Rj stopped having breakfast at the hotel, while Maine was moved to the day shift. So, Jerald would still drop by every morning, have breakfast, and then go to their office and gloat.
"Sarap nung omelette na gawa ni Maine para sa akin today!"
Rj would pout, but say nothing.
"Ay, sorry. Nainggit ka ba?"
"Hindi ah," Rj would deny.
"Ang payat mo na ha? In fairness sa breakfast diet mo, effective," Jeral continued. "Pero.... ANG SARAP talaga hung cheese and mushroom omelette na gawa ni Maine for me."
"Hindi para sa yo yun 'no?" Rj muttered under his breath.
"Ano? Ano yun? Inggit ka? Ah oo. Salamat at ayaw mo na siyang makita, para sa akin na yung niluluto niya," Jerald said, still teasing him.
Rj pouted and almost broke the keyboard with the way he was pressing the keys.
Jerald approached and, turning serious, suggested, "Kausapin mo kaya? Para maging malinaw na lahat and maka-move on ka na?"
"Nakipag-break siya, Je. Tapos."
"Oo nga... kaso parang sayo hindi pa tapos eh. Nandiyan na siya, kausapin mo na." Jerald chuckled. "Naaalala ko pa nun, sino-stalk mo yung Facebook niya? Scroll ka lang ng scroll para malaman yung mga ginagawa niya. Tapos, isang araw, bigla mong na-like yung post niya. HAHAHAHA! Tapos nag panic ka na baka ma-notify siya agad."
Rj blushed.
"Tapos, bawat cryptic tweet ni Maine, feeling mo may kinalaman sa'yo."
"Tumahimik ka."
"Totoo naman ha? Yung isang tweet na sakto sa monthsary niyo? Sabi mo, 'Uy, Je, miss na niya yata ako' pero sleeping emoji lang naman yun. Nagtweet ng kanta, sabi mo dedicated sa yo, eh pang-lolo naman yung kanta."
"Tama na kasi."
"Okay. Okay. Pero pwede ba... kausapin mo na."
Jerald left him alone with his thoughts then.
Rj thought back to high school.
He was this dorky kid who had the biggest crush on the prettiest girl in school. He'd had a crush on her ever since she moved to their school in freshman year, but he never had the courage to tell her.
In second year, they became classmates and somehow ended up as seat mates. She turned to him on that first day of homeroom, and said, "Hi, I'm Maine."
"H - hello. R - Rj."
When he got braces, she sympathised with him, having braces herself. "Are you used to it na? It will get better. At first, nakakapanibago lang."
She needed help with her Math lessons, so he tutored her on that; to pay him back, she would help him when their English assignments asks them to make poems.
One day in junior year, one of the bullies in school, spread the word that he had a crush on Maine. "Si Payatot Rj, may crush kay Maine! Hahaha! Wow, taas ng pangarap mo. Hindi kayo bagay. Palaki ka muna ng katawan."
He remembered being on the verge of crying, because of the embarrassment and imminent rejection, when he turned and saw Maine. "Is that true?"
He blushed and said yes. "I'm sorry. Wala naman akong masamang balak. I just really admire you."
People laughed at him. Maine shut everyone up with a look.
"Okay... so what now?"
