No Other You

Daisies and Dandelions

"Jaim? Jaimie? Uy gising." 

It was a dream. It was all just a dream. 

"Ano bang pinagagawa mo't nakatulog ka na diyan sa desk mo?" Mackie asked. 

"Napagod lang siguro sa dami ng iniisip." I replied, as I slowly drew myself back to reality. "Bes, kailangan nga ulit yung pre-wedding photoshoot nina Eric at Natali?"

"Next pa 'yun." Mackie answered. "Bakit? May mga kulang pa ba?" She asked.

"Wala naman. Just making sure kasi medyo nag-mimix up na yung mga schedules sa utak ko." I said, running my fingers through my hair. 

That dream of mine felt so real. I knew that it had only been a figment of my subconscious, but I felt as if Eric's fingerprints were still over my body, his warm breath just a little below my ear and on my neck. 

I actually got goosebumps at the mere thought of it. 

Well, there goes me trying to move on. I couldn't deny that my heart did long for what my mind didn't. 

"Alam kong super pagod ka, bes, pero eto, baka ma-distract ka." Mackie said as she handed me a bouquet of daisies and dandelions. 

"Kanino galing 'to?" I quickly asked. 

"Ewan ko nga eh. Basta pinadala lang 'yan kanina." 

I didn't have to open the dedication card to see who it was from, because the company logo was a giveaway, but I decided to anyway. 

What seemed to be a man's neat cursive filled the other side of the dedication card, and it read, 
"A bouquet of daises and dandelions for the beautiful girl with an equally beautiful smile. I hope this made your day, the same way you made mine yesterday. - Andrew"

"Bes, ang haba haba na talaga ng hair mo. Grabe. Parang naapakan ko na nga eh." Mackie teased. "Ipakilala mo naman kami sa kanya. Gwapo ba? Mabait? Feeling ko, gwapo at mabait. Ang ganda ng pangalan eh. Andrew." 

"Andrew?" A male voice said. 

It was Eric holding on to a paper bag filled with iced coffee. 

Timing was such a bitch. Definitely. 

"Um, bes? Maiwan ko na muna kayo." Mackie smiled awkwardly as she left our office to head somewhere else. 

"Andrew? Sino si Andrew?" Eric said as he lay the paper bag on my desk. He took a quick look at the bouquet I was holding, and I could tell that he was trying his hardest not to appear too intrigued, when in fact, he wanted to bombard me with a thousand questions at the moment. 

"Si Andrew yung may-ari ng Meili De Hua. Yung flower shop na kinuha ko para sa mga floral arrangements sa kasal niyo ni Natali." I answered. "I met him yesterday. Seemed like a really nice guy."

"Mmmm." Eric nodded. "Eh kakakilala niyo lang pala, bakit may pa-flowers na kaagad?" 

"Um..." I laughed a little. "Hindi ba pwede?" 

Eric looked at me innocently and shrugged. 

"Well, pwede naman." He answered. "I guess medyo weird lang kasi kakakilala niyo pa lang, tapos may pa-flowers na, may pa-card pa. Can't you just be friends first? You know, just take it one step at a time." 

"Parang sobra ka pa ata kina mama at papa, bro." I teased. "Of legal age naman ako ah. Single ako, single din siya. May problema ba dun? Wala naman siguro." 

"Overprotective lang siguro ako sa'yo, bro." Eric said as he handed me my drink. "Ayokong nasasaktan ka ng dahil sa mga lalaking puro pa-ganyan. Remember the last time a guy started off with sending you flowers, nalaman mong may nabuntis pala siyang babae while courting you at hindi lang isa. Dalawa pa sila." 

"Bro," I replied. "Wag mo namang i-generalize ang lahat ng mga lalaki. Bigyan naman natin ng benefit of the doubt si Andrew. Baka iba siya." 

Eric's eyebrows suddenly furrowed as he looked at me. 

"Do you like this guy?" He asked. 

"I'm not sure." I answered honestly. "Baka? Siguro? Maybe?  Wala namang magagalit di ba?"

"Yeah, wala naman." Eric said faintly as he looked down to stir the condensed milk at the bottom of his coffee. 

I wasn't quite sure of what and how to feel in this moment. It wasn't good to assume that Eric's reaction to Andrew sending me flowers was a sign of jealousy, because in the first place, he already had Natali. Putting malice into these things wasn't going to help me move forward, which was why I had decided to push back the idea that his feelings for me were slowly recurring back again. 

We were each other's best friends. He was my client, and I was his wedding planner. We needed to keep it that way. 

"So, kailan ko ba siya makikilala? Para makilatis ko naman." Eric said. 

"Soon." I answered. "I just need to make sure na worthy na siyang ipakilala sa'yo. Ayoko ng magkamali pa, after all. We never know, baka sa susunod, ako na ang ikakasal and you'll also be there to watch it all unfold for me." 

"Of course." Eric said with his ever honest, sad eyes. "Best friends, right?"

"Best friends." I affirmed.