continued...
LISSY
“Miguel, turn that thing off.”
“But cuz—
“I SAID TURN IT OFF!”He jumps in his seat, and the phone slips out of his hands. Shrugging, he turns the thing off and chucks it into the nearby couch.
“Sorry, Cuz.”
“I’m sorry too,” I tell him, putting my hand on my forehead.
“But she’s really getting on my nerves.”
“Nah, that wasn’t Anj—
“I don’t care! Whoever that is!”
“Hey guys, what’s the problem?” Duke asks, coming in through the veranda’s sliding door.
“What did I say about mobile phones?” I demanded as I see what he was holding.
“I was just checking on Trina and Chrissa.”
“How are they?”Duke smiles at the sudden change of my expression.
“Chrissa’s just worried about how they’re gonna bring home all the stuff that Trina had bought,” he says, then he grabs the tumbler beside me.
“Other than that, they’re fine. Where the hell’s Julian? 7-Eleven’s just next door.”We were in Duke’s condo unit for Deliberations night. We’ve just spent six hours trying to put people into proper positions for the next sem. And as they have different priorities, preferences, and talents, it felt like we’ve been trying to solve an extremely difficult Sudoku puzzle. Heck, we even have to take into account the people who wouldn’t want to be put together because of their issues. Put in the fact that some of them are graduating and some have full academic load and some are literally professional slackers, and all six of us are now goners.
“Where’s Carla and Margs?”
“They’re with Julian,” Miguel patiently tells me.
“Remember? We told them to get food. You wanna take a nap?”
“No sleeping until this is finished,” I tell him sternly, jerking my laptop open.
“You look like you badly need sleep,” Duke says.
“What’s up, Lis? The sem’s over. What are you busy with?”
“The shop and DMC,” I say shortly. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him exchanging glances with Miguel.
“Since when have you been on nonverbal-signal terms?” I demanded, raising a brow and folding my arms across my chest.
“This is so weird.”
“Well compared to your recent behavior, us being friends is totally normal,” Miguel quips.
“Seriously, Lis. What’s wrong? Tell us, before the others come in.”I puffed air out of my nostrils, feeling frustrated.
“Define cornered,” I snipe, but I find myself giving in.
“You boys are such a pain in the neck!”The door chooses that moment to burst open.
“Hey Lis,” says Julian, smiling from ear to ear.
“Look what I brought with me.”I raised a brow, expecting him to bring out pizza, then I fell out of my chair.
“Hi,” said Seth, smiling as he came in through the door.
“Uh, Lis, what’re you doing on the floor?”Duke, Miguel, Carla, Margs and Julian all exploded into impossible fits of laughter as I tried to stand up, my face red. Even my ears felt hot.
(I am so going to kill them all after this.)“Nothing, I just fell out,” I told him.
“What’re you doing here?”
“I ran into them at the convenience store,” Seth explained.
“Then Julian said I should drop by, so here I am.”
“Hey, don’t look at me,” Julian says with a funny expression.
“It was Carla’s idea.”
“Excuse you! Lis, believe me, it was his!” Carla snapped.
“Chill out!” I said with a laugh, holding both hands up to stop them.
“It’s okay.”
“No it’s not.”We all looked at Duke, who was staring at us with a silly expression on his face.
“Intruders are not allowed in here,” he says, then he proceeds to grab me and Seth by the shoulder.
“Dun kayo sa labas!”The other joined in as they all went to push us towards the veranda, laughing all the while.
“HOY! I’m the President! You’re not supposed to push me around like this!”
“Sus! Gusto mo rin naman,” Miguel mumbles as they finally managed to get us out of the sliding door.
“Enjoy!”
“Hey! The delibs will still resume in 5 minutes!”
“The delibs will resume when we say so,” Duke says, sticking his tongue out at me.
“Bye!”
“Duke!”I put my hands on hips but they closed the sliding door with a thud.
(They even pulled the curtains down for full effect. Psh.)
“Those kids,” I say, then I turn to face Seth.
The atmosphere turns thick and awkward as he avoids my eye and puts his hand on his nape. I folded my arms, waiting for him to say something.
“Still mad, I see.”
“Yes,” he says, making me raise a brow.
“At myself above all else.”He smiles, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“I’m sorry for being so dramatic,” he now says.
“I guess it just got to me. Seloso lang. Sorry naman.”It was my turn to stare at the floor.
(Pwedeng gumulong? Pwede?) 
“Sorry din,” I say.
“I guess I was a little insensitive. Sa totoo lang, magagalit rin ako kung kayo ni Erika narinig kong nag uusap ng ganon sa harap ko.”
“Erika?” he asks.
“Nah. It’s completely different. It always bugged me, you know, how he knows everything about you, how you two share quite a history...”
“History? Why would that even matter? The only thing I care about now is the future. AKA you.”He lets out a huge laugh, and I take this chance to step forward. Taking both his hands, I pull him towards me.
“Stop it, I’m blushing,” he joked, and we ended up in fits of laughter.
“No. I promise. Never again.”
“And if you’re mad at me, just say it. Don’t go off the radar and not talk to me for two weeks.”
“Yes, that one too,” he replies, tightly enclosing my hands.
“You’re not allowed to be jealous of anyone anymore. From now on, I’m all yours. Okay?”
“Uh,” he says uncertainly.
“You forgot DMC but that’s okay, I’m not complaining.”
“Aww!”Seth and I turned our heads towards the window at the same time, and then there was a crash.
It turns out the other five were huddled in a small space behind the sliding door, opening just a little part of the curtain so that they could watch us without showing themselves.
“ARAY!”
“Carla! Ano ka ba!”
“Nahuli tuloy!”Seth pushed the sliding door aside and the two of us towered over the mess of limbs that was Duke and the others.
“Get off me, Julian!” Carla yelled.
“Ano ba Carla ikaw nga tong may hawak saken!”
“Wag na kayong maglandian! Bitaw!” Margs said, pulling the two of them apart.
“Agh! Margs paa ko kasi yun!”They got out of their crumpled heap and stood up, throwing each other daggers with their stares.
“Aaand... the moment has passed,” Seth tells me with a groan.
“I have to get going.”I pouted.
“Screw delibs,” I say, and then he goes to give me a tight hug.
“See you tomorrow?”
“Yes, but make sure you get enough sleep.”
“Sure Dad.” 
“I mean it, Louise.”
“Umuwi ka na nga,” I said, jokingly pushing him towards the door.
“Magsesermon pa eh.”
“Kinikilig naman,” 
Miguel scoffs.
“Eh sumama ka na kaya palabas?” 
“HAHAHA!”“Ayan, ako nagsponsor nyang pagkain ah,” Seth says just as he got out of the doorway.
“Don’t give Lis a hard time, guys! You know I’m watching.”
“Yes Sir!” said the five of them, doing a salute.
“Bye!”
“Salamat sa pagkain!” Seth gave us a final wave, and just when the other five turned their backs on us to dig into the pizza, I blew him a good night kiss.
BIANCA
“What did you do?”I looked up at Gem, our co-intern, who was gritting her teeth as she took the seat beside mine.
“Hello to you too,” I reply lazily as I resumed with filing my nails.
“May I know what that sentence actually means?”
“His nose is bleeding,” she hisses.
“What happened?”
“I think he tripped. Wouldn’t take a genius to figure that one out, would it?”She rolls her eyes.
“Stop this, I mean it. You’re getting out of line. What did he even do to you?”
“It’s not my fault that he’s stupid enough to trip over his own foot,” I replied, blowing the dust off my nails.
“Over his own foot? You think I didn’t notice the Gucci bag that just happened to be in the way when he passed by?”
“Galing no, biglang lumitaw. Magic? Kanino kaya yun?”
“Stop fooling around, Bianca, I do happen to know that you’re the only one in here who can afford a Gucci.”
“If you’re so interested in him, why don’t you seize this chance to get to know him? Get a wet towel and wipe the blood off his nose. That should get you a dinner date.”
“You know what, maybe I will,” she says, and with a last murderous glare, she leaves my cubicle. I chucked my nail file into my vanity kit and closed it.
“Bianca? Your Dad wants you in the board room,” said Janice, my Dad’s secretary. I give her a smile and stand up.
“Can you bring Carlos along too? I’m in a hurry and I can’t find him.”
“Okay.”Ugh. Now I have to call him and bring him around the area.
Looks like I got myself another boss.
I went to the clinic and found him there, clutching a hanky against his face.
“Carlos?” I say, trying to look cheery.
“Hi. 
They want us in the board room.”
“Okay,” he replies, and he brushes the nurse off when she attempts to stop him.
Pati ba naman yung nurse.
“Feeling better?” I ask, feigning concern.
“Yup. Thanks.” He gives me a small smile and I try to return it, although I think I ended up looking constipated instead.
“Why do you think they want us in the boardroom?”
“Maybe it’s about the presentation tomorrow.”
“Good luck with that,” he tells me.
“First slot right?”
“Yes. Thank you.”We turned to the left corridor, and then I stopped in front of a door.
“The boardroom’s through here,” I say, gesturing towards it.
“Can you go ahead and tell my Dad I’ll be there in a minute? I need to go to the washroom.”
“Got it.”I turn and hear Carlos opening the door, and then it closes with a little squeak. I go back and turn the knob, and then I hear a small click.
Hah. Mabulok ka dyan ngayon.
“Bianca?”S hit.
“Ehrm. Hi Dad.”
“Who’s in there?”
“No one,” I said, my eyes wide with innocence.
“Bianca?”F uck, of all the moments he could have chosen to call me out-
“Bianca? Bianca! Are you there? Where is everyone? There’s no one in here and I can’t open the door!”Ugh. Bwisit pahamak ka Dellosa kahit kelan!
(Akala ko makakaganti na ko. SIGH.)
“We’ll talk after the meeting,” my dad says coldly, and I had no choice but to open the door I just locked.
