Leaving it to chance [ Serendipity Series #01 ]

X: pahiyom

Pahiyom — (n.) A silly self conscious smile [ cebuano/bisaya ]

* Should there be any Bisaya words used throughout the chapter, translations & a Bisaya glossary will be provided at the end of the chapter for your reference.

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"Genevieve, mahal kita," pahayag ni Josh, kasabay ng napaka-plastic na ngiti. "Mahal na mahal kita, pero ang sarap mong saktan, alam mo 'yun? Pero mahal kita, ah. Napakasiraulo mo lang talaga minsan."

Humahalakhak kaming lahat habang binato ni Josh si Genevieve ng tissue na ginamit niya sa pagkain.

"Napaka-plastic mo, bakla! Hindi naman ako etits ni Tom, ah. Pero sige, tatanggapin ko 'yang pagmamahal mo."

"Bunganga mo, Genevieve Estrelle! Napakadumi talaga." Tawa ni Astrid, habang hinahampas braso ni Genevieve.

Today, we decided to hang out around the UST area. Astrid and I were getting tired of Katipunan, so we dragged Josh and decided to visit Genevieve and Tom, though Tom was busy today, so si Gen lang ang kasama namin. It did Astrid some good, too, to see our other friends, a change of scenery kumbaga. We hung out by the carpark today. We bought food for take out from the stalls and restaurants available and ate at the back of Astrid's pick up. She felt bold and daring daw and decided to switch out her sedan for a pickup truck.

I won't say I suggested we go to UST today, but maybe I did. It definitely wasn't a reason to see Mikie. I deny everything.

Hinila ni Josh buhok ni Gen, nanggigigil na yata 'tong si Josh sa pang-aasar ng babaeng 'to. "Aray! Napakabiyolente n'yo naman. Abuso na 'to, ah!" she playfully scolded, pointing at Astrid and Josh with her plastic spoon.

"'Pag ikaw nagka-jowa, humanda ka sa 'kin!" banta ni Josh.

"'Pag ako nagka-jowa, magpapahanda ako!"

"Hindi na ako aasa na magkaka-jowa ka pa, Genevieve," dagdag ni Astrid, sticking her tongue out playfully. "It's like waiting for rain in the desert."

"Ambabastos n'yo. Antay lang kayo, malapit na," Genevieve claimed, wiggling her eyebrows as she shoved another spoonful of her rice bowl into her mouth.

"Bakit? May lumalandi na ba sa 'yo?" I joined in on the teasing.

"Wala rin." She shrugged.

"Ang gulo mo, babae. Sumasakit ulo ko sa 'yo. May sayad na yata 'to kakahalo ng chemicals." Josh raised his hands in defeat, not wanting to deal with Genevieve's antics anymore. I would wait for the day somebody finally tamed this woman. If I was a handful, then I didn't know what Gen was.

I sat on the edge of the truck, letting my feet dangle as I finished the last of my bacsilog. I kept cautious of the time, wanting to catch Mikie's training. Binilhan ko siya ng pasta with bread knowing he would probably be hungry after training. I told him I would be stopping by today, too. Training was longer and more frequent, he mentioned to me, as the UAAP season was approaching.

"Guys, puntahan ko muna si Mikie," I said, hopping off where I was seated, taking the brown paper bag with me.

"Let our response be: sana all," Genevieve teased with a sigh, putting her hands together in prayer position.

"Yes, girl, hanggang sana all ka na lang talaga," Josh retorted back, a fake pout on his lips. And just like that, all three of them started teasing each other again, parang mga bata. I laughed as I headed towards the swimming pool.

I watched Mikie swim lap after lap, getting ahead of the rest of his teammates. No wonder Emman called him the pride of the UST Tiger Sharks, kahit training pa, I could see him pushing himself to be the best. At one point, I took out my notes and began to scan them while waiting for him to finish. I might as well study while I was here since there was nothing else to do while waiting.