Animo Night

I must say I was excited for this night. It has been very exciting for me for the last two weeks. I was able to meet Jeron Teng and even gave him and his team mates cakes for good luck with their game last Saturday which they won.

It was a rainy Thursday morning, but nothing will stop this party. I texted my friends if they'll go and they said yes. Part of me was excited because I'll be able to congratulate Jeron for their win but the other was nervous because he might not remember me at all. Of all the people that he meets every day especially now that he's more sikat because they won the championship who am I to be a stand out. I'm just a normal fan who gave him a cake. He may as well refer me as the "cake girl" and not by my first name which is Carol.

It was late two in the afternoon when my friends and I met at Mcdo. We went inside the campus and there were so many people. We bought mini cakes as our merienda, the cakes reminded me of Jeron. Actually the box of the cake has a letter attached to it. I don't know if he read it already or not. I think not, because he might be busy enough not to realize that there was a letter taped outside the box.

We spent the afternoon looking out for the athletes but they were nowhere to be found. So we decided to go to our favourite tambayan which is the amphitheater. We talked about how were we, talked about whether they'll pursue medicine, asked me what my new school was like and talked about our love lives. Really, how is my love life? Wala, tagtuyot sice birth. Some of my friends has their own love lives, pwedeng fling lang or in a relationship pa and some of them is focused sa studies. I don't know if I'm jealous that I haven't felt the love of a boyfriend but I still considered myself lucky kasi walang heartbreak and sakit sa ulo. It was already six in the evening when we were all asked to go to the Henry Sy Sr. hall grounds where there was a concert being held. All the athletes were there, Jeron was there.

"Carol, he's alone oh! Approach him na!" My friend Kaye pushed me to where Jeron is sitting.

He's alone, his team mates were busy partying and he's busy with his phone.

"I don't like nga, baka isipin niya na nangungulit lang ako." I walked towards the concert hall.

"No, you're going to him. Ano 'to yung mga nangyari the last two weeks parang wala lang? Pumunta ka dun para malaman mo kung may aasahan ka ba o wala!" Louvi stopped me.

"Wala na nga eh, ano pa laban ko sa madaming fans niyan." I looked down.

"Ang mga lalaking ganyan, pinipilahan yan." I added and lowered my head in disappointment.

"Edi, sasamahan ka naming pumila!" Kaye shouted.

"Carol, trust us. Kaya mo yan, kung i-reject ka man nandito pa din kami for you." Margaret hugged me.

That got me thinking, what's the worst that could happen? Hindi na naman ako dito nagaaral, if i-reject man niya ako what are the chances that we'll see each other di ba?

"Sige na nga." I walked towards his table where he's seated.

While walking, I noticed that the song "Mirrors" was playing.

Wow, timing pa ha.

I approached the table with caution kasi mamaya harangin ako, pero the odds are in my favour wala man lang guard or bouncer na humarang. Unti-unti akong nakalapit kay Jeron. Nung nasa likod na niya ako, I tapped his back and he smiled when he looked at me.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Uhm, Hi. Do you still remember me?" I smiled at him.

"Uhm..."

"Sorry, no eh. Sino ka ba?" He replied coldly while still checking his phone.

BOOM.

"Ah, it's okay. By the way congratulations on your win. I wish you all the best." I was trying not to cry in front of him.

I was right, sino ba talaga ako para maalala niya?

I walked/ran towards my friends with a fake smile on my face hiding the sadness.

"What happened?" Margaret asked me.

"Guys, I'll go na." I fixed myself and grabbed my things.

I saw Louvi nodded and I knew they already know what had happened a while ago.

It was already 8 in the evening and I'm all alone at the amphitheater, all the students were at the grounds watching the concert. I sat there reminiscing what had happened for the last two weeks, nananaginip lang ba ako nun? Hindi naman, I had pictures naman. I noticed that the band Up Dharma Down was singing their song "Tadhana".

Huh, tadhana.

I closed my eyes and let myself drown into the song. Since there was nobody else there I can do whatever I want. I felt something moved on my right side, but I was too sad to open my eyes, because if I open my eyes my tears will just fall.

"Ba't 'di pa sabihin ang hindi mo maamin. Ipauubaya nalang ba ito sa hangin..." A guy was singing next to me. I opened my eyes and looked my right and Jeron was there. He was singing like an idiot with his eyes closed.

When the song ended, he opened his eyes and met mine.

"I thought I wouldn't see you again." He whispered.

I heard that the song "When you say nothing at all" was playing.

"But, you said that you didn't remember me?" I looked down.

"I thought it wasn't you, I was too busy looking for you at all the social networking sites I know. I was too immersed in my phone and I didn't know that you're already in front of me."

"How did you know, I'm here?"

"Your friends." he smiled.

I smiled too.

"I'm sorry for not recognizing you." He held my hand in his.

"It's okay, no harm done." I smiled.

"Yes, there is. You're crying oh." He wiped my tears.

"Tears of joy." I laughed.

I heard that the band Never the Strangers' song "Moving Closer" was playing. Sakto pa na nag-fireworks.

He held me in his arms as we watch the colourful fireworks display. I pinched myself and flinched.

"Why did you do that?" he asked me.

"Naninigurado lang na hindi ito panaginip."

"You're silly." He pinched my cheeks.

 "What happened to my letter for you?" I asked him.

"Actually, I only read it once and placed in on my table. When I went back for it, it was already gone. My roommates cleaned and they thought it wasn't important and they threw it. I couldn't remember your whole name so I tried to find you on all the social networking sites I know pero sabog ang instagram ko and twitter because of so many mentions. Trust me I tried to find you. I'm so sorry." He lowered his head.

I held his head up and smiled at him.

"It's okay, don't worry about the letter I'll write to you every day if that's what you want. You couldn't find me sa social networking sites kasi I was meant to approach you personally. It's okay." I held his hands in mine.

"This is the first time, I'm going to say this pero now I can say that reality is better that fantasy talaga." He smiled and kissed me on the cheeks.