Chapter 2

Anderson woke up at five in the morning even though he slept at two. The funny thing is, it's not Lana's memories that kept him awake. It was the memory of his eyes. Those blue orbs seem to suck him into the depths of the ocean. He couldn't shake the feeling like his eyes are hypnotizing him. And no matter how much he tried to forget about Kit Solomon, Anderson couldn't.

"Is that him?" Anderson asked himself when he saw a guy walking on the shore. He decided to approach him. And he was right. It was Kit. "Hey," Anderson greeted Kit with a smile.

"Hi! You're early." Kit greeted him back.

"Says who?" Anderson replied while laughing.

He decided to join him for a walk. They talked about a lot of things, but what they never talked about was Lana. Anderson told Kit that he was cheated on, which is why he was in Pagudpod. But Kit changed the subject. He wanted to focus their conversation on more positive things, happy things. So they talked about Anderson's life, his family, his band, and childhood friends. Anderson enjoyed talking to Kit.

"How about you? Where's your family? And why are you alone?" Anderson asked Kit.

"My family is in Metro Manila, and I'm not alone here." Kit answered him while smiling.

Anderson and Kit bonded the whole morning. Anderson was hesitant at first because he doesn't want Kit's friends to think that he was stealing Kit's time from them. But Kit happily said that his friends are old enough to know that they have their own lives. Anderson didn't notice it, but he no longer feels the pain anymore.

Since it was Kit who's been to Pagudpud before, he became Anderson's tourist guide. The first place he took Anderson to is the Bantay Abot Cave. Anderson was mesmerized by the beautiful structure of the cave and the clear water. Then Kit took him to the Bagong Lipunan Lodge ruin.

Anderson enjoyed the eerie yet calming ambiance of the old ruin. Its serenity gives him peace and a chance to realize that Lana is not the only person in the world. He can still find someone who would love him, truly love him. Unlike Lana, who cheated on him.

"Hey, are you okay?" Kit's voice made him turn around. He didn't even realize that he just walked away from him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just find this place so welcoming, so beautiful." Anderson responded truthfully. "Have you ever been in love, Kit? I mean, truly in love?"

"I don't know, Andy. I've cared for someone before. But I can't say that I've ever been in love." Kit answered again honestly.

"If you would fall in love, would you instead fall in love with a person who cheated on you or with someone who doesn't even know that you love them?" Anderson asked out of nowhere.

Kit wanted to answer but doesn't know what to say. Loving someone who already hurt you is stupid for Kit. Falling in love with someone and not being able to tell them is torture. Nobody deserves to experience things like that.

The last place they visited was the Dos Hermanos Islands. The allure of the islets gave a different kind of emotion to Anderson. His eyes were glowing, and Kit could see it. Without realizing it, a smile formed on his lips when he saw Anderson smiled.

They enjoyed a mouthful lunch at La Cocina de Consuelo, where they tasted the best of Pagudpud delicacies. Kit gets shy sometimes, especially whenever Anderson would grab his hand and drag him to somewhere that captured his eyes. Kit can see people look at them like they were some weird couples. But he can't complain because he doesn't want to destroy Anderson's mood.

"Wow! This is so beautiful!" Kit smiled when he saw Anderson turned around, amaze by the beauty of the Secret Green Hills. "Wow!" Anderson kept turning, enjoying the view, but he didn't notice that he got nearer and nearer to Kit.

"Whoah!" Kit almost stumble backward when Anderson hit him. It's a good thing that Anderson was able to hold his arms.

Both of them looked at each other's eyes; the confusion was written all over their faces. It was Anderson who first let go when he heard a group of people laughing near them.

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Anderson went back to normal as they walk back to the hotel room. It's like nothing happened earlier. What happened earlier? Kit thought to himself. He knew that Anderson is a straight guy, and there's nothing he can do about it. But there's something in the way he looks at him. Kit can see that. But assuming about something is like stabbing yourself. It's stupid and pointless. He tried to act normal in front of Anderson.

"Hey, where do you want to eat?" Anderson asked Kit excitedly as he looks around.

"I can cook if you want." Kit said shyly.

"Whoah! A rich guy like you? Seriously?" Anderson responded, trying not to laugh.

"You don't believe me?" Kit said in mock disbelief.

"Come on." He grabbed Anderson's hand and led him to the wet market. They bought everything Kit needed to make a Chinese-style seafood soup. Anderson was actually amazed by the ingredients that Kit bought. Almost all of them were new to Anderson's eyes.

"What are those things?" Anderson made a funny face when he saw what Kit was buying. Kit laughed, and Anderson went silent. He was staring at him that made Kit uncomfortable.

Anderson's eyes were nailed to Kit's face. He doesn't want to, but everything about Kit amazes him. Especially whenever his laughing, Anderson finds hi adorable.

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Kit didn't let Anderson help him while he cooks. He demanded that Anderson will just be at the counter and watch him. Anderson felt something backflipping inside of him, but he chose to ignore it. When he finished cooking, Anderson took out cold beers from the fridge inside his suite.

They had dinner together, and both enjoyed it. Being in Pagudpud with a stranger is somehow enjoyable for Anderson. He could have fun and not think about what the other person would think about him.

"You're a great chef, seriously," Anderson said to Kit with sincerity.

"Thanks. I guess that's one of my many talents." Kit joked.

"What other talents do you have?" It was a typical, harmless question, but he almost coughed his lungs out in shock.

"Here, drink this. Are you okay?" Anderson asked Kit after giving him a glass of water. Kit nodded as a response.

"You know what, let's have a drink. Yeah, I want to have a drink." Anderson exclaimed. For some reason, the atmosphere suddenly being awkward.

"Why? Still hasn't moved on from your bitch ex-girlfriend?" Kit joked. "But seriously though, you got to move one. She's not worth it."

"No, I wanted to celebrate our time here in Pagudpud." Anderson honestly said, and it made Kit's heart skip a beat. They looked at each other and smiled sheepishly.

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Anderson asked Kit to go to his room to prepare the movie they would watch while preparing their drinks and chips. When he arrived at his room, he brought ten bottles of beer and a bowl of chips. Kit was lying on his bed when he entered his room, his eyes focused on his laptop. Anderson looked at Kit, and for some reason, he felt so thirsty.

"Hey, you okay?" Kit asked him, full of concern. Anderson was standing by the door and was in deep thought.

"Huh? Yeah,—yeah, I'm fine. Let's drink?"