Sweet Serendipity - [AU]

8. Cyberstalking

“Maaaaine, look!” Ark came from the terrace running to her bed in their Singapore hotel room after checking in.

Sheena came rushing to them from the bathroom to see what the fuzz was all about.

“Check your Facebook and Twitter! OHMYGOSH!” Ark exclaimed, jumping up and down barefoot and squealing.

“Ano ba kasi yun?” She asked irritably. She hasn’t had any decent sleep last night and was hoping she could nap before they go out for a late lunch.

“Eto kasi o.” Sheena thrusted her phone in front of Maine with their Eat Bulaga kiss-cam video playing before her eyes.

Her mouth hung open until Ark held her chin and closed it. She felt her cheeks grow warmer as she watched RJ kissed her twice. With the camera right in front of them, she could now see how his dimple deepened and his smile widened as he kissed her the second time, how the tips of his ears turn redder and how cheeks grew crimson when their lips touched. She has already forgotten her shrieking friends around her as she played the video a few more times while she grinned from ear to ear.

*****

RJ was pacing around the living room right after his call with Maine’s mother when one of his best friends, Jerald called.

“Je, anong saten, Pre?”

“Wag mo kong matawag tawag na Pare, Pokerson ha.”

“Huy! Ang aga aga, anong problema mo?”

“Gago ka, RJ. Walang reply?! Nag-message ako sayo sa Viber at Messenger.”

“May emergency ba?”

“Oo! Kelan ka huling nagcheck ng Facebook mo ha?”

“Matagal na. Lamunaman wala akong hilig magcheck eh. Bakit nga kasi?”

“I-check mo ngayon na. Nagtatago ka na saken ngayon ha.”

“Hay nako, Je. Ang gulo mo kausap.”

“Ah basta! I-check mo Facebook mo tapos tawagan mo ko ulit!”

He was perplexed as Je ended their call but curious enough to do as he was told. If it were him, he wouldn’t have any social networking profiles anywhere but Rizza insisted on downloading soc med apps into his phone. He reluctantly agreed eventually after she explained that everyone in the family is in one Viber and Messenger group chat, even Angel their little sister and Lola Linda.

To his defense, he didn’t have the time to lurk around in social media unless he really has to and now, basing on the urgency of Je’s tone, is one of those situations. And so he tapped on his Facebook app and was surprised at the amount of notifications he has on it. He doesn’t get that many to begin with. Scrolling through them, about 90% were tags from his friends about the video of him and Dei in Eat Bulaga, asking him who the Dei is.

His shock was immediately replaced with giddiness as he played the video over and over: the part where the camera panned to where they were, seeing how Dei lightly squeezed his bicep, how his ears could rival Rudolph’s nose as he kissed her, how her cheeks blushed as he did so and how both their eyes closed as he leaned in for their second kiss right smack on the lips. His eyes would always zero in on her face during each close-up. He’d pause the video and just stare at her. Ang ganda talaga. Pero tangina, Faulkerson. Bakit mo nakalimutang kunin number nya?!

After playing 60-second the clip for the past 30 minutes with a pie-eating grin on his face, he made a mental note to ask Rizza how to download Facebook videos.  After another 15 minutes of replaying it, his phone rang again. He tapped on the answer button and even before he could get a word in, Je was already ranting on the other end of the line.

“Hoy RJ, one minute lang yung video, ano na? 45 minutes na nakalipas. Nakakain na ko, nakaligo na ko’t lahat, di ka pa din tuma---”

“Je, you have to help me find her.”

“Find her? Girlfriend mo yun diba? In fairness, Pre. Ang ganda nya ha.”

“Hindi ko PA sya girlfriend.”

“So nililigawan mo?”

“Liligawan ko pa lang.”

“Tangina pre. Ano to?”

“Basta kukuwento ko sayo lahat basta help me find her. Well actually nakapunta na ko sa bahay nila kas---”

“Eh di puntahan mo sa bahay nila.”

“Nasa Singapore sya ngayon.”

“Eh di hanapin mo sa social media. Namaaan, Pokerson.”

“Grabe ka sa-- Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Hay nako, Ritsard! Gwapo ka eh pero minsan shunga ka kaya bilang pareho naman tayong walang date ngayon, ako na lang i-date mo.”

“Huy, di tayo talo!”

“Oh e di sige, ikaw bahala humalughog sa kisscam girl mo sa socmed.”

“Sya, sya sige na!”

“Dinner and drinks ha. See you later, babe!”

***

RJ peeked over Je’s shoulder as he waits for results. They’ve been at it for the last five minutes when Jerald finally found something on the internet about Dei. “Pre, parang cyberstalking na ata to eh.”

“Ano ka ba, Pre. Everybody does it. Plus kaya lang naman natin ginagawa to kasi diba may isa dyan na sa lahat ng kakalimutan eh yung number pa. Oh eto na, may Facebook sya. Buti na lang, unique yung name nya. Ay ayun lang, private account.”

“Private? So meaning di natin sya masesendan ng message?”

“Hindi. Nako, magpaturo ka nga kay Rizza kung pano magsocmed. Manong na manong ka lang, no?”

“Itext ko na lang kaya. Meron na naman akong number nya eh.”

Jerald unceremoniously dropped his phone onto the couch. “Eh anak ng tinola ka naman pala, Richard. Me number ka na pala eh. Ba’t di mo kaya tawagan?”

“Eh nasa Singapore nga. Ayokong mangistorbo. Nagbabakasyon yung tao eh.”

“Kahit mabaliw ka na kakaisip? Hindi mo pa din tatawagan?”

“Pagbalik na lang nya.”

“Bahala ka, pagbalik nun, may jowa na yung ex-pat, na-meet nya sa Singapore. Kasi iniisip nya di ka interesado kasi hindi mo kinuha number nya tapos, tapos magkikiss sila tapos holding hands tapos paguwi nya dito, ipapakilala na sya sa parents nya. Tapos magpapakasal sila tapos makakalimutan ka na nya.” Jerald said, teasing RJ and grinning like an idiot seeing his friend’s face turn redder by the second.

“Huh, good luck sa kanya. Kung papasa sya kay Tito Ted!” RJ countered.

“Ay wow ang lakas ng loob. Ikaw ba pumasa?”

“Oo kaya.”

“So ano titingnan mo na lang profile pictures nya? Private lahat o. Hindi mo talaga sya susubukang i-contact?”

“Eto na eto na!”

RJ frantically dialled her phone number, scared at thought of her falling in love with somebody else.

His bit his knuckles as listen to each ring from the other end of the line. The subscriber cannot be reached.

=============================

A/N: Onting tiis na lang. Pasensya na the story is draggingly sabaw. Promise babawi ako sa next chapter. Kelangan ko lang talagang iestablish to. Stay with me ok? 😅

Anyway, happy #ALDUB103rdWeeksary sa ating lahat.

Let me know what you think.