Goodbye Lullaby (COMPLETED)

Chapter 8

Well, can't we just laugh and joke around?
Remember cuddles in the kitchen, yeah
To get things off the ground
-
Mardy Bum by Arctic Monkeys

***

Platonic friends.

Tss.

Gusto kong tawanan iyon.

I didn't know then that it was gonna be a challenge. Hindi ko rin alam if we're obliging to the agreement willingly or we're just doing it because it's the only solution I offered.

The suspicious Valentine once asked why we're always hanging out now. Dati naman daw hindi kami masyadong close ni Eros and the motherfucker just answered, "What do you wanna prove, dude? We're platonic friends."

Hindi naman nakakatawa but we both laughed. Valen was left dumbfounded after not getting the context.

"I swear there's something going on between the two of you," pinaningkitan niya na lang kami ng mata.

I wonder what I'd feel if he said that when Eros and I's problem wasn't settled yet. Right now, I still feel guilty of dragging him to my mess. Pakiramdam ko'y ganon din siya. That's why I don't know if we're really being 'platonic' to continue saving the agreement or we're just guilty.

The first days, para lang kaming nag-aasaran. One time I got annoyed at him for being late at our practice. Sinungitan niya rin ako.

"That's not what platonic friends do."

His sudden mention of that damn two words made my brows furrowed. "What the hell are you saying?"

He shrugged. "Characteristics of Platonic Friendship. You can google it if you want."

"We're talking about you being late to practice!"

I'm fucking confused. What's wrong with him?! And why do I need to google things?! Did he do that?

He sighed. He got his phone from the floor and manipulated it. Mas lalo akong sumimangot. I marched towards him. Nasa harap ako ng drums niya kanina at ngayon pwede ko na siyang batukan.

Magsasalita pa lang sana ako nang maunahan niya na ako.

"It says at the Characteristics of Platonic Friendship, 'although friendship is a give and take partnership, when it comes to platonic love, you have to be careful not to expect or demand more of that person than you would of a regular friendship.'"

My jaw dropped as he looked smugly at me. He directly said that I'm demanding, but I didn't feel insulted. Instead, I felt the need to laugh. He fucking googled!

"'Wag mo na akong pagalitan, Psyche. Blame the damn traffic outside your village."

He's unbelievable.

But what's more unbelievable is that platonic friends became some sort of a joke between us. At first it was funny, until we both used those damn two words against each other.

Kung dati panay ang away namin, ngayon nama'y mas malala. It made us both frustrated because we don't properly reconcile. We let things go like nothing happened because that's what's written at the damn characteristics of platonic friendship that he fucking googled.

Aside from that, I really can't deny that we're both prideful persons.

You see, this is what I meant when I said that we're not for each other. We may have pleasant sides, but with the label, we're like volcanoes ready to erupt. We barely live in harmony as friends and we'd end up ruining each other once romance is involved.