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"Dear, may naisip ako," Lannie—I mean. . . Zoey (the black mask she was wearing at the moment)—said, tugging at my arm. "May alam ako para ma-test natin ang loyalty or faithfulness ni Chris sa pinakahihintay niyang oo mo."

"Ha?" I said, chuckling because Zoey, like, crouched down and hid from someone who wasn't around or even existent. "Ba't ka ba nakaganyan? Sino ba pinagtataguan mo?"

It was another day of allowing this addiction called "Town in a Building" slide again. The building was a bit less crowded than yesterday, and the sky was a bit brighter than yesterday. It was another simple day, but this day was more exciting because I would be able to show "Mime" to Chris (after Zoey's plan, at least, maybe), because—well—he had the right to know, because. . . he made me so happy.

"Ganito, since curious ka naman sa Secret Mail at since ite-test natin ang loyalty ng suitor mo, may plano ako."

"Ano 'yon?"

"Ito na nga," she said, clearing her throat and standing up straight. "Kasi. . . basta, magse-send tayo ng message sa kanya gamit ang Degree One."

"U-uh. . . ano naman ang magiging laman no'n?" I asked. Again. Well, I forgot to tell you: Maddie was somewhere else, not with us. Maddie was busy being Azure. Yup.

"Kunyari galing sa akin, kay Zoey. Ang laman no'n, parang lalandiin ko," Zoey giggled.

With that, I snorted. Purat nga talaga 'tong pinsan ko. Ang lakas ng tama, e.

"Sige, sige, tapos nakasilip tayo?"

"Oo," she cackled.

"Sige, paano? Lead the way," I said.

"Firstly, we will go to the Secret Mailposts or the Secret Post Office."

"Wow, those are cool names for places."

"I know, right?"

"Pero may pagkakaiba ba 'yon?" I asked, sounding desperate for the information.

"Ang Secret Mailpost, parang mailpost mo plus locker, ta's 'yong Secret Post Office, 'yon ang mismong parang post office," Zoey explained.

"Ang dami palang pasikot-sikot," I said.

" 'I know, right?' again."

After the both of us understood what we had just planned, Zoey led the way to the Secret Post Office where messengers spend their time to. . . well, I guess. . . work. 'Di kaya magalit si Chris sa gagawin namin? I thought, still considering if we should do it or not. I was just there, pacing back and forth over the decision of whether we should continue it or not. But it just didn't work. I just. . . went along with the flow because of this sugar-rush-like happiness that overflowed through my brain.

All because one person asked me if he could court me. Well, Cerulean. Pero kinikilig pa rin ako, the fuck.

Zoey was walking beside me, just a few inches ahead to lead the way. She took me in front of the two now-iconic (in my head, at least) and marble-walled elevators of Town in a Building. Malinaw na malinaw pa sa isip ko kung ano ang nangyari noong mga unang pasok ko sa isa sa mga elevator na ito. Yes, I was held captive by Chris' mask, and of course, I met him.

It was still all so clear in my head: how Chris got a bit closer to me when he reached for the buttons of the elevator, how he stared at me for a short period of time when the bottle was at the center of our little game, and finally, how he asked if he could court me, out there, in front of the gorgeous cerulean sky.

Well, the sky.

And how he called me "gorgeous" multiple times.

"Sa second floor tayo, dear," Zoey started, as I realized that we were already inside one of the elevators and I was, once again, the nearest person to the buttons of the elevator. Just like the day we first met, I thought then mentally giggled. With my cold hands—I could feel it, I pressed the button for the second floor.

Pero hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala sa nangyari. Para kasing imposible, e. Sa buong buhay ko, wala pang nagkagusto sa akin. Damn, and I don't even know how to act properly. I was excited, nervous, and scared at the same time, just like the way I had always been around Chris. Ganito rin ba kiligin sa totoong buhay?

I still had a lot of questions. I still wanted to know more about Chris. I knew his persona as Chris was more than just a handsome mask. I still wanted to understand his words' depths and his mind's shallows. I still wanted to try and find which parts of us could connect us to more than just partners in Town in a Building. With limits, of course, especially because sinabi niya sa akin na 'wag akong magpakahulog masyado.

Well, it's not like that. I just wanted my friendships in Town in a Building to feel real because after all, I had come inside the building for one thing: escapism. And it all came quickly and happily when Chris asked me that question.

But then, again, there it went, just as quickly as how a smile plastered itself on my face, my self-esteem dropped back down.

"Dear, okay ka lang?" Lannie, more likely Zoey, jolted my mind back to the present time. "Nandito na tayo."

Zoey was snapping her hand as if it would do magic that would eventually bring my mind back to reality. Too late, dear, nandito na ata ako.

"S-sorry, lutang lang kanina," I laughed and followed her footsteps. Soon, the post-office-like pillars on the interior of the second floor welcomed me, at parang naaamoy ko na ang mabangong scent ng mga papel. I could see messengers in their sleek uniforms, wearing pins with an envelope design on their left collars. This is too extra for lies but also cool, I thought. I won't be surprised if this is more difficult than it looks.

"This is more difficult than it looks," Zoey whispered, making me giggle.

"Sabi na, e," I face-palmed.

"Oh, bakit naman?"

"Wala lang, sabi ko sa isip ko, baka mas technical 'to kaysa sa inaakala ko," I replied. "Ta's tama."

We both laughed then, almost forgetting the reason why we were there, but Zoey was not easy to distract. Thankfully.

"Halika na, at makakalimutan natin mag-send ng letter," she said. "Baka dumating na siya rito."

"Okay, okay," I said, collecting the thoughts that I dropped on the way.

"Sundan mo lang ako, dear, tapos ayon, tanong ka lang kapag may tanong ka," she whispered, then started walking forward to reach a table with one stack of papers in the middle. Carefully, we sat on the chairs available.

"Kailangan, bago makapunta si Chris, natapos na tayo magpa-send," Zoey cackled, taking a pen and a paper from the centerpiece of the table—the stack of paper and, like, a custom-made mug of pens.

"Kaya nga bilisan na natin," I giggled.

"Hi. . . there. . . hottie," Zoey read as she was writing the words, "can. . . w-we. . . hang out. . . some time?"

"Ang lakas ng tama niyo." Nanigas ako nang marinig ko ang boses na pamilyar sa akin. Wala na kaming nagawa ni Zoey kung hindi ang tumawa dahil nahuli kami ng kaibigan namin.

"Azure," I said, cackling. "T-teka, HAHAHA!"

"Akala ko si Chris. Kinabahan ako," ang sabi naman ni Zoey.

"Ang lakas talaga ng tama niyo," Azure chuckled. "Pero send niyo na, nakita ko siya sa labas through the bintana." Napatawa naman ako sa conyo na pagsasalita ni Azure, at na-recognize ko ang boses ni Maddison sa mga salita niya. So I brushed it off and acted normal.

Bumaling naman ako ng tingin kay Zoey, pero nang makita ko siya ay nagsi-seal na siya ng envelope. Tumayo na siya habang natatawa, at sinundan na namin siya.

"Let's go, dali," ang sabi ko kay Azure habang nakangisi.

"Ano ulit pangalan no'n?" Zoey asked, quite taken aback after all our jokes.

"Chris Hartell," I smiled right after saying it. His name felt like the title of my favorite song. It sounded so familiar and beautiful.

"Ito, ito na," Zoey chuckled, and so did I. "From Zoey. Okay na, tago na lang."

To: Chris Hartell, it read. From: Zoey.

"Grabe, let'szzz go na," Zoey cackled. "Nakakakaba naman."

"Oo nga, e," I said. "But I feel confident na 'di naman siya tulad ng iba na you-know."

I stood up, as soon as they did, too, skimming my knees that should've been scarred or, at least, bruised from the afternoon I was chased by those people. Siguro dahil sa mahabang skirt ng uniform namin, I thought. We were standing in front of, like, a front desk, and a person in the same sleek uniform was attending to us while holding a thick clear book.

Inabot lang ni Zoey ang envelope na 'yon, and our job was done. The messenger was already flipping through the black clear book as if looking for something. All we had to do was wait. Kung tutuusin, ang swerte nga namin na papasok pa lang si Chris sa Town in a Building. Why? you ask?

"Saktong-sakto, citizens of this building usually check their mail before playing their roles in a day," Zoey explained.

"Tago, tago," Azure whispered, pulling us beside him, behind the bookshelf in a corner. "Andyan na siya. Aalis na ako, ha? Baka mabuko na babae ako 'pag nakita tayong magkakasama."

Zoey and I nodded quickly as we watched Azure stride away behind more bookshelves to hide him. Sa isip ni Chris, tatlo kaming laging magkakasamang babae. Azure was right.

"Kinakabahan ako," I whispered, drifting my sight from Azure's sudden disappearance to Chris's far presence in the room.

"Same," she whispered back. "Pero natatawa ako."

As we crouched down behind the bookshelves we used to hide ourselves in, I tried more to watch him move towards his—probably—mailpost slash locker. Oh, and the mailposts were medium-sized and beautifully presented! Damn. But at that time, the message has not yet arrived into his locker. And so, a messenger, as what I saw, just handed him the envelope instead.

We were closely watching—Zoey and I, and it was making me so nervous because he might be actually so flirty or he might casually be mad at me for doing this.

"Thank you," Chris said, then the messenger nodded. Then he mumbled, "Kanino na naman 'to galing?"

Chris quickly opened the envelope, but he did not seem excited at all. Siguro ay araw-araw na siyang nakatatanggap ng ganito, at napapagod na siya kare-reply. After seemingly reading the content of the letter and after opening his locker, he slid it in there, caring little to nothing. Probably. Then, he locked his mailpost.

In unison, I realized that I was holding my breath and that he already left the Secret Post Office as well as the area of the Secret Mailposts that were arranged like lockers in high school.

"Ano 'yon?" I chuckled.

"Ano meaning no'n?" Zoey laughed.

"So ang meaning no'n, loyal siya or faithful?"

"The answer is for you to know, dear," Zoey giggled.

"Wait, ano?" ang tanong ko. Para akong hiningal sa paghihintay. "Nakakapagod kabahan."

"Ano?" Zoey said, laughing at my words and gesturing her hands in the air. " 'Nakakapagod kabahan.' -Cerulean, 2017."

"Kaloka ka, dear," I laughed.

"Pa'no nga?" she asked. "It's time na para puntahan mo siya at tanungin kung ano ang nangyari."

"T-teka, ayaw ko, nakakakaba," I cackled. And when I became conscious of my laughter, I looked around to see if the messengers heard my laughter. My gosh, baka sabihin nila, napapa'no na ako. I inhaled sharply.

"Anong ayaw mo?"

"A-ayaw kong malaman niya," I laughed.

"Okay lang 'yan, dear," she said. " 'Wag mo na lang muna sabihin na tayo ang nag-send no'n. Act normal lang muna, then I'll be on my own. Sa first floor na lang tayo magkita by 5 o'clock or 3, okay?"

"Okay."

"Pa'no naman 'pag pakiramdam ko na okay lang sa kanya 'yong ginawa natin? Sasabihin ko?" I asked.

"Well, it's up to you," she said. "Basta, ako, magpa-party lang muna ako sa third floor, baka makita mo ako roon. And congratulations, you just witnessed Degree One."

I smiled at the thought of meeting Chris again. Holding onto my Scrapbook of Moments and onto "Mime," I said, "See you later, Zoey."

But even with that, we walked to the elevator in order to part ways. Because we were both going to the third floor where I immediately thought Chris would be, I pushed the button of the third floor of the building. When time ticked by as quickly as I wanted it to be, the doors of the elevator opened, and you know what?

I just saw Chris by the balcony when I searched for it, and he was just there, looking at his watch in the most perfect way possible, waiting for me.

I cannot wait to show "Mime" to him.

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