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Eleven

The past couple of weeks have been torture for Richard. Ever since he accidentally overheard Maine and Coleen's conversation, he's been struggling—no, wrestling—with his feelings, like a relentless, unseen opponent. He's replayed their exchange over and over to himself until the words have almost lost their meaning.

"He's obviously in love with you," Coleen had said. That same night, after he had dropped Maine off at her condo, gone home, stripped down to his boxers, and crawled into bed, he'd lain on his back for a good hour or so, just staring up at the ceiling and letting Coleen's voice echo in his head on loop. That night, he decided she was right.

He made the announcement during dinner at Mark and Tere's that Sunday evening. "You guys...I think I'm in love with Nicomaine."

"Oh, tapos?" Mark had asked, unimpressed, while Tere merely rolled her eyes and disappeared into the kitchen to get dessert.

"Yun lang? Yun lang ang sasabihin mo?" Richard demanded.

"What do you want us to say?" Tere snorted, sliding a plate of homemade mango cheesecake in front of him. "Akala mo ba mashashock kami? Eh ang obvious naman."

"So what should I do?? Mark??"

"Don't look at me, man. I know nothing. Why do you think I married a smart wife?"

"Fine, Tere??"

She scrunched up her nose and squinted at him. "Is her situation with that Caloy guy still complicated?"

Yes, it was.

Well, the truth was he hadn't asked. She seemed to avoid talking about him too often. Come to think of it, the only times she ever voluntarily brought him up was whenever Richard got too close to her—which wasn't that often. At least, not as often as he would've liked. Because Richard was a gentleman, and he had promised to keep things friendly between them, and gentlemen always keep their promises, so he took great pains to avoid being too sweet to her or touching her if he could help it, even when he really, really wanted to—but sometimes he couldn't help it, and sometimes they would find themselves exchanging glances that were just a little too intimate for comfort...then she would suddenly remember something funny Caloy had said or some amusing anecdote from when they were dating.

And just last Thursday, she had been twenty minutes late meeting him at the hospital. When he casually asked where she'd come from, she'd hesitated, then quietly replied, "I went to see Caloy." Then she'd quickly changed the subject. That night, Richard had gone home, stripped to his boxers, crawled into bed, and spent a good hour Googling Carlos Iñigo de Asis—and coming up with nothing. Apart from Maine's old Instagram posts and a few photos on Facebook, the man's social media presence was practically non-existent. Maine had already told him this—"Caloy wouldn't know what a friend request was if it bit him on the ass"—but he still went ahead and searched, because...well, because he was jealous, and let's be honest here, everyone has Googled someone else at one point or another, even dignified, business development executives like Richard.

So, "Yes, I think her situation with Caloy is still complicated," he told Tere.

"Next question—do you need her to love you back?"

This one was a little trickier than the first question, and he needed a minute to think about it.

Or maybe he didn't. Maybe he already knew the answer, by the way he woke up feeling impatient on Monday mornings, and the way he raced through Tuesdays and Wednesdays, just so he could get to Thursday faster. Maybe he knew by the way his heart skipped a beat whenever he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and the smile that would spread across his face whenever he checked it and saw that he had just received a message from Maine. Maybe he was sure by the way he would sometimes fall silent in his seat at the hospital and watch her as she animatedly told the children stories or tenderly soothed their foreheads with a warm towel. Maybe he already knew, deep down inside, that even if he wasn't allowed to expect anything back—if he could get nothing in return for his love except her friendship—it was okay, he would go on loving her anyway.