#NewClassicILIB

Chapter 35
Break

"Are you ready?" Lucas asked me, after I got back from eating lunch at the employee's lounge.

I didn't know if he already ate, but when I left the office earlier, he was busy typing on his laptop. I had been away for almost an hour, and found him still pre-occupied with work. He only stopped when he sensed me arriving.

"Uh, ready na..." I answered, slightly hesitating. "Nakakain ka na ba ng lunch?"

Bahagya siyang natigil sa pag-aayos ng kanyang gamit, ngunit ilang segundo lang ay umiling siya bilang sagot. "I was busy working on something," dahilan niya. "I'll just eat after the interview. We can't be late."

Pursing my lips, I became slightly concerned about him. Mukhang sanay na siyang nalilipasan ng gutom dahil sa trabaho, pero hindi ibig sabihin no'n na dapat ay hayaan lamang.

While watching him as he unfolded his sleeves to the cuffs, I suddenly remembered that I bought pastries from Starbucks earlier. Since my car was coding, daddy drove me to work. Dumaan kami sa drive-thru kanina para bumili ng kape at tinapay. I was able to drink my iced caffe latte, but I didn't eat the ham and cheese croissant.

Mabilis ko mabilis kong kinuha ang paper bag sa gilid ng aking lamesa. Luckily, I forgot to eat it.

When I turned to Lucas again, he was already prepared to go out―wearing the strap of his leather laptop case on his shoulder. His eyes scanned his table to see if he forgot to bring anything.

Lumapit ako sa kanya. Agad niya naman akong nilingon.

"Here." I shove the paper bag to him.

Sinundan niya lamang iyon ng tingin bago muling inangat ang mga mata sa akin. "Ano 'yan?"

I smiled at him. "Something to eat," I told him. "And don't worry, tinapay lang 'yan. You can eat it while we're on the road."

Nag-aalangan niyang kinuha sa akin ang paper bag. Mas lalo akong napangiti nang tinanggap niya 'yon.

"Thanks..." he quietly said.

"You're welcome!" I happily replied.

Hindi na rin kami nag-aksaya ng oras. Habang pababa kami sa parking lot ay sinimulan nang kainin ni Lucas ang tinapay na binigay ko. He might not express it, but I could tell that he was also hungry by the way he devoured the food.

It made me smile, knowing that I helped him sate his hunger even just a little.

When we reached his car, Lucas quickly opened the door for me before sitting on the driver's seat. I thought we were going to take the company car, but I guessed it wasn't the case. Medyo nag-aalangan akong pumasok sa kanyang sasakyan. Nagtaka ako nang maisip na wala kaming kasamang photographer.

"Tayong dalawa lang?" kuryoso kong tanong sa kanya habang inaayos ang seat belt.

"Nauna na roon ang ibang staffs dahil mas maaga ang photoshoot," sagot niya sa akin at pinaandar na ang sasakyan.

"Sa next issue pa ipu-publish 'to, 'di ba?" paninigurado ko.

He nodded, his eyes on the road. "But New Classic's management wants the article to be published online on a specific date."

Napatango naman ako at nireview mula sa aking iPad ang mga tanong na inaprubahan ni Lucas kahapon. Naisip ko na siguro ay maglalabas ng bagong album ang banda kaya gusto ng Top Records na maunang ilabas ang online article kaysa sa magazine.

Not long after, we finally arrived at the recording company. Lucas and I presented our company identification cards to the receptionist. We were given instructions right away on where to go.

Kahit na halos kabisado ko ang bawat sulok ng gusali ay nanatili lamang akong nakasunod kay Lucas. We went to the private executive lounge where the interview would be held. I was slightly shocked when I saw Mr. Joel already inside.

Hindi pa niya ako nakikita lalo na't natatakpan ako ni Lucas. Ngunit nang magtama ang aming tingin, he looked equally shocked to see me.

"Zendaya!" He couldn't help but to blurt out my name.

Bowing my head a bit, I wryly smiled.

Lucas arched his brow due to curiosity. "If I may ask, Mr. Lacson, do you know my junior?"

Mr. Joel awkwardly laughed. "Well, yes," he honestly answered Lucas' question, then turned to me. "I didn't know that you're already working at Prima Media."

I just smiled because I didn't know what to say.

"Kaya pala..." he murmured to himself quietly.

Suddenly, the door opened. I quickly spun around to check and saw the members casually entered the executive lounge. They were dressed up as they just came from the photoshoot.

Nang mahagip ako ni Sic ng tingin ay agad lumapad ang ngiti niya. "Zendie!"

No one was able to stop Sic. He half-jogged to greet me and gave me a quick hug.

"Sic," saway naman sa kanya ni Ike.

Hinila ni Jirro si Sic papalayo sa akin. Hilaw akong ngumiti sa kanilang tatlo lalo na nang makita ko ang ngiti sa akin ni Isaiah na siyang huling pumasok sa loob.

As he walked closer, I struggled to keep my astonishment from seeing him all dressed-up, looking even more handsome than usual. Not to mention that I had not seen him for days. It's like he was walking with bright lights behind him. He effortlessly took my breath away, just by walking through that door.

I strictly warned my heart not to make it hard for me to school my expression as I needed to be professional. I came for my work. I had to do my job. And of course, I couldn't let Lucas notice anything.

"You know them?" Lucas moved closer to my side.

Isaiah's eyes moved to Lucas as he just noticed his presence. Nilingon ko rin si Lucas at tipid na ngumiti.

"I was once an admin of their fandom, so I personally know them..." I told him the truth. "I'm a fan, too."

Lucas stiffly nodded, his lips pressed thin into a tight line.

"Well, uhm, I think we should begin the interview?" sumingit naman bigla si Mr. Joel.

A staff quickly came to assist the members and made them sit on the couch. Iniwasan kong tingnan ulit si Isaiah at hinarap ngayon si Lucas na may mga huling bilin sa akin.

He would be the one to personally interview the members, while I would just sit beside him to jot down notes and record their conversation.

Once we were seated in front of the band, I saw how Lucas changed his expression. He looked like a very approachable person as he showed a timid smile. I had not seen him smile at the office, so I was a bit in awe, seeing him having a pleasant expression.

Nagulat naman ako nang bigla siyang lumingon sa akin. I was slightly startled, which made him frown.

"Are you ready?" he asked me.

"Uh, oo," agad kong sagot saka inilipat ang tingin sa iPad kung saan ko ilalagay ang mga main points na makukuha ko mula sa interview.

"Okay. I-start mo na ang recorder," utos niya sa akin.

I did what he told me to do. I pressed on the start button and focused on my job.

"First off, I would like to thank you for inviting Prima Media to this exclusive interview. It's an honor to interview the top band in the country," Lucas started. "We have a few questions ready, which we hope you can answer for us."

"Sure. Just go ahead," Ike said.

Lucas cleared his throat. "Recently, it was reported that your 3rd mini album, Love, just received a 6X Diamond certification from PARI as its physical sales exceeded more than million, breaking the 31 year record of John Mari Cham," he said. "The album also received a lot of certifications in other countries. How does it feel to know that the album is doing well not just locally, but also internationally?"

Agad kong ipinuwesto ang aking mga daliri sa keyboard ng aking iPad. I didn't need to look on their faces to see who's speaking because I could distinguish their voices from one another.

"Like what we said during our past interviews, we weren't expecting anything this big, so it was too overwhelming," Ike answered the first question, as usual. "To be able to sell a million copies of physical albums was way beyond of our expectations. But of course, we are very grateful to all First Class who are there to support us. Without them, we wouldn't achieve this milestone."

"And may I add..." Jirro spoke next. "I think aside from being grateful, it put us under a lot of pressure to do better. Breaking a 31 year record by the legendary Mr. John Mari Cham made us so proud, but at the same time, we felt pressured to show our First Class and our casual listeners that we deserve the title."

Habang patuloy ako sa mabilis na pagtitipa ay tumango-tango ako.

"Yes, I can imagine the pressure it must put you guys through, but personally, I think your fans already recognized your talents and efforts. It's the reason why you are able to break records and write history," Lucas told them his own opinion.

I couldn't help but to glance at him in surprise. I was amused that he even sympathized with the band, unlike other interviewers who only focused on asking questions and getting answers. He was holding a conversation with them like they were just casually talking to each other.

"But since you already established the band and received an enormous amount of popularity, we did some research and found out that none of you haven't done any solo projects yet," Lucas proceeded to the next question. "Does anyone have plans to do solo or individual projects?"

"As for me, I have offers. However, I don't have any plans yet," Jirro answered first. "But if ever there's an offer that has taken my liking, I'll try to consider or give it a thought."

"Well, I just actually signed a contract with a popular clothing brand."

Bahagyang nanlaki ang aking mga mata sa sagot ni Sic. Hindi ko mapigilan ang mapa-angat ng tingin sa kanya. I wanted to congratulate him right away for the new project.

"Wow! Congratulations," Lucas reacted.

"Thank you." Sic brightly smiled at him. "But I'm not yet allowed to reveal the brand name. I can only give spoilers about the upcoming collaboration."

Lucas chuckled a bit. "That's fine."

"Ikaw naman, Ike!" sabay pagpasa ni Sic kay Ike ng tanong para sumagot.

"I'm currently in talks to be one of the mentors in an upcoming survival-reality show about music," Ike confessed. "But nothing's finalized yet."

My heart was welling with proudness, knowing that they were starting to create names for themselves individually. They came so far that they were already blessed with opportunities. And as a fan of New Classic, I would gladly support them in their individual projects just like how I supported them as a whole.

"How about you, Isaiah?" Lucas asked Isaiah last.

Now, I couldn't help myself but to spare a look at Isaiah. I was slightly stunned to see that he was directly staring at me. But the moment our eyes met, he pulled his stare away and focused on Lucas. His expression looked strained for some reason. He seemed like he was in bad mood.

"I don't have plans," Isaiah simply answered.

"Really?" Lucas sounded really shocked. "Most fans are expecting that you'll release a solo album. It's surprising to know that you don't have plans."

"I have other priorities, so I haven't thought about that yet," Isaiah explained.

Isaiah's tone was dismissive that Lucas couldn't respond at once. The room suddenly felt so chilly. I saw the other three members looked at each other, probably sensing the change in Isaiah's mood.

"Right... That's understandable," sabi na lang ni Lucas. "So, for the last question, what are your next plans as a group? Are you planning to release a new album or single?"

Yesterday, I came up with at least ten questions for the interview, but Lucas only approved three. He told me we didn't need to have a lot of questions, since we had limited time to interview the members. Also, he said that we were only asked to do the exclusive interview because New Classic had something to announce.

The atmosphere got even heavier as all the members became serious. I immediately picked up their indifference and got worried a bit. I was anxious as I didn't know anything yet.

"We are planning to release a new single and music video next week," Ike revealed their plans.

Medyo nakahinga ako nang maluwag. Naisip kong iyon siguro ang dahilan kung bakit busy sila nitong mga nakaraang araw. They were preparing for their comeback single.

"But we actually talked among ourselves, which was also brought up to the company," Ike continued. "We are going to take a break from doing group activities after the release of our new single."

It felt like something inside me had been shattered. My lips parted in disbelief. I completely forgot of the reason why I was here. I suddenly couldn't function well.

They were just taking a break, but for me, it was like they were disbanding.

"We decided that after continuously working and promoting for 3 years, ever since our debut, we want to take a break from doing group activities and focus on our other priorities as individuals," Jirro elaborated. "The company understands our decision, so they let us do as we please."

"For how long are you going to take a break as a band?" Lucas asked them.

I was also eager to know, so I listened keenly.

"It's still indefinite, but I guess the minimum is one year," Ike answered back.

"We hope that First Class would anticipate our activities as individuals," Sic said. "But we will still try to be active on our social media accounts to update our fans from time to time."

Inattentive as they continued the interview, I kept on biting my lip. I couldn't help but be affected because of the news they broke out. I was sure that it would break the hearts of First Class. Ang dami pa namang nag-aabang ng bagong album mula sa banda. They even hoped that it was going to be a full album. Sigurado akong wala sa kanila ang nakaisip nito.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Daniel," Mr. Joel thanked Lucas, after we wrapped up the interview. "Zendaya."

Tumango na lang ako kay Mr. Joel nang nilingon niya ako. I still couldn't properly comprehend everything.

"Zendaya..."

Hearing Isaiah's voice, I forcedly pushed down the tumultuous feelings inside me and turned to face him. Unlike his expression during the interview, there was a slight smile in his eyes as he looked at me.

"We're going to eat outside," he said. "You should come with us. It's a private reservation, so you don't have to worry about getting seen. My sister might also come."

I was just about to open my mouth when I saw Mr. Joel eavesdropping on our conversation. Our eyes met, and I turned my eyes away nervously.

"I'm not yet off at work," I told him, indirectly declining his invitation. "Babalik pa kami sa office."

The light in his eyes dimmed down as it became slightly gloomy. Seeing that melancholic look on his face troubled me. I wanted to take back what I said. My heart miserably wanted to indulge in my own desires and be with him.

"Siguro ay sa susunod na lang," bawi ko sa kanya.

When his lips quirked up into a genial smile, the affection that I had for him filled my chest with relief. It made my heart leap in my chest to skip a beat.

"Next time, then?" he said, sounding so hopeful.

Nodding my head, I smiled wider, though I wasn't sure when that next time would be.

"Zendaya, let's go now."

Halos napatalon ako nang tinawag ako ni Lucas. Nilingon ko siya at kita kong nakaayos na ang kanyang gamit, handang-handa nang umalis.

"Uh, sige," nagmamadali kong sabi bago hinarap muli si Isaiah.

He had this hardened expression on his face when he was looking past me. But when he turned to me again, there was a sudden gentle warmth in his gaze.

"Aalis na kami," paalam ko sa kanya.

He smiled. "Okay. I'll text you later."

Tumango na lang ako at nagpaalam na rin kina Ike, Sic, at Jirro. Nang matapos ay sumunod ako kay Lucas na naghihintay sa akin. He opened the door for me, and I thanked him before going out.