Love Next Door

28 - Bestfriends

THOMAS

"You what?! Seryoso ka ba dyan, bro?!", I reacted when Jeron got to the part of the story where he punched Mika's brother.

It's been three weeks since we all got back from the holidays pero ngayon lang ako nagkaroon ng time to catch up with my fellow chinito.

Arnold, on the other hand, decided to extend his stay in Germany. Kaya kami lang ni Jeron ngayon dito sa Gold's Gym near our former school, one of the places we used to frequent during our La Salle days.

"Seryoso nga. Malay ko bang utol niya yun.", pagkukwento niya.

"Wala, zero ka agad kay brader. Eh kumusta naman kayong dalawa ngayon?", tanong ko.

"We're fine. I mean, we're friends. As much as I can, I bring and pick her up from school. We didn't really get the chance to talk about what happened to us in the beach-"

"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU IN THE BEACH?? BRO, KUNG AKO YUNG UTOL NI MIKA, HINDI LANG KITA SINAPAK. PINABUGBOG PA KITA."

"It's not what you think.", he responded calmly.

Forgive me but Jeron having a serious love life is an intense topic. For real. Because this guy's got issues about tying the knot.

"Ah, so anong ginawa niyo sa beach? Nag-picnic? Nanghuli ng mga crabs?"

"What?! Hindi. I won't tell you. Basta it's not what your green mind thinks it is."

"Fine. I'll give you that. O pero ano na nga? Kailan niyo yun balak pag-usapan? Whatever that is. And in case you've forgotten, you owe her a lot of stories. A LOT."

"I know. Hindi ko naman nakakalimutan yun eh.
Kaya lang... natatakot ako.
Natatakot ako na pag sinabi ko sa kanya ngayon, masira yung pagkakaibigan namin."

"When will you tell her then? Pag sinagot ka na niya? Or pag kasal na kayo para wala nang kawala?"

"Sira. Basta. Bahala na. Pero saka na yun. One game at a time. Tulungan mo naman ako oh."

Kung alam ko lang, sana inextend ko yung bet namin noon. Kaya lang confident talaga ako before na he'd fall for her in a month eh.

Oddly though, hindi pa kami sinisingil ni Jeron. Samantalang noong college, daig pa nito yung 5'6 kung maka-remind. Pati extra rice, di pinapalampas.

But I'm not complaining, hehehe. Pabor samin eh.

"O sige, what kind of help do you need?", I asked him.

"How will I tell her that I like her? In a way na hindi siya matatakot.", tanong niya.

"Ahhh. Just tell her. Wag ka nang mag-costume na pang-halloween. Or basta be sure na hindi kayo nakasakay sa bike pag sinabi mo.", I answered.

"Torres naman eh. Seryoso ako."

I knew he is. But hearing him say it is a different story.

"Sige na, sige na.
Paano ba?
When I told Ara that I like her, sinabi ko lang. Kasi she asked me why I did the things I did. I just felt na yun na yung tamang panahon to let her know. Sobrang spontaneous, siya pa nga nagbayad nung halo-halo na kinain namin eh.", I narrated.

"Mahirap yung spontaneous. Look what happened last Christmas. Wala akong kaplan-plan. Nasuntok ko pa tuloy yung kuya niya.
I need to prepare a little something this time."