Anthology

your head(heart) as my favorite bookstore

Happy 5th birthday, TSIB! Happy 5th, Andreau and Zade!

As promised (and teased) over Twitter, here's the annual anniversary ficlet for you guys. For this year's update, please use #TSIB5Years for your reactions about this chapter!

This ficlet was prompted by @ fatdelacruz on Twitter last year. Sana magustuhan niyo haha <3

Title: your head(heart) as my favorite bookstore
Characters: Andreau & Zade; established relationship
Setting: takes place four months after took a faithful leap (the 2018 anniv fic)
Prompt: Andreau accompanying Zade to the Big Bad Wolf Booksale

***

"Oh my god feeling ko kulang pa 'to. Nagreplenish ata sila ng stocks sa may Literature section! Babe come on wag mo akong tulugan dyan!! Let's go!"

Andreau could only stare at the retreating form of his girlfriend pushing her overflowing shopping cart back to the Literature section. Pangatlong beses nang sinugod ni Zade ang section na 'yon just in case may na-miss siyang libro. Ganyan din ang sinabi niya no'ng dinaanan nila ang General Fiction at Young Adult sections almost two hours ago.

Thorough check up dapat, Francisco! Bihira lang magkaron ng sale kagaya nito. Kailangan sulit ang punta natin! MOVE YOUR SEXY ASS AND HELP ME HERE!

Yeah, right. Sulitin. To the point na pumunta sila ng 1:30 am sa World Trade Center para sa hoarding session ni Zade. Three hours and almost four rounds later, hindi pa rin tapos si Zade sa pagdampot at pag-amoy ng mga librong hindi niya babasahin.

(Kakagaling lang nina Zade at Kesh sa book sale ng National Bookstore just four days ago. His girlfriend went back to their dorm with 20 books and an almost empty wallet. And now...this.)

Taking a sip of his now-cold Americano, Andreau followed Zade to the Literature section. Kakagaling lang niya sa taping six hours ago at imbes na knockout siya sa kama, eto siya, taga-buhat ng mga libro ni Zade.

("Di ba you're my guy?" Zade had reminded him noong pumunta sila ng Manila International Book Fair last September, their second time but first as a couple. "Kasama rin sa job description mo na maging taga-buhat, 'di ba? Don't worry, hati naman tayo. Sa 'yo 'tong hardbound books.")

Naabutan niya si Zade na may hawak na dalawang libro-- isang Ernest Hemingway short story collection at isang hardbound ng complete works ni Rudyard Kipling. The concentration line on her forehead deepened as she weighed the books on each hand. Zade looked so cute like that, lost in her world of words and wonderful stories. The passion in her eyes made his heart flutter. His girlfriend looked so hot and sexy just like this.

Kahit unti-unti nang napapapikit ang mga mata niya, patagong kinunan ni Andreau ng picture ang problemadong girlfriend.

"Oy Andreau, what do you think?" Zade suddenly asked, raising both books for him to see. "Ano sa kanila ang dapat kong bilhin?"

Oh no, that's a bait question Andreau had learned from all of their book buying sprees. Kapag pumili siya ng isa, Zade would go on full lecture mode on why the other book was better and vice-versa. Although he finds her lectures weirdly hot, nanghihinayang si Andreau sa oras na nasasayang sa discussion na hindi niya naiintindihan. In the end, bibilhin din ni Zade ang dalawang libro.

Kaya imbes na sagutin nang diretso, may standard counter questions si Andreau sa situation na 'to.

"Which cover do you like better?"

"Hemingway's. Ang sarap sa mata ng color blue, o."

"Naamoy mo na ba yung papel?"

She rolled her eyes. "Duh of course. Parehas mabango. I'm conflicted."