It was a complete three-sixty. From the girl casually winding up at the bar who suddenly turned into someone's pretend girlfriend, Nastia Kahlila Quijano never saw it coming. She wasn't supposed to give into someone who were clear and upfront with their boundaries. There was no other choice but to treat him as an off-limit, like a whiskey bottle hanging at the top shelf-seemingly invisible to her eyes. After all, Nika was only returning a favor. Pretend relationships were bound to end anyway. But the thin line between their make-believe and their reality were beginning to blur. They couldn't draw out what's real and what's made up anymore. Then the boundaries began to solidify and the haze was gone. The line became clearer than before, reminding Nika why it existed in the first place. Maybe it was too soon. Maybe, they should leave it at that. After all, how could she lose something she never even had? This is an epistolary story written in taglish. Completed (2022).

Medyo tanggap ko nang hanggang third wheel lang talaga ako. Kahit tenth wheel nga siguro tanggap ko na rin. * * * Walang hiyang med school. Hindi ako makalandi. (insert mga mura) * * * Dalawang taong hindi malaman kung kailan ba nila mapapalitan 'yung relationship status nila sa Facebook; from Single to In a Relationship, ay biglang nagkita sa isang bar. Iyong isa, nahigit lang ng mga kaibigan kaya pumayag na rin kasi masarap naman daw 'yung pulutan. Iyong isa naman, planong humanap ng kalandian kasi, finally, nakalaya sa medical books niya. Nakahanap nga siya ng kalandian. Sino pa ba? E di 'yung nahigit lang ng mga kaibigan kaya pumayag na rin kasi masarap naman daw 'yung pulutan. At dahil pareho silang maloko, nauwi sila sa sarili rin nilang kalokohon. Iyon ay ang gawing jowa ang isa't isa. Paano ba naman, 'yung isa, lagi na lang third wheel. Kahit fling wala talaga. Never been kiss, never been touch. Iyong isa naman, sa sobrang busy sa medical school ay nakalimutan niya na kung ano'ng feeling ng kilig. Gusto niya pa rin maranasan. Gusto nilang maranasan. Kaya napagkasunduan nilang ibibigay nila 'yon sa isa't isa; gagawin ang mga bagay na ginagawa ng mag-jowa. Pero siyempre, lahat ng 'yon, sikreto lang. Hanggang saan sila dadalhin ng sikreto nila? | Tell Them About Us (BYAM Spin-Off) | an epistolary novel | 2022 © reyincarnation Started: November 26, 2022 Finished: February 12, 2023