I saw them again on a Wednesday a few weeks after our trip. No one spoke a word about what happened in Sagada because Geon was making a point to look like nothing happened.

It was unsettling how everything was acting out like that last day in Sagada didn't happen, but if that was what he wanted, I was fine to play along, Andrei more so.

Like before, we ate lunch in Santorini. Same time, same spot, surprisingly. Si Geon ang nasunod sa orders.

"It's almost Christmas. I'm flying out with my family which sucks," Geon said while we were waiting for the food to come in. "I like spending Christmases here in the PH more."

I didn't look up from my phone even as he said that. Nagbabasa ako ng text message from AJ dahil nagpa-plano sila ng party sa isang bar na pagma-may-ari ng kakilala ni Jill. "Go visit your lolo. Once a year lang naman 'yon."

"He can visit us for a nice change of pace but my old man doesn't like the heat here."

"He's not used to it and you have to understand." After typing my reply, I turned to Andrei. "What about you? Tuloy kayo sa out-of-town n'yo?"

Andrei's attention moved from the Kpop music video playing on the TV screen back to me. "It turns out we're going to be in Singapore. Our parents will meet us there. Kayo?"

"No plans, which is shocking for the family, but I'm not complaining. For once, I want to stay and spend the Christmas at home. But 'di pa rin sure 'yon. Dad has this weird knack for dragging us to spontaneous trips."

"Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, as they say," he said with a light smile.

I shrugged casually. "Well, the trait must come from somewhere."

"So you'll be staying here?" Geon asked. "What if I don't go back to London? Will you let me crash?"

"Don't be silly, Geon. You'll make your mom sad if she hears that."

At the mention of Tita Alice, he kept his mouth shut. I could see from his eyes that he was battling against himself. Parang may gustong sabihin. But knowing him, kung may sasabihin siya sa 'min, he would've done so kanina pa.

Nagkatinginan kami ni Andrei, but he only gave me a light shake of his head. 

"Any Christmas parties in the schedule?" he asked me instead.

I darted back to my phone. Wala pang reply sina AJ. "Yes, with friends. Inuman lang, most likely."

"You'll go raving?" Geon asked in surprise. "Sama."

I gave him an amused look. Geon would lose his mind if he could see how I was whenever I go to parties with my girl friends. It was precisely why I didn't like bringing him with us. Baka imbis na mag-enjoy siya, magbantay na lang siya, and I didn't want that.

AJ and the lot were wild party animals. They bring out the best and worst in me each time we get drunk together.

I didn't think Geon was ready to witness that.

"Don't you boys have other things to do? Exclusive for girls lang 'to," I said.

"Tss, fine. I had no plans to drink this Christmas, but since you said that, I'll throw a party just to show you I can," kunwaring nagtatampong sagot ni Geon pero tinawanan ko lang.

"As long as it's not anywhere near ours, we're good."

"Kailan ba 'yan?" tanong ni Andrei.

Saktong dumating ang reply ni Jill kaya pinabasa ko na lang sa kanya 'yon.

The party was scheduled roughly a week from now. Andrei nodded after reading the message.

"They will ask for IDs. What are you gonna do about that?"

"Jill knows the owner, so I think that's a non-issue. It's irresponsible, I know. But it's Christmas so I'll cut myself some slack."

To that, Andrei didn't say anything more and Geon refrained from commenting on it either.

***

A week later, I was in my party dress, walking to a speakeasy bar with Mariz and Joan, including AJ and her set of friends. Being an exclusive party, most of the people invited were more or less the owner's acquaintances lang din. Some were students like me. The others, kaka-graduate lang at mga bago sa trabaho.

The party started some time around eleven. AJ bought two bottles of Tequila and began pouring us shots left, right and center that after an hour, most of the girls were pissed drunk.

At one a.m., AJ was dancing wildly in the middle of the dancefloor with Jill and Mariz. Nakasandal na sa booth sina Alexa at Joan, parehas nang lasing at wala sa sarili.

"Cari, okay ka pa?" tanong ni Hannah sa 'kin nang makabalik siya mula sa restroom.

I opened a bottled water and nodded. "Okay pa naman. Pero lasing na sila. Tingnan mo naman," natatawang sagot ko sa kanya. Kanina, nanalo na kami ni AJ sa drinking contest. At the rate she's going, she'd be nursing a killer hangover after this.

Tumawa na rin si Hannah. "Oo nga. Si AJ pa ba? Basta inuman, mananalo 'yan sa paunahang mawala sa sarili. Bakit 'di ka bumalik do'n?"

Nilingon ko yung dalawang tulog na sa booth. "Walang kasama sina Joan. Mahirap iwan."

Uminom ng tubig si Hannah at umupo sa tabi ko. "Ako na lang magbabantay—ayoko na rin naman sumayaw. But you, you should join them. 'Di ka pa naman yata gano'n kalasing."

I hesitated. "Sure ka?"

"Oo. Baka umuwi na rin tayo soon. Nagte-text na bestfriend ni AJ. Susunduin na 'yan in thirty minutes."

"Okay. Find me na lang if anything goes wrong."

"Wala namang mangyayari. Go enjoy—shoo."

And I did. Jill was bouncing up and down with the rhythm of the music when I found them. Nasa kanang kamay ni Mariz ang isa pang bote ng Tequila at namimigay siya ng shot kung kani-kanino.

I wasn't that drunk yet, but I could feel that I would be soon. Tipsy na 'ko at lalo pang naging tipsy nang mahatak ako ni Jill para uminom ng Tequila straight from the nozzle. They cheered as I did so.

I was grinning when I finished. "Where's AJ?" I asked them after.

Dumikit sa 'kin si Jill at may tinuro sa gilid. From the gaps between the dancing bodies, I could see the broad shoulders of a man. He was pinning a girl on the wall, but it was too dark to see if they were talking or making out.

"May nabingwit si Ate mo," natatawang sigaw ni Jill sa tainga ko.

I chuckled. Well, that was AJ for you. Always at the top of her game.

The party exploded into an even wilder frenzy after that. Saglit pa lang akong nakakabalik sa dance floor, pero kung sino-sino na ang mga naipakilala sa 'kin ni Jill dito.

There was a junior from Centrex named Solenn moving around and giving out jagerbombs. She was a tall, slim girl sporting a wavy hair running behind her back. Kung tama ang pagkakaalala ko sa sinabi ni Jill, they were best friends in high school.

I drank at least three of the shots she was giving. Tinatamaan na 'ko ng mga ininom ko because my body was starting to feel hot.

But I didn't care. I was having so much fun at that point.

"Cari, tara na. Nandito na si Jani. Sumabay na daw tayong lahat," sabi ni Hannah an hour later nang makalapit sa 'kin.

Turning to our booth, I saw that AJ, Jill, and Mariz were already there. When did they get there?

"Mauna na kayo. I'll stay," I told Hannah. I wasn't in the mood to go home just yet.

"Ha? Sira ka ba? 'Di kita pwedeng iwan dito."

"I won't be alone. Kasama ko pa best friend ni Jill."

Hannah turned to Solenn, who placed an arm around my shoulders with a smile on her face.

"Uuwi ko 'to, promise."

Hannah looked hesitant, but she was drunk and I was insistent, so she had no choice but to leave with the others.

Bumungisngis sa 'kin si Solenn nang mahatid namin sila hanggang exit. Lasing na ang iba kaya 'di nila napansin na 'di ako sasama. Jani tried to coax me out of staying, but in the end, he conceded and drove out of there.

Solenn soon introduced me to her group of friends from Centrex. One of them was a model and the other was a photographer, which became a good common ground for us, though I was certain I'd remember nothing about them come the next day.

Nang makarami na 'ko ng inom, nagpaalam na muna ako para magpahangin sa labas.

The parking lot was still full and different booming music was blasting from the other bars surrounding the cars. Bukod kasi sa speakeasy bar ng kakilala ni Jill, may dalawa pang bar na nakapaligid dito.

Bumili ako ng tubig sa nagtitinda sa gilid at sumandal sa puno. Now that I wasn't moving, I was starting to get dizzy.

I drank my water and closed my eyes to recompose myself.

"Cari?"

I looked up and saw a familiar perplexed look. It was one of Geon's friends from the Pagsanjan trip. A hand shot out to my arm to help me get my balance when I swayed a bit, but he was quick to put a distance again when I planted a hand on the nearby car to steady myself.

"Clark—right?" I asked, trying to remember his real name but only his nickname stuck with me.

"You're drunk. Is Geon with you?" He scanned the place with a quick sweep of his eyes before turning back to me. "Shit. You're alone?"

"He's partying somewhere else with your friends. He's probably drunk too. Bakit 'di ka kasama?"

Lumingon siya sa entrance ng bar na pinanggalingan niya bago bumaling ulit sa 'kin. He was wearing the Intersci jacket so I assumed he was here with his friends, which he verified right away. "I'm with my blockmates. How are you gonna get home? Where are your friends?"

"Nauna nang umuwi. I'll call my driver, maybe."

"'You're not sure?"

I didn't answer that. "Don't mind me. I can go home by myself."

A woman emerged from the exit of the other bar and went straight to his arm. She hugged the side of his body and buried her face in his chest. "Kal, shit, I'm gonna throw up."

Girlfriend? Maybe.

He cursed. "Shit." He placed a supporting hand on the small of her back before he turned back to me. "Cari, can you wait for me here? I'll bring her to the rest room muna, but stay here. Hahatid na kita."

I remembered his name na. Kal-el. Or was that a nickname too? I couldn't remember.

"Go home. Hatid mo na kaibigan mo. I'm not going home yet."

The girl complained again, which distracted him. I took that as my cue to wander back inside the bar.

Solenn and her friends were still dancing around by the time I came in. Wala nang namimigay ng drinks. Puro sayawan na lang sa tugtugan.

When I joined them, they pulled me to the sides so we could add each other on social media.

Some time later, they were cheering again because Sandy, her friend, started a game.

At first, the game was just between us, pero dumami nang dumami ang mga nakikilaro nang sumali yung iba from other universities.

"Five seconds walang malisya! Tara, g!" Solenn was telling us over the music.

Her friends did it first. I normally wouldn't join games like these, but what the hell. I was way more tipsy than I'd cared to admit and didn't care at that point.

I joined the cheering as Sandy did a bodyshot with someone from Ignatio.

I'd been in games like this before, mostly kapag kasama ko sina AJ dahil siya ang mahilig at pasimuno sa ganito. But this was my first time merging like this with others. Somehow, in its recklessness, it was fun. As long as everything was consensual, it should be.

"Hey, we should go home," a voice suddenly whispered in my ear, making me jump.

My body went into full defensive mode and I was ready to push the random guy away until I saw who it was.

I relaxed as soon as I realized it was Andrei.

"Ikaw lang pala. What are you doing here?" I asked, automatically looking around to see if he brought his friends with him.

I didn't think he did.

Andrei stepped closer and placed an arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. With his arm, he lightly pushed away the guy who had been trying to flirt with me since the game began.

Andrei leaned into my ear, trying to talk over the loud music. "Kal called me. He was worried about you. C'mon, let's get you home."

"I'm not done yet. Where's Geon?"

"At the car. He's sleeping na. Let's go."

"What about you? Didn't you drink? You can't drive."

"I'm sober."

"I don't believe you," I said with a chuckle and stepped away from him. I knew from a single glance that he had a bit of a drink, too.

Just then, Solenn skipped over to us, putting a shot in my hand. "Tapos na si San. Your turn! Five seconds walang malisya, g!"

Bago ko pa mainom 'yon, Andrei pulled me back to him.

"She's with me, bro," he said, his eyes narrowing at the same guy from earlier.

The guy raised his hands and quickly turned around to his friend, disappearing in the crowd in the process.

"That was a nice guy right there. You should've been nicer."

Andrei pointedly ignored me. "C'mon, you've had your fun. As much as I like seeing you enjoying yourself, you'll black out soon."

"Maaga pa."

"What's going on with you? It's not like you to get this drunk."

Napatawa ako doon. "'Di ka lang sanay. But welcome to a new side of me."

"Ano na? Kanina pa bulungan. Game na, dali!" Solenn said, which called the attention of the others playing the game as well.

Now they were all looking at us, chanting my name.

I smirked challengingly as I looked back up at Andrei.  He had no idea what he walked into when he came here to get me.

After he warded the guy from earlier, he was my only choice now. 'Di ko ugaling makipaglaro sa barkada ng barkada ko, but better him than some rando here.

Not that I was complaining. Call me drunk, but Andrei's lips were exceptionally inviting now too.

Testing the air, I leaned my face closer to his, giving him time to react. The grip he had around my waist tightened as he moved his lips away from my reach.

"Don't look so revolted now." Tumawa ako habang lumalayo. "I'm not a sloppy kisser."

"Do you even know how?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course. I kissed boys before."

His mouth twitched into a frown. "Don't do anything you'll regret sober."

"The game won't play itself. If you won't play with me, that's okay, I won't force you." Tumalikod na 'ko to look for someone else to play it with.  The guy from earlier was gone, so I settled for the one who was trying to meet my gaze. "You're game?"

"Sige! Kung ayaw niya, ako na lang!" sigaw niya at naglalakad na palapit sa 'kin.

I made a move to meet him halfway, but Andrei kept me fixed in place with his hand gently pulling me by the shoulder. Tumama ang likod ko sa dibdib niya.

"Fine. I'll play with you," he breathed into my ear from behind.

I turned back around to face him. "Sure ka? Walang malisya, Andrei. Five seconds lang 'to."

"As long as you promise I'm the last."

"You're acting too much like Geon now, you realize that?"

"That, or it's a no game, Cari."

"Okay, deal."

He watched me from under his eyes as I tiptoed and leaned close to his face. I held his shoulder with my free hand to help me with my balance. With my other hand, I pushed his head closer to mine.

Our lips were closer now. The people around us were hooting.

Then I licked my lips and drank the shot.

Instead of kissing his lips, I changed direction and dove in to put a kiss on his neck instead.

He groaned as his fingers gripped my waist tight to help me balance, pulling me closer to his body. Damn, he was hot against my own.

I should stop, but his reaction to what I did emboldened me. I trailed my tongue along his skin to tease him at mas lalong humigpit ang hawak niya sa 'kin. I could feel his sharp intake of breath.

5...4...3...2...1!

Then I pulled away, grinning smugly. Seryoso na ang mukha niya. That felt good. I was able to play the game and get a reaction out of this guy, all without potentially dooming our budding friendship.

He looked frustrated at me. Ngayon ko lang siyang nakitang ganito.

I laughed at him.

"Game, game! Sino next?" someone was shouting.

"Ako naman." Bago pa makuha ng isang lalaki yung inaabot na shot, Andrei snatched it out of Sandy's hand.

"My turn."

I was still pressed tight against his body.

"Five seconds," he murmured before he downed the shot, faced me, and planted an insistent kiss on my lips, catching me by surprise. His tongue immediately licked my lower lip, begging for access.

5...4...

I was drunk. I was getting dizzy. But even more so with his lips on mine. I only had half a mind to think about what exactly we were doing because I was now getting intoxicated with his taste.

I opened my mouth to give him entrance, savoring the way he was making me feel at the moment, our tongues battling for dominance right away.

3...2...1

Even after the countdown, he still hadn't let go. Just as his arms were still around me, my hands traveled to his nape, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss. Fuck this. My mind was swimming by now, but I couldn't care less.

All I could think of was how insistent his mouth felt on mine. How he went and did what I avoided to do.

Dooming the friendship it is, then.

I would regret this later, maybe. Or not.

Akala ko ba don't do anything I'd regret sober?

"Hoy, lagpas na! Tama na!"

"Mainit na! Sobrang init, woo!"

Umabot pa ng ilang segundo bago niya pinutol 'yon.  My head was spinning, but I unintentionally released a groan when the kiss was cut short.

Andrei was the one who was now smirking when he pulled away, his hands now moving to my back to steady me on my feet. Inabot niya ang mga shot glasses namin pabalik kay Sandy at yumuko sa 'kin.

"That's how you play the damn game, Cari," bulong niya as he blew air into my ear. I shivered.

Shit.

"That was ten seconds. Lagpas na. You cheated," I accused him, planting my palm on his chest to push him away. But he was keeping me in place, an amused look now ghosting over his face.

"That's on you for forcing me to join. Now you had your fun. Let's get you home."

Pumiglas ako sa pagkakahawak niya sa kamay ko. "You're not allowed to drive. You're drunk too."

"I'm sober enough to drive."

"That's irresponsible."

"Tell you what. I promise I won't do this again if you promise you won't go to a bar alone."

"I wasn't alone. Umuwi lang kagad mga kasama ko. Don't police me. That's not good."

"I'm not... that's not what I'm trying to do. It doesn't have to be me. But is it too much to ask you to always bring someone with you? For both our sakes."

"Who's both?"

Kumunot ang noo niya. "Geon. You'll give him a heart attack if he finds out."

Right, that boy.

I waved a hand in the air. "I can take care of myself just fine."

"I know that. That's why I'm asking for it as a favor."

I blew out a breath in defeat. If he was being this stubborn, then there was no way I could win this without giving myself a headache. I relented. "Okay. Basta you practice safe driving and you promise not to tell Geon about what happened tonight."

"Deal."