blame.

035

monday, 8:42 am

"aga mo kanina ah?" saint started joking so the tension would lift a little. the rest could also feel the awkwardness from vien, and jira- who was there exactly at 7:00 before everyone could even come.

tanging tawa ang nagawa ni jane at pasimpleng sinulyapan si jira na walang ibang ginawa kundi samaan ng tingin si vien.

during the whole meeting, ilang beses naglabanan ng ideas ang dalawa- at tila ba walang mga tenga ang ibang miyembro dahil hindi nila alam kung saan papanig.

"i should get going-"

"teka, merienda muna," tawa ni rosie at tumayo bago hinatak si sean.

"tangina kakain ka nanaman-"

"shut up! halika samahan mo ko!" anito at lumabas na ng office. tumayo si saint at tila ba nangaasar sa dalawa habang sumisipol ng mahina bago nagpaalam.

"kunin ko lang entries ng mga accounting students sa isang section. babalik din ako," he chuckled, glancing at jane, before saying, "tara kuting."

jane didn't even hesitate to stand up and follow him, finally breathing out as she escapes the suffocating awkward meeting inside the office.

sabay ding tumayo si lhia at jazen bago nagsalitang, "pati sa hm students, checheck namin isang section. wait nyo kami dito ha!"

lhia followed, "walang aalis, kakain pa tayo!"

jira, who kept on frowning as she watched her friends leave the office one by one, stood up and groaned. "sasama ako!"

"hindi, dyan ka na," tawa ni lhia. "accompany mayor!"

vien, who was just silently listening to them, continued staring at the papers infront of him and acted like he was really reading it. he kept tapping his pen to lessen the awkwardness not until jira talked to him.

finally. he mumbled.

"bat nagsusungit ka?"

"i'm not," he frowned at her approach.

jira didn't said anything back, which caused him to start another topic. "you said you'll wait for me at the café last saturday-"

"you told me to leave," jira finished him off by cutting his sentence. "sabi mo may meeting kayo-"

"yes, but i never told you to leave. i only apologized-"

"so nagha-hallucinate ako?" jira raised a brow.

"what? no!" vien rolled his eyes. "sinasabi ko lang na hindi kita pinauwi that time-"

jira took her phone out from her pocket and typed something- probably her password, before walking towards vien and showing off thier conversation to him.

"this.. isn't me.." ani vien na tila naguluhan din. "i left my phone at my table during our meeting! hindi ako yan-"

"someone's messing with your phone, you mean? at anong dahilan para ako yung masabihan? do you have a girlfriend?"

kunot noong napalingon si vien sakanya bago umiling. "wala! at bakit naman may mangengealam sa phone ko-"

jira grabbed her phone back. "then it's really you-"

"i said it's not me! that only time i messaged you was when i apologized and i asked where were you but you already said you're home-"

"dahil nga pinauwi mo ko!"

he snapped back. "i didn't!"

"bat nagagalit ka?!" jira asked annoyingly, heaving out a sigh and started walking away until vien stopped her.

"fine! sorry.." he mumbled the last word in a low voice. "can we go there again? i'll cancel all our meetings-"

jira faced him. "you don't have to do that-"

"i'm craving for coffee. you owe me one, remember?" vien used all of his little confidence he have to ask her out.

dahan dahan, unti unti, jira tried her best to hide her smile. "bahala ka.."

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RUPOK MO GHORL?!?!