“Are you not gonna sleep yet?”
A voice from behind asked. Napalingon siya sa pinanggalingan ng boses at ngumiti. “Nah, not yet. Still waiting for a call.” Hinintay niyang maka-upo ang bago’ng dating bago nagtanong, “And you?”
“Nah, not yet.” Paul Montana playfully smirked at her, to which she returned with a slight shaking of her head. “Trying to marvel the scene and the fact that I’m at the other side of the world.”
“You’re travelling a lot, though.”
“True.” Nagde-kuatro ito at sumandal sa upuan. “But I haven’t been here, in the Philippines. Although, I heard a lot about
After that little pep talk they had a couple nights ago, Troy had went back to being his usual self: loud and, dare she say it, annoying. He was messing around her majority of the day, especially during breaks. He would annoy the hell out of her until they’d both end up running around, with Awa chasing after him, hoping to get a chance to smack him at least once. Nagtatakbo ang binata palayo sa kanila, hinayaan niya na dahil pagod na siya kakahabol. And although she has the height, Awa just couldn’t catch up to him for reasons that 1) he’s six foot tall, mas mahaba ang legs nun kesa sa kanya; and 2) he was on the track and field back in high school and college, so of course he could run run. She went back to the tent panting, na-upo siya sa katabing upuan ni Paul— who was looking at her funny.&nbs
It wasn’t even fourty eight hours since they arrived at their last destination for their photoshoot when Awa received a call from a Rara. “Some terrible thing happened!” bungad nito pagkasagot na pagkasagot niya sa tawag nito. “I thought you ought to know.” “If it concerns the company and the employees, Rara, then yes, of course, I definitely shoud know.” Bumuga siya ng hangin at napahilot sa noo niya. “What is it this time?” “This time? So nangyari na ‘to dati?” “’Yung kamalasan, oo. N
Pina-una na niya’ng pumasok sa conference room sila Myra at Mia, because she made a quick detour to her office to meet up with her cousins. Awa received a message from them, informing her that they were in her office. And as much as she trust them with some errands, she couldn’t trust them enough when it comes to staying at her office, alone. They were busy arguing when she opened the door, tumigil lang nang makita siya. She made her way to the couch opposite theirs and sat. “You got it?” Ini-abot agad ni Blue, White’s younger brother, ang isang brown envelope sa kanya. She muttered a thank you bago mabilis na binuksan ang envelope para ma-check ang laman nito. Awa was eager to finally find out the truth and was ready to make the one responsible pay. &nb
Liam Skye is waving at you. [Tap] to wave back. Ang bumungad sa kanya pagkagising kinabukasan. A smile escaped her lips upon reading the notification. Sure, it wasn’t a good morning message but they haven’t been talking lately, and as much as she hates to admit this, she misses him… somehow. She waved back at him before untangling herself from her blanket; Awa has some planning to do. After doing her morning routine, she made herself some coffee and decided to check her phone for updates regarding MT’s public apology. Kagabi, bago siya natulog, aksi
The long wait is over, the day of the comeback has finally arrived. The whole HD team was busy, so are the social medias, because fans had been so excited for it na umaga palang ay nagpapa-trend na ang mga ito. The music video would drop at twelve noon, the same time they’d be guesting at a noontime show to perform their title track; and later at seven, they would then start their anniversary concert special. Everything was going smoothly and as planned, she made sure that nothing would go wrong today or she would definitely going to fvcking riot. Awa doubled the security: stricter, tighter. Ayaw niya’ng masalisihan at mauli na naman ang panibago’ng inside job. Although, she would have to apologize to all the employees after this. She didn’t want to risk this, so better safe than sorry. 
Sabi ng matatanda, kapag daw nangati ang palad mo may pera o blessing na darating sa’yo, of course, Asia believes it. Her family is huge on beliefs. Pero ngayon, iba’ng pangangati ang meron sa palad niya: nangangati’ng manampal. Her day had been okay, considering how she had prepared and waited for today to finally come. HD’s comeback was a success, so was the concert. Now the boys are busy with promotions and guestings here and there. Hinabilin na niya ang mga ito sa manager nila at kay Rara, so she isn’t entirely worried. So for that day, though, she had all the time to calm her mind and condition herself. Baka kasi mamaya ay maubos ang pasensya niya at ambahan nalang niya bigla si Laura the moment na makita niya ito. She tends to be physical when she wants to, masakit pa naman ang suntok at sampal niya— sa dami ba naman niya’ng na s
Having watched the trailer of Judy Sta. Maria’s ‘The Broken Marriage Vow’ trailer, it was as if she could hear her lines, and I quote, “Papunta palang tayo sa exciting part.” (Verbatim.) And indeed they were. Ganito siguro ka boring ang buhay niya lately, that catfights are starting to exhilarate her. But maybe, it’s only possible if Laura’s involved. Lalo pa at may atraso ito sa kanya. Sure, hindi natin hawak ang batas, at wala sa mga kamay natin ang hustisya kundi nasa hukom, but the country’s justice system is biased toward those who can and have the power to tamper with the truth. Hindi siya utak kriminal but she could unders
“Sorry I’m late, babe.” The guy whispered softly, wala siya’ng nasabi pabalik. Awa’s too stunned to even react. Bumaling ang lalaki sa kaharap. “I would like it if you won’t lay a hand on her again.” Awa blinked. Looking back and forth between the guy who was holding her and Laura, who was as much surprised as she was. Ang bruha, nag-stutter pa nung sumagot. “H-how… dare you say that t-to me?” “Please contain and handle your temper, Miss. This is, after all, your engagement party, isn’t it?” Laura flushed crimson, unable to answer. So her mom stepped in for her instead, gigil na nagta
Kanina pa pa-ikot-ikot si Awa sa higaan, samantalang ‘yung tatlo’ng katabi niya ay ang hihimbing na ng tulog. Slowly and carefully, she slipped out of the bed and tiptoed her way out of the room.Naabutan niya si Europe, naka-upo sa high stool sa may kitchen island, may hawak na isang can ng beer. Hindi pa ba lasing ‘tong lalaki’ng ‘to?Tumikhim siya to announce her arrival. Lumingon si Europe sa direksyon niya, nginitian niya muna ito bago siya dumeretso sa fridge, buti nalang at may stock ng gatas sa fridge ni Europe. She grabbed the carton and poured herself some before making her way to the island and sat comfortably at the other stool. There was a moment of silence between them, hindi niya na makayanan ang katahimikan, so Asia decided to break the ice.“Do you think it was my cousin, Raf, that Rafa was talking to earlie—““Did you mean it?”“Mean what?”“What you said earlier,” Europe answered. “Did you mean it?”“I said a lot earlier, Europe, alin sa mga ‘yun ang tinut
The game went on for a few rounds, the questions and dares got a little harder than she expected. Questions such as: ilan na ang naging boyfriend niya, to which she answered three, na hindi sila gaano’ng convinced so she drank two shots of alcohol. Also questions like: who was her first love and how she moved on from her exes, and with whom was her longest relationship with and if she ever had sex before. “The longest relationship…” she mumbled. “I’d say… Troy? Probably Troy, yea.” “Troy? As in, Troy Cruz?” gulat na gulat ulit na tanong ni Kian sa kanya. “Mm-hmm.” “You were exes?!” “Yep.” sinamahan niya pa ng tango. “But he’s married now so… and wer’e still friends, too, so everything’s well.” “Diba you did a project together just recently?” “We did, yea, special request kasi ng photographer friend ko from New York, di ko matanggihan. He was basically the reason why I survived living independently abroad.” “You lived abroad?” “Yep, my whole career as a CEO basically start
After maka-ikot at makabalik na ulit sa kanya ang tanong, Kian excitedly asked, na mukha’ng kanina pa talaga nito hinihintay. “So, Awa, which entertainment company do you own?”Shaking her head and smiling, she replied, “You take a guess.”There was excitement in Kian’s eyes at the thought. “Imposible’ng Joy kasi hindi mo aura ‘yung ganun. OT?”Still smiling knowingly with her lips slightly pursed, she kept herself quiet. Rafa at the other end was chuckling quietly to herself. Lumipad ang tingin ni Kian sa kaibigan at nanungot ang noo nito.“You know something, don’t you?”Everyone looked over at Rafa who just kept herself quiet. “You do know something, Rafa.”“I might but it’s not my question to answer, Kian.”“WA.” she suddenly blurted out. Agad-agad lumingon si Kian sa kanya, nanlalaki ang mga mata. Kahit si Niel ay nilingon siya, unblinking, shocked, speechless. Mahina siya’ng napatawa dahil sa reaksyon ng mga kasama. “For real?” halos panabay na sigaw ni Kian at
The answer to that was to be expected, but of course, hindi pa rin nila mapigilan hintayin ang magiging sagot ni Izza sa tanong na iyon. So when Izza finally replied, “Of course, Rence, I will.” with such glee, they all cheered for them, umulan bigla ng throw pillows. “Wow,” Richard muttered under his breath, a little shocked. “Holy shit!” natatawa’ng sabi nalang ni Greg. For a few moments, the whole living area was filled with clapping and cheering, of Congratulations and Thank you’s. “Gagi, hindi kami ready sa proposal mo, Rence!” na-iiling na bulalas ni Kian. “Pero, potek na ‘yan, bakit ang romantic pa rin?!” “Girl, inggit ka lang, iinom mo muna ‘yan.” tukso ni Niel. “Congratulations ulit sa inyo’ng dalawa,” bati ni Awa sa dalawa. To which they both replied in unison with, ‘thank you.’ “Siya, we’ll celebrate it again later, for now…” nakangiti’ng anunsiyo ni Niel at tumingin sa dereksyon niya. “it’s finally Awa’s turn to ask.”Since si Rence ang huling nagtanong, ito na
After dinner, she tried staying away from Europe. Emphasis on tried. Dahil after nila mag-dinner, they decided to watch a movie, totally random picked, at talaga’ng sinadya silang pagtabihin ng mga kasama nila. The movie was… not entertaining enough to them. Laging kinu-kontra ni Niel at Kian ang mga scenes althroughout the movie. “Bakit pa ba natin kasi pinanuod?” maktol ni Greg. “Lalaitin niyo lang naman pala.” “Constructive criticism ang tawag dun.” depensa ni Kian. “Aling banda doon ang constructive, ha?” “Lahat, duh!” Actually, talaga’ng nilait lang nila ‘yung movie. Minsan tinatama pa nga kasi hindi naman daw ‘yun ang nangyar sa libro. And she completely understand; nabasa na rin niya kasi ‘yung libro, in fact one of her favourites, and they totally ruined the whole story. After watching, since maaga pa sa kanila ang ten o’clock, they moved the table to the side and they formed a circle in the carpet. Niel decided for them to play: truth or dare. They have this rule:
Nakakunot ang noo ni Awa nang magtanong siya. “Why? Aren’t they friends with her?” Iling ang naisagot ng binata sa kanya. “Not really.” “Can I ask why?” “For reasons that are: one) we’re more like an arranged couple.. or something like that, two) they didn’t entirely like her personality.. and to quote Niel, “she’s a bitch.” “And three) because she took us for granted.” “Wait…” she paused, her hand hanging halfway out of the ecobag, “what do you mean arranged couple?” “You know how in corporate families, arranged marraige is a common thing.. to further expand the company and the connections, right? So both our parents wanted the same but since we were still in high school then,they settled for us to become a couple.. for the time being. “I was friends with Rence, Enzo and Greg, then. So they know all about that deal. Aya was, then, my first and only girlfriend. I admit, I didn’t like her at first but eventually I came around. “Himala nga at natagalan namin ang isa’t isa at
“Wait,” Last urgently said, she could swear she’s making this sniffing sound. And knowing Last, kinakabahan na siya dahil sa talas ng memorya at amoy nito. Sigurado si Awa na may ideya na ito kung sino at kanino’ng amoy iyon. “I know this smell…” “What?” naguguluha’ng tanong ni White. “This smell is familiar,” “Baka si Raf lang,” dinig niya’ng sagot ni Ember sa background. “Nandito siya, e.” “No,” mabilis na sagot ni Last, “I know how Kuya Raf smells…” “The fuck?” natatawang sabi ni Raf, “And how exactly do I smell, Last Alaine?” “Amoy malandi at playboy.” mabilis na sagot ng nakababatang pinsan, na tinawanan nilang lahat. “Totoo kaya!’ “That was rather harsh, Huli.” “Truth hurts, Kuya, suck it up.” “Para’ng hindi tayo mag-pinsan, ah, need I remind, you that we’re all basically carved from the same wood.” “True, but you were carved first, so there might be slight differences here and there.” Last retorted back quickly. “Anyway, as I was saying, Ate Awa… sinong nagnakaw sa
Chapter Sixty Eight “You, guys, are always heavy on food,” Asia commented as she swallowed a spoonful of baked potato casserole she ordered. “And alcohol.” She added before chewing her food, to which her eyes bulged and darted down her food. “Holy Hera!” she softly exclaimed. “This is delicious!” That earned a laugh from her friends, probably starting to get weirded out with her. Sue her, it was her first time eating a baked potato casserole and it automatically hit her top fave food. She fished her phone from her bag and took a snap before she continued to savour heaven in a form of potato. Nasa isang food park sila malapit sa, as usual, bahay ni Europe. Hindi ba niya alam ba’t trip ng mga ‘to lagi tumambay sa bahay ng binata. At, oo, mag-o-overnight na naman sila mamaya. According to Kian, libre raw ng manliligaw ni Rafa ang lunch nila ngayon. They actually got to meet them earlier, kaso may biglaang lakad ito kaya umalis
“San ta’yo?” was Kian’s question after the event. May iilan pa’ng libro’ng tinatapos na pirmahan ni Rafa, kaya hinihintay nila ito sa may tabi. “Nag-aya si Rafa, e. Libre niya raw.” “Tapos deretso overnight?” umaasa’ng tanong ni Greg. “Oo yata.” “Saan tayo mag-o-overnight?” asked Niel and everyone’s eyes flew over where Awa and Europe were standing. Mukha’ng napansin ito ng binata kaya agad ito’ng lumingon sa kanila at pinagkunutan ng noo. “What?” “Overnight daw,” “Geh,” was his only reply. Binalik ng binata ang tingin niya kay Asia. “Coffee?” Asia turned to face Europe, a wicked, teasing smile on her lips. “Ikaw, ha, are you low-key trying to ask me out on a coffee date?” Europe shrugged and looked at her straight in the eyes, “Maybe.” For a brief moment, they held each other’s gazes, as if they were in their own little bubble, like everything around them turned into a blur. “Absolutely,” Asia beamed, “pero pwede ba’ng iba puntahan natin? I know a place.” Tumango lang n