The Architecture (Batchelor Series #1)

6

Manuel strolled into the coffee shop, wearing his usual casual attire—a faded t-shirt and worn jeans, looking like he just came from a long nap. Baltazar was already seated, dressed in a neat black t-shirt and sweatpants, his materials spread out on the table like he was about to present a thesis. He barely looked up, just raised an eyebrow.

"Late ka," Baltazar muttered, not sounding all that bothered but making it clear he noticed.

"Sorry na," Manuel replied, slumping into the chair across from him. "Traffic," he added with a lazy grin, though the real reason was the extra time he spent getting his hair right.

Baltazar shook his head, flipping open a notebook that looked like it belonged in a museum—clean, perfectly lined handwriting. "Okay, anong gusto mong pag-aralan? San ka nalilito?"

Manuel glanced at the pages and almost whistled. "Grabe handwriting mo, pre. Mas malinis pa sa sulat ng nanay ko."

Manuel glanced at the pages and almost whistled. "Grabe handwriting mo, pre. Mas malinis pa sa sulat ng nanay ko."

Baltazar ignored the comment. "Atoms? Elements? Reactions?"

"Bro, alam ko na yan," Manuel said, leaning back. "Dun ako naguguluhan sa converting and balancing equations. Di ko talaga gets."

"Fine," Baltazar said, flipping a page and diving straight into the topic, his voice calm but focused, like he was delivering a TED Talk.

"Fine," Baltazar said, flipping a page and diving straight into the topic, his voice calm but focused, like he was delivering a TED Talk.

Manuel tried to focus, nodding at all the right moments, pero maya-maya lang his hand was slipping into his pocket to check his phone. He snapped a quick picture of Baltazar deep in thought, then posted it on Instagram with the caption: “Study session with the Chem god. Good luck to me.”

He put his phone down just as Baltazar’s phone buzzed. The guy raised an eyebrow at him. “You posted about this?”

Manuel grinned sheepishly. “Wala lang, pre. You’re Insta-famous naman. Big deal ba?”

Baltazar shook his head, pero may konting ngiti sa labi niya. "Okay, balik tayo sa equations. This isn't over."

After another hour of intense study, where Baltazar was clearly the one doing most of the talking, Manuel suddenly stretched and said, “Okay, I think that’s enough brain work. Mobile Legends muna tayo. You promised.”

Baltazar sighed, rubbing his temples. "Isa lang, ha."

"One game lang? Killjoy mo naman, pre! Sige na, tatlo. Placement matches ko pa lang eh," Manuel begged, grinning widely.

Baltazar, against his better judgment, opened his phone. "Fine. Pero pagod na utak ko, ikaw ang mag-lead."

As the game started, Manuel was already full of energy. "Hoy, ako naman ang core ha. Gusto mo, pakitaan kita ng Granger ko?"

Baltazar smirked, not taking his eyes off the screen. "You? Core? Stick to Angela. You're good at sanib."

Manuel snorted. "Sanib? Eh sarap kaya mag-patong—joke lang pre!" He laughed but lowered his voice, glancing around at the nearby tables. “Dami tao dito, bawal ka mag-maingay. Baka sabihin nila, malibog ka.”

Baltazar chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re something else, Manuel. Just pick Angela and let's get this over with.”

Instead, Manuel locked in Layla, drawing an immediate groan from Baltazar. "Dude, I said tank. Ba't ka nag-Layla?"

“Tank Layla is the new meta, di mo ba alam? Tsaka tingnan mo skin ko, ang astig. Starlight, bro.” Manuel winked, showing off his flashy in-game outfit.

Baltazar couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity. "You're unbelievable. Pero sige, laro tayo."

They dove into the match, Baltazar playing with the same surgical precision he used for tutoring, while Manuel was... well, Manuel—full of banter and half-formed strategies.

"Relax ka lang, pre. I'm doing my thing," Manuel replied, laughing as he narrowly avoided getting killed.

The banter continued throughout the game, Baltazar giving instructions, Manuel half-listening but always ready with a joke.

As the game reached its peak, Baltazar’s Ling was carrying the team, racking up kills left and right. “See? This is how you carry,” Baltazar said, his voice smug.

As the game reached its peak, Baltazar’s Ling was carrying the team, racking up kills left and right. “See? This is how you carry,” Baltazar said, his voice smug.

Manuel rolled his eyes. “Pre, ako yung nag set-up, okay? Nakalimutan mo, nag-ultimate ako sa’yo.”

“Sanib ka lang nang sanib, but hey, it works,” Baltazar teased.

When the game finally ended in victory, Manuel leaned back with a satisfied sigh. "Told you we'd win. Now, food?"

They ordered cheesecakes and coffee. Habang kumakain, Baltazar offered, “Hatid na kita after this?”

Manuel looked up, a bit surprised. “Sigurado ka? Ang bilis mong mag-drive, bro. Nakakatakot,” he joked, still finishing his cheesecake.

“Ang dungis mo kumain,” Baltazar commented, laughing as Manuel wiped cheesecake from his mouth. "Ang cute mo pala pag ganyan."

Manuel chuckled and pulled out his phone again. “Teka, pakita ko yung mga nag-react sa Instagram story ko. Puwede kita i-reto dun.”

Baltazar smirked. “Reto agad? Di mo pa nga ako finollow back dati.”

Manuel grinned sheepishly. “Well, ginawa ko na, diba? Happy ka na?”

“Masaya na,” Baltazar said, his eyes gleaming. "Pero next time, walang Layla na tank ha?"

Manuel raised his hand in mock surrender. “Promise, last na yun.”

---
short uli huhu.