By three a.m, I was already wide awake. Andrei's bed was vacant while Geon was snuggling with his pillow, still deep in sleep.

I prepared my clothes and went to the bath room for my morning rituals. Nang lumabas ako, nakabalik na si Andrei. Nakaayos na rin siya at nakasuot ng jacket.

"Sa'n ka galing?"

"Nasa labas na ang guide," sagot niya bago nilapitan si Geon at ginising.

It took two minutes of just rousing the kid to stir awake. By the time Geon was done preparing, fifteen minutes had already passed.

Kinita namin sa labas ng inn si Kuya Jerry. By car, hinatid niya kami sa jump-off point papuntang Marlboro hills. Then we got off to walk the rest of the way there.

I wasn't sure how long it actually took but it almost felt like we were walking in pitch darkness for a long time. Mga flash lights lang ang nagsisilbing ilaw namin. It was cold, so even though I expected to have a long trek, I followed Geon's advice last night and wore a jacket. Buti na lang.

Nakasabay namin yung grupo from yesterday kaya may namuo ng kwentuhan sa dalawang grupo namin. Geon was mostly leading the conversation, being the one who'd been to many places out of all of us. In the middle of the trek, a surprised yelp echoed in the air. The girl from the falls—her name was Haven—almost stumbled down on a rock dahil sa sobrang dilim.

Andrei, being athletic, was quick on his feet. He caught her and helped her regain her balance. Inalalayan niya si Haven at nakakwentuhan na rin until we reached our destination.

There was already a handful of a crowd in the high plains when we arrived. Most of them, kumakain na. Yung iba, bumibili ng pagkain sa mga tindahan dito.

Geon was saying he was as hungry as a wolf and went ahead to buy food and coffee for the three of us, leaving me alone with Andrei for a while.

"You think makikita natin ang sunrise?" tanong ko sa kanya habang naglalakad kami papunta sa maganda at di gaanong matao na pwesto.

Kagabi bago matulog, nagtanong ako kay Joan kung kamusta ang experience niya sa Sagada. She said she was disappointed because she wasn't able to see the sunrise during her time, due to the thick clouds rolling by.

I was hoping—praying—that we'd catch at least a peek of the sunrise today.

"Sana. It'll suck if we don't. Gumising pa naman tayo nang maaga."

"Right. And Geon especially wants to come here just for the sunrise. I don't wanna hear his childish whines following us back to Manila."

Andrei chuckled at what I said. "He's surprising, I'll give you that. He's not like that when he's around us. At least, hindi ganyan kakulit. Ganyan lang siya when you're around."

"You're saying he's mature when he's with you guys? Geon, mature?" I asked in incredulity, almost scoffing at the thought, as I found an empty spot for us to sit in. 

"Yeah... He has his quiet serious moments. Rare, of course, but it's there. He's not as obnoxious as he's showing himself to be right now with you."

I spread my mandala scarf and sat down on the damp ground. "'Di ko alam 'yan. I guess I've never seen that side of him because he's always been like this as far as I know. He's used to getting spoiled by my family."

"And you keep spoiling him."

"The same way you spoil your sister. I'm an only child kasi. He's the closest I can get to having a sibling."

"Point taken."

"So what about you then? Do you have hidden sides like that dork? You must have. That's the only way you'd be able to get along with his theatrics."

"Not at all. I hate to admit it but I'm as boring as they come. What you see is what you get."

I stopped myself from snorting. "You clearly don't know the meaning of boring. You're as far from boring as anyone I've ever met." I paused for a second and tried to form the right words. "Mysterious... is the right word for it."

"You think I'm mysterious?"

"Naturally. You don't speak a lot." When I saw his face, I laughed. "Why do you look so surprised?"

"I think you're mysterious—not me."

"I'm a pretty straightforward person, Andrei. It's either I am or I'm not. But you, you seem like a person who has a lot of grey lines. What those blacks and whites between your greys are though, I still have no idea."

"You can take a guess."

"Pinag-isip mo pa 'ko. I'm not the type who dwell too much on anything. Unless required, I won't trouble myself thinking of the what if's. And once I make a decision, I take action and get over it fast."

He nodded slowly, seemingly digesting what I said. "Yeah... I see that from you and I don't know if I'm scared or in awe by that."

"Nai-intimidate ka ba sa 'kin?" I asked more out of curiosity than anything else.

He shook his head.

"Then you're not scared."

"Maybe getting scared and getting intimidated aren't mutually exclusive."

"Sure, keep using intelligent words on me." I said with a light chuckle and wandered my gaze around. "Where's Geon? Ang tagal naman."

"Stay here. I'll get him."

I blew hot air into my palms to dispel the cold I was feeling. Tumayo naman siya at naglakad palayo para hanapin si Geon.The light was beginning to streak through the clouds when he returned.

Hawak na niya ang cup of coffee niya at inabot ang sa 'kin. I instantly felt better, holding its warmth between my palms.

I stood up and dusted off my leggings. "Si Geon?"

"Got held back by a girl. Susunod na raw siya."

"Sina Haven?"

"Someone else. Some other group."

Napatingin ako sa langit at napailing. "Unbelievable. The sunrise is almost here and he's out there flirting with a girl he just met."

"He's not flirting, if that helps. They're just talking."

I shrugged, not sold on the idea. "Yeah, talking. The preamble to flirting. It's all just syntax and technicalities."

"What can you do? Your bestfriend's everyone's friend," he said as he took a long sip from his coffee.

"I know. Kaya nga friends din kayo."

Soon, the sunrise was finally here, lighting up the horizon and unveiling the mesmerizing sea of clouds that were embracing the high point we were sitting on.

I held my breath as the sun rose up and up, kissing my cheeks like a warm breath. I pulled out my phone to take a snapshot, but no photos could do it any justice.

Andrei was mirroring the same wonderstruck look on his face.

"I've seen so many sunrises before but it still stuns me everytime," he murmured.

"Did you realize? This is going to be our first sunrise together," I murmured back, unable to take my eye off the breathtaking view. 

"It's not."

"It is," I insisted, not recalling any other sunrises I'd seen with him.

"Our first was when we went to Pagsanjan."

"Ah, yung sa kotse? That doesn't count. We were on the move then."

"It counts for me."

There was a faint sound of a shutter, forcing me to look away from the sunrise. Bumaling ako sa kanya at nakitang tinitingnan na niya ang screen ng phone niya.

"Did you just take a picture of me?"

"Something like this needs a digital memory. Like you said, it's our first sunrise."

"Kasasabi mo lang na 'di 'to ang first," I said. "Let me see the shot. Let's check if you've improved."

He showed me the picture. It was a snapshot of my side frame and the sun was pouring toward me like a soft glow.

"Nice. Gumagaling ka."

He smirked. "Learned from the best."

"Send mo sa 'kin later."

"How?"

"Viber, I guess?"

He looked lost. "I don't have social apps."

"Right. Just email it to me then."

"Okay."

When he nodded, I added, "You want me to take a picture of you?" Bago pa siya makatanggi, I already took a photo of him.

"Let's do a group shot," he was saying that but he was already moving closer to me and taking my phone from my hands.

In a click, he took our photo. We looked good and the photo came out good. Napapangiti na 'ko kapag naiisip kong may maiinggit kapag nakita 'to.

And I was right. In that moment, Geon came running toward us.

"What did I miss, what did I miss?" he said with a grin.

"Oh, dumating ka pa. Akala ko sa inn na tayo magkikita."

"Sorry, bes, I wanted to be here but the guys there held me back. I wanted to go but I was too shy to tell them."

I didn't buy that even for one second. "Guys or a girl?"

"Guys. They were all a traveling bunch din kasi e."

"That's not what I heard."

Geon blinked. "Why? Andrei told you I was with a girl? I wish."

"Whatever you say, Geon. P-um-osition ka na. Let's take a picture together."

As he eased into my other side, Andrei took a couple of photos of us. 'Yon lang ang ginawa namin sa mga sumunod na minuto. The novelty of seeing the sea of clouds, with the rays of the morning peeking through the gaps, elicited that warm and fuzzy feeling in my stomach again.

I was getting high and I couldn't get off of it.

"Let's go, they're moving na," Andrei told us, his eyes trailing to the other groups that had started to walk away. We followed suit.

Trekking down to Blue Soil took some time. We passed through towering trees and walked on uneven soil until we eventually reached a place where pointed hills in the color of milky blue were laid out in plain sight.

Napagod ako sa haba ng nilakad namin. I squatted down for a while to catch my breath. In front of us, the crowd was dispersing to find their spots and take their photos. Sa gilid naman, may lalaking naglalakad-lakad at kumukuha ng video.

Andrei handed me a bottle of water, which I took while muttering thanks.

"More exercise pa, bes," Geon told me, crouching beside me.

"Kaya pa?" Andrei asked, sitting on my other side.

"Just give me time to catch my breath."

"Don't push yourself too hard, bes."

"I'm fine. It just so happens na I'm not as athletic like you two are."

Geon wrinkled his nose. "That's a lousy excuse. Tell you what, I'll bring you to the gym with me if you want. Let's strengthen your stamina."

"With you? You'll only drive me crazy."

"If not me, then sino?"

"You want to go to the gym with me then?" Andrei asked, sliding a quick glance at me.

Geon let out a dramatic sigh. "Stop flirting in front of me, okay? Nakakahalata na 'ko." As he said that, tinulak niya 'ko with his elbows, causing me to lose my balance and fall over to Andrei's side.

I ended up hitting his crotch with my elbow, causing him to make a soft yelp of pain. I realized what happened and immediately pulled away from him.

My cheeks were heating up now. "Shit. Sorry. Are you okay?"

His face was reddening by the second and it was obvious he was covering the pain as he put a hand on his crotch area. Parang nahihiya, he turned around to hide his face from us.

Geon burst out laughing. "Goodbye, future kids."

Sa hiya at gulat ko, tinulak ko siya kaya siya naman ang na-out of balance patagilid.

Nang nilingon ko si Andrei, nakatakip na ng isang kamay ang mukha niya.

I grew even more embarrassed. "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay," Andrei said, without taking his palm away from his face.

"His thing is not hurt, bes, don't worry. But his pride is." Lalo pang tumawa si Geon. I gave him a scalding look, which of course he didn't pay attention to.

Andrei cleared his throat. Instantly, he was back on his feet. He couldn't meet my eyes.

"I'm okay."

Para matanggal ang awkward air, lumayo na muna ako sa kanila at kumuha ng mga litrato sa paligid. From the corner of my eye, I could see Geon punching Andrei in the arm and laughing his guts out. It took some time before I calmed down too.

I got so occupied by my photo-taking that I didn't notice they already came up to me.

Geon stretched his arms up in the air. "Bounce na. I'm hungry."

"Na naman? You're always hungry."

"Hello, growing boy here?" Geon said, putting a hand over his head like he was showing me his height.

Mukhang okay na rin si Andrei dahil nakakatingin na ulit siya nang diretso sa 'kin. I made a mental note to never bring the accident up again for both of our sakes.

On our way back, I couldn't stop the grin from taking over my face. Pauwi na kami bukas at wala na rin kaming gagawin matapos nito kundi mag-relax na lang. But I was already making a plan to talk to my friends and invite them here.

It would be so much fun kung kasama ko sina Joan dito. Even better kung masasama ko rin sina AJ at ang iba pa. I bet they would immediately fall in love with the food and culture here.

"I'm glad. You look like you had fun," Geon commented when we found a seat inside a restaurant for our brunch.

"I'm coming back here for sure. With my girl friends."

"Ey. We're thinking the same thing." He held a fist out which I bumped with mine.

I turned to Andrei. "You should bring your siblings here. Your sister will definitely love it here."

He smiled at the mention of them. "I should. Although my older brothers have already been here before."

"'Di kayo sinama?"

"May sarili silang mundo."

"So you're really closer with Jacob, 'no?" Geon chimed in. "I can relate. Ate Nally and Kuya Aurel have their own circle too. It's just me, myself, and I."

"'Di ka close kay Aaron? He'll be so sad when he hears that."

"I am, but he's a kid."

"So are you," Andrei replied.

Geon grinned like a devil. "Then I guess you both are hanging out with a little kid then." Nang 'di kami nakasagot doon, he whistled and threw an invisible ball in the air. "Three points for Geon."

"What's our plan after?" Andrei asked.

Geon leaned back lazily in his seat and shrugged. "I wanna rest. If you guys wanna have a look around the town or do other activities, 'wag n'yo na 'kong isama. I'm beat."

Napangisi ako sa kanya. "That's a first. I'll take a look around on my own then. You can go rest."

"I'm too antok na. Sorry, bes." He really did look like he was close to falling asleep any second.

Andrei asked me then, "Where do you wanna go after? I'll come with you."

I studied his face closely. Wala man lang bakas ng kahit anong pagod. "Don't you wanna rest? Get some sleep. You'll be driving tomorrow."

Umiling siya. "I wanna make the most out of this."

"If you insist then. So tara sa tourist office later?"

He nodded. "You up for more adventure?"

I grinned. "If you are."

"'Aren't you guys sleepy at all? We had a long morning," nagtatakang sinabi ni Geon.

"No," sabay naming sagot ni Andrei. Nagkatinginan kami at sabay na tumawa.

***

After having our brunch at Gaia cafe, bumalik na kami sa inn para mag-freshen up. Geon immediately passed out on the bed.

"Where should we go? Parang wala na tayong enough time for the other activities," sabi ko kay Andrei nang makalabas na kami ng inn.

"I asked someone earlier. They recommend checking the museum if we want."

"Oh. Yeah, we can go there. After that, where else can we go?"

He seemed deep in thought. "I don't know. Why don't we drop by the office and ask for something we can do na 'di time consuming?"

"I have an idea. Uuwi na rin naman tayo bukas, let's chill na lang. You want to try out the recommended restaurants here?"

"Aren't you full yet?"

"I am. But I have room for more. Let's just get their best dish and share para 'di tayo mabusog kagad."

"Geon will regret not coming with us."

"That's the whole point."

He chuckled.

"Alright, let's do that." Kinapa niya ang bulsa. "Can you wait for me here? I left my phone. I'll just get my phone real quick."

"Sure."

While waiting for him to return, lumipat ako sa Yogurt house at in-order ang best-seller nila. Kaunti lang ang tao ngayon, mabuti na lang din dahil 'di naman kalakihan itong lugar. It had a quaint and cozy feel to it, almost passing off as a temporary home to travelers. But then again, most of the places here radiated that same comfortability, like it wanted nothing else but embrace its tourists and make them feel at home. No wonder people kept going to Sagada.

It really was a home away from home.

My phone registered a message after a few minutes.

Andrei:
Where are you? 

Me:
Yogurt house.

Andrei:
Inside?

Me:
Yeah, I ordered desserts.

When our orders arrived at wala pa rin siya, I texted him again.

Me:
Where are you na?

Andrei:
Here.

I looked around but I couldn't see that familiar tall physique anywhere.

Me:
I can't find you.

Andrei:
I see you.

He walked up to me from behind. He brought chocolate bread with him which he was holding up to my view.

The yogurt in this quaint place was not that shocking or remarkable, but it was an enjoyable treat nevertheless. Presented in a mere plain chinaware, its taste definitely made up for its look. It had the right blend of sourness and sweetness to it, and the syrup added more flavor to it, which I liked. It was not as groundbreaking, but it sure was delectable enough.

I liked it but Andrei didn't seem to like it that much. He barely touched his while I finished mine to the last drop. I enjoyed how it just melted in my tongue like snow.

"'Di mo trip?" tanong ko sa kanya.

He gave a small, light smile and shook his head. Instead of the yogurt, he was feasting on the chocolate bread. "Not that much of a fan."

"Oh. I didn't know. Dapat pala iba na lang."

"It's okay. I wanted to try it din."

On our way out, we briefly asked a staff if she could suggest a place we could go to after. She recommended checking the museum, so doon kami dumiretso.

The museum was not that far. It was a small, intimate place filled with unique private collections that perfectly preserved and encapsulated the history of Sagada for everyone to see. The host himself was informative and she managed to tell us the history of the pieces in a short time.

"You must've visited a lot of museums over the years," I told Andrei after the brief session. I went to one of the sculptures and closely inspected it, admiring its perfect work.

Andrei was looking at an important artifact from one of the tribes who dwelled here. "Not as much. Except our eldest, my family doesn't really like museums. They prefer the more adrenaline-pumping trips."

"I find it fascinating how you're all so close with each other. Fun-loving, same interests, tight bond. Gano'n din naman kami but we're all girls so it's like second nature for us. But you, most of you are boys and from what my friends told me, some of you tend to keep to yourselves."

"It's how we were raised. We don't know anything else. When it's all you've ever known, you'll tend to seek out the same thing in others."

"That's how you're friends with Geon. Because he's fun," I pointed out. I knew this but it somehow became more solidified in my head.

"You are too. Fun, I mean."

"There's only one life," I said with a smile as I ran my gaze around the entire history of the community, preserved in the artifacts displayed here. "And making the most out of it is my ultimate goal in mine."

***

We continued our food adventure after we left the museum. Nasubukan na namin ang dalawa sa mga sikat na restaurants dito at papunta na kami sa pangatlo. I was full by the time we made it to Salt & Pepper.

I found us a table and grabbed the menu to figure out what to buy next. Meanwhile, Andrei stepped outside to call Geon. Ilang oras na rin naman ang nakalipas. I was sure he was starving by now.

I was getting bored while waiting for our orders to arrive, so I pulled out my phone to browse my social media account. Before long, nalipat na 'ko sa mga fashion brands na nakikita ko online. This was one of my hobbies and something I enjoyed doing in my free time. Lalo na ngayon na malapit na ang holidays at sunod-sunod na ang plans ng family ko.

We'd go out swimming for sure.

Andrei returned in that moment and took a seat across from me. "What are you doing?"

"I'm browsing for bikinis."

"What for?"

"For Christmas, in case my dad plans a getaway for us. Susunod ba si Geon?"

"'Di sumasagot."

"Baka tulog pa. Hayaan mo na."

Andrei nodded. His phone beeped and he tapped on the screen to type a quick reply to it.

Saglit ko siyang tiningnan, then an idea occurred to me. Since I was bored, I might as well find something fun to do.

My lips twitched as I reached my phone out to him and showed him the screen. "What do you think? You think this will look good?"

He raised a brow at me and then looked at the photo that I was showing. It was a simple red two-piece swimsuit. "Yeah."

"And this?" This time, I showed him a black single-shoulder one-piece swimsuit.

With no expression on his face, he nodded again. "It looks good."

Damn. Why was it so hard to get a reaction out of him? No fun.

I flipped to another swimsuit—a bandeau-style two-piece bikini in blue. "What about this one?"

Andrei furrowed his brows before his gaze flickered up to meet my eyes. "What's the difference?"

"There's no strap."

"That looks dangerous."

"No. Makapit 'yan."

Inadverently, his eyes flicked down to my chest but they quickly went back up to my eyes. Natawa ako sa ginawa niya. Lalaki pa rin talaga siya.

He looked away when I laughed. Now, there was a reaction because he looked like he was avoiding looking at the same spot again out of respect.

"So ano nga?"

"It's fine," he mumbled quietly.

Grinning, I took my phone back and turned it off. "'Di ka masaya kausap no?"

His eyes quickly snapped to mine. "Why do you say that?"

"Puro iisa lang ang sagot mo."

"I just think they will all look good on you. Even the last one. But it's better if you get something not so dangerous."

I was still grinning. "My point's still the same. Mahirap kausap ang mga tahimik na katulad mo. We never know when we're boring you."

"You don't bore me," he said that like he couldn't believe I just said that.

"It's hard to tell when you only have one default expression."

"That's why I'm telling you now. I like hearing you speak. And what do you mean by default expression?"

"You always look amused. Or uninterested."

"Because I think you're fascinating, so that's what you see."

"Not really. I see you with your friends. You treat everyone the same."

"I don't really know what impression I've made on you. But one thing I'm sure of is I'm not as interested in them as I am with you."

"Hm. Okay. If that's what you say."

Naputol ang usapan namin sa pagdating ng mga orders namin. We took a small bite of the dish just to test then out, but because we were still full, we put our utensils down again after the first bite. I planned to eat slowly to avoid indigestion.

"So you don't like talking to me?" Andrei asked. "That's disappointing. I like talking to you."

I couldn't help but laugh "You? But you barely talk."

"Like you."

"Touche."

He added, "But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy talking to you. And I think I talk to you much more than I talk to anyone else."

"What about Geon?"

"Even Geon."

"Wow, what a confession," I remarked in response. "Here I was thinking you two have something going on."

He chuckled. "You keep saying that and I keep thinking of this one way to shut that down but I don't think it'll make a difference. You probably won't care."

I raised a brow to prompt him to continue. "Praytell how?"

Andrei suddenly placed a hand on the back of my chair as he leaned closer and placed a hand to my cheek. As his eyes flicked to my lips, he trailed his thumb across my lower lip.

My brows furrowed at what he was doing. Mostly, I was amused at the duality of this guy. One second, he was uncomfortable thinking about in me in an intimate light. But the next second, he was breaking into my personal space.

"This," Andrei breathed out, his thumb lingering over my lips, then pulled away. "But then it probably won't do anything. You're just not interested in me," he said, showing a lazy smirk.

As he pulled back, I leaned closer to study his face, intrigued by his sudden action. "Not that I'm countering that, but how sure are you of that?" taas-kilay at parang naghahamon kong tanong.

"I can feel it," he answered matter-of-factly.

I pulled away and leaned in my seat, shrugging. "To be fair, I think you're interesting. It's just hard to get a read on you."

"I'm open. You can always ask."

"I'm not the inquisitive type. So I guess we're at a stalemate then."

"Don't be too quick to say that yet. I can adjust."

I laughed. "We'll see."

"When we go back to Manila, will things change?" he suddenly asked. The sudden change of topic caught me offguard.

"What do you mean?"

"Will we stay like this or are we going back to that quiet friendship we have?"

"I don't know," I answered with a shake of my head. "Ikaw lang naman."

"You've been waiting for me?" gulat niyang tanong.

"I didn't say that. I'm just going with the flow."

"I'm still testing the waters with you," he said carefully. "You're protective of your space and I don't wanna be that asshole who annoys you," he told me as if he hadn't intruded on my personal space just a minute ago.

"You don't annoy me. I think you're good," paglilinaw ko.

"If you really think that, then give me permission to come closer. I'd like to get to know you better, not just as Geon's friend. And I'll clear this up now—I don't wanna be just Geon's friend to you," tuloy-tuloy niyang sinabi.

I looked at him carefully then, trying to gauge any ounce of readable emotions on his face. But like always, I struggled to understand the meaning behind his smile. That excited and intrigued me even more. Well, this was slowly turning into an interesting night.

"You're not just that to me. But yeah, sure, I'm on board with this idea," I agreed and added, as a clarification, "We are friends, Andrei."

I said that but if I'd be honest, I had no idea how this night would change things between us.