21 Minutes

Eighth

J: She was falling for me.

M: Hoy ang kapal! ... Pero totoo. (laughs) Mga first stage, ganon. Labag man sa loob kong aminin pero I was really nervous that time. Kung wala lang yon, di naman ako kakabahan, diba?

J: Natakot ka lang yata kay Mommy eh.

M: Hindi ah. Bait kaya ni Tita Mom! Intense lang talaga siya mag-ship. (laughs)

Mika shared that she calls her mother-in-law "Tita Mom" because she grew up calling her "Tita" and according to her, it's one of those old habits which are hard to break. The male counterpart is true with the former King Archer's father.

What did you do after realizing that you were starting to develop feelings for him?

M: (looks ate Jeron and smiles) Wala.

J: Weak.

M: Hoy ano ka? Ako yung babae 'no! Anyway, pa-conservative ako kaya wala akong ginawa. Char! Pero seriously, I wasn't sure eh, nung time na yun kung ano ba talaga... Plus, I had other concerns na mas mahalaga kaya parang hindi ko na in-entertain kung anuman yung naramdaman ko. Nag-stick na lang ako sa theory ko na di talaga kami talo.

J: Which I disproved. Later on. (chuckles)

By "later on" you mean the initial plan still took off?

M: (nods) I was able to find him a date.

--- Flashback ---

"Last time I checked, lady spiker si Mika Reyes. Not a booter.", Jeron said as he stood in front of Mika who's lying on the football field. It was a fair afternoon and the cool wind made it fun to stay outdoors.

"Di mo ba naisip na pwedeng magpalit ng sport?", the lady replied, eyes closed. She was able to recognize his voice at once.

"What? You mean...?", Jeron asked in confusion.

"Joke lang. Serious mo naman masyado.", Mika answered with a small smile.

Jeron sat on the grass and lay down beside her. He placed one arm behind his head and closed his eyes as well.

"What are you doing here, really?", he asked.

"Wala. Maiba naman sa taraflex. Ok din pala dito sa field. Pagmulat mo, makikita mo yung sky. Hindi yung bubong."

"You don't like looking at the roof? Favorite pa naman ng Thomara yun.", Jeron joked, in reference to the tweets of a certain media person.

"Baliw ka.", Mika laughed.

"Pero ano nga?", the King Archer pressed. This time, he turned his head sideways to see her reaction.

"Anong ano nga?"

"Anong ginagawa mo dito? I don't normally find you here. May... problema ka ba?"

"None that you should be concerned about.", Mika replied, giving the guy a nonchalant look.

"So meron?", he urged.

"Kulit mo rin eh 'no? Kung meron man, labas ka na nga dito."

"Why don't you tell me first? Tapos ako mag-dedecide kung labas nga ako diyan."

Mika closed her eyes firmly and let out a sigh. She knew that the guy won't stop until she tells him the truth.

She then opened her eyes and stared at the clear blue sky.