A Page From Someone's Biography

"I just wanted a friend", Rie nagged at Keil as they walked towards Rie's house. Keil took a short moment to look at her face, then asked, "But why? You look pretty cute to me, though. Anong pumipigil sayo from making some friends?". Rie just smiled it off and dodged it with a scratch on her head.

"I... Pano ko ba sasabihin, there are reasons why I can't just befriend any person. Reasons that I can't tell you, at least sa ngayon. So please understand."

Keil saw a vending machine and stopped by. Iniwan nito saglit si Rie at bumalik na may dalang dalawang lata: isang iced coffee at isang canned juice. Inabot nito kay Rie ang juice at ininom naman ang sa kanya. Rie looked at the juice, then asked Keil. "Why not iced coffee, too?"

"Well, I don't think any girl would like to drink something bitter and strong, so I bought you something sweet.". This was the assumption of Keil, who does not have any notable experience with girls. Just as he sipped from his iced coffee, Rie grabbed it and swapped with the juice.

"I prefer the bitter ones, though".

Sabay ininom ang iced coffee ni Keil. Keil looked at her, then took her juice instead sabay sabing "No issues, then".

After about thirty minutes, narating na nila ang bahay nila Rie. "Gusto mo pumasok muna? Like kumain ka muna bago umuwi, nakakaguilty naman na hinatid at nilibre mo pa ako tapos wala akong gagawin para makabawi", pag-iimbita ni Rie kay Keil.

Ngumiti si Keil at umiling.

"It's fine, gabi na din eh. Mauuna na siguro ako".

Nagpaalam si Rie kay Keil bago ito umuwi, at nagpasalamat na din sa lahat ng mga ginawa nito sa araw na iyon. After waving goodbye to each other, pumasok na sa bahay si Rie. 

Meanwhile, Keil walked to the nearest station dahil nasa salungat na direksyon ang bahay nila. Habang pauwi ay naalala niyang ininom ni Rie ang inumin niya.

"I didn't really paid much attention to it, but now that I think about it..."

Napahawak sa kanyang labi si Keil at namula ang mga pisngi.

"I-indirect kiss!?"

Umiling-iling ito upang itanggi ang ideyang dahilan ng kanyang pamumula. 

"I mean, hindi naman siguro niya yun inisip as that way, right? She just like coffee more than juice, right? RIGHT? Gahhh, what the heck..."

Napabuntong hininga na lamang si Keil at naglakad na medyo namumula pa din hanggang sa makarating sa station.

"Na-realize naman niya siguro yun, diba?", tanong ni Rie sa sarili niya habang nakaupo sa kanyang kwarto.

"Earlier, that indirect kiss... I hope he realizes. He must've been fluttered about it, but so am I. But I wanted to do it. I wanted you to know, little by little. Hindi pa niya dapat malaman ngayon, but I now that he will sooner or later. That the girl from that night, in front of that shop down that dark valley, I was the one he met".

Rie.

"When she pulled me from the darkness, I started to see the world a little bit more clearly. I found out that there are also people who lived in that same old swamp bottom where she pulled me out from. Today, I realized that, through a girl I shall call by the name.."

Keil looked up the ceiling, and gave out a deep sigh. "What name should I give you in my story....".

He took a sip of coffee, and took a deep breathe in and out. He smiled, then took his pen.

"A girl I shall call by the name Riri".

Keil spent the whole night writing, making every bit of time count as tomorrow is Saturday. His head is constantly creating a whole storyline, so fast that he needs to write it down immediately or else it'll be erased from his memory.

"You can use my handkerchief if you'd like".

Keil looked around, as he finds himself amidst a dim road by a valley. He wanders around, as he hears a soft whispering voice from the unknown. 

"Keil". 

He looks around again, as he finds the voice familiar. As if he knows who the voice belongs to. 

"Keil, Keil...."

He begins to get confused. "This... This voice, it's no mistake Mary's voice... Pero narinig ko na to somewhere else. Mary??"

Keil began to panic, as his chest grew heavier each minute. Mayamaya pa ay may lumagabong.

Nagising si Keil matapos siyang mahulog sa kaniyang kama.

"Panaginip lang pala... Pero parang totoong totoo", napag-isip-isip nito.

Later that day...

"Text message from K.U.D.O.S. gang, Otep.

Guys, coffee tayo sa usual spot. G?"

Keil, who was at the moment doing laundry, stopped for a while to rest. He replies with agreement, then proceeds to prepare for their gala. 

2:30 p.m., in front of the café.

"Keil, dito!"

Keil, who just arrived, heard Drei calling him from the veranda of the café. Pumunta si Keil sa kanyang mga kaibigan at umorder na din ng kape nya.

"Black coffee, as usual", ang sabi ni Keil sa waitress. Tumango ang waitress at nginitian si Keil. Napatingin naman ang mga kaibigan niya sa kanya.

"As usual!? Regular ka ba dito, Keil?", tanong ni Drei. 

Tumango naman si Keil, "Yup, especially when I need coffee while writing."

Tinapik siya ni Drei habang nakatawa, "sikat na sikat ka talaga Keil! Nginitian ka pa ni Miss Ganda ah!", biro pa nito.

Tinawanan lamang ito ni Keil, at nagkuwentuhan na ulit silang magkakaibigan.

"By the way, sino yung cutie na transferee sa klase niyo Keil? That four-eyed short haired girl one??", tanong ni Sebb.

"Si Sebb talaga oh, napakababaero", biro sa kanya ni Uno sabay tawanan nilang nilang lahat. "Pero for real, nakita ko yung cutie na sinasabi mo Sebb na kasama ni Keil. Magkatabi pa nga sila eh habang nag-uusap", dagdag pa ni Uno.

Napatingin lahat kay Keil, maliban kay Otep na nakikinig habang nakapikit ang mga mata at tila may hinihintay na sagot.

"Ahh, si Rie. Cute ba yun? Sakto lang naman sa tingin ko. Tsaka makulit yun, pero in a good way naman."

Nagngitian ang mga kaibigan ni Keil matapos marinig ito, maliban pa din kay Otep na walang nagbago sa reaksyon ng mukha. " Ikaw ha, di mo pa nahahanap si miss celebrity meron ka na agad bagong pinopormahan ah!", biro sa kanya ni Drei.

Madiing itinanggi ito ni Keil, sinasabing kaibigan lang si Rie at wala siyang intensyong ligawan ito. Ng sabihin niya ito, gumaan ng bahagya ang ekspresyon sa mukha ni Otep. At sa pagbibiruan nga ng magkakaibigan ay dumating na ang kanilang mga inorder na kape. 

"One Americano, Two Macchiatos, One Creamy Latte and One Black Coffee mga sir", sabi ng waitress habang sineserve ang kani-kanilang mga order. Ng inabot na ng waitress ang kape ni Drei ay lumapit ito sa waitress at itinanong ang pangalan nito, only to be snabber by the waitress with a cold smile. 

Tinawanan si Drei ng buong gang, at cinomfort na lang ito gamit ang iced coffee nito. 

Napansin naman nilang mainit ang kape ni Keil kahit na hapon na, kaya napatanong si Uno; "Bakit naman mainit kape mo Keil? Ang init-init na kaya ng panahon".

Ngumiti lang si Keil habang nakatingin sa kape niya. He picked it up and took a sip of it, then let out a sigh of satisfaction. "Just like how I like it". Tinawanan lang ulit siya nila Uno, habang humigop ulit siya ng isa pa.

Sa sunod na paghigop niya ng kape ay naalala niya bigla si Rie. " I prefer the bitter ones, though".

Naalala niya ang indirect kiss, at namula habang umiinom ng kape. Pero higit pa sa indirect kiss, nagrelapse sa isip niya kung ano ang nangyari sa panaginip niya. 

"The voice, it seemed so familiar. Like someone I know, or someone I don't... Di ko maintindihan. Teka bakit ko ba naiisip to ngayon? This is weird. And awkward.", isip-isip ni Keil.