“He’s not gonna make it.”
“Yeah well, what’s new?” inis na react ni Ash. Lumingon sya at natanaw si Julie sa may kitchen at nakangiting kausap ang ilan sa mga bisita nito. Binalingan nyang muli si Kevin. Ash took a deep sigh. “Go, ikaw na magsabi.”
“I think she already knows.”
Pagkatapos ng mahigit isang oras ay unti-unti nang umaalis ang mga bisita sa birthday party ni Julie, hanggang sa silang tatlo na lang nina Ash at Kevin ang natira.
“Guys, uwi na kayo. Kaya ko na ‘to.” sambit ni Julie.
“It’s okay, Juls, tulungan ka na namin ni Ash.” Kevin smiled at her. “Ahm, nga pala. Nag-message ba sa iyo si Moe?”
“As usual, hindi.” singit ni Ashley. “Iyong di nya pagsipot sa mga important events at okasyon, normal na iyon, kaya okay lang kay Julie. Sanayan na lang iyan.” sarkastiko nitong sagot.
Napangiti si Julie at napailing. “Nope, he didn’t send any message, pero…ang alam ko may lakad talaga sya ngayon.”
Maya-maya’y humarap si Ash kay Julie. “Umamin ka nga sa ‘min, meron pa ‘no?”
“Ano pa, e ‘di iyong butterflies. Iyong something mo dun kay Elmo. Huwag ka nang mag-deny, di ka pa naka-move on ‘no?”
“Sira ka talaga, Ashley. Ano bang klaseng tanong iyan?” natatawang tanong ni Julie habang pinagpatuloy ang paglilinis.
“Sus! Beh, pinagdaanan ko na iyan. Iyang hitsura mo na iyan, iyang reaksyon mo, iyang kilos mo, nagawa ko na iyan before, saktong-sakto. Ganyan na ganyan. Paano ka ba naman kasi makakaalis dyan sa six-year-old feelings mo e hindi mo magawang dumistansya sa mokong na iyon.”
“Ashley, pwede ba.” si Kevin. “They’re bestfriends!”
“No, they’re not. Ako ang bestfriend ni Julie, si Elmo, sumingit lang iyon six years ago and since then hindi na huminto sa kaka-epal.”
“But they’re still friends.” katwiran ni Kevin. “And no matter how much you feel for someone, if you’re friends and you’re close and you understand each other in a really special way, you can’t just take a step away from that person that easily.”
Nakangiti lang si Julie habang palipat-lipat ang tingin nya mula kay Ashley papunta kay Kevin at pabalik ulit kay Ash. HIndi na sya nagreact pa dahil alam nyang matatalo lang sya sa kaibigan. But deep inside, she couldn’t help but feel sad and disappointed for a couple of reasons: first, sa hindi pagdating ni Elmo sa birthday party nya na ito mismo ang nagplano and second, sa realization na tama si Ashley, those stupid feelings are still there, and they were never gone.
“O sya, tama na iyan. baka mag-away na naman kayong dalawa e. Mabuti pa-” Napatigil si Julie nang biglang bumukas ang pinto. Sabay-sabay silang tatlong napatingin sa pintuan at nakita si Elmo pagbukas nito.
“Better late than never.” bulong ni Kevin.
“Hmp. Late pa rin.” bulong naman ni Ash.
“Hey.” sambit ni Elmo, saka ito lumapit sa kanila. “Sorry, I missed it.” sabi nito kay Julie.
“Okay lang. Akala ko ba may lakad ka ngayon?” si Julie.
“Maaga natapos.” Saka sya nagabot ng isang di kalakihang paper bag kay Julie. “Happy birthday.” And he gave her an apologizing smile.Julie smiled back at kinuha ang bag.
“Thank you. Kumain ka na?”
“Uh, yeah. Hm, may tira pang cake?”
Inayos ni Julie ang makalat nan lamesa sa may terrace ng apartment nya. Habang kumakain si Elmo’y nakatingin naman sya sa dog na stuffed toy na laman ng paper bag na bigay sa kanya ng binata. May suot itong dog tag na may pangalang ‘WACKY’. Napangiti sya at binalingan ang kaibigan na mukhang ineenjoy ang mango bravo cake na hinain nya rito.
Then Moe looked at her and their eyes met. “What?” tanong nito.
“Anong what?” tanong ni Julie.
“You can’t just stare at me like that, you know? They might think you’re in love with me.” Mahinang natawa si Julie at saka sya nagtaas ng kilay.
“And you can’t just…treat me the way you do, they might think YOU’RE in love with me.” ganti nya kay Elmo.
“Bakit, in love naman ako sa iyo ah.”
“Yeah right. For once, stop flirting with me, okay?”
“Bakit, nahuhulog ka na?” pangaasar ni Elmo. Julie rolled her eyes.
“Isa na lang, ikaw ang ihuhulog ko dyan.” Tumayo si Julie at saka lumapit sa may railings ng terrace at pilit na nilipat ang atensyon sa malamig na hanging dumadapo sa mukha nya.
“Why so serious.” sambit ni Elmo bago nya ubusin ang orange juice sa baso nya. And then he stood up and found himself a place right next to Julie. Sinulyapan nya ito at napansin na seryoso nga ang mukha ng dalaga at mukhang napakalalim ng iniisip. “Hey.” tawag nya rito.
Tinignan sya ni Julie. “Ano?”
“We’ve been doing this for six years.”
Elmo took a sigh, looked away and smiled. “This same…exact moment…when I’m right next to you and you’re there, so quiet and I look at you and wonder ‘what the hell is she thinking right now?!’. Six years. And there was never a time, na kapag magkasama tayo, may ganitong moment. And until now, I’m still wondering. You still make me wonder.” At saka ito biglang natawa. “Wow, how korni is that?!”
Natawa rin si Julie saka sya tumalikod at sumandal sa may railings habang si Elmo nama’y nakaharap pa rin sa kabilang direksyon. “You don’t have to know everything that I’m thinking about.” sambit ni Julie.
Tumango-tango si Elmo. “Yeah, well, may point ka. I would say the same thing to you. I can’t tell you everything that runs through my mind, you might use it against me.”
Ngumit si Julie at nilingon ang kaibigan. “Baliw.” Moe just smiled and they spent the next few minutes standing next to each other, facing the opposite directions and saying nothing to each other. And it’s on those moments when their hearts speak the loudest. If only they can let each other know what and how exactly how they feel.
“Juls!” biglang tinawag ni Ashley si Julie. “Halika, dali!”
“Wait lang ah.” paalam ni Julie kay Elmo bago nya ito iwan. Sinundan ng tingin ni Elmo si Julie at nakatanaw sya habang kausap nito si Ashley at may tinatawanan ang mga ito sa cellphone ni Ash.
At habang magisa syang nasa balcony ay pinako nya ang atensyon nya kay Julie habang inalala ang usapan nila ni Jethro kanina. Nasa send-off party sila ng boss nila at ni-require lahat na um-attend kaya hindi sya nakaabot sa party ni Julie kahit na sya ang nag-prepare at nagplano nito.
Nahuli sya ni Jeth na uminom ng dalawang magkasunod na bote ng beer sa may bar.
“Uy, pare, okay ka lang?” tanong ni Jeth habang pumwepesto ito sa tabi nya. Naroon silang dalawa habang ang iba’y nagsasayawan at nagkukwentuhan sa dance floor. “Pang-ilan na iyan.”
“Dalawa lang pare, di ako pwede malasing, may pupuntahan pa ako pagkatapos neto.”
“Iyong party ni Julie, ngayon iyon diba?”
“Oo. Dun nga ako didiretso after dito. Sana makaabot.”
“Tsk, tsk.” sambit ni Jeth habang umiililng. “Sanay na rin naman si Julie sa iyo, pare. You always miss the special occasions.”
“But I can’t miss this one.”
“Bakit? ‘Cause she’s finally 22 years old? Anong meron sa edad na 22?”
Natawa si Elmo habang nakatingin sa screen ng cellphone nya. “I’m planning to tell something to her tonight. And I’ve been…preparing for this, for years.”
Moe shook his head. “But I don’t know if I can do it.”
“Well, if you’re to going to wait until you’re ready, you might never get the chance.” Nilingon ni Elmo si Jeth. “Pare, matagal na tayong magkaibigan and I know you well enough to assume kung ano iyang nararamdaman mo.”
“Ano sa palagay mo ire-react nya?”
“Ewan ko. Kelan pa natin naintindihan ang mga babae? We can never figure them out.”
“I feel stupid.” mahinang sabi ni Elmo.
“You should.” Napatingin ulit si Moe sa kaibigan. “All these years, what did you do? You had 3 girlfriends, all were serious except for the last one na feeling ko napilitan ka lang na iwork out iyong relationship nyo. You went in and out of Julie’s life, for many many times, you kept your distance from her and you came back, you kept your communication but there are times when you were completely ignoring her, and then you appear again and she’s all you want to talk to, and want to be with and you flirt with her and you do things for her you haven’t done for anyone else. You two have the complicated friendship ever, but you still ended up staying in each other’s lives and refusing to walk away. And now…you finally decided to tell her. Yes, you’re stupid. Dahil dapat, noon pa sana sinabi mo na.”
“Para namang ganun kadali.”
“Walang madali pare. Mahirap lahat iyan. It’s just a matter of making a choice. You just need to choose between making it hard for yourself or making it hard for you both. Trust me, you don’t want to be in the ‘too-late zone’ for the rest of your life.”
“But what if it’s already too late?”
“Pupuntahan mo naman sya mamaya diba? Tomorrow may be too late, but you still today.”
Humugot nang malalim na hininga si Elmo habang nakatanaw pa rin kay Julie. Binalikan sya nito na nakangiti at natatawa pa rin. “Baliw talaga iyong sina Ash at Kevin, kinunan ba naman ng video si Zen na lasing at sumasayaw at inupload pa sa facebook.”
“Isa ka pa. O, ano tapos ka nang kumain? Magliligpit na ako.”
“Actually, kanina pa kasi tapos iyong party. Buti nga pinakain pa kita ‘no.”
“Dapat lang ‘no. I planned all of this. I made your party happen.”
“Yeah, but you weren’t here.” sabi ni Julie. Saka na sya nagsimulang magligpit.Tumahimik na lang si Elmo at pinanood si Julie habang nililigpit ang pinagkainan nya. Huminga sya nang malalim.
“Uhm. There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Moe!” Sabay silang napalingon at nakita si Alice. Ngumiti ito kay Julie. “Happy birthday, Julie.”
“Alice.” Nilapitan sila nito. “Thank you.”
“I’m so sorry to come here uninvited. Jeth told me you’re here, Moe,…can we talk?” sabi nito kay Elmo. “Please?”
Umalis si Elmo kasama si Alice nang walang sinasabi habang si Julie nama’y tahimik na naghuhugas ng pinggan sa may kusina kasama sina Ash at Kevin.
“Diba si ex number two iyon?” si Ash. “Iyong pinakamatagal?”
“Ano naman kayang kailangan nun?”
“Baka makikipagbalikan.” si Kevin.
“Malamang.” mahinang sinikuhan ni Ashley si Julie para agawin ang atensyon nito mula sa mga pinggan. “Uy.”
“Ano masasabi mo? Okay lang sa iyo?”
“Na maging sila ulit. Diba sa lahat ng mga ex ni Moe, iyon ang pinaka-ayaw mo?”
“Grabe ka Ashley, di naman sa ayaw. Hindi lang kami naging close.”
“Tse! Hindi ka naman talaga naging close sa kahit sinong naging girlfriend nun e. E di torture sa iyon everyday.”
“Tigilan mo nga ako, Ash. Wala nang feelings, okay? Moved na ako. Nakausad na. Open na ulit ang heart ko for somebody else!”
“Weh! Iyan na iyan ang saktong sinasabi ng mga taong hindi pa nakakapag-move on. Sabihin mo na kasi sa kanya, mas mapapadali iyan promise.”
“Ayoko nga ‘no. Isa pa, matagal na iyon. Kung may feelings pa ako hanggang ngayon, hindi na tulad ng dati. Malay mo, bukas, wala na talaga as in wala na.”
“At kelan pa nangyaring mawala ang feelings mo over night???”
“No. Never ‘no. hay nako, bahala ka na nga.”
Hindi na bumalik si Elmo sa apartment ni Julie hanggang sa makaalis na sina Ash at Kevin. It’s almost 2:00 am pero gising na gising pa rin ang diwa ni Julie at dahil hindi talaga sya makatulog ay binuksan na lang nya ang TV at nanood ng movie habang inuubos ang ice cream na natira sa ref nya.
Nawili na sya sa panonood ng isa sa mga favorite nyang pelikula nang biglang mag-ring ang phone nya. Pangalan ni Elmo ang lumitaw sa screen. Sinagot nya iyon kaagad.
“E bakit ikaw gising pa.”
“Ice cream lang. Sayang e.”
“May ice cream ka pa pala di mo mang lang ako pinakain kanina.”
“You don’t like ice cream.”
“Anong…nangyari sa inyo ni Alice.”
“You don’t want to know.”
Julie heard how Elmo took a deep sigh. “She ah…she said she missed me. And uhm, she wants us to be friends again.”
“At narealize lang ya iyon bigla kanina? At napasugod pa talaga sya rito ah.”
“She’s leaving this morning, magbabakasyon sya sa States and she said…pagbalik nya.. she wants us to…try.”
“Ohhh. I see. So in short, nakikipagbalikan.”
“What do think I told her?”
“I don’t know. You still have her pictures on your phone, minsan tsine-check mo pa rin iyong facebook account nya and may times din na nakikita ko name nya sa inbox mo. Gusto mo pa rin siguro sya ‘no. Pumayag ka siguro.”
Matagal na hindi sumagot si Elmo at nanahimik lang sa kabilang linya. And when he spoke again, he suddenly changed the subject. “You never told me you broke up with that guy.”
“I already told you. Ikaw nga una ko sinabihan e.”
“Well, sinabi mong narealize mo na hindi mo pala sya gusto, and that nabigla ka lang nung sinagot mo sya. You were never in love with him.”
“Have you really never fallen in love with someone?”
Si Julie naman ang natahimik. She didn’t expect na itatanong iyon ni Elmo. And she didn’t even expect na magkakaroon sila ng ganung klaseng paguusap. It’s too serious and deep for both of them. They don’t normally talk about each other’s love lives.
“Matagal na iyon, wala na iyon.”
“Basta. Wag ka na nga makulit.”
“Nothing. Nothing happened. It was…I don’t know…one-sided, I guess.”
“And you never told him? Teka, kilala ko ba iyan? Baka si Kevin yan. O kaya si Jeth.”
“Sira! Hindi ‘no. Basta. Yeah, I didn’t tell him.”
“Bakit baa ng kulit mo. Ba’t mo ba tinatanong?”
“Kelan iyan? Yan ba iyong times na, ‘di ako nagpaparamdam sa iyo?”
Natawa si Julie at halos mailuwa ang kinakain na ice cream. “Ano?!”
“You know what I mean. Iyong mga times na..I was so busy with my life and other stuff.”
“Ganun ka pa rin naman ngayon ah. Actually, parehas lang tayo. And I don’t know, I can’t remember kung kelan iyon nangyari.”
“How did you it was one-sided?”
“Duh. Mararamdaman mo naman kung walang feelings sa iyo iyong isang tao ‘no.”
“What if meron pero di lang din nya sinabi?”
“Well…ewan, baka hindi lang meant to be.”
“What if, one day, bigla syang babalik sa buhay mo and he will tell you he fell in love with you, too, anong magiging reaction mo.”
“Depende kung,,,mahal ko pa rin sya.”
“Bakit, mahal mo pa rin ba?”
Napabuntong-hininga si Julie at tinitigan ang TV screen at saka sya ngumiti. “Siguro. Konti. Oo.”
And there was a moment of awkward silence. Mula sa kabilang linya’y naririnig ni Elmo ang sounds ng palabas na pinapanood ni Julie. “Flipped.” Sambit ni Elmo. “You’re watching Flipped.”
“I’ve seen that movie twice, I can’t believe it.”
Natawa si Julie. “Maganda naman ah.”
“You made me watch that, remember?”
“What time is it?” Sinilip ni Julie ang alarm clock sa tabi ng bed nya. “Two-fifteen.”
“And I just lost my chance, again.”
“Could you do me a favor?”
“Ano na naman. Pinalipas mo lang ung birthday ko ah, magsisimula na naman iyang mga pabor mo.”
“Dito sa labas ng apartment mo.”
Paglabas ni Julie sa apartment nya’t wala roon si Elmo. Tahimik ang buong koridor at medyo madilim. Mula sa third floor ay bumaba sya’y lumabas ng building, patungo sa may open lot kung saan naka-park ang ilang kotse ng mga nakatira sa gusaling iyon. Maliwanag sa parking lot at kaagad nyang natanaw si Moe na nakasandal sa lumang kotse nito.
Lumapit sya sa binata. “Kanina ka pa dyan? Anong drama mo?” natatawang tanong ni Julie.
“Di naman. Mga thirty minutes.”
“E ba’t dito ka tumambay? Kumatok ka sana.”
“I didn’t want to wake you up.” Tumabi si Julie sa kanya’t sumandal din ito sa kotse.
“Hindi pa nga ako nakakatulog e. Pagod na pagod na ako pero ewan ko ba.”
“Baka naman because your brain is still too busy getting rid of me.”
Natawa si Julie. “Baka nga, ‘no? Whew, ang hangin dito ah.”
Pagdaka’y binuksan ni Elmo ang pinto ng kotse sa may backseat at may inilabas na malilit na garapon. “Here.”
“Oh my gosh!” Kinuha ni Julie ang garapon na may lamang tatlong alitaptap.
“Belated happy birthday.”
“Wha-, teka san mo galing tong mga alitaptap?”
“Sa likod ng bahay ni Jeth, di ko alam ba’t ang daming alitaptap dun.”
“Wow, ang appreciative mo talaga e ‘no. Kapag kinulong ang mga alitaptap sa garapon, mamamatay sila agad, tatlo lang iyong kaya kong isakripisyo para sa iyo.”
Napangiti si Julie. “Thank you ah.”
“Nakabawi na ba ‘ko sa di ko pagsipot sa party mo?”
“Medyo lang? Those are freakin’ fireflies! Ako pa nanghuli ng mga iyan ah. Tapos medyo lang?”
“At least kahit papaano.”
“Hay grabe. O eto, siguro naman dito makakabawi na ako.” At bago pa man makapagtanong si Julie ay muling may kinuha si Elmo mula sa kotse nya at napatili si Julie nang ipakita ito ng binata kanya.
“Huy! Tulog na mga tao, volume ng boses mo.”
PInahawak muna ni Julie ang garapon kay Elmo saka nya kinuha ang karga nitong puting Japanese spitz. “Aww…oh my gosh. Sa ‘kin na ‘to?” Tumango si Elmo. Then Julie saw the dog tag tied around the puppy’s neck with the name, WACKY.
“Hi, Wacky!” At saka niya ito nilaro-laro at niyakap nang ilang ulit. “Oh my gosh, he’s so duper cute!”
“Oh ano, nakabawi na?” Julie looked at him swearing the happiest and sweetest smile he’s ever seen.
“Sus. Aso lang pala katapat mo e.”
“Huwag mo naming panggigilan, pag napilay at namatay iyan d ko na papalitan ah.”
Ngumiti na lang si Julie and she suddenly planted a sweet kiss on Moe’s cheek. “Thanks. Sobra.”
“Yeah, you’re welcome.” At saka na sya nagsimulang magseryoso ng mukha. “Can I ask you something? And I want a really serious answer. An honest answer. A blunt answer, if it has to be.”
“So if you don’t hate me, you like me.”
“Oo naman. We’re friends, we’re supposed to like each other even if we don’t want to.”
“So if you like me…” Moe took a long pause and stared at Julie’s pretty face. “You love me. Right?”
Nagkibit-balikat si Julie. “Is it possible not to love someone you like?”
“Ano ba talaga iyong tanong mo? Na-o-awkwardan na ako sa iyo ah.”
“Have you ever…you know…felt..something…weird…alam mo na.”
“Ha???” Natawa si Julie pero there’s something inside her na kinakabahan na. Moe hasn’t been like this for a long time. No, actually Moe has never been like this before. Everything about him at the moment is strange and Julie can’t figure out what’s happening to him.
“Have you ever felt something for me before?” Then Elmo finally dropped THE question. Muntik nang mabitawan ni Julie si Wacky sa gulat nya.
“You never said no to me, sa lahat ng mga hiningi kong pabor sa iyo, you never said no. You’re always there for me, even when I’m being so annoying and cold and rude and arrogant. I’m always flirting with you kahit na nung times na may girlfriend ako but you didn’t stay away.”
“Because you’re my friend-“
“But everything I did, we did, we made each other feel… normal friends don’t that. Normal friends don’t hold each other hands like we do, they don’t stare at each other’s eyes like we do, they don’t talk to each other like we do. We’re not just friends, we’re more.”
Napaawang na lang ng bibig si Julie at hindi na nya kayang ialis ang pagkakatitig nya kay Elmo. For six years, she’d never thought those words will come out from his mouth. For six years, all she got from him were mixed signals, flirtations, and unrequited feelings.
“Have you never felt that? That…you’re possibly in love with me? That I might be in love with you?”
Julie shut her eyes for a few seconds and then took a very deep breath. She looked away and then stared at Elmo again. “I have. Actually, I have. Actually, ang totoo nyan…I was in love with you. And it started when you were too busy with your life and other stuff. Nagpaparamdam man o hindi, nagtetext o tumatawag ka man o hindi, sumusulpot ka man o hindi, naalala mo man ako o hindi, my feelings stayed the same. They got even worse, I think. They got deeper. But so what? It’s not that important, anyway-“
“Not important? Seriously?”
“Oo bakit, ngayong alam mo na, ano? Ano gagawin mo?” tanong ni Julie. “It happens, it’s inevitable, friends develop feelings for each other but it doesn’t mean na-“
“I’m in love with you.” Julie stopped talking and looked at Elmo. Those words echoed in her head over and over again and she couldn’t move. She couldn’t even feel Wacky in her arms anymore. Her body has become numb and her heart could explode any moment. “At hindi ko alam ang gagawin ko. And it already makes me feel stupid. I was planning to tell you sooner pero I can’t. The fear of saying it, and admitting it,..it kind of breaks me. And you know me well. I hate the things that break me. But what can I do? I couldn’t do it anymore. So right now, I’m doing it. Between my fear and you, I chose you.”
Julie tried to grasp for breath at hindi nya mapigilang mapahawak nang mahigpit kay Wacky. She looked down and watched the 3 fireflies flying around the jar trying to find a way out. She secretly smiled. “Oh my gosh..” mahinang sambit ni Julie
“You don’t have to say anything. I’m just gonna go-“
“Those fireflies…parang ako lang.” biglang sambit ni Julie. “Caught up in a huge jar of feelings that I had and still have for you.” Hindi sya nakatingin kay Elmo at nakatitig lang sa garapon na hawak ng binata. “Never stopped trying to find a way to escape, to get out. Kasi….nasu-suffocate na ako e, ang hirap nang huminga. Ang tagal, ang tagal ko ring nakakulong. And I’ve never felt so relieved when I finally got out.”
Pagtingin nya kay Elmo’y ito naman ang nakayuko at nakatingin sa baba. Tumango-tango ito at tila naunawaan na ang gustong sabihin ni Julie. “I get it.” He tried to sigh the heaviness away but it was too difficult. He smiled at Julie. “Sorry.”
“Paasa ka kasi e. E kung umamin sa akin agad, di sana ako nahirapan ng ganon.”
“For the record, I wasn’t aware that I was falling in love with you. Nung na-realize ko…you were…you were already too close to me. And I thought kung sasabihin ko sa iyo, I might lose you and our friendship. I can’t lose both.”
Unti-unti nang gumaan ang pakiramdam ni Julie at napangiti na sya kay Elmo. “So…ikaw pala ang in love sa ‘kin. I was right.”
“Tse.” Sagot ni Moe. “Whew. That was awkward. Oh.” Saka na nito binigay kay Julie ang garapon. “Sa iyo na iyang mga alitaptap mo at iyang aso mo. Uwi na ako.”
“Really? Pumasok ka na nga sa bahay mo at matulog. I knew it. I shouldn’t have told you, you will definitely use it against me.”
“Ako rin may speech, di pa nga tapos e.”
Nakahawak na sa nakabukas na pinto ng kotse nya si Elmo pero hindi pa sya makasakay dahil kay Julie. “Niloloko mo na lang ako e.”
“Iyong feelings ko para sa iyo…hindi ako pinatahimik, hindi ako pinapatulog nang maayos minsan, hindi ako pinapakain nang matino minsan. And whenever you’re around, hindi moa lam, sobra kong pinipilit na hindi ipahalata. Dahil kung may takot ka, meron din ako. I used to hope n asana isang araw, you will walk to my door and tell me na you feel the same. I used to wait for the moment when you would realize I am more than what you see. I used to…dream about us, being more than friends. Until I got exhausted and everything felt pointless. Alam mo bang, sinubukan kong mag-move on sa iyo without eliminating your existence from my life and imagine how hard that was for me. Trying to unlove you while being with you. Pero nagawa ko, or at least I thought I did. Kaya lang, sablay e.” Julie tried to hold back her tears while smiling at him. I even came to the point when I was so angry at myself and I kept on asking…hanggang kelan ba ‘to? How long will I have to secretly love you? How long will I have to bear hiding this feelings na hindi ko kayang sabihin sa iyo? How long will I have these stupid butterflies? I guess…as long as…I don’t really know. Well… ayaw talaga maalis e.
Umiwas ng tingin si Elmo at hindi na naitago ang mga ngiti. He closed the door of the car and turned to Julie again. “So, you’re saying?”
Nagkibit-balikat si Julie. Well siguro…between my fear and you…I’m finally choosing you, too.”
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