Seated outside the cafe, Glezee is with Sharmaine enjoying their iced coffees whilst enjoying the sunset in Tierra Bonita Bar & Cafe. The black interior of the establishment embellished with various houseplants can be seen from the outside as it is surrounded by glass windows. After finishing her shift, she immediately told her friend about everything that has happened to her so far. Her friend, on the other hand, was caught up in some kind of trouble with Dr. Charles. It turns out her friend saw the doctor with a woman who was crying so she tried to flee from the scene without being caught thus twisting her ankle.
"So that's why he feels responsible for your ankle." Glezee adjusted her glasses as she took a sip of her coffee. "Shouldn't you be happy then? He's your crush after all. And why were you trying to escape? You could have just walked away slowly."
Her friend made a face. "He dared to accuse me of stalking him."
"But weren't you really stalking him?" Pang-iinis niya dito.
"I wasn't! Napadaan lang talaga ako doon. At bakit parang kinakampihan mo pa si Charles?"
"Oh? First name basis na kayo?" Tukso niya.
"Heh!" Tinawanan lang niya ang reaksyon ng kaibigan niya. "Ang mabuti pa, let's just enjoy the view. Ang ganda pa naman ng sunset. Kaya huwag mo ng tapunan ng kape si Sir Kyungsoo dahil tama siya."
Speaking of Kyungsoo, he told her he would see her again. Maybe it was the alcohol and not him. Either way, he was nowhere to be found. It's not like she's looking for him. She's been in the cafe for about twenty minutes but there was no sight of him and the sunset was about to fade away any time soon.
"Bumawi ka lang next time kay Doc Jin. Baka magtampo iyon."
"Hindi naman siguro. We had breakfast together. Quits lang sila ni Kyungsoo."
"Kung hindi ka ba naman tamaan ng kidlat diyan."
"Eh, di sana inuna ka na ni Lord?"
"Nah, mahal ako ni Lord." Saka ito tumawa at inilipat ang pansin sa pag-inom ng kape nito.
She adjusted the sleeves of her knitted sweater feeling the cold breeze blew her naturally curly hair as she took a sip of her coffee. She likes her coffee strong. And how she wished she was as strong as her coffee. How does one even get rid of the 2 years worth of memories that turned out to be lies?
"Glezee?" Her eyes widened as the man with a familiar voice approached their table. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized the voice even without looking at its direction, and it broke once more. There he stood in his plaid shirt with the same pair of green eyes she used to love and the dirty blonde hair her fingers used to combed through. "Wow. I never thought I'd see you here. I mean_ you weren't even answering my calls so I'd never thought you'd_ Wait... You didn't know about my gig?"
Napatanga lang siya dito. If they hadn't broken up, she would've ran up to him and he would've opened his arms and wrap her in a tight hug. But now, she can even hardly say something.
"And why the hell would she care to know about your gig?" Her friend snapped.
"Oh, nandito ka rin pala Sham." Ngumiti ito sa kanila. Why does he seem to be so comfortable? Siya lang yata ang affected masyado sa break up nila. "It's really a surprise to see you guys."
"What are you doing here, Usui?" She finally managed to ask.
"I was hired to play for tonight." He grabbed a chair and sat with them. "And since nandito naman din ako, I might as well fix things up with Glezee." His eyes looking apologetic at her.
"Do you really think_"
"It's fine, Sham." She gave her friend a reassuring smile. "I'll call you when I need help. Promise."
"I'm telling you, Usui. Kapag pinaiyak mo na naman ang kaibigan ko talagang sasama-in ka na sa'kin." Sham said before walking away to give them some privacy.
"Your friend is very loyal to you." Usui said with a sad smile, scratching his brow, his head down looking guilty. He then looked up to meet her eyes, grabbed her hands and held it tight. "I'm sorry. I realized what a fool I was for betraying your trust. I'm really sorry. I can't do this without you, Glezee. I want you back. Please." His hands may be warm but she wouldn't be fooled by the fake comfort it gave. Kahit na gustohin pa niya hindi na pwede. "Please give me a chance. I swear I won't fail you this time."
She hated how his words could still sway her rational thoughts if she listened to her heart. But she's had enough of that fake love. If it was real it shouldn't have hurt so bad. He wouldn't have cheated on her multiple times. Heck, even once should be enough. But she was stupid to believe he would change because she was stupid enough to love that man.
"Gomen ne, Usui." She slowly pulled her hand away. "I don't think I can do that. You see, I know it wasn't the first time you cheated on me. I've always known. I just chose not to say anything about it." He looked surprised and regretful. She smile sadly. "But I got exhausted. Albeit, I didn't realize it sooner. But now that I have, I also learned that it doesn't matter how many chances I give or how much I love you. You will cheat whenever you want to. And I'm not having any of that. Even if I still love you."
She stood up ready to leave but he held her hand once more. Even more tightly this time. She can feel her tears starting to gather in her eyes. Damn it.
"I'm not backing off. I'll show you how sincere I am. Unless you found someone else, I'm not.." His voice broke, "I'm not going anywhere."
She sniffed before turning to him. "Suite yourself, Usui. But you'll need to excuse me. I have to meet someone. You better prepare for your performance." She flashed him a smile.
Walking away in a quick pace, she curled her hands into fists hard to prevent herself from turning back. She needed to get out of there before her mind betrays her. Not giving him a chance was the wise decision, wasn't it? The longer she stays with him the cloudier her mind gets. Her vision started to get blurry with tears when she found a familiar figure standing by the pavement just outside the cafe with his back facing her. She walked towards him without even thinking why. What could he possibly do to help her in this situation?
"Matte, Glezee!" She heard Usui called from behind her. She hurried towards the man wearing a bullcap and holding a phone to his ear. Naiiyak na natatarantang lumapit si Glezee dito. She needed to get rid of Usui before she fall for his stupid lies. Again.
"Sir, pwedeng pakiss? Sa cheeks lang promise!" Tanong niya sa lalaking nakatayo sa harap niya ngunit nanatili itong nakatalikod. She didn't wait for him to respond, and tiptoed to lean closer as her lips aimed for his cheek. However, just when her face was so close already, the man turned to face her. She felt her blood drained from her face as it was too late for her to retreat. She saw how his eyes widened as her lips touched his. She stood frozen in her position until she heard a voice from his phone and she finally was able to pull herself away.
"Hello? Kyungsoo?" His hand was still holding the phone to his ear. "Are you still there?"
"I'll talk to you later." He kept his phone inside his pocket without breaking his gaze from her. She doesn't know what he is thinking as he remained poker face. But his eyes seemed more intimidating than the first time she saw them.
"Sir Kyungsoo... h-hindi ko talaga sinasadya..S-sa cheeks lang naman talaga ang plano ko.." Nanatiling nakatitig ito sa kanya tila pinag-aaralan ng maigi ang mukha niya. Ang lakas ng tibok ng puso niya parang mabibingi siya. "S-sir, kasi...Nandito yung ex ko at...at.."
"Why are we back at calling me 'sir'?" That's when his sinister grin started to surface. While looking intensely at her, he brushed the side of her lips using his thumb. "Hindi ko inakalang ako pa talaga ang napili mong pagtripan. You're bold, Glezee." He then let out a laugh. Nakakatakot ang tawa na iyon. "Oh well, what's done is done. Pinili mo ito kaya panindigan mo. And if you want to convince him you should call me by my name at the very least."
"What do you mean?"
"Excuse me." Usui's voice interrupted them. "You forgot your coffee, Glez." She turned to the man who disrupted her thoughts that led her to do this idiotic stunt. She took the cup of coffee from him and thanked him. She couldn't meet Usui's eyes. She's afraid of what she might see in them. It could be a look of nonchalant or he could feign a pained look. Surprisingly, she felt an arm wrapped around her shoulder, giving her a firm squeeze.
"And you are?" It was Kyungsoo.
"Usui. Glezee's friend."
"Is it true, yeobo?" He turned to her. "Friends lang ba kayo?" His eyes glistening with mischief. What did he just call her?
"Y-yeah, you can say that."
"Ang labo yata ng sagot mo, yeobo? May nililihim ka ba sa'kin? 'Di ba, no secrets tayo? This is how an honest relationship should work." That man was actually pretending to be her boyfriend!? Hindi niya alam kung dapat ba siyang magpasalamat sa pagsakay nito sa kalokohan niya o mag-alala sa kahihinatnan ng kalokohan nilang iyon.
Nanatiling nakatitig siya sa mukha nitong nagpapa-cute. Anak ng patis! What a sight to see! She was brought back to reality when she felt him squeeze her arm.
"Aw! H-he's actually my ex-boyfriend." She smiled widely showing her teeth.
"Ah, I see. Ex-boyfriend ka pala ng girlfriend ko. That's explains why you talk to her in a familiar manner. I get it. It's all in the past now, keureochee?" Nakangising lumingon ito sa kanya pinisil ulit ang braso niya. All this time his arm was still wrapped around her shoulder. She doesn't have any rational explanation why but it felt somewhat safe and comforting.
She matched his grin with her bright smile and nodded. She tried so hard to make it look convincing. Dapat makumbinsi nila si Usui para matapos na ang kalohokang ito.
"Kung ganoon, wala pala dapat akong ipagselos. Mahirap na kapag nakipagbasagan ako ng mukha sa mismong engagement party ng kaibigan ko." He let out another laugh. Ano bang pinagsasabi nito?! Nagmumukha itong psychopath sa harap ng ex niya. When he recovered, he faced Usui with a calm face. "You must be the saxophonist for tonight. I'm Kyungsoo, her current boyfriend." He said while throwing her a sideway glance. "We'll get going now. Excuse us."
KYUNGSOO brought her to the rooftop deck of the establishment where there are only a few people around. He pulled a chair for her to sit near the edge where they can both enjoy the view of the sun setting. Bakit parang masgumanda yata ang view?
"Bakit mo nga pala ako dinala rito?"
"Maganda ang view dito. Lahat makikita mo. Pati ang kahibangan ng ibang miyembro."
Napansin niya ang munting kaganapan sa garden area kung saan biglang umilaw ang serye ng mga munting bombilya na nakalatay sa sanga ng mga puno exactly after the sun has set. Nagmistulang malafairytale ang buong lugar. She saw a woman, and a man who seemed to be Jimin in the middle of the garden. Mukhang nagkukulitan pa ito nang biglang pumainlang ang kantang A Thousand Years sa saxophone which must be the courtesy of her ex-boyfriend with a piano accompaniment.
Kitang kita sa mukha ng babae ang bakas ng pagkagulat nang lumuhod si Jimin sa harap nito. Narinig rin niya ang singhap ng mga taong kasama nila sa rooftop. Nakikiusyoso rin pala ang mga ito. Pati si Kyungsoo na ngayon ay hinubad na ang bull cap na suot nito.
"You never left my mind after that little encounter we had in Han River. You're the only fan who refused to stay in contact with me after I asked for your media accounts saying it wouldn't be good for my image. So I thought, maybe you were really genuine about supporting me in my dreams even though you were a total stranger. From then on I knew I had to be closer to you. That's why after we have decided to end our journey as a boy band I went looking for you. And my heart is forever grateful for having to meet you the second time around. I finally found my home, Pat. And it's you."
"What are you trying to say, Jemen?"
"And the way you murder my name.." Jimin let out a laugh, his chinky eyes vanishing into thin lines, as he took out a little ring from his pocket. "I will never let anyone have the privilege of calling me such unless it's you. What I'm trying to say is I love you, Pat, with my whole heart, from head to toe. Maubos man lahat ng balahibo sa binti mo."
"Tse! Pasalamat ka mahal din kitang singkit ka." Naiiyak na sabi ng babaeng tinawag ni Jimin na Pat.
"At dahil masakit na ang tuhod ko sa kakaluhod, pero okay lang dahil ikaw naman ang view ko, will you do me the honor of being my wife? Miss Patricia Gayle Rocamora, will you marry me?"
Tuluyan ng naiyak ang babaeng si Pat. "Yes, Jimin. I will. Kahit ilang beses mo pa akong alukin ng kasal. Yes na yes!"
After Jimin placed the ring on Pat's ring finger, the two shared a loving kiss in the middle of the most romantic set up in El Pacifico. Binaling ni Glezee sa tira niyang iced coffee ang atensyon dahil naalala niya ang aksidenteng halik kanina. When she lifted her gaze from her coffee to him, she saw Kyungsoo staring at her. Bwisit. Wala siyang kawala ngayon.
"Looks familiar ba," He teased. "Yeobo?"
She choked.