero parang nagulat siya. “O, bakit andito ka na? Ang aga mo yata?” tanong niya as she puts down the book and walks with me to the side kung saan ko binaba ‘yung gamit ko.

I shrug my shoulders as I lean on the wall. “Practice finished early today,” sabi ko sa kanya nang nakangiti. “By the way, do you have anything planned this Saturday?”

“May trabaho ako sa CMAN eh, bakit kasi?” she asks, sounding uninterested and I couldn’t help but feel a bit hurt.

“Wala naman.” Binulsa ko ‘yung mga kamay ko. “I was thinking of giving you complimentary tickets to the game against UE. Sa Araneta ‘yun. Gusto mo?”

Mukhang nag-isip naman siya. “Ayos lang. Imbitahin ko na lang ulit si Mi—“

“Not Milo. Hindi ba pwede si Pinky?” sabat ko. I’m pretty sure na pangalan ni Milo ang sasabihin niya. If I see them together during the game one more time, baka matalo na naman kami. That guy is the jinx.