You Are The One

Ch36: I Can't Be Myself

Two weeks have passed since Alex moved out of the QC home. Life goes on, as they say, but it will never be the same.

May mga moments that Rob would look out of his office glass panels and sees Alex on her desk. May mga moments din that Alex would do the same. May mga times na nahuhuli nila ang isa't isa, but would just give each other a smile. Even Anton notices the weird glances that's been going on between them for some time.

Anton: *rolls his chair next to Alex' desk* Huy bakla... May inde ka ba nakukwento sakin?

Alex: Ha?

Anton: Rooftop! Now! *then he just disappeared*

....

....

Alex: Bakit?

Anton: Anung bakit? Magkwento ka! I'm all ears!

Alex: Anung kwento?! Wala naman bago...

Anton: Lies!

Alex: Ha?

Anton: Lies! 

Alex: What lies?

Anton: Nag-away ba kayo ni Rob? Ni Josh?

Alex: Ha-ha-ha *fake laugh/smile*~~

Anton: Then, bakit ganyan ka?

Alex: Anung ganyan?!

Anton: Wala ka sa sarili the past few days. Lagi ka matamlay. And you always dread going home. Hindi ka ren lagi available for dinners or malling on weekends, which is, by the way, highly unlikely of you! 

Alex: ...

Anton: Anu bang meron, Zoey Alexis Castañeda?!

Alex: Sorry Anton. Sorry for not talking to you. Sorry for not letting you know what the hell is going on...

Anton: So tell me, WHAT.IS.GOING.ON?

Alex: I moved out of the house.

Anton: You mean the house, house?

Alex: Yes, Rob's granddad's house, the QC house, the windchime house, the wooden floor house~~

Anton: Kelan pa?

Alex: A few weeks ago. I moved in with Josh at his apartment.

Anton: Ahhhh... Kaya pala lagi kayong sabay pumasok at umuwi...

Alex: Yep. Naalala mo naman siguro ung nangyari sa office with Rob's mom and Sophie diba

Anton: Uhuh~~

Alex: That day, afternoon, whatever it was, Josh and I had a fight. Here at this same rooftop. I explained everything to him that I can't just get off from "our contract". I don't have means to pay the 3 million pesos that I owe him just yet. He said the only way he can feel relieved is if I move out. And so I moved out.

Anton: Annnnd?!

Alex: And that's it. You can call me a city girl now.

Anton: City girl na hindi gumigimik pag Friday at hindi rin available for lunches on weekends!!! Hanubeyen!! Mas gusto ko pa ung Alex na taga-bundok-slash-QC, at least yung Alex na yun nayayaya ko sa gala. Haaaaayyyyy~~

Alex: Sorry... Ano palang sabi ng mga nasa office? Huli nako sa tsismis.

Anton: Shempre lahat lost diba, kasi everyone knows that you and Josh are dating. And what is Rob doing in the picture. So when Josh and you rushed here to talk things out, Rob explained to all of us what is going on.

Alex: Anong sabi nya?

Anton: That he asked you to pose as his girlfriend when his Mom is around so she can stop setting him up for blind dates. Which is truelalu naman diba. There's no mention of housemates, no mention of 3 mil, no mention of contracts. Nada. Which I think nagetslak naman ng lahat. Everyone respects Rob so much. Yes, he's a monster when it comes to work deadlines and stuffs, but he gets along well with everyone. Serious pag work-mode on, but friendly pag off.

Alex: *sighs*

Anton: And that sigh means?

Alex: I don't know... I feel I am a different person when I'm at Josh's place.

Anton: Panung different?

Alex: Diko alam, honestly. I cannot do the usual things I do at home. Parang restricted, lam mo yun.

Anton: And you feel much more at home with Rob, ganern?

Alex: Maybe~~

Anton: Haaaaayyy... Ang complicated ng life mo friend!

Alex: Sinabi mo pa!

At Josh's apartment, she can't be herself. When she started unboxing some of her mangas, Josh will ask why she buys them and tells her that they're just a waste of money because they are expensive and they're for kids. She missed the latest two volumes of Attack on Titan and it absolutely made her sad. When she started answering some puzzles and crosswords, Josh will ask if she's that bored and whether there's nothing else she can do productively, possibly related to work. She did try rolling on the floor one time and Josh was just weirded by it, asking if she's wiping the floor like a rag. He even asked her to swap her old tattered and over-sized track pants and shirt to a new set of pyjamas that he bought. Alex never liked pyjama pairs and she hates pink colored ones with unicorn prints, but this time, she can't do anything about it. She wanted to please Josh as much as she can, even if it means her not to be able to drink her favorite ginger beer at the end of a hard day's work.

Rob has his own moments too. Now living alone, the house feels so empty. Naalala nya ung mga bangayan nila before, and he starts to smile. He took two cans of ginger beer and sat on the porch, which he usually shares with Alex, then cracked open both cans and put the other on Alex' usual spot.