flipflop (completed)

7. first time

"Dude....may bagong forms daw para sa incomings...eto o....bale we fill these up aside from our own logs....and we submit them to the concerned offices at the end of the day...." Joey comes into the office with a handful of papers and sits at his work station beside Diego.

"Huh?"

"...ano ba! Kanina pa ako nagsasa.....ay pota! Kaya naman pala...." Joey looks up to where Diego seems to be looking at outside the window.

Ricci, who had not been seen or heard of for the past days, was walking across the garden beside Diego's department on her way to the architecture department. She had not said anything to Diego in their last text exchange. Diego, trying to play it cool, didn't want to pry either.

"....tama yan....just be cool and not nosy....friends muna...." Joey's advice rang in his ears.

Diego suddenly blushed and was flustered upon seeing the tall, pretty, girl of his dreams, just pass by. Without thinking, he sprang to his feet and ran from the comm department to the arki department across the campus. He made it in about two minutes before Ricci pulled on the doorknob of the reception area of the department office (Diego managed to slip in through the side entrance).

"....o Diego....andito ka?" Ms. Suzette, a professor, noticed him.

"Ahh ehh...opo....uhmm...si Mai....may sasabihin lang po ako kay Mai...." Diego bashfully said, hands in his pockets, nodding towards the direction of Arch. Santos' office.

"Ah okay....pwede mo naman itawag diba?"

"Hmm....opo....pero....uhm...naglalakad na rin po ako papunta sa Engg....dumaan nalang po ako dito...."

"Oh, okay....sige....mauna na ako..."

"Okay po....have a good day, po..."

"Salamat...."

Diego takes big strides to Arch. Santos' office but stops short of the door when he sees Ricci turn away from the receptionists' desk toward Arch. Santos' office. Mai has her head down doing some work. Diego pretends to look at the books on the bookcase nearby.

"Good morning, I'm Ricci Faulkerson....I have a meeting with Arch. Santos?"

"Good morning....this way please...." Mai stands up from her desk and leads Ricci inside the room. She closes the door behind her. A few minutes later, she returns with a cup of tea. She brings the tea inside the room and then settles back down at her desk.

"MAI!" Diego calls out in a loud whisper. "MAI!" he says again when Mai didn't react the first time.

"Ano?!" Mai turns to Diego who is now standing in between the bookshelves and her desk.

"....si...." Diego points with his lips at Arch. Santos' door.

Mai looks at Diego then turns her head slowly toward the closed door. "....ahh...." she nods.

"....eep!" Diego turns and walks out of the office. He paces nervously outside.

"Ano ka ba naman? Chance mo na o..." Mai, who tried to run after Diego, is now watching him from near the door of the office.

"Eehh...ahh...uhhmmm..."

"Ay sos! Ngayon ka pa nagpaka-shy....so not you!"

"Ang ganda ganda nya Mai! What if she doesn't like me?"