"So.. How do you do this?"
Napanganga ako sa tanong niya.
"Seryoso ka koya? Di ba may toothpick? Ang gagawin mo dun ay iyon ang ipangtutusok mo para makain mo ang siomai. Gets na? O, baka mamaya di mo pa alam ang after nun ah? Ngunguyain at lulunukin," sagot ko sa nakakaloka niyang tanong.
Bumuntong-hininga siya. "That wasn't—" umiling siya. "I meant, how is this getting-to-know-each-other going to work?"
Napatigil ako sa paglalakad at humarap sa kanya. Inaya niya kasi ako kanina na mag-merienda at dahil wala na naman ang dalawa kong besprens, pumayag ako. At eto nga kami ngayon, naglalakad habang nakain ng siomai.
"Koya, masyado kang nag-aalala sa mga bagay na dapat gino-go with the flow mo lang." Kumunot-noo siya. "Ang ibig kong sabihin ay don't ask too much questions about how is this and that going to work because when it comes to relationships, you just go where the ship would take you."
"I disagree," sabi niya agad. "If I'm just gonna let things go by, I might hit an iceberg and sank down the ocean."
"Well, that's why communication is the big part of it. You communicate with the person, and find out whatever you wanna find out. Just talk whatever topic you have in mind and see where one topic would take you. In that way, you have directions on where you wanna go. "
"Isn't that what I was doing?" kunot-noo niyang tanong. "I'm communicating, aren't I?"
"Exactly," I said with a smile. "Pero kasi koya, yung tanong mong 'how' ay masyadong technical. Feeling ko ginagamit mo ang scientific process para maging maayos ang lahat eh," I sighed sabay subo ng siomai. "Hindi lahat kailangang i-scientific process 'no? Pero kung gusto mo ng step-by-step? Okay, I'll give it to you: Strangers to Friends to Lovers to back being Strangers OR stay being Lovers."
"That's too broad," he replied.
"Eh yun ang pinakasimpleng explanation. Itong getting-to-know-each-other stage is just a phase between Strangers to Friends, ayun ay kung magiging technical ka. Tapos andami pang pasikot-sikot nun, daming ka-echosan na pag inalam mo, in the end, ikaw ang mawawalan."
"And why is that?"
"Because you're too busy following the rules when what you should do is break them and make your own rules. In that way? You are the captain of your own ship and others would want to sail with you."
"Ain't that gonna make me an αᶊᶊhole?" he challenges.
Natawa ako. "Depende yan. Kung ang ugali mong ipapakita ay iyong tunay mong ugali and not the fake one, edi hindi. Kasi ugali mo yan eh, pag nagstay sila and accepted you wholeheartedly? Sila ang true friends. Pero kung hindi and they think you're the worst? Then that just mean they are living into their own fantasies and wanting you to be what they thought you'd be."
"Huh," sabi niya lang tsaka umiling. "You talk like an old woman."
"Alien ako kaya ganern," sagot ko sabay kain ulit ng siomai kaso ng tumingin ako, wala na pala.
He chuckled slightly. "Want some more?"
I looked at him with a hopeful eyes. "Pwede ba?"
Tumuhog siya ng isang siomai niya. "Sure. Ah. "
"Yay! Ginut—"
Napalaki ang mga mata ko ng sinubo niya sakin yung siomai.
"You talk too much, too," he said, smirking.
I rolled my eyes at him habang nanguya. "Alien nga 'di ba?" pagsusungit ko. "Pero ang sarap ng siomai 'no?"
He stabbed another siomai and ate it as he looks at me. "Mhm," he replied. "I didn't notice it before, but yeah, masarap nga."
