Kairo's POV

I was irritated when my prof extended time before letting us have our lunch break. Hindi ko tuloy nasamahan kumain si Jordyn. Badtrip! She sent me a message saying that she's on the way to her next class kaya naman kumain ako ng tanghalian mag-isa bago pumasok sa next subject.

My afternoon class is Marketing kaya naman hindi masyado sumakit ang ulo ko. Smooth lang din nagdiscuss ang prof ko kaya mabilis na pumasok sa utak ko ang bawat importanteng bagay. We got dismissed early.

Everything's going in my way. Ngayon araw ko din pipick-upin yung aso na binili ko para kay Jordyn, that's how I think I can make it up to her after leaving her alone in Cebu for a day.

I decided to go home first and take a quick shower before heading to the pet shop. "Good Afternoon, Sir! She's already prepared na po" the lady informed me kaya naman napangiti ako.

Kinuha niya ang aso mula sa cage nito at ibinigay sa akin. "Your name will be Kaidyn, okay? Isn't it a lovely name?" I talked to it, treating her like a baby.

After I settled everything, dumiretso na ako pabalik sa university at sakto din naman na nagtext sa akin si Jordyn.

From: Babe.

dismissal ko na. nasa may field ako, hbu?

From: Babe.

dapat ba kita hintayin dito?

Hindi na ako nagreply at dumiretso na lang sa field. I saw her sitting on a bench, tinitignan ang mga tao na gawin ang sari sarili nilang bagay. I walked towards her and sat beside her saka niya lang ako napansin. When our eyes locked, a tired smile came from here facial expression so I gave her a soft kiss before asking her how she was.

After a few minutes of talking, we went to dinner before I put a blindfold on her eyes. "Kapag ako nadapa dahil sa kalokohan mo, humanda ka sa'kin ah?" She said before tightening her grip on me and I just chuckled. She's too cute, that's why I love her so much. "Trust me."

"Alright, we're in front of your unit. Are you excited?" I asked her and she just went silent. Probably scared and excited at the same time. "Surprise, babe! Meet Kaidyn" I said out of excitement. The puppy went straight to Jordyn and she fell on the floor but luckily I was there for support. The dog is on top of Jordyn and I was just in a blank expression.

Ako lang dapat nasa taas ni Jordyn, hmp!

"Kaidyn come here," I commanded at sumunod naman sa akin yung tuta. Jordyn looked at me with her sparkling eyes. Kaya naawa na ako sa kanya, she always wanted a dog and now I bought her one.

Pumunta ako sa sala ng kanyang dorm at doon inilagay ang mga gamit ng aso, kumpleto na yon. Toys, clothes, dog food, dog bowls and etcetera. I sat on the couch and I took a picture of Jordyn and Kaidyn playing fetch. I took 4 photos and posted them on my instagram feed. Nakatalikod naman si Jordyn doon kaya di naman siya makikilala. I captioned the photo 'tahanan'.

Sabi ko sayo mahal ko, pasisiyahin kita hanggang sa makakaya ko. Just by looking at her smiling, it's the best part of my day already.

"Kaidyn.. Why Kaidyn?" Pagtatanong niya, nasa tuta pa din ang atensyon.

"Hindi pa ba obvious? Kai saka Jordyn.. Kaidyn"

"What's the nickname?" she asked. Nginisian ko siya bago sumagot, "Dyn"

"Dyn? Unfair! Bakit Dyn?! Bakit hindi Kai?!" pagrereklamo niya, nakasimangot na sa akin. I laughed at her. Making her irritated has always been so entertaining to me. Kaya ko siya panoorin buong araw kahit puro reklamo lang binubuga ng bibig niya.

"Because why should it be Kai? Mas kamukha mo kaya, that's why it should be Dyn, babe. Cute kaya!" Pang-aasar ko pa kaya hinampas niya ako nang napakalakas sa braso. Kawawa lagi katawan ko dito, bugbog sarado.

She rolled her eyes on me before carrying Kaidyn to put her on her lap. "Dito ka, baby. Hindi natin bati 'yang tatay mo ha? Don't worry, my baby, I'll teach you how to bite him, okay?" she baby talked to Kaidyn, obviously making me irritated.

"Make her your teammate all you want but all I care about is that you told her that I'm her dad" I said, making Jordyn look at me. I winked at her but she rolled her eyes again to stifle a smile.

Ibinaba niya si Kaidyn sa lapag para kunin ang mga binili ko na gamit para doon. Jordyn prepared our puppy's eating plate, pati na rin ang inuman nito. She poured dog food on Kaidyn's bowl at kaagad naman niya 'yon pinuntahan para kumain.

Jordyn walked towards me and stood in front of me. Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay para itanong kung anong meron but she lowered her upper body to lean on me and give me a kiss.

"What was that for?" I asked, confused about the random peck of kiss. Umupo siya sa tabi ko kaya sinundan ko siya ng tingin. Ibinaling niya ang katawan niya sa tagiliran ko bago ako yakapin.

"Wala lang. Thank you for buying a puppy, you don't know how happy you made me" she uttered. I can hear the happiness in her voice which means I did a great job on making it up to her.

"I'm sorry for what happened last Friday," I apologized at kaagad kong naramdaman ang pag-iling niya. Umayos siya sa pagkaka-upo at itinuon ang tingin kay Kaidyn bago ipatong ang kamay niya sa hita ko.

"Don't be. I understand naman na sobrang importante nung dahilan kaya kailangan mo mauna. I'm actually the one who should apologize for acting shit. I'm sorry.." Mahinang sabi niya saka niyakap ako. Matapos ay nakipaglaro lang kami kay Kaidyn nang kaunti at nagpaalam na din ako para umuwi.

The days passed quickly as if we couldn't keep up. Hindi kami nagkakaabot ni Jordyn dahil sa magkaiba kami ng schedule. We became busy, especially me. Parang araw-araw ko kailangan dumiretso sa resto ni Dad para mag-asikaso at mag-aral ng mga importanteng bagay.

Bumabawi na lang kami ni Jordyn sa chats and video calls. Swertehan kung hindi kami busy sa mga ginagawa namin dahil mas mahaba ang oras ng pag-uusap. Heck, I miss her.

"Alright, settle down class. I'll be informing you about your output to be submitted by the end of the semester, meaning you still have a whole month to finish this. Malaki ang parte nito sa makukuha niyo sa card niyo kaya pagbutihin ninyo" Our professor started. "This output should be done in pairs. Team work must be done in order to finish this kaya naman I will give you the freedom to choose your pair"

Working with other people isn't a big deal to me. Alam ko naman na kapag business management ang kukunin 'kong course, dapat talaga na marunong ako makipag-interact sa ibang tao. Depende na lang sa kung anong ugali ang ipapakita sa akin ng tao.

"You will have to create a company that comes with a great business. I assume that all of you should know how to properly create a business plan. Only this time, everything should be done accurately and completely. Include seeking investors, the marketing strategies and also the manufacturing and production" Pagpapatuloy niya sa instructions.

"Now, I will be giving you time to choose your teammates. Pagkabalik ko, kukunin ko mula sa inyo ang mga listahan ng member sa bawat grupo" then the Prof walked away.

Nagsimulang magsitayuan ang iba kong kaklase para humagilap ng mga partner nila. I roamed my eyes around the room, observing people kung sino ba ang maayos gawing ka-team mate.

Nasa ganoong posisyon ako nang may lumapit sa akin. Itinaas ko ang tingin ko at nakita ko ulit yung babae na napatayo dahil nadamay sa galit sa akin ng Prof noong first day.

If I remember, her surname is Sandoval.

"Get up. Be my partner," walang emosyong utos niya sa akin kaya tinaasan ko siya ng kilay. I looked behind and saw many people had already found their partner. Mukhang halos lahat may partner at ako na lang ang kulang.

"Do you want to be my partner? Kung hindi, sabihin mo na kaagad para hindi sayang ang oras, Eugenio" diretsong sabi niya. Napabuntong-hininga na lang ako at tumayo para sumunod sa kanila sa kung saan assigned magstay ang grupo namin.

"So, since tahimik ka masyado, ako na ang unang dadaldal. My name's Luna Aria Sandoval, I promise to give my best while working on this output," she introduced herself with a light smile on her face.

Nagsimula umingay ang classroom kaya napunta doon ang atensyon ko, lahat sila nakalabas na ang laptops, notebooks and other shits to make the business plan project. I felt Sandoval's gaze on me kaya naman tumingin din ako sa kanya at tinaasan siya ng kilay.

"Your turn," she said.

"Kairo Ezequiel Eugenio. My surname might be well-known but don't worry, hindi ko ginagamit 'yon para sa advantage ko. I'm looking forward to working with a serious and well-progressed partnership with you" mahabang pagsasalita ko.

Tumango naman siya pagkatapos. Saktong dumating ang professor namin at hiningi ang papel mula sa bawat partner. There are over 15 pairs and by looking at each, mukhang okay naman sila pero pansin na lamang pa din kami. Of course she has me, auto-uno sa prof. Na 'to..

Nagdiscuss ang professor namin tungkol sa kung anong kompanya ba ang dapat namin buuin at kung ano ang mga negosyo na pwedeng maisip. The discussion lasted for two hours before we got dismissed.

I sent Jordyn a message so I could inform her na pauwi na ako. Mas late ulit ngayon ang dismissal nila, gusto ko man siyang hintayin, kailangan ko magpahinga dahil pupunta pa ulit ako sa resto mamayang gabi.

To: Babe.

I'm on my way home. Take care later, okay? I love you, babe.

To: Babe.

I'll be going to the resto later to learn new

To: Babe.

Heck, I miss you so much. When will I see you?

Nagulat ako nang bigla siyang magreply. She's in her class right now.. tamang tago lang ng phone ah? That's my girl! Joke.. she's supposed to be focusing on her class.

From: Babe.

do u need to immediately go home? daan ka muna kaidyn

To: Babe.

Alright, I'll visit her. Focus on your class, first.

From: Babe.

alright, thank u babe! I love you

From: Babe.

i miss you so freaking much. buti pa si kaidyn makikita ka :( anw, ingat sa pagdrive.

To: Babe.

Let's see each other on the weekend. Sounds good?

From: Babe.

of course! oops, recitation na namin! bye, love you!

I chuckled after reading her reply. Naiimagine ko siya na hindi magkanda-ugaga dahil kinabahan na siya at baka matawag siya lalo pa't nakikipagdaldalan siya sa akin through text.

To: Babe.

Good luck, babe! I love you so damn much.

After replying, I kept my phone in my pocket and walked towards the parking lot. Bubuksan ko na sana ang pinto nang tumayo sa tapat ng sasakyan ko si Luna, mukhang may gusto sabihin.

"What is it? Aalis na ako" Pagmamadali ko sa kaniya.

"Are you free on weekends? We'll be discussing our plan for the output" She informed me.

Hindi ako makasagot dahil kakasabi ko lang kay Jordyn na magkikita kami sa weekend. I can't just cancel our plan just like that. I let out a heavy sigh before looking at Luna.

"I'm not free this weekend pero kung kailangan talaga, kaya ko humabol. Late nga lang. I have other plans" I told her and her facial expression became sad before turning her back against me. I just shook my head before driving away.

Dumaan ako sa dorm ni Jordyn para pakainin at makipaglaro saglit kay Kaidyn. After an hour, I eventually decided to go home. Pagkauwi ko sa bahay, as usual I saw my family. I greeted them before going upstairs. Diretso sampa naman ako sa kama bago mag cellphone.

A text from a random number notified kaya chineck ko iyon.

From: Unknown

We can discuss it here.

I replied immediately because I didn't know this person.

To: Unknown

Wrong number.

From: Unknown

This is Luna, dummy.

Wow, sinabihan pa 'ko ng dummy, hampasin ko kaya utak nito? Hindi ko na lang nireplayan pero alam kong nagssend pa rin siya ng message kasi vibrate ng vibrate ang phone ko. Sa inis ko tinapon ko na lang iyon pero narinig yon ni daddy dahil bigla siyang pumasok ng kwarto ko.

"What's wrong?" he asked, umiling lang ako dahil ayaw ko nang abalahin pa si daddy.

"Come on, 'nak. You can tell me. Girl problems?" tanong niya at 'di ako nakatingin ng diretso sa kanya. I heard him sigh before walking towards me.

"Nag away ba kayo ng girlfriend mo? O may nangungulit sayo?" he asked.

Tila expert ata 'tong tatay ko sa mga ganito ah. Well, sa pagkaka-kwento ni Mommy sa akin. My dad used to be the playboy in town when they were in college. Nareject pa nga siya ng Mom ko dahil akala niya lalaruin lang siya pero hindi naman daw.

Gusto ko ng ganong love story, college hanggang sa habang buhay na.

"Yung kagroup ko sa isang project, kulit ng kulit kasi." Inis na singhal ko. "Nag-aaya pa pagaaralan yung output kahit weekends eh may plano kami ng girlfriend ko non. Tas nagulat ako, nalaman niya number ko. Like how the fuck?" mahabang sambit ko pero narinig ko lang siya tumawa. Napa-irap na lang ako bago kunin yung cellphone ko sa sahig.

"Alam mo 'nak. Ganyan din ako dati, habulin ng mga chiks." paninimula niya.

"Ohh, kaya pala babaero ka dati." I jokingly countered pero hindi niya yon pinansin.

"Pero simula nang makita ko si Kianna nung college naisip ko tumigil na sa pagentertain ng iba. I was so invested in her that it took me years to find her again. I betted everything I have just to spend my life with her. And look at us now. Only thing you have to do is to stay faithful and loyal to your girlfriend. Marami man ang dumating sa iyo kung kuntento ka na sa kanya balewalain mo na lang yung iba," sabi niya sa akin bago ako tapikin sa likod at lumabas ng kwarto ko.

I am already contented. The moment where it all starts to get confusing, clumsy became my second name at your side, red became my new skin color when I'm close to you, a feeling only you make me feel. That is why I know you are the one, you stole my heart, you won my love.

I'll love you 'till the end of time. I promise you that, Jordyn.