“You have reached your destination,” the robotic voice from Waze said, which prompted Eunbi to stop her car. She took a deep breath before taking her cellphone to call Hyewon.

“Hello, Hyewon. Nandito na ko sa UP. Nag-Google Maps lang ako. Nasa tapat na ko ng building niyo. Wait? Pwede ba kong magpark dito?

“Hello, Eunbi. Nandito lang ako sa lab. Wait lang. Puntahan na kita. Pang-prof kasi ‘yung ibang parking spots diyan.”

“Okay. Mag-hazard na lang muna ko.”

Eunbi is feeling giddy. She’s trying to search for Hyewon in the crowd of students that came out of the building exit. Sometimes she can’t believe she’s doing this. She’s actually starting a possible relationship with a college girl. A part of her, the mature and boring part, is telling her that this is stupid, immature, and probably gonna end up badly, but some hopeful, uncynical, and kinda lovesick part of her is telling her that she should be excited and that this feels so right.

Then, she sees her for the first time. Her eyes searching for something, probably looking for her car. Eunbi thinks it’s kinda stupid that she forgot to tell her the model of her car, but Hyewon looks to her direction and smiles.

“Ikaw ba ‘yung nasa pulang kotse?” she heard Hyewon say through the speakers.

“Oo. Nakita na kita,” Eunbi immediately answered and opened the window of her car. Hyewon spots her, lips breaking out into an even bigger grin.

Hyewon ended the call, put her phone in her pocket, and walked straight to Eunbi’s car, not breaking eye contact for even a second. Eunbi thought that her cheeks might hurt later because of this smile that she can’t even shake off even if she tried.

When Hyewon reached the side of her car, she leaned down, waved at Eunbi, and said “Hi.”

“Hi,” Eunbi replied “Pasok ka sa kotse? O magpa-park ako somewhere?”

“Gusto mong kumain sa Maginhawa?” Hyewon asked.

“I don’t know. Kahit saan mo gusto. Teritoryo mo ‘to eh,” Eunbi said with a giggle.

“Okay.” Hyewon hopped in the car and put on the seatbelt. Eunbi just watched her, still smiling. “Park ka na lang dun sa other side ng parking lot. Dun lang pwede ‘yung students eh.”

“So lahat yan for profs?” Eunbi asked, looking at the large empty space.

“Oo,” Hyewon chuckled. “Mayayaman mga prof namin eh.”

When Eunbi finished parking, she looked at Hyewon and said, “Ngayon alam ko na kung saan ako magpa-park next time.”

“May next time?” Hyewon asked, her heart beating fast.

“Siyempre,” Eunbi said, a blush creeping on her cheeks. “Kung gusto mo lang naman ng next time.”

Then, Hyewon answered, “Di pa tayo nagkikita, gusto ko na agad ng next time. Lalo na ngayon na nakita na kita.”

They were just looking at each other for a whole minute, taking in each other’s presence.

“Eto na ba ‘yung lunch date natin?” Eunbi quipped, a hint of mirth in her voice. “Kasi okay lang naman sa ‘kin na dito lang tayo.”

“Ah—hindi. Kakain tayo somewhere. Tara?”

As soon as they got out of the car, they looked at each other and smiled. Eunbi walked around to meet Hyewon.

“Gusto mong mag-IKOT o lakad na lang tayo?” Hyewon inquired.

“Sobrang layo ba?” Eunbi asked, seriously unsure of this new environment. “Magjeep tayo? Curious ako kanina sa mga jeep na nakikita ko eh.”

“Sige.” Hyewon chuckled. “Lakad tayo dun sa waiting shed.”

They walked side by side. Their hands touched briefly, as if they wanted to hold hands but were both too shy to go further. They waited silently by the shed. A jeep with the words TOKI was fast approaching.

“Diyan na ba tayo sasakay sa TOKI ba yan?”

“Hindi pa. That’s a different jeep. Sa IKOT tayo sasakay. Yung TOKI yung reverse route ng IKOT,” Hyewon explained.

“TOKI…IKOT? Ang witty ha?” Eunbi laughs. “So merong dalawang jeep sa UP?”

“Six, actually. Katipunan, MRT, Philcoa, tsaka SM North,” Hyewon proceeded to explain. “Tour guide mo ako ngayon.”

The two looked at each other and chuckled together.

“Dapat pag-aralan ko ‘yung mga lugar dito sa school mo. Baka mapadalas ako dito eh,” Eunbi said. Hyewon tried to supress a smile when she realized what the older woman was implying. Gusto niya kong laging makasama.

After a while, Eunbi spotted a yellow jeepney with a sign card that says “IKOT.”

“Ayan na, IKOT! Paparahin ko na ba?” Eunbi excitedly asked. 

“Ang cute mo talaga,” Hyewon commented, grinning at Eunbi. “Sige. Parahin mo na.”

They boarded the jeepney and settled down. Eunbi wanted to pay for the fare, but Hyewon beat her to it. As the jeepney moved around the campus, Eunbi looked around.

“So, yan ‘yung Sunken Garden. Diyan ginaganap yung UP Fair. Sa Feb, kung gusto mo, pwede tayong manood. Baka tumugtog UDD. Diba gusto mo sila?”

“Oo. Favorite ko sila. Sana pwede ako.”

“Sa gabi naman ‘yun. Kaso inaabot ng super late,” Hyewon explained.

“E di magleave na lang siguro ako,” Eunbi said. “Mapapadalas yata leave ko para sa’yo.”

“Hala, sorry. Wag kang magleave para sakin,” Hyewon looked at her with apologetic eyes.

“Ano ka ba? Okay lang ‘yon. Nang magamit ko naman mga leave ko,” Eunbi said with a laugh.

When they rode past a building that says “UP Health Service,” Hyewon pointed her finger to the building and told Eunbi, “Dito yung Health Service. Naalala mo ‘yung araw na isunugod namin si Yena sa ospital dahil dun sa pepper spray? Diyan namin siya dinala.”

+++

+++

Because of all the commotion that happened, it took hours before Hyewon was able to reply to Eunbi.

+++

+++

“Naalala ko sabi mo sakin ‘You better be alive, well, and intact when we meet.’ Alive, well, and intact naman ‘di ba? Medyo haggard lang sa kakaaral pero pwede na ‘no?” Hyewon asked with a chuckle.

“Oo. I’m glad you’re well enough to meet with me.” Eunbi’s eyes were soft as she looked at Hyewon. “More than ‘pwede na,’ actually. You look really good.”

“I look tired,” Hyewon said sheepishly.

Before Eunbi could retaliate, she was cut off by Hyewon yelling, “Para po!” The younger girl then beckoned Eunbi. “Tara, Eun. Dito na tayo.”

As they walked to their destination, Eunbi continued their conversation. “You hardly look tired. You’re still pretty. Even better than the pictures.”

“Ikaw rin. You look so beautiful today. Like 100 times better than the pictures. Not saying na pangit ‘yung pictures. Because you’re super pretty there. I’m just saying you’re super pretty right now. Sorry, I’m kinda rambling,” Hyewon apologized, letting out an awkward laugh. “I’m just glad that you’re here now.”

Hyewon led Eunbi to the stairs. She decided to bring Eunbi to a relatively fancy restaurant inside campus, Chocolate Kiss. She wanted her first date with her to at least be special. The meals are a bit more expensive than her usual choices, but she figured it would be worth it. Eunbi is special. She deserves special treatment. They arrived at the restaurant and settled down.

“Text ko lang si Yena,” Hyewon said as Eunbi browsed the menu. “Baka kasi matulog lang sa klase namin mamaya. Mahirap na. Baka may i-announce prof namin.”

Eunbi furrowed her brows in worry. “Magka-cut ka ng klase?” She didn’t want Hyewon to compromise her studies for her.

“Twenty minutes lang naman na pa-late,” Hyewon reassured. “Ayos lang yon, Eun. Ayoko namang pumunta ka tapos wala man lang isang oras tayong magkasama. Tsaka ten minutes late palagi ‘yung prof namin. Ten minutes lang mamimiss ko. Wag kang mag-alala.”

“Di mo sinabi sa ‘kin,” Eunbi looked at her with sad eyes. “Dapat nag-resched na lang tayo. Ayokong maapektuhan pag-aaral mo dahil sa ‘kin.”

“Di ka masamang epekto sa pag-aaral ko. Kabaligtaran pa nga eh. Lagi akong ginaganahan mag-aral kasi lagi akong good mood dahil sa’yo.” Eunbi still looked apprehensive. Hyewon carefully took Eunbi’s hand that was resting on the table and squeezed it. “Eun…don’t worry, okay? It’s just a few minutes of one class. Gusto lang talaga kitang makasama. It’s our first time seeing each other. I don’t want it to be short. Let’s just enjoy our time together. Please?”

Eunbi sighed. She didn’t want to ruin their first date, so she smiled at Hyewon and squeezed her hand back. She’s holding hands with Hyewon. She sort of can’t believe it. “Ikaw talaga. Basta sa susunod wag ka nang magpapalate sa kahit na anong class nang dahil sakin, okay?”

“Okay. Promise.” Hyewon smiled. “Order na tayo? Masarap ‘yung devil's food cake nila dito.”

After their lunch, they rode a jeep back to Hyewon’s building. They walked to Eunbi’s car. Eunbi was reluctant to go, but she knew she had to because Hyewon still had her class. Her eyes suddenly widened when she remember something. She quickly unlocked her car and opened the door to the backseat. She took a National Bookstore paper bag out and handed it to Hyewon.

“Ano ‘to?” Hyewon asked as she tried to feel the content from the outside.

“Buksan mo,” Eunbi told her. Hyewon pried the stapled bag open. She checked the content and saw that it had three yellow pads.

“Thank you, Eun.” Hyewon smiled. She can’t believe Eunbi remembered that one time she told her about needing to buy yellow pads all the time.

“Di ko kasi alam kung mahilig ka sa flowers kaya naisip ko yan na lang bilhin ko para sa’yo para magagamit mo talaga. Di ka na mauubusan niyan ha.”

“Oo.” Hanggang second sem ko na to,” Hyewon chuckled, but her expression immediately became somber when she realized that she had to say goodbye to Eunbi already. “I wish we could spend more time together. Sorry sobrang saglit lang.”

“Don’t worry about it, okay? May next time pa naman.” Eunbi smiles. “Paano? Alis na ko. Para makapasok ka na.”

Hyewon sighed. She wanted to stay and just spend more time with Eunbi, but the older woman insisted that she attend her class. Hyewon understood, she’s glad that Eunbi cares so much about her. She watched sadly as Eunbi got in her car and buckled up. Eunbi opened her window.

“Ingat ka sa pagdadrive, Eun. Text mo ako kapag nakauwi ka na ha?”

“Oo naman. Sige na. Pumasok ka na. Wag mo kong masyado mamimiss.” Eunbi told Hyewon playfully.

“Imposible yata yung hinihingi mo.” Hyewon shook her head, a soft smile gracing her lips. “Bye, Eun.”

“Bye, Hye.” Eunbi smiled and started to drive off.

Hyewon watched as the car bounded into the street until it was no longer visible. She walked to her class. Thankfully, it was a large class, so the prof doesn’t really notice when people come and go. She sat beside Yena who was, as she expected, dozing off. She tapped her best friend. Yena woke up with a sudden jolt. It’s a good thing she didn’t make any noise.

“Langya naman, Yena. Sabi ko sa’yo wag kang matutulog eh.”

“Hindi ah. Ngayon lang ako nakatulog. Wala namang sinabi si sir na announcement. Baka mamaya pa.”

“Sabi ko magnotes ka eh,” Hyewon glared at Yena. “Di kita ililibre ng pancit canton.”

“E di sa’yo na ‘yung canton. Sus. Humiram ka na lang ng notes kay Doyeon. Ayun oh. Nagsusulat siya.”

“Sige na. Hihiram na lang ako.” Hyewon shook her head. Yena then suddenly smiled at her, remembering something.

“Kumusta pala ‘yung date mo?”

“Sobrang worth it nung pagpapalate ko sa class, Yen. Gusto ko na ngang magcut eh. Kaso ayaw ni Eunbi. Ayaw niya raw na siya magiging dahilan ng pagpapabaya ko sa pag-aaral. Ang bait-bait niya. Ang sarap kausap. Tapos sobrang cute. Binigyan pa nga ako nito oh.” Hyewon showed the contents of the paper bag to Yena.

“Yellow pad? Bakit yellow pad?” Yena asked, her brows furrowed.

“E kasi nabanggit ko na nauubos agad ‘yung yellow pad ko. Kasi di ka kasi bumibili ng sa’yo.”

“Gago. Bakit mo naman kinukwento yon sa jowa mo? Kakahiya naman.” Yena scratched her head.

“Di ko pa jowa. Sira.” Hyewon hit Yena’s arm lightly and smiled.

“Sus. Dun na rin punta non.”

Hyewon lips curved up into a smile at Yena's words.

“Sana.”

AN: Di aagawin ni Doyeon si Hyewon. Wag kayong mag-alala. Hahaha. Sana nagustuhan niyo tong update. Comment lang kayo kung nagustuhan niyo yung story. :)