I: Accidental Audience

Every 4:10 PM, Zoe Reyes clocked into her unofficial second job: being the unpaid background music of Saint Madrigal High.

Her workplace? The school's dusty old music room na parang haunted.
Her boss? The busted piano na laging nangangamoy pawis at luma.
Her salary? Inner peace.

She was halfway through her dramatic rendition of River Flows in You nang may biglang krrrkkk sa likod. Pumasok ang isang nilalang.

May suot siyang polo na parang sininop gamit ang ruler, may hawak na thermos, at may salamin na mukhang laging nalalaglag.

Soren Rivera.

Top 1. Math team. Chess club. Can probably calculate the velocity of heartbreak.
Also, only speaks English.

"Hi," he said, voice as gentle as his awkwardness. "I wasn’t trying to spy. I was just… following the sound."

Zoe blinked. “...You’re not a ghost?”

"I don’t think so, but I did drink expired milk this morning."

Okay. Definitely human. Weird, but human.

II: The Boy Who Commented on Her Left Hand

The next day, may nakadikit na yellow sticky note sa piano.

“Your tempo fluctuated slightly near the bridge. Still, it was… compelling. - S”

“Aba’t music critic?” she muttered, scanning the room for hidden cameras. “Nag-practice ako, hindi nag-audition for ‘The Voice.’”

But the worst part?

He was right.

So when Soren showed up again, Zoe greeted him with:

“Welcome back, Simon Cowell.”

He looked confused. “Is that... a compliment?”

“Not really.”

He smiled anyway. “You play like you’re mad at someone.”

“Thanks. That’s the vibe I’m going for.”

III: Musika at Mga Thermos

Over the next two weeks, Soren kept coming back.
Parang laging may radar siya kapag tinutugtog ni Zoe ang piano. Bigla na lang siyang lalabas na parang multong nerd.

And weirdly enough, she didn’t mind.

“Why are you always carrying that thermos?” tanong ni Zoe isang hapon habang tina-type niya ang chords ng She’s In The Rain.

“It keeps my tea hot. My throat needs protection.”

“From what? Emotion?”

Soren chuckled. “From your sarcasm.”

Touché.

Sometimes, he’d sing softly while she played.
English songs lang, syempre. ‘Di mo pwedeng ipa-kanta ng Buwan ‘to — baka isipin niya moon ritual.

Pero kahit 'di niya gets lahat ng jokes ni Zoe, he listened.

And Zoe, who usually hated talking to people, somehow found herself talking too much around this awkward tea guy.

IV: The English-Speaking Crisis

“So… you and the Thermos Boy?” tanong ni Rica, BFF ni Zoe-slash-chismosa-in-residence.

“Wala ‘yun. Practice buddy lang. Background noise. Thermos with legs.”

“Sure ka? Kasi ‘yung ngiti mong ‘yan parang G-Clef na hindi na-stress.”

Zoe rolled her eyes. “Excuse me, I do not smile in musical metaphors.”

But even she couldn’t deny it anymore.
Every time Soren adjusted his glasses while singing, or said something painfully honest like "I admire your discipline, Zoe," gusto niyang i-CTRL+ALT+DEL ang puso niya.

Problem was… how do you flirt with someone who thinks “ligaw” means “lost”?

V: Operation: Translate My Feelings

“Plan A: Mag-confess,” sabi ni Rica.
“Plan B: Maghintay ng sign.
Plan C: Drop dead and let the ghost of your love haunt him."

Zoe chose... Plan D: Awkwardly make him sing Can’t Take My Eyes Off You habang siya’y nasa piano, tapos titigan siya intensely.

It worked. Sort of.

After their spontaneous duet, Zoe blurted out:

“You sound like a... less annoying Michael Bublé.”

Soren beamed. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me today.”

“That’s sad, Soren.”

“I’ll take it.”

VI: Plot Twist with Passport

One afternoon, habang nagpapractice sila ng medley for the school variety show, Soren said the words Zoe didn’t want to hear:

"I might transfer schools next semester."

Zoe stopped playing. “Why?”

“My dad got promoted. We’re moving to the States. Again.”

Silence.

Zoe nodded, eyes glued to the keys.
Cool. Okay. No big deal. Not heart-wrenching at all. She only rewrote her entire recital piece with his voice in mind.

“So… that’s it?” she asked.

“I guess.”

Zoe scoffed. “Great. I finally find someone who listens, sings well, and understands when I rant about chord progressions… and he comes with an expiration date.”

Soren looked like a kicked puppy. “I didn’t mean to—”

“Stop. Don’t make it worse by being nice.”

VII: The Misunderstood Goodbye

Their last performance was in front of the whole school.
Zoe played. Soren sang. Everyone clapped.

But after the curtain fell, Zoe avoided him.

Until she found a notebook on her piano. Soren’s. Filled with:

Translations of Tagalog slang.

Doodles of her playing.

Lyrics of songs he wanted to sing with her.

And one post-it:
“If I were staying, I’d ask you to be my duet for life.”

Tangina. Corny. But effective.

VIII: Return of the Thermos

Four months later…

Zoe was playing again, alone.

Until… creaaaak.

She didn’t look up. “If this is another ghost—”

“I’m not expired milk this time,” said a very familiar voice.

Zoe turned. Soren. With the same glasses. And the same stupid thermos.

“I thought you left?”

“I came back. I… couldn’t find a piano player in California who made me feel like I was about to combust.”

“That’s your pickup line?”

“No. This is—”
He cleared his throat.
“Zoe, will you be my forever jam session?”

She blinked. “That was horrible.”

“Then it’s perfect for us.”

🎹 END.

Because sometimes, love is just awkward notes and thermos tea