Someday, I'll Find My Way Home

Axel takes a detour!

Karl went back to sleep while we were on the road back to SLEX. He didn't suspect a thing when he saw us pass by Sta. Rosa. He fell asleep after we passed by Nuvali. 

The bright orange tones passed through our windows. I took another picture of his as his face shone with hues of red and orange. This time, his form was more laidback--he adjusted his seat so he could stretch his legs more, and his arms still hugged his backpack.

I let him play music on my speakers. He left his phone on the arm rest so I could skip tracks that I didn't want to listen to. So far, I enjoyed his chill tunes of Lana del Rey, Taylor Swift, and Adele. 

Good thing that the traffic at SLEX was not that heavy. He woke up when we arrived in Magallanes, with the sound of the train tracks, the car honks, and the pollution smell that wasn't present in Tagaytay. 

He fixed his posture and ran his fingers on his hair. "W-Where are we?"

"We're going to Makati."

"Why?"

"To eat the best goto ever."

He sighed. "We went all the way to Manila just to get goto?"

I nodded. "It's the best, I'm telling you."

He raised his shoulders and grabbed his phone from the arm rest. He changed the music to Taylor Swift's New Romantics. He yawned and stretched his arm.

I took a right to Dela Rosa, then a left towards the road to Ayala Malls Circuit, Makati. The road was heavier than usual. Karl used his shirt to cool himself up and wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Do you want me to turn on the AC?"

He shrugged.

"Are you hungry?"

He shrugged again.

"Okay."

I focused my eyes on the road.

A few minutes after, we arrived at the Circuit. My attention immediately went to the red lights at the concert ground beside the mall and the familiar tune of December Avenue's Kahit Di Mo Alam. I parked my car to the area near the concert grounds.

I tiptoed to see the festival inside the concert grounds. A huge Coke Studios neon sign was on the scaffolding, and the gigantc LED screen showed Coca-cola's logo along with the band's name on top. Spotlight peered down to the band and the crowd.

I could hear the audience singing along with the band. 

Karl got down of the car first and stretched her arms and legs. He slung his backpack on his back, then peered to the concert as well. "What's that?"

"Coke Studio," I answered. "Didn't know that they're having their concert today. I should've secured us tickets."

"It's too crowded," he commented. "Now what?"

"Do you want to go inside the mall first?"

He nodded and walked along with me.

-

Circuit Makati, like any other Ayala Malls that I had visited, was a beauty with its various landscapes and a gorgeous water feature in the middle of the mall. 

The mall's shops were lined up unevenly in a row, with ornamental plants on the edge of the long water display that had multi-colored lights below. I couldn't see the stars when I looked up, probably because of the light pollution in Manila. We passed by a couple of restaurants, then stopped in a bazaar at the end of the pool.