"Ano bang nangyari?" Jia slurred. "You guys seemed so happy. And considering na nagkabalikan kayo years after niyong magbreak noong college, I thought you guys were on your road to forever."
"Walang-"
"-forever."
We laughed after saying it together. We laughed harder than we should have. Ah. What a bitter way to live.
"Seriously though, what happened?" Jia asked after a while.
I smiled painfully as I told some of the best memories we had and how it ended.
-
All of us were already parting ways after a successful mini reunion with my teammates from season 80 when Jho caught up to me by my car.
It wasn't awkward between us but we weren't as close as we used to so I was surprised when she approached me.
"Bea, may gagawin ka ba?" she asked.
"Now? Wala naman. Why?" I asked nonchalantly.
"Ah, wala naman, iniisip ko lang if gusto mo bang tumambay pa? In a cafe or something? Catch up lang," Jho said shyly.
My brows knitted together. She was being weird.
"Ah, sure," I still agreed. "Hop in."
We both got inside the car and Jho chattered all the way to the nearest cafe. I think she got me laughing within 3 minutes that we were together. She was still as animated as I remembered her to be.
After we ordered some frappe and cakes, we started talking about our lives now.
"So anong pinagkakaabalahan mo ngayon?" she asked.
"I'm helping out pa rin sa company. Running it alongside, Dad. Ikaw ba?"
"I love my work. Lahat ng hirap ng college, worth it," she told me after telling me where she was working at and her position.
"That's good to hear, Jho," I said sincerely.
We drank and ate silently for a few minutes.
"Do you ever regret not using your last playing year?" I asked because I saw a fit n right ad from the store across us and I remembered ate Ly and ate Den.
She stared at me and thought it through before answering.
"Oo, kapag iniisip ko 'yung nangyari kay ate Ly. Pero kung sakin lang, hindi. Ikaw?"
"Same, I guess. I just miss ate Ly," I said as I remembered how ate Ly threw us out of her house the last time.
"Lahat naman tayo," Jho said. "Pero alam mo kung ano pa ang na-miss ko, beh?"
I got chills hearing her call me using that term we used to call each other before we messed everything up.
"Namiss ko 'yung tayo. Namiss ko maglaro kasama ka."
I know it's stupid but my heart started racing faster. After all, she was still the first girl I've loved more than I love myself.
"Y-yeah, me too." I cursed myself for stammering.
Jho smiled and I had to push it out of my head because I didn't want to be sucked back in.
I drank my frappe faster because I knew I should leave while I still can but Jho's question after stopped me.
