Condense

Condense is to change from vapor to liquid form. An example is the most common type of hygrometer in which a surface in contact with the atmosphere is cooled until moisture begins to condense on the surface.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Sage remarks, "Magiging boring if nauwi ka lang bilang another hook-up. So I'm going to take it all. Your body, and your heart."

Hindi ako kaagad nakapagsalita. Mukhang confident na confident siya, lalo na ngayong ngumingisi siya sa akin. I am a little loss pagkatapos ko marinig 'yong bold declaration niya na iyon na he'll make me confess again, pero kaagad akong may na-realize.

"...Whoa, teka lang," I mutter.

"Ano iyon?"

"Ibig-sabihin ba no'n na talagang makikipag-date ka sa akin at totoo na magiging tayo kapag nag-confess ulit ako sa iyo?" Well, sa pagkakaintindi ko sa mga sinabi niya, iyon 'yong tinutukoy niyang mangyari, ano?

"Sinong nakakaalam?" He shrugs. "The goal here is to get you to confess pagkatapos mong tunay na ma-in love sa akin. Anong mangyari pagkatapos no'n ay depende na sa akin."

I scoff. "Of course. I should've known."

So... we're still in a competition. This time nga lang, we're to see kung sino ang unang bibigay sa mga conditions na ibinigay namin para sa isa't isa. Honestly, wala akong idea kung ano itong pinasok ko, pero...

At least, naramdaman ko na I've finally moved away from being in love with love. I'm back at the true starting line. And Sage, too, finally sees me as a woman.

"Pagkatapos no'n, we'll test our physical compatibility," saad niya.

"Hindi ka pa rin talaga sumusuko tungkol doon, ano?" I narrow my eyes, unamused, at him.

He smirks. "Of course not. That's the reason kaya nga tayo nandito. Also, maganda isipin na may reward sa dulo ng lahat ng ito."

"Ang weird lang isipin na katawan ko ang papremyo..."

"The reward is the test, not your body. Magkaibang bagay ang dalawang iyon."

"Well, thanks for raining on my parade."

"Kung hindi ko iyon ginawa, baka patuloy ka pa rin sa pagiging bubuyog. Buzzing around just to be noisy of things."

Bahagya akong napakagat ng labi at nahiya bigla. The way na dinescribe niya ako na parang bubuyog back then... ouch! But, in all honesty, looking back to the revelations, totoo nga na ganoon ako. Huminga naman ako ng malalim. "It seems na mas kilala mo pa ako kaysa sa sarili ko. Mas alam mo kung anong klaseng tao ako."

"Alam mo ba kung ano ang tawag nila sa ganitong relationship na mayroon tayo?"

"Nope. Enjoyable? Nostalgic?"

Ngumisi na naman ulit siya bago inumin ang in-order niya na drink. "More like unavoidable and tragic."

All traces of tactics and conspiracies disappear from his face, finding himself enjoying this situation right now. Hindi ito katulad no'ng smiles niya na naalala ko sa memories ko, and hindi rin 'yong tulad noong nagkita ulit kami a few weeks ago... but something else entirely. A smile and happiness that seems to denote this is Sage's true side.

"So, kung bibigyan mo ng pangalan ang relationship natin ngayon... anong tatawagin mo rito?" I ask him.

"Hindi naman kailangan na pangalanan itong relationship natin ngayon, pero alam ko na hindi pwedeng tawagin na 'friends' lamang tayo." He leans back on his seat as his fingers drum against the table and he sizes me up with his stare. "From your point of view, siguro something like 'more than friends but less than one-sided pinning'."

"Hmmm... Mukhang ganoon nga." I nod, agreeing with him.

Of course, halata naman na hindi pwedeng tawagin na 'love' ang sa side ko after knowing that I wasn't actually in love with Sage back then or even until now.

"And sa akin naman, 'more than friends but less than a hook-up'," dagdag niya.

"You are really limiting my options here," giit ko naman.

"Well, nag-kiss tayo kaya hindi naman ako mali na i-define ang relationship natin sa side ko na ganoon," depensa niya.

"Oh, yeah. Sige. Pagbigyan." I pout and continue eating.

Sage leans his elbow against the table before pressing his cheek against his knuckles and laughs. "Bakit ganoon kadali na kumbinsihin ka?"

I grin. "I wonder about that, too."

☆ ☆ ☆

I didn't realize that as we continue on with our silly discussion, the time for the last train approaches. Once again, before we part ways, Sage pulls a keycard from his breast pocket.

"I have another one of this today," he says, "How about it?"

"No, thanks," sagot ko kaagad, sabay iling.

"Ang bilis mo naman sumagot."

"I want to really clash with you before any of that. We've barely even brushed by each other yet."

He nods. "May point ka naman. I guess, that's the right answer after everything we talked about." Ibinalik niya naman ang keycard sa bulsa niya. Surprisingly, hindi naman siya nakipagtalo ngayon at halatang ine-expect niya na ang reaction ko. Afterwards, he snickers. "Since I had fun today, I'll let you in on a little secret."

My ears perk at that and I raise an eyebrow at him. "A secret?"

"Yes. Something about our last date."

"Oh! Speaking of which, 'yong sa sukli mo." Kaagad ko naman kinuha ang wallet ko mula sa bag pero pinigilan niya ako.

"Hindi ko kailangan. At hindi iyon 'yong ibig kong sabihin." He grins. "Hindi ka ba na-curious kung anong ginawa ko after ko umalis?"

Naalala ko at that time na umalis si Sage pagkatapos niya maka-received ng call from a "Number Three". Paniguradong babae na naman. Sino ba makakapagsabi kung gaano kahaba ang listahan niya?

Siguro ay nahalata ni Sage ang iniisip ko dahil sa itsura ko kaya naman siya bahagyang napatawa. "That wasn't a woman," sagot niya, "That was my job."

"Hmm... Really?"

"Well, to be exact, something related about Royal Orient Airways and the people I am closed with involving that." Huminga siya ng malalim at parang inaalala niya ang actual na nangyari back then. "Boy problems. So I stayed at the hotel alone afterwards."

I pout. "Kung ganoon, bakit mo pa ginawa ang lahat ng iyon?"

"Gusto ko lang makita ang reaction mo. It's been a while since I stayed at a hotel alone."

"Oh... Wait."

"Now what?"

"Paano 'yong after ng first date natin?"

"'Yong sa airport lounge ba?"

Tumango ako. "You sent me home saying you had work the next morning, and you also stayed at the hotel. Then, you sent me a message about wanting to talk. Ibig-sabihin ba no'n ay may kasama ka at that night or not?"

Linihis niya ang tingin niya at halata ang bahagya niyang pagngisi. "Nakalimutan ko na."

I narrow my eyes at him. "Do not give me that!"

"Don't worry about the past," he assures, looking back at me with a small smile. "Focus on the future."

I bet akala niya napakatalino niya kapag sinasabi niya iyon...

Panigurado ay nakipag-text lang siya sa akin noon to kill time. Maybe, naghihintay siya na dumating 'yong babae, or baka naman nasa shower. Sa totoo lang, alam ko naman na kayang-kaya niyang makipag-hook-up sa iba't ibang babae araw-araw kung talagang nais niya. Alam ko naman iyon.

Pero hindi ito ang tamang panahon para magselos ako. I do what I can to put on a brave front.

"I guess a little fun every once in a while won't hurt," I tell him after sighing heavily.

"It's definitely more than 'every once in a while'," he corrects me. "I'll keep in contact with you. Let me get a taxi for you."

"No, it's fine. Balak ko na mag-MRT at LRT ngayon," I say.

I need to keep us on a level playing field.

That's why, after paying for my own share of the meal, the two of us part ways, and as promised, I go home by myself.

☆ ☆ ☆

That same evening, pagkatapos ko makapag-ayos at makahiga na sa kama ay bigla akong nakatanggap ng message mula kay Sage.

Sage: I have plans until the end of this month. So our next date will be on the first week. How about Wednesday?

Tinignan ko ang calendar ko, at napansin ko na after a few days iyon ng new month. Siguro kaya niya nabanggit na sa Wednesday is para sure na maayos ang roster na schedule niya for that month, pero para namang hindi ko nababanggit sa kanya madalas na may pasok ako ng Wednesday evening...

I want this relationship to remain as equal as possible. And to do that, I have to hold back on the modesty and be more firm with my own schedule, too. This is the perfect chance to do that, so...

"Sorry, but I have work on Wednesday."

The text is staring me in the face, pero wala akong lakas ng loob na i-send iyon basta-basta. Paano kung tinamad kaagad siya at hindi na ako magkaroon ng chance na ipruweba ang sarili ko?

Pero, ito ang ibig-sabihin nang pagiging 'equal', ano?

Pagkatapos ko makumbinse ang sarili ko ay tuluyan ko na sinend 'yong message. At kaagad akong kinabahan na baka isipin niya na tinaggihan ko siya dahil hindi siya nag-reply kaagad. I try to remain calm, but that only becomes more and more difficult with each passing second.

Did I make the wrong choice here?

I'm about to send another message saying na pwede naman ng Wednesday lunch time, when I finally get a reply.

Sage: Then Sunday?

Me: Alanganin din.

Sage: Then the following Monday? September 9?

Me: Hmmm...

Sage: If ever, kailan?

Afterwards, nakatanggap naman ako ng message na halatang heated na masyado.

Sage: Yvonne, I'm not a loyal dog that's going to stay if you tell me to. I will run.

Talk about being impatient... Hindi ko napigilan ang sarili ko na hindi tumawa. Mission success! Pero hindi ako pwedeng magsaya kaagad-agad.

Me: Let's go with September 9 then.

Sage: Got it. Wala ng bawian, ha?

I smile, relieve that he actually listens.

Sage: Okay. September 9, Monday. 8PM. May gusto ka bang puntahan?

Napaisip ako saglit about that at naalala ko naman kaagad 'yong isang lugar na sinave ko sa Facebook noong nakita ko sa feed ko habang nag-scroscroll ako a few days ago.

Me: There's a place somewhere sa may Shaw.

Sage: Saan sa may Shaw?

Me: Malapit-lapit sa may Ayala the 30th at sa may Verity Pasig?

Sinend ko naman sa kanya kaagad 'yong Facebook link na nakita ko. Maya-maya lamang ay nag-reply din siya kaagad.

Sage: Oh, ito. Gusto ko rin puntahan ito.

Sage: Sounds good to me.

With a date and place decided, I finally let out a sigh. Though sinabihan niya naman ako na in the event na magkaroon siya ng flight schedule, sasabihan niya naman ako kaagad. Sinabihan niya rin ako na medyo matagal-tagal ulit bago kami magkita and he'll be busy, kaya naman ay paghandaan ko raw ang aming next date.

By the first Wednesday of September, he messaged me that he was free on our decided date; reminding me another time of when and where.

Aminado ako na excited ako, since it will be our first date since napagdesisyunan namin to try being in a serious relationship. Kaya kailangan na maging success ito. And para hindi magkaroon ng repeat tulad noong dati, nagpa-reserve naman ako sa lugar na napagdesisyunan namin puntahan.

☆ ☆ ☆

However, parang na-jinx ang excitement ko na noong pumunta kami roon ay:

"Ano?" napatanong na lang din ako dahil hindi ko inaasahan. "Anong ibig niyong na naka-reserved 'yong lugar na ito ngayon?"

"Pasensya na, ma'am, for the inconvenience," sambit ng isang staff.

Date day. September 9. Dumating kami sa restaurant, pero napag-alaman namin na rented ang buong lugar para sa isang birthday party.

"Nagkaroon po ng system error for the past two weeks sa website namin," dagdag pa ng staff. "Kaya pasensya na po talaga."

"Pero nakatanggap pa ako ng confirmation e-mail and all..." bahagya kong giit.

"System error din po iyon, ma'am."

Hindi ko alam if matatawa ba ako or what, parang talagang pinag-jijinx ng tadhana lahat ng dates namin ni Sage ay maudlot. I mutter, "No way..."

"Well, wala naman tayong magagawa," Sage remarks, "I wouldn't want to intrude, in any case." Madali niyang natanggap 'yong situation, pero naiinis at nagagalit pa rin talaga ako. Huminga siya ng malalim. "I'm hungry, and trying to find a new place to eat is a pain. Lalo na within this area."

Hindi naman ako nakapagsalita.

"So, come on." He urges me to follow him, turning back from the restaurant and walking away. Habang sumunod naman ako sa kanya, napansin ko na patungo kami sa direksyon kung saan ang MRT station. Ibig-sabihin ba ay tapos na kaagad ang date namin bago pa mag-simula?

I am honest to say that I am disappointed pagkatapos ng lahat nang ginawa kong preparation for today. Para naman akong bata na nagmumukmok habang patuloy sa pagsunod sa kanya sa paglalakad. Hindi ko naman alam kung gaano kahaba na ang linakad namin noong bigla siyang tumigil.

"Nandito na tayo," sambit niya.

"Huh?" Napatingin ako sa kung saan kami tumigil sa paglalakad, at nanglaki naman ang mata ko kaagad noong napag-alaman ko kung nasaan na kami ngayon.

Sage didn't take me back to the station, but to the high-rise Verity Plaza Condiminiums here at Pasig. Evidently without any doubt with its five towers' unique design that is most often regarded by magazines to be a world-class.

"Okay lang sa iyo ang ganito, ano?" tanong niya sa akin.

"With eating in a restaurant here, you mean?" tanong ko pabalik.

Sage blinks, a little bit surprised and off guard. "Oh, nakalimutan ko pala sabihin sa iyo." He looks up at the towering buildings in front of us as composed as ever. "This is my place."

It is my time to blink and gawk. "What?"

"I own a place here. Or rather..." He corrects himself. "I live in Verity."

Nanglaki lalo ang mga mata ko. "Ano?!"

———————————————

A/N: The reason that I am uploading two chapters this week is because there will be no update next week. It is Holy Week, and aside from the fact that I'll be out of town, I am using such week to reflect as well. Growing up from a rather Catholic family, yes...

Also, perhaps it is a good chance for me, too, to start reviewing for an expected CAAP Private Pilot renewal check-ride since we've been informed that we could be scheduled right after the Holy Week. So, best of luck for me, I guess? I am, after all, confident that I can perform satisfactory. Just need to have a feeling with being on the controls, I think.

Anyway, vote, comment and share! 👀 Also, follow me on twitter @23meraki for more updates, trivia about the story, aesthetic boards, and etc. Love, love, love! <3

UPDATED: 22 May 2024 | 1325H

#FLIGHTseries02 || #FSFlightDeck