"This one or this one?" Bang asked Aly while holding two pairs of earrings. She's picking a gift for her mom. They are at a mall now.
"I think this one's better," Aly said. She chose the diamond solitaire earrings in platinum.
"This is a bit heavy for my budget. Pero sige na nga. Anything for my mom, plus ikaw pa na idol niya ang pumili," she said smiling.
"If you want, I can share the load naman. Wala pa din akong gift e," said Aly.
"No, Aly. Nakakahiya na. Ang dami mo ng favors na binigay."
"Wouldn't it be better if makita ni tita yung gift card na nakalagay 'from: Bang and Alyssa'? Two of her idols yan," Aly said while laughing.
Bang liked the idea. "Alright. Sige. If you insist."
They then went to a dress shop because Bang needs something to wear for the party.
Bang opened the curtain of the fitting room and asked, "How do you like this?" She's wearing a little black dress.
"Okay. You can never go wrong with an LBD, pero baka ang dami ng nakaganyan mamaya," Aly commented. She then picked out a dress with a navy blue lace overlay that covers a white floral base. "Here. Try this."
Bang tried it on and when she opened the curtain, Aly said, "Now that's better."
"Why are you so great with these?" Bang asked.
"With what?"
"Picking. Dresses, gifts. Ang husay mo e."
"Well to refresh your memory Ms. Pineda, may ex-gf po ako. And I may have given up on dresses a long time ago, pero babae pa din ako. Kaya alam ko what a girl wants," explained Aly.
"And needs," said Bang. "Ikaw na!"
Natawa lang si Aly.
-----------------------------
They are now at Aly's unit to practice the birthday surprise.
"Nice pad. Ang organized," Bang said.
"Bakit? Do you expect my place to be chaotic?"
"Hindi naman. Pero yung ibang brokenhearted people kasi tend to be neglectful of their surroundings."
"Not me. At isa pa, two years ago na yun Pineda," Aly said while pinching Bang's nose.
"Well, you loved her so much so I thought the pain's still there," said Bang while pointing at Aly's heart.
Natigilan si Aly. She just looked at Bang. After a moment, Bang said, "I'm sorry."
"Let's not talk of the past," Aly said. She then sat on her piano stool. Mahaba haba iyon kaya she directed Bang to sit with her. "Come here," she said while tapping the space beside her. Bang obliged.
"Okay. So, what are we gonna sing?" Aly said habang kinakapa ang mga keys ng wall piano niya.
"Uhm, my mom and dad always sing 'I finally found someone' sa karaoke e. Favorite nila. Iyon na lang. Isa pa duet yun," said Bang.
"So you're going to do the boy's part?" sabi ni Aly habang natatawa. Hinampas naman siya ni Bang.
"Oo na Barbra Streisand. Sayo na yung sa girl. Pero ayusin mo boses mo. Kung hindi aayaw na ko," Aly said, still laughing. Then Aly stood up, picked up her tablet, and searched for the song's music sheet.
"Sorry. Hindi ko pa masyadong kabisado ang keys nun e," sabi ni Aly.
"Hindi ka naman pala as perfect as I thought," tawa ni Bang.
