‘I’m so dumb.’

     I kept telling myself this exact same phrase for 2 days straight, 3 counting today.

     I was so fearless to ask for her name but here I am, three days have past since she went to our shop and ang kupad ko lang at wala pa akong any sort of progess with my want to talk to her. 

     ‘Dumb agad? Di pwedeng clueless lang?’ singit ni Ate El.

     Ah right, Ate Elise is here today.

     I asked her to come here to ‘hang out’ with me pero here we are, I’m asking her everything I can’t answer myself.

     Thank God I have Ate Elise as my cousin.

     ‘Eh Ate, it’s been 2 days na' I side-eyed her. ‘Hindi ba dapat ako yung mag-aapproach kasi I was the one who asked for her name first?’ I added.

     I’m embarrassed at myself for being this clueless yet wanting to advance into something that’s not just me being a girl that assisted her at our shop, a friend that’s all.

     She’s too cute not to be appreciated by me.

     ‘It’s not always like that Cat’ pagalit na sabi sakin ni Ate Elise.

     Siya kasi yung closest person na naisip kong kausapin other than Ning and Gi – Ate Rene’s busy and I don’t want to add anything else to her plate so I’ll let her know soon enough when the time’s right.

     ‘Ikaw ba, wala kang nakukuhang kahit anong approach from her?’

     I nodded a no.

     Though I was the one to initiate a conversation- barely a conversation, pero tama din naman si Ate.

     If she wanted to know me, she’ll make a move din.

     Maybe even meet me in the middle pero as much as wala akong nagagawa na kahit ano, it must probably be the same for her.

     ‘Eh why do you want to know her so bad ba?’ tanong ni Ate sa’kin.

     At this point hindi na ako makaimik sakanya.

     To be honest, my intentions are pure.

     I just want to know her based sa first impression ko and ayun, knowing na my parents could possibly be partners with hers in the near future, I can feel that a friendship between us will come anyways.

     I just want it to happen sooner.

     ‘Other than her being pretty as you’ve said for like a hundred times already’ nang-asar pa nga.

     Di na nga ako makaimik dito?

     Well, not that she’s wrong.

     Ate Elise arrived a little over 9 am at parang pagbangon na pagbangon niya ay pumunta na siya dito dahil dumating siya ng naka-pambahay pa.

     Kilalang kilala na niya talaga si Cat, her one and only homebody cousin, just like Liz.

     Right, sisters sila. Ate Jamie, Kuya Ben, Ate Elise then Liz, dami nila no?

     ‘Dapat pala si Ate Jamie nalang pinapunta ko’ I said while I adjusted my head on her . We’re currently laying down on my bed since Ate’s feeling sleepy pa nga pero since I have many questions for her, looks like she won’t be sleeping any time soon.

     ‘Wow ha, ang ungrateful mo’

     I briefly stood up from my bed, fixing my clothes na umangat na sa kakagalaw ko habang nakahiga before lying down on my stomach like how Ate Elise looks like.

     If I’m gonna be honest to her then I want to see how she reacts to the things I’ll say.

     ‘Remember me going to the National Museum sometime last week?’

     ‘Of course, tanong ka pa nga ng tanong sa akin kung san ka bababa at sasakay’ she meekly smiled at me.

     ‘I met her there’

     Flicking her head to look straight at me, nakita ko na agad yung mga mapanlinlang niyang mata, deduced into thin lines as if she was trying to read my mind.