Our ancestral house was creepy as fuck, and it was only two in the afternoon. The sun was still high, and the air wasn't that cold. Sobrang boring na rito habang tumatagal, and I started to miss the noise in Scottsdale.

I asked my tita Rose if puwede akong mamasyal anywhere kasi by three, may mga lola na naman sa house, and another gloomy prayer meeting na naman. Hindi ko na kakayaning magpaulit-ulit sa routine nila every day! Nakakabaliw mag-stay rito!

Jessa, one of the "maids" in the house, accompanied me. She was my age, and I honestly assumed she was my cousin—she wasn't. The maids in the house didn't wear any uniforms. They all wore comfortable clothes—tees, shorts, and cotton pants. Nahihirapan akong malaman if maid ba sila or relatives namin kasi walang signs kung sino ang maid or helper at sino ang hindi.

We rode a tricycle papunta sa kabilang place, wherever that was. The trees and the nearby mountain looked so flamboyantly green, creating an illusion of a colder scenery, but the asphalt road was hot as hell, creating a bright yellow heatwave effect from afar. I should be thankful for the colder air as the tricycle hit thirty. I was so sure, we traveled more than a mile just to reach another town. It was so different from Scottsdale and a bit crowded as well. By that time, I was certain that I'd enjoy the place more than my lola's old house.

"May fiesta bukas sa San Lorenzo kaya maraming nagpa-practice ngayon dito. Pero lahat ng masasarap na kainan, nandito rin," Jessa said as we walked toward this wide hub or something. Maraming tindahan and snack bars. May tables sa pinaka-middle ng buong area. The whole hub was covered; it resembled a wider school gym.

Sa wakas, wala akong nakikitang rebulto sa kahit saan dito!

Three weeks na 'ko sa bahay ni Inang, and I was bored to death! Every day, puro na lang church-related stuff ang meron sa bahay ng lola ko. I didn't believe in any religion. I read the Bible, but not enough to turn me into someone faithful. Mas lalo na ngayon.

I was expecting Papa to bring me somewhere else apart from our house sa Laguna, pero nag-remind siya na kung sasama ako sa kanya, I had to work beside him.

As far as I know, kaya ako sumamang umuwi sa Philippines ay para hindi na ako mag-work. Tapos magwo-work ako kapag sumama sa kanya sa Manila?

No way.

"Dito ka muna, bibili ako ng meryenda natin. Binigyan ako ng tita mo ng budget." Jessa left me sa isang empty table. My eyes roamed around this hub. Hindi masyadong marami ang tao, and a band was preparing sa stage. They were all busy, and I guess everyone was.

I wasn't used to three-p.m. sun being this yellow. My eyes were anticipating an orange tone in the atmosphere, but yellow was screaming light, and the greens were flashing nature. I missed seeing willows. All I could see here were coconut trees.

Hinanap ko na si Jessa para malaman kung saan siya manggagaling, and I saw her in front of a food stall named Jonahlyn's Pisbolan.

I knew Jonahlyn as a name, and it was in possessive form. I was curious what "pisbolan" was. I was hoping it was chicken or bacon.

Pisbolan. Weird.

"Hello. Mic check. Mic check, one, two."

Everyone, including me, looked at the stage and saw a guy in a man bun holding the mic. He had an acoustic guitar with its wide strap hanging on his left shoulder.

I glanced at the other band member along with him and almost gasped when I saw the snooty guy from the rice field behind the man on the mic. He was holding a black and white electric guitar, biting a black guitar pick. Focused siya sa stand ng music sheet, and he was flipping the pages of that.

For a guy, he surely loves music that bad. Last week, I saw him playing piano for Inang and her lola friends. Now, he was here with a band. Ibig sabihin ba nito, hindi siya kakanta ngayon sa bahay?

"Good afternoon. We're Ashtray Skyline, a band from UPLB. Puwede pong mag-request. We're accepting tips po." Then the man-bun guy pointed to the paper box with "TIPS" as its tag. There was also a pile of small papers and a pen. Nasa mini stage 'yong lahat at malapit sa paanan niya.

May dalawang lumapit at mukhang magre-request. Nagulat pa ako kasi naglalakad na rin doon palapit si Jessa.

"Seriously?" I whispered in disbelief kasi parang wala naman sa mukha ni Jessa ang nagpa-participate sa mga ganito.

After she wrote on the piece of paper. She handed that to the snooty guy, and what left me agape was when she put her hair strands behind her ear and did all those kilig gestures with her shoulders. Pag-alis niya sa harap ng stage, sinusundan ko lang siya ng tingin hanggang makabalik siya sa Jonahlyn's Pisbolan.

The fuck was that?

Talagang nagpa-cute siya sa harapan ni Snooty Guy? YUCK!

The band read the requests. Nag-group sila sa gitna, and they nodded afterward. Saka sila bumalik sa kanya-kanyang position to prepare for the first song.

"Hi, ayan. Thank you po sa ating first request," the man-bun guy said and placed the piece of paper on the TIP box.

The drum began, and I was in the moment of familiarizing the beat when the snooty guy started playing that electric guitar. The first strum made my jaw drop when I recognized the tune. He was playing "Please Forgive Me," and he was making that guitar cry!

He ran his fingers on the guitar and plucked all the right strings, hitting all the perfect notes of the intro.

That was so fucking smooth.

"Still feels like our first night together . . ."

The stage left my eyes when Jessa blocked the view.

"Kumakain ka naman ng fish ball, 'no? Itong gulaman nila, masarap 'to." She placed all the food from the tray on the table. "Saka bumili ako ng haluhalo. Masarap 'to."

She was still talking when I returned my eyes to the stage.

"The first time our eyes met, the same feelin' I get . . . only feels much stronger, wanna love you longer . . ."

I was watching the vocalist of the band as he sang. Ang ganda ng boses niya, hindi rough pakinggan kahit na may grunge ang boses ng original singer. Then my eyes shifted to Snooty Guy after the guitar solo. He was looking at his guitar and shortly raised his chin. I didn't confirm he saw me until he smirked at me and shook his head.

"You're the only one . . . I ever want . . ." he mouthed, eyes still on me.

Damn.

That shit pulled something in my chest and made my heart pound for no rational reason. I squinted my eyes judgmentally and kept staring at him.

They were calling him Gimo. That was weird for a name. Everyone around my lola's house knew him. Everything was positive from others' mouths. But all I knew was a sarcastic, big-headed guy who was far from what they called "mabait."

"Please forgive me, I can't stop lovin' you . . ."

"Ang guwapo ni William, 'no?" Jessa said out of the blue. Napatingin tuloy ako sa kanya.

"Yung vocalist?" tanong ko. Tiningnan ko naman si man-bun guy.

Guwapo? Hmm . . . puwede na.

"Hindi!" Jessa denied. "Ayun, o. 'Yong kumakanta para sa lola mo." Itinuro niya ang may hawak ng electric guitar—si Snooty Guy.

Guwapo?

I must say, Snooty Guy looked like a Latino with good genes and shiny hair. He was tall too and had biceps. I had a romantic interest in a guy with a nice smug smirk, and if that snooty guy had made a good impression during our first meeting, I would have rated him a clear ten out of ten. But no.

Pero puwede na.

"Crush mo ba?" tanong ko kay Jessa, and after she had flushed cheeks, I confirmed.

"Huy! May makarinig sa 'yo." But she still smiled and shrugged. Nagsubo pa ng fish balls saka kinikilig na ngumuya.

If she was into looks, I understood. Fully.

Snooty Guy? Face? No objection.

But personality?

That snooty guy would be a pain in the ass.

"Have you told him that you like him?" I asked her.

"Ha?"

"Alam niya na gusto mo siya?" ulit ko.

"Huy!" She shook her head, pouting. "Saka hindi kami bagay. Mayaman kasi sila. Saka mag-aabogado na 'yan next year."

My brows furrowed. "Lawyer?"

She nodded. "Oo. Saka hinahanapan na rin 'yan ng mapapangasawa niya. Ang kuwento nina Nanay Osang, nakahanap na raw ng babae ang mga Echague para sa kanya. Aayusin na lang daw kung saan ang simbahan kaya wala na talagang pag-asa."

"How old is he?"

"Beynte-tres."

"Beyn . . . what's that?" I was confused.

"Ay, sorry. Twenty-three."

"Oh! Old enough."

Papa married my mom when he was twenty, so I think the age was legal to marry.

"Saka wala talaga akong pag-asa kay William kasi—uy! 'Yong request ko na!" Jessa was excited, I could easily tell.

Napatingin ako sa stage nang sumigaw si Jessa dahil sa "request" na raw niya.

"The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful, stop me, and steal my breath . . ."

Jessa stomped her feet in excitement. She even watched the band with sparkling eyes.

I started eating what Jessa had bought for me and watched the band with her. So Snooty Guy's name is William, apart from Gimo.

It was so obvious that Jessa really had a thing for that haughty guy, but her reluctance to address her feelings towards him was oozing. Nagde-deny pa kahit ang layo naman ng actions niya sa lumalabas sa bibig niya.

My gaze was fixed on Snooty Guy. He was focused on the guitar and occasionally reading the music sheet. They said he came from a rich family, but he didn't emit the air of being rich. Although his face looked regal and Valentino-worthy for a physique, he was too casual and public for someone I thought should be exclusive. Siguro may hinahanap lang akong kayabangan sa kanya gaya sa isang kakilala ko noon. Sad to say, wala siya ng aura na 'yon.

Jessa and I stayed there for an hour, and when the band took a break, hinatak niya agad ako para lumapit sa crush niya.

"William!" excited na tawag ni Jessa.

Nakatingin din ako kay Snooty Guy, pero busy siyang mag-ayos ng gitara niya sa stand.

"Naghulog ako ng fifty pesos!" masayang sabi ni Jessa.

"Salamat," Snooty Guy answered without looking at my chaperone. That started to annoy me for Jessa. Ang pinaka-ayoko kasi sa lahat ay 'yong hindi man lang marunong mag-acknowledge sa taong kausap, especially kay Jessa na may binayaran pa pala.

"Not so decent from someone who's active in religion," I mocked. "Jessa's speaking. At least have a decency to talk to her properly."

Guess I did a good job of catching his attention. He glanced at me, and slowly, he stood straight, face up high, head slightly tilted to the right, looking at Jessa and me downward with his sharp eyes.

Damn.

That shit looked hot. I'm outta here.

"Um-hmm. Ikaw 'yong Amerikanang hilaw sa bahay ni Lola Ditas, tama?"

Alam ba niyang nakakaintindi ako ng Tagalog?

"Oo! Apo siya ni Inang!" masayang sabi pa ni Jessa. "Kakauwi lang niya last month!"

Snooty Guy annoyingly smirked. "Kilala ko na 'yan. Nahulog 'yan sa palayan kasi tatanga-tanga."

"Excuse me! It was your fault kaya ako nahulog sa rice field!" I yelled at him.

"Oh! My fault? Hahahaha!" Ang lakas pa ng tawa niya bago ako tiningnan nang buong pagtataka. "Wala akong natatandaang itinulak kita sa palayan. At sa pagkakatanda ko, ako pa ang pumulot sa 'yo paalis doon. Sigurado ka sa sinasabi mo?"

I tilted my head, imitating him, and put my hands on my waist. "You know what? You're condescending and pesky. We're just here to talk to you. Sure ka, Jessa, crush mo 'to?" Itinuro ko pa si Snooty Guy, pero biglang ibinaba ni Jessa ang kamay ko at tinakpan ang bibig ko.

"Hahahaha! Grabe ka namang mag-joke, Esther! Ano ka ba?" She nervously chuckled and looked at Snooty Guy. "Joke lang 'yon, William! Huwag kang maniwala rito!"

But all he did was roll his eyes and poke the inside of his left cheek with his tongue.

If that were only me, I would never give a single fuck. But Jessa liked him a lot, and it was a subtle admission of love for him, and all Jessa had received was an eye roll and a tongue-in-cheek response?

I removed Jessa's hand covering my mouth, and without a second thought, I punched that guy's face.

"You're a fucking ass! 'Yang mga gaya mo, hindi na dapat binibigyan ng attention, e!"

I punched him, and I knew that was my hundred percent power, but all he did was move his head slightly to the right.

He didn't even budge! The fuck?

With his head tilted to the right side, he slowly moved his eyes just to glance at me. Then he smirked again.

Oh shit.

Oh . . . shit.

"William," the man-bun guy called.

Jessa pulled me back. Snooty Guy's bandmates interfered. I guess we had to leave.

Or else . . .