A week … no, more than a week had passed since Kate returned to Pangasinan, and in those seven days, a new kind of routine formed. A routine she never expected but secretly looked forward to.
Every morning started with a message. Without fail.
"Good morning, baby. Don't skip breakfast today. I mean it."
Kate would blush every single time, even if she told herself she was already used to it.
But she wasn't. Not really. It was becoming too easy to smile like an idiot every time her phone vibrated.
"Ikaw rin ah, kain ka rinnn."
At first, she thought it was just a post-hookup fling. Maybe a guilty flirtation. But it didn't end. Not after the ride. Not after that soft goodbye. Not even after a whole province lay between them.
They messaged constantly—quick updates, nonsense memes, occasional flirting. And sometimes, when the nights stretched too long, voice calls that lingered until one of them dozed off.
Frooze would send pictures of his blueprints, coffee-stained worktable, or once, a selfie with a pencil in his mouth and a half-tired smile.
"Babe, tell me to stop working and sleep. Need you to boss me around."
And she would reply, "Matulog ka na or I'll call your supervisor myself."
He'd respond with a heart.
Some days he'd tease:
"Miss mo na boses ko, aminin."
"Feeling mo lang."
"Hindi, baby. Ramdam ko eh."
She would scoff. But always, always end up smiling.
One afternoon, after a long duty shift at the hospital, Kate slumped on her bed and opened her phone. A message from him blinked on her screen.
"Baby, joke lang... pero what if pumunta ako dyan bigla?"
She stared at the message, heart skipping.
Was it a joke? Kasi if seryoso ito ay papatulan niya talaga.
She replied, "Baka masapak kita."
"Di mo ako papapasukin sa gate mo?"
"May aso ako, kagatin ka nun."
"Ehhh? Wala naman akong nakita when I was there."
"Basta meron."
"Pero gusto mo diba?"
Kate didn't reply for a minute.
Because he was right. She did like it. Liked him.
Too much, maybe.
And that's when it hit her.
What if…
She was falling.
Fuck!
This can't be…
She didn't know when it started, but somewhere between his good morning texts, his
sleepy voice at night, and the way he always asked how her day was—she fell.
But what were they?
No label. No clarity. Just... feelings.
Kate stared at their message thread, heart pounding.
She typed: "Frooze, anong meron satin?"
And then deleted it.
She tried again: "So... what are we doing exactly?"
Delete.
Instead, she sent: "Ang kulit mo talaga."
To which he replied: "Kaya nga bagay tayo."
She wanted to scream. Laugh. Cry.
All at once.
Because how can someone feel so close, yet still be a mystery?
And for the first time, Kate wasn't sure if her heart could handle another maybe.
---
It was a hot afternoon, buti na lang ay walang masyadong tao dito sa library. Kate sat at the corner table near the window, thankful for the silence. The old ceiling fan above hummed lazily, barely helping the heat.
She had dragged her friend Riz with her—not just because of their report that needed polishing, but also because she needed to talk. Badly.
"Grabe sa lawak ng campus natin dito mo pa talaga naisipan na tumambay? Seriously? Dito natin aayusin ang report natin? Wala naman tayong class for an hour and a half, doon na lang sana tayo sa main library. Look oh pawis na pawis na ako," Riz whined, fanning herself with a folder and scrunching her nose in annoyance.
"Magtiis ka. At least dito may upuan at tahimik. Kapag doon tayo sa main library ay baka hindi ako makafocus," Kate said, flipping open her notes, trying to sound casual.
The truth? She had no real intention of working on the report right away. She needed Riz. Ito lang naman ang kaibigan niya na never pa nagkajowa pero grabe kung mag-advice. Lagi nito siyang inaanadvice-san nung sila pa nung ex niya. And to be fair, most of her insights were spot-on. Logical. Blunt. Brutal.
So if there was anyone who could slap sense into her right now, it would be Riz.
Kate stole a glance at her phone. No new messages. She let out a sigh, barely audible.
Riz caught the look. "Uy, I know that sigh, kilalang kilala kita friend. Hindi mo naman talaga ako pinatawag para lang mag-polish tayo ng report hindi ba. Spill. Anong meron?"
Kate bit her lip.
"Promise, huwag kang magalit ha."
"Oh no. That's exactly the kind of sentence that makes me want to slap someone." Riz raised an eyebrow, lips twitching in mock annoyance. Parang prof na ready magbigay ng F.
Kate leaned in, lowering her voice. "I'm... kinda talking to someone."
Riz raised both brows. "Define talking. Akala ko ba heal ka muna? Na self mo muna?
What the hell happened?" Her voice was just a pitch above a whisper, her tone sharp.
Kate flinched at the slight raise of voice. "Shssss! Keep it down, will you? Kahit onti lang tao dito ay dapat we still must observe silence!"
"Mmmmp! See? Ako pa pinahirapan mo? Forda reason ka pa na kesyo wachuchu doon sa main library, eh magpapa-advice ka lang pala? So ano nga? Define talking?" Riz made a dramatic shushing motion with her hand then pointed two fingers at her eyes and then to Kate's like she was in an interrogation scene.
"Like… we message every day. Call at night. Flirt. Gano'n."
Riz blinked. "Kailan pa?"
Kate hesitated. "Since last week."
"And you didn't tell me?!" Riz's mouth hung open, offended.
Kate groaned, hiding her face with her notes. "Ano baaaaa? Ang ingay huh! Kasi nga...you'll judge me. Especially when you find out how we met."
"Oh my god, Kate. Wala pang 1 month na hiwalay kayo ng ex mo ah. Baka masapak kita dyan. Pasaway ka friend!" Riz crossed her arms, her nostrils flaring slightly. "Spit it out before I guess something worse. Give it."
Kate stared at her hands. "We met in Manila. Sa isang bar. One-night stand. Pero... we talked after. Tapos... ayun. Tuloy-tuloy na."
Riz's jaw dropped.
"Putek ka. You? One-night stand? Seryoso ka? Parang hindi ka naman ganun? Tangina mo talaga, ganyan nangyayare kapag broken! Bar bar ka pa ah, ayan nagkaroon ka ng panibago na problema." Her eyes were wide, mouth in full disbelief.
"I know! Don't remind me!" Kate whisper-shouted, hugging herself.
"One-night stand pero may string attach? Bago 'yun ah." Riz tilted her head, making a judgmental face.
"Confused nga rin ako why he kept reaching out to me. Manila boy siya so I assume na normal na yung one-night stand sa kaniya. He also said na he did bedded some girls before me…pero argggg, I don't really know!" Kate tapped her pen nervously against the table.
"Tangina mo, kaya siguro hindi mo macut-off kasi nasarapan ka?" Riz smirked, wiggling her eyebrows.
Kate blushed, images of her and Frooze's hot night suddenly flashed to her mind. "What the heck Riz!?"
Riz laughed, clearly amused. "And now you're what—flirting like high schoolers? Anong balak mo?"
"That's the problem. I don't know. I like him. Like... actually like him. But you know naman? I'm still in my healing phase? I'm confused, really. I don't know what to do."
Riz stared at her, face turning serious. "Kate. Girl. Do you even know his real name?"
Kate gave a sheepish smile. "Ceath. But I call him Frooze. Long story."
Riz covered her face with both hands, groaning. "Oh god. Oh god. Inlove ka nga. Holy shit, I know that smile!"
Kate laughed nervously. "I need your help. What do I do?"
Riz exhaled, leaning forward, folding her arms on the table like a coach about to give a pep talk.
"First, stop smiling every time he calls you baby."
Kate gasped. "How did you—"
"I'm your best friend, I know everything. Tinawag nga kitang baby dati ay kinilig ka? Ako pa talaga ang sasabihan mo niyan? Saka I accidentally peeked at your convo yesterday. I vividly remember reading a convo where someone is calling you baby. I thought it was your dad." Riz rolled her eyes, then giggled. "Anyways, siguro kaya ka na-fall agad ay dahil tinatawag ka niya laging baby?"
"Ehhh?" Kate pouted.
"Anyways ulit, second, don't fall until you're sure he'll catch you. Feeling ko kasi right now, you're walking a rope with no net. One slip and—boom." Riz made a dramatic cutting gesture.
Kate went quiet. That last line hit too close.
Because she was already falling.
And she wasn't sure if he was standing there—ready to catch her.
Riz wasn't finished.
"Third," she added, holding up three fingers, "Start asking the hard questions. Kung ikaw ang girl sa kwento, anong chapter na ba kayo? Chapter 3 pa lang ba or malapit nang ending? Pakiramdaman mo pero girl, klaruhin mo rin. Don't just ride the wave. Kasi baka pag napagod ka, ikaw lang pala yung lumalangoy."
Kate nodded slowly, her heart heavy but thankful.
"For now," Riz continued, squeezing her hand, "let it slide, pakiramdaman mo muna sarili mo. Give some hints girl! Huwag ka lang tumahimik dyan okay? Flirt with purpose!"
"Flirt with purpose?!" Kate laughed through her nose, surprised.
"Yes! For real. Hindi ka pusa na pwedeng maglandian ng wala lang. You deserve clarity. Don't be scared to ask for it."
Kate looked at her, eyes soft. "Thank you, Riz."
Riz shrugged. "Siyempre. That's what best friends are for. Now finish this outline or I'll report you to the dean as emotionally unstable."
Kate laughed, her heart lighter than before. But somewhere deep inside...
She still wondered if one day, she'd dare to ask him:
"What are we?"
And if he'd finally give her a real answer.