CHAPTER 3

The discussion ended swiftly. It was almost quarter to one o'clock when the meeting ended and Zeidan's already sitting with us in the same table. Simula nang matagpuan siya ng mga mata ko at magsimula siyang sumali sa usapan ay hindi ko na naituon nang maayos ang atensyon ko sa pinaguusapan. Nanatiling pabalik-balik ang mga mata ko sa mga professor na nagsasalita pati sa notebook na sinusulatan ko. The meeting wasn't that long, but time felt slow, and I almost begged the god of air to take me far from here. Fortunately, I was heard and the meeting really ended before I emptied the air in my lungs.

Mabilis kong inayos ang mga gamit ko at nagmamadaling humakbang palabas nang office. Akala ko ay makakahinga na ako nang maluwag, ngunit mabilis din itong napawi nang marinig ko ang boses niya sa likuran ko.

"I never thought you were a dog," Inismiran ko siya nang sabihin ko iyon. "Are you a stalker?"

Umangat ang gilid ng labi niya habang mapang-asar na nakatingin sa'kin.

"Dogs only chase their owners," His eyes narrowed with mischief. "Unless you want to be my owner."

I felt something in my chest. It is unfamiliar, but it is painful. The beating of my heart grew louder, and I could only silence it by disapproval.

"Hindi ka qualified maging aso, mahiya ka naman." I scoffed. "Mas bagay kang tutubi, ang ingay mo."

His lips formed into a circle in disbelief. I thought he would stop following me, so I entered the drawing studio that is exclusive for MALAYA organization. The scent of ink and old paper greeted me upon stepping inside. Blueprints clung to the walls like silent witnesses, while plates and scaled layouts sprawled across tables as if frozen mid-thought. Every corner breathes life from the events reborn in graphite and ink.

"Is this MALAYA's room?" Zeidan asked.

Akala ko kanina ay wala na siya, ngunit nang magsalita ito ay doon ko lang napagtantong sumunod pala siya hanggang dito. Mariin akong napapikit bago bumuntong-hininga.

"What exactly do you need from me?" I asked in the calmest tone I could.

Nagsalubong ang mga kilay niya bago binawi ang tingin mula sa'kin. He approached the blueprints and projects of MALAYA while I placed my bag on my personal desk. I was about to repeat my question when he seemed to ignore it but stopped midway when he spoke again.

"What does MALAYA stands for?" He asked. Although I want to throw him out, I felt his sincerity, so I chose to answer him properly.

"Modern Architects' League for Aesthetic and Youthful Advancement," I answered. "It is a student-led creative movement composed of passionate architecture students who specialize in visual storytelling through design." I explained in a proud tone.

From exhibition layouts and stage installations to mural designs and student-led publications, MALAYA has always been bringing imagination to life and advocating for creative freedom, youth expression, and purposeful design in every school event.

"They're beautiful." He murmured. Hindi naman 'yon nakatakas sa pandinig ko.

It is the first day I've met him, and he was a stranger to me before the argument for a mere coffee in vending machine. I know that I should be ignoring him, but my mind says otherwise. He did nothing wrong. I was the first to start the argument in the hallway when he simply tried to take a coffee just like I did.

Mariin akong pumikit, sinusubukang kumbinsihin ang sarili sa isang bagay na hindi naman kailangan. In the end, I found the need to do it.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. I thought he would not hear it, but he turned his gaze at me. "About earlier. I would not apologize for arguing with you to have the coffee because I came first. But I am apologizing for hitting your hand when it wasn't necessary."

I wanted to smile and congratulate myself for doing the right thing. Pakiramdam ko ay nabunutan ako ng tinik at nakahinga na ako nang maluwag. It was the best thing to do. He went here to propose a collaborative project with the SACE department. Unfortunately, I am the head of MALAYA, the organization that leads the project related to their proposal. It would not be ideal if I am not in good terms with them.

I had a good intention. It wasn't just for me, but the SACE department that MALAYA will be representing under my leadership. Until my hopes turned into ashes when he picked another argument.

"You don't sound sincere," He raised a brow. "I came first."

I glared at him. Hindi siya nagpatinag, bagkus ay nakipaglaban pa sa'kin nang titigan.

"Nauna ka pala, edi sana hinulugan mo kaagad." I sarcastically shot back. "Hindi 'yong naghintay ka pa ng kaagawan sa kape."

"I was waiting for Chase to come back," He defended, mentioning the name of the other medical student from his team. "Don't worry. Next time, susubukan kong maghulog ng card sa vending machine para walang mag-assume na naghihintay ako ng kaagawan sa kape."

My frustration elevated because of his continuous sarcasms. Bumitaw ako mula sa pagkakatitigan namin at umirap sa hangin bago bumuntong-hininga.

"I was already apologizing to you, Señor." I scoffed. "What in the word 'sorry' did you fail to understand?"

"If you were to apologize, make sure to not alter anything from the story, child." He smirked. "Magsosorry ka na nga lang, gusto mo pang mangonsensya."

For a second, my jaw dropped, and I felt my head spinning in disbelief.

"Ano naman kung sino sa'tin ang nauna? Ikaw pa rin ang mali. P'wede ka naman pala sanang mag-energy drink, nakipagtalo ka pa para sa kape." I argued with my tone growing higher. "If only you did not waste my time arguing with me for the mere coffee, I could've taken that. I apologized to you, and I wasn't hoping you would apologize too, but at least you should've accepted mine. Isa pa, I am not a child."

I was fuming mad, and frustration was crawling around my head. I'm lost if I am annoyed because he could not take an apology, or because he called me a child.

I already apologized to him, but he seems to find it difficult to understand that. Kung hindi niya kayang humingi ng tawad pabalik, sana manlang tinanggap niya na lang ang paumanhin ko. It is the very first time I apologized to someone, and the outcome turned out this way. I could feel my heart shattering. I am so disappointed that I let my guards down and apologized to someone who deserves none.

Mabilis kong dinampot ang bag ko at kinuha ang mga folder na sinadya ko rito. Akmang maglalakad na sana ako para iwanan siya, ngunit natigilan ako nang hagipin niya ang braso ko.

A bottle of coffee welcomed my vision. It is a bottled espresso frapuccino from the coffee shop outside this campus. In a snap, I could feel my heart racing and silence filled the room until he spoke.

"This is the strongest they have, so it will keep you awake." Diretso lang ang tingin niya sa'kin nang sabihin iyon. "And I'm sorry. I was also at fault."

I lost words to explain the sudden silence in my chest, and how the world seems to be strange. The feeling was unfamiliar that it is terrifying, and I hate that it confuses my head.

"Celeste!" Ismael snapped me back to reality.

There was a proposal flashed in his laptop, and he is waiting for my opinion about the materials listed. On the left side of the screen were the sample pictures of the materials.

"I've upgraded the floor joists to cold-formed steel and layered thermal foam underneath. It is best to insulate the flooring and reduce heat from below." He explained when he realized I was staring at the sample picture of the floor.

"Will it be compatible with the vinyl flooring?" I asked him since I am eager to choose that style.

Vinyl flooring provides a warm underfoot texture while ensuring safety and hygiene. Its natural wood tone complements the soothing, home-like palette of the wellness space. For a wellness center, it is the most ideal flooring as it also features as an anti-slip for all ages and PWD accessibility.

While the MALAYA is under my leadership, the E-CORE is under his. It is a multidisciplinary engineering organization composed of Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, and Geodetic Engineering students. Their organization serves as the official engineering arm for school-sanctioned innovation projects.

It was past six o'clock in the evening when the discussion ended. Nauna na siyang umalis habang ako naman ay nanatili muna sa coffee shop na malapit sa campus. Ismael still has class from six-thirty o'clock until eight-thirty, so we discussed our project plan after his last class this afternoon which was four o'clock.

Ilang minutong nakatitig lang ako sa project plan na ginawa ng MALAYA at E-CORE. Three days ago, we conducted a meeting with the medical students from AUM to discuss with them about the site and location, including the financial limitations. That was also the last time I saw Zeidan since their professor decided to conduct the minor discussions virtually in consideration to the busy schedule of the medical students.

Blueprint for Healing is a student-led interdisciplinary project initiated by third-year students from the medical school as part of their research and field requirement under Community Health and Preventive Medicine subject. The project's primary goal is to design sustainable, low-cost mobile clinics and wellness centers for rural communities lacking access to consistent healthcare.

Rather than working with licensed professionals, they intentionally proposed a collaborative project to the SACE department in Casa Estrella University since it is well-known as the leading school for Architecture and Engineering. Their goal was to promote youth innovation, community-driven solutions, and student empowerment.

Being the president of MALAYA means it's part of my responsibilities to represent our department in collaborative projects like this. It is a challenging task to coordinate with students from medical school while managing deadlines and designing something real. But, it's also the kind of challenge that could mean something. If this succeeds, the MALAYA and E-CORE members would gain the project credits, recognition from the college, extra grade incentives, and even an internship priority.

The door creaked open, followed by a lingering chime that grabbed my attention. Ibabalik ko na sana ang mga mata ko sa ginagawa nang makilala ko ang lalaking pumasok sa coffee shop.

He's wearing blue cropped slacks paired with his muted beige knitted polo shirt. I gulped when I realized that my chest is in chaos again, and I'm getting used to how my heart forgets to beat at normal pace when he's around. Lumapat ang mga mata niya sa'kin na ngayon ay malamlam at malayo sa madalas na mapang-asar niyang mga tingin.

Nang makarating siya sa tapat ko ay humila kaagad siya ng upuan kaya mabilis na dumaloy ang pagtataka sa mga mata ko.

"Do we have a scheduled meeting tonight?" I asked in a curious tone. "Kung wala, ang layo naman ng kape mo."

"Walang coffee shop sa'min," He smirked. "Saka may sisingilin ako dito."

Mabilis na umangat ang kilay ko habang inaabot ang kape ko.

"Bumbay ka pala?" I reacted. "Ang gabi mo nang mag-five-six."

"Gabi lang din p'wede ang sisingilin ko," He turned his gaze at my coffee. "Baka kapag kinuhanan ka ng dugo, kape na ang mahigop ng karayom."

"Deadma sa basher," I sarcastically smiled. "Bawal umimik ang walang pambili ng kape."

I watched him smirked in disbelief. Natatawang napailing na lang siya bago tumayo at nagpunta sa counter. I watched his lips moved as he ordered and went back to the table before five minutes.

"Bakit ka nga nandito?" I asked again. "Stalker ka nga siguro. Ano ba kasi ang kailangan mo sa'kin?"

"I already told you, may sisingilin nga ako." He repeated. "Someone apologized to me five days ago, and I didn't accept that yet."

Sandaling kumunot ang noo ko, hanggang sa napagtanto ko ang sinasabi niya. Nagsimula nang magharumento ang puso ko, kinakabahan sa hindi malamang dahilan. Kahit pa hindi mawari ang sasabihin, umayos ako mula sa pagkakaupo at nilabanan ang tingin niya.

"Kaya nandito ka?" I scoffed. "Para maningil ng 'apology accepted' ko?" I laughed. "Gusto mo ipa-tattoo ko pa sa'yo para may remembrance ka, award mo para sa effort."

Pang-aasar ko, ngunit hindi ito natinag. His eyes were pierced through me until I saw his jaw slightly clenching. Malalim ang mga tingin niya sa'kin, sinasabing may gusto siyang sambitin.

"Come on, tell me." Paghahamon ko rito. I was about to speak again when his next words stirred my head and squeezed my chest.

"I want you in my bed."