Just A Kiss

He never had any problem moving from table to table, jumping from one group to the next, and of course, being with one girl to another. Hindi siya sanay na nasa isang lugar lang sa isang party. Kaya hindi normal sa kanya na tahimik lang, especially not at a place filled with willing and easy girls na handang lumuhod sa harap niya when he asked. So why was it, that at his best friend's party of all places, he found himself alone at a bar stool, staring into space?

Hindi naman siya nakatitig sa kawalan, not really. He was watching her, quite closely, actually. Akala nya he was doing it discreetly but anyone could see that his eyes were solely on that girl with long hair and sparkling eyes. Wala siyang ibang napapansin sa paligid niya. Siguro kung may tatabi sa kanya, milagro na lang kung mapapansin niya. His whole body was tense, and if he held the glass in his hand any tighter, sigurado, basag. That was definitely not the famous pambansang bae stance. The calm and cool aura he usually carried around was now gone, replaced by rage and uneasiness.

He looked...well, you get the picture.

But while he sits there, looking like he could kill someone, he wasn't only watching the said girl. He was also contemplating on how things got this way.

A couple of weeks ago, he was just his regular self. Work, gimik, a little flirting here and there, ikaw ba naman ang maging pambansang bae... he was perfectly contented with that life!

But noooo, Nicomaine Dei Capili Mendoza just had to come into his life and ruin it. It wasn't like she wasn't in his life before, because she was, matagal na actually. Ever since he helped her get back at her jerk of an ex boyfriend by pretending to be her boyfriend and taking her out that night after their little "show", she has been a permanent fixture in his life. But not like this. She has always been the good friend, the silly girl, the naive romantic. For God's sake, she's his personal assistant, a very good one as a matter of fact and they've been instant friends since her first day as his PA. And for Alden Richards, she was just that. Sure, she's helped him out, personally, a few times. Okay fine, maraming maraming beses na. And he would be lying if he said he didn't find her somewhat special to him. But, as he was saying...err, thinking, that was just it. But all that crap about 'just someone special' and 'just being friends' went down the drain two days ago.

It was very innocent, in his defense. It was a Thursday, syempre kasama nya sa studio si Maine kasi may rehearsal siya para sa Sunday noon time show nya. Medyo late silang dumating kaya he decided to stay longer than the others. After everbody has left at silang dalawa na lang sa studio, he asked her to be his substitute partner. They were chatting while praticing the dance steps... normal usap lang kumbaga. Then she tripped on some wires on the floor...and he caught her, their faces just mere inches from each other. He remembered saying something about not being a nice guy, and then his face was gradually coming down on hers. And then...and then...her freaking phone rang. It rang. In the middle of their almost kiss...it rang. How perfect! Pero hindi yun yong kinaiinis nya ngayon, dahil kung yun nga ang dahilan, siya na mismo ang sasapak sa sarili nya for getting so riled up over an almost kiss. No, it was the actual thing. Because as he drove her home immediately after her phone call (nanay nya, syempre importante yun), she leaned in for probably a surprise kiss in the cheek (how bold of her...and cute)....boom. He turned his head at the exact moment and their lips touched for the shortest second. Bago pa man sya nakapag salita, ayun at namumulang nagtatakbo si Maine papasok sa bahay nila. He doesn't think he has ever tasted something as sweet as her.

But it was only a kiss Alden. Just a kiss. 

Yeah, he just needed to tell himself repeatedly.

So that brings him back to his current predicament. It's been two days since that incident pero parang nararamdaman pa rin nya ang malalambot nitong mga labi. He could still remember the exact moment they kissed (inside his car, a few minutes after ten) and the exact song that was playing on the radio (Dessert by Dawin, Maine's choice) . It was disturbing how he remembered all these! Hindi naman kasi sya ganon eh. Mga babae lang ang gumagawa nun. Speaking of girls, did he mention he hasn't flirted with any other girl since their kiss? Pure madness!

Pero hindi lang yun ang problema nya. No, because right now, as he sat there alone with his fifth drink, he was watching Maine talking...no, flirting with the birthday boy, his best friend, Juancho Trivino. How could Juancho even do this to him? Didn't he know it was against male code to steal his brother's girl? Wait, something was wrong with that. Maine's not his girl. Not yet.

It was only a kiss Alden. Just a kiss.

They were laughing now, kailan pa ba sila naging ganito ka close? Diba sya yung laging naghahatid kay Maine pauwi? So what the hell's with the sudden closeness? He sees Juancho whisper something in her ear and he just wants to cut his head off, brother or not. She throws her head back in laughter at what he was saying.

He takes another sip of his drink then wonders why he wasn't feeling light headed yet. Napatingin sya sa basong hawak nya at muntik nang magmura nang ma realize nya na he was drinking water all along. Siguro pinalitan ni Oreo. 

Now he was getting more paranoid about his situation. All along, akala nya lahat ng iniisip nya ay bunga ng kalasingan only to find out na hindi pa sya nakakainom ng kahit isang patak ng alak. So he was soberly thinking all of this?

It was only a kiss Alden. Just a kiss.

Biglang tumingin si Maine sa kinauupuan nya, so he pretended to be looking at something else, for the first time tonight. He focuses on the pea colored wall beside him. What an awfully painted wall. Ano kayang pumasok sa utak ni Juancho at pina pinturahan ng ganitong kulay ang bagong restaurant nya? He had to talk to him about his design choices. Right after I punch his brains out for stealing Maine. There he goes again! Think of the pea wall, think of the pea wall...

Even with the volume up so high, dinig na dinig nyang papalapit si Maine. Yes, it's hers. Alam nya lang. This gets him more worried though. Kailan pa nagkaroon ng ibang tunog ang mga footsteps ni Maine sa iba?

"Ayos ka lang?" her deep voice says, to his dismay. He looks at her and tries to focus on anything but her eyes na pilit hinuhuli ang kanyang tingin. Siya lang ba o mas malaki at malalim talaga ang boses ni Maine kompara sa ibang babae? At least for a girl with her sweet face. Her bright smile, those pretty eyes...oh it was to those eyes again! He decides to just answer her.

"Bakit mo naman natanong?"

Naka pout na naman. Nananadya yata to eh. He wonders if she knows that look alone takes his breath away.

"Sigurado ka ayos ka lang? Para ka kasing wala sa sarili eh" she tells him and he just wants to scream at her. Paano naman ako magiging okay kung nakikipag flirt ka sa best friend ko two days after we kissed?! But he didn't. He was known as Mr. Cool, after all.

"I'm fine. Bakit naman ako hindi magiging okay? Come on Maine, you're looking too much into things" Mr. Cool, my ass. Did I just blabber? God, kill me.

"Okay. Bahala ka, balik nako dun..." he nodded as an affirmation that yes, he was fine. Seeing that he wasn't in the mood to make good conversation with her, she left and walked back to where the others were sitting. To where Juancho was sitting.

Sinundan nya ito ng tingin as she sits beside his best friend. To her defense, it was the only one empty but still... hindi ba siya pwedeng tumayo na lang? He takes another sip of his water, he was planning to order a real drink pero naalala nya baka kailangan nyang ihatid si Maine pauwi. Sana nga. He didn't fail to notice that Maine kept looking his way when she thought he wasn't staring. But that was the thing, he never stopped. So palagi niyang nahuhuli si Maine and she would always look away na namumula. Not long after, it was Juancho's turn to approach him.

"Bro, okay ka lang?" he asks and Alden just wanted to give him a karate chop. He glares at Juancho and the latter immediately notices the deadly look on his best friend's face.

"Woah, woah... sandali lang ha. Parang alam ko na to eh" Juancho said while smirking. Alden just continues to stare at him. He sips his water and continues to glare.

"Wala kang dapat ipag alala sa'min ni Maine. Seriously, bro, there's nothing there." Nothing there? Then what the hell was all the flirting about? He wanted to say. But he wasn't going to lose his cool again.

"Who said anything about Maine? Bro okay lang ako. Go ahead, enjoy your party. Happy birthday" he tells Juancho just so he would go away. Natawa na lang si Juancho.

"Well, okay, bro, whatever you say. But if it makes you feel any better, you're all she talks about"

And to Alden's surprise, it does make him feel better. And he suddenly doesn't want to grill Juancho alive anymore.

After all, it was still a kiss.