Chapter 78

It’s really her. It’s really, really her. I knew bago pa ko bumalik ng pinas that eventually, we’d see each other again. It’s just that, I didn’t really expect that day to happen so soon. Especially now, na hindi naman din talaga ako prepared to see her yet. I don’t know if that’s me holding back or prolonging the the wait before actually seeing her again. Either way, she came in like a wrecking ball.

As soon as I turned, I already knew it was her. For some reason nung mga oras na yon, I just felt like looking back. Maybe it’s because of the shutter clicks. Baka kasi may photographer and I was in the way. I was right. There was a photographer. Only that, it was none other than Lisa.

When our eyes met, I knew what I felt never changed. It was just like this everytime I see her. Kahit naman before nung sila pa ni Joohyun. It had always been like this. She still made me nervous. Her presence still affect me after all these years. I just learned the art of not really showing I was having an internal panic deep inside.

I smiled and she did too. So much had changed. I could tell. Kung dati, she’d avoid eye contact with me, now, she does not. Ewan ko if its because nagulat din siyang makita ako, or if it’s because just like me, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.

There are so many things I’ve noticed na nagbago sakanya. How the color of her hair changed, how she seem a lot more healthier now than before and how comfortable she is around me. I don’t know if ako lang yun but she did change. But so have I. We talked casually for a short while until ayain niya ko to hang out. I was surprised to know na nagluluto na pala siya ngayon. Which explain why she looks a lot healthier.

Nung college kasi kami, If I didn’t cook food, her go-to was cup noodles, which she kept a stash sa cabinet niya before sa dorm nila ni Jisoo because she knew magagalit ako if makita ko yun sa kitchen nila ni Jisoo. Which I found out anyway nung mag sleep over ako one time sa dorm nila. Tinabunan ng damit ni gaga para hindi makita. I had to laugh. She was like a kid that didn’t want to be caught. But then again, yung maturity level naming dalawa at that time was so forced. Mga wanna-be mature young adults lang kami that time. Acting as if kaya naming ang lahat basta magkasama kaming dalawa.

Ofcourse alam niyo naman ang nangyari. I hid stuff from her to protect myself from the judgement of my parents, made poor decisions that led me to losing Lisa and lisa losing herself from it all. One mistake after another led to a domino effect and naapektohan ang friendship naming with people. Most especially me with Joohyun and Lisa with Seulgi.

Kung tutuusin, sayang din naman talaga yung friendship. I never thought I’d loose someone like Joohyun as a friend to be honest. Kasi para nading kaming magkapatid before Lisa and her ever happened. She picked me up so many times eh. But I guess things happen for a reason. Kahit naman after naming maging civil sa isa’t isa, we never really reconnected again. Even after mag break sila ni Lisa. Bigla nalang siya nawala sa radar and no one actually knew her whereabouts. Well, at least ako, hindi ko alam kung asan na siya ngayon. Maybe alam nila Wannie, they just chose not to tell me for whatever reason that may be. Okay na din naman, I am not looking for her. Baka si Seulgi, pwede pa. But me? I don’t have anything unfinished with her. Sa kabila ng lahat, narealize ko that maybe you just aren’t supposed to rely on people every time. Sometimes, you gotta fight your own battles and pick yourself up from the ground. And that’s exactly what I did.

Now moving on to my unfinished business, Lisa. Do you even call it a business when it’s not really one? It’s just how people say it anyway. But maybe it’s better to say that she’s my unfinished love affair? Kahit pa natapos na ang lahat samin before, I never stopped loving her. I remembered what I said before. Mag iintay ako ng five years for her. I also remembered how she told me to stop waiting and I did. At least that’s what I told myself. Pero, I guess somehow, at the back of this stubborn brain of mine, I still waited. I waited unconsciously. I waited without really feeling frustrated. I waited without asking for anything in return, I waited in silence. I waited from a far. It’s been 4 years. Mag fa-five na next year, sa January. It’s December and I’m back in Manila and now, I found myself sharing a drink with her. Taking full swigs of beer straight from the bottle as she pours her heart to me, telling me the things that I’ve always wanted to hear, that she never really stopped l