Stuff that makes a reunion a no-go. (Old friends, new spark)

Here we go, the second part. Would someone make the first move? Idle hands get tired too.

"Kinasal ka na pala, 'di mo ko ininvite." He said all of a sudden. Of all the people who were present in the drinking session, he was the only one who wasn't on my wedding day. I struggled for a reason. Why would I invite him?! What for?!

"Wala ka sa radar eh. Wala 'kong number mo." I replied quietly.

He smiled. "Kumusta naman ang married life? Ikaw pa lang ang may asawa sa grupo ah."

"Oo nga eh. Medyo mahina mga manok natin eh."

"Masaya ba?"

I stopped and looked at him at the question. I puffed on my cigarette hard then let the smoke out of my nostrils. I am happy of course, I thought to myself.

"Well, it's not. It's difficult. No, not that...I think the right word is challenging." I smiled at him. He was looking at me intently, waiting for me to continue. Gawd, those eyes. Does he know what I am feeling right at that moment? I am dying! I was screaming that in my brain. But I tried to continue. "Tulad ng sabi ng mga nakakatanda sa atin, di biro mag-asawa. Pero, good thing I'm very good friends with my husband. May pag-aaway pa rin naman syempre pero all good." He dragged puff. "Parang di ikaw yung tipong magpapakasal nung college tayo eh. With your feminist leanings, para ka pang lalake." We both laughed at that. This guy used to think I'm like a guy!

"Ay grabe ka, pre. So ngayon kita naman na di ako lalaki di ba? I got married and bore a son!"

"Oo nga eh, lalaki panganay mo. Ang galing. Baby girl naman next?"

"Ay only boy lang yan. Isa lang gusto ko eh."

"Eh bakit naman?"

"I feel that I cannot love another kid the way I love that one"

"Talaga? Baka sabi mo lang yan?"

"Sabi din nila yan. My body, my rules"

"Well, tama ka dyan"

I didn't want to go back to our table yet. The Christmas breeze felt really nice. The chill was tingling and I was tipsy. I stood a bit nearer to him. "Freaking cccoooold!" I whispered.

He laughed, "Isang yosi pa?" He was offering me the lighter. Of course, I'd love to stay alone with him for a bit more. I took it and lighted another one. We were quiet for a few minutes. I wondered what's going on in his head just like what I used to do way back. I wanted to know if he still has a girlfriend but I didn't want to sound nosy. So of course, the natural question was, "Eh ikaw? May balak ka magkapamilya?"

He answered quickly, "Oo. Siguro. Ok din makita mga junior ko."

"Meron na bang mi-misis-in?"

He was quiet. He didn't respond. He dragged a puff again. Then finally spoke, "Meron dapat kaso...ala na eh." Oooh, so no girlfriend. Kaya pala he was intent on meeting us.

"Why? What happened?"

"Let's just say we weren't very good friends"

He used my line. Did that make any effect on him? We were really good friends back then. We would go together book hunting, watching foreign films, hanging out in the National Library. Oh, the memories.

"I see. Alam mo yan." I told him and raised my eye brows. He laughed. He knew that we were good friends back then. He'd constantly look for me when I'm not around, asking our classmates for me. Then, these classmates would tell (more like report) that he asked about me. I'd go crazy whenever that happened.

"Tagal ko ring walang balita sa 'yo ha," he said, patting my shoulder. His hand was warm. Don't leave my shoulder hand... "Ano na ba mga pinagkaka-abalahan mo?" he asked then politely withdrew his hand.

So, all of a sudden he's interested. Well, I'd have to feed his curiosity.

"Let's see...Nung unang mga taong nagtatrabaho ako, nagpalipat-lipat din ako ng kumpanya...blah-blah-blah..." I could see that his eyes were moving from my face to by chest. I tried not to notice and looked somewhere else. So, you're checking me out, man. That night I made sure, he'd at least notice something. I wore something lose on the chest area so it would "innocently" reveal some cleavage when I move. "Alam mo ba nagbanda ako for a short time!" I told excitedly. "Chong, 'yung mga kabanda ko ng maiksing panahon, mga conio kids, pero magagaling in fairness."

"San kayo tumugtog?"
"Sa may Pasig area, malapit sa Me----. Dalawang gig lang 'yun, pero, panalo ang feeling. Nakaka-miss na nga eh."

"Ayus, ka pala eh. Kami rin ni K----, yung mga classmates nya sa arki dati, sila ang mga kabanda namin. Madalas kami dito sa E--- kaya medyo nasawa na rin."

"Nice, nice. Do you have female vocals?"

"Di pa namin na-try. Pero gusto ko 'yun gawin kasi nga okay yung babae ang bokalista sa mga ibang mga kanta eh. Pwede ka ba? Jam tayo minsan."

Eto na nga ba sinasabi ko eh. This is it! "Oo, 'pre. Gusto ko yan. Tinatawag na 'ko microphone at stage. Salamat, chong." I motioned a fist bump to him and he offered an open palm. I let my fist land on it and he held it in. "Namiss rin kita kausap, chong." He was tipsy. This is good.

I laughed. I know our friends were looking for us or watching us already. I didn't care.

"Ganun talaga, chong. There's no-one like me." I told him. I removed my fist from his hand and gathered his shoulder towards me. He didn't stop me or avoided his body with what I did. I'd never done anything like that to him. Ever. The only skin contact we ever had were fist bumps and high fives, and that one time in a hall in State University where we were watching an Asian documentary. I had to lean beside him real close that our shoulders were side by side because he was asking a question. That's pretty much the kind of action I got in college. What a loser.

"We should do this often, tulad noon." he said and he placed his hand on my waist. On my fucking waist!! I was stunned with the reciprocation of my gesture. It was so fucking surreal. Walang sisira nito, tangina, please lang, I was screaming in my head. Something like this happened only in my dreams, so there's no fucking way this should be ruined. I never thought he actually liked talking or being with me back then. He was a mystery that I had to deal with almost everyday for more or less 4 years in university. One day he was so enthusiastic to be chatting with me, walking around anywhere with me then the next he'd be so withdrawn that I feared he hates me. But that night, he was holding my fucking waist and not letting it go.

"Okay lang, chong. Text mo ko pag may jamming o gusto mo mag-kape." I told him.

"A---, we're the proletariat! Kape?!" He suddenly guffawed. This guy is the most low maintenance person I know but he splurges on books.

"Ililibre kita, wag kang mag-alala."

"Beer na lang!"

"Okay, ako naman sa isa pang bucket."

I wanted to hug him. I can't believe that in more or less 6 years, it was only happening that night. But I was not going to be aggressive. I don't know what I wanted to happen. Everything that was happening was more than enough. I was happy.