I Would Hate To Be You

. . .

"Flowers for you, Atom."

My forehead immediately creased upon hearing Patrice's voice. She's sitting in the living room.

"Huh? From whom?" I asked, nearing our dining table. I just got here after taking a bath in my room. Bumaba na rin ako dahil malapit na mag-lunch at ako ang nakatoka na magluluto ng pagkain namin ngayon.

With so much confusion in my head, I held the flower and smelled them. And wow, they are fresh. But . . . what gives today? Why did I receive these?

"Sa manliligaw mo." She laughed while holding the remote control.

I chuckled at that.

"Wala akong manliligaw," I casually informed her. Binaba ko ang bulaklak at tiningnan kung mayroong nakasulat sa card. Wala naman. So weird.

"From the guy we met in Balesin," she replied while massaging her tummy. She just put down the hot compress bag on the table. It's her second day today. Maybe her dysmenorrhea is acting up again.

"Can you fill me in a little more? We met so many guys there. Sino sa kanila at bakit daw? Plus, the last time I checked, Valentine's day is in February. It's August now," I replied flatly, still unsure why I was given a bouquet today.

And from Balesin? I wonder who among those people gave this. What's the reason? Nagpunta lang naman kami ro'n for two days para sa isang conference. At wala akong masyadong maalala na conversation sa ibang tao. I mean, yes, we met up with many people—pero hindi chummy-chummy levels. Dahil tuwing breaks, kami-kami lang nina Bella ang magkakasama. Sinulit namin ang mga oras dahil 'yun ang una naming pagkikita pagkatapos naming lumipat ni Patrice sa Palawan.

"'Yung nagbigay sa'yo ng discount sa hotel."

"Ah!" I snapped my fingers when I remembered. "Si Brian?" He's one of the marketing heads of the hotel where we held our conference. I've gotten pretty close to him over the last months because I was coordinating with him regarding our event.

"Yes," she replied, crossing her legs. "Advanced happy birthday raw!"

Her eyes are still on the television. She's currently binge-watching Grey's Anatomy—which by the way, I suggested to her. And she almost cursed at me last night when she saw the episode where Denny died. When I witnessed her crying while Chasing Cars was playing, I don't know if I will feel bad for her or be happy for myself. Because finally, someone can now relate to me whenever I cry over that darn song. After that scene, I have never looked at that song the same way again.

And call me mean, but I can't wait for her to mourn over George O'Malley, Mark Sloan, and Derek Shepard's deaths. I'll just make us hot beverages afterward so we can calm ourselves down because heck, it's already been years, but the pain this TV series brought me still feels raw every time I remember it.

"Hmmm. Bakit niya kaya alam ang birthday ko?" I questioned while eyeing her meaningfully. It wouldn't take much rocket science to find out that she's the person behind this. Pero, sa darating na Monday pa naman ang birthday ko. Sabado pa lang. 

Umalis ako sa dining table at pinuntahan ko siya sa sala namin. Umupo ako sa sofa at binuksan ang bintana sa likod ko para mas pumasok ang hangin. Presko pa naman sa side na 'to dahil may puno sa likod.

Our two-storey apartment here in Puerto Princesa has a modern design. It almost looks like an Airbnb kind of accommodation because it's fully-furnished when we transferred. Well, Pat preferred that since she doesn't want to take much of her things from Manila going here. She only took her appliances such as the TV and washing machine. The rest of the furniture and appliances were already here when we got here. If it weren't for the trees and huge space outside of our house, anyone can mistakenly assume that we're living in a condominium.