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Pero sa kabila no'n, nakuha pa akong kindatan ni Chris nang makita niya ako.

Damn it.

Napangiti ako nang kindatan niya ako. I mean. . . it feels real at the moment. It feels like our masks are off and like this is the real world. It feels like the role I am playing is Stephanie, not Cerulean.

"Start na tayo," a man in a parakeet-green feathered mask said, racking the balls on the felt surface of the billiards table. "Chris Hartell will go first."

And just like that, the referee already lifted the triangular wooden frame, leaving the balls cleanly racked.

I gave Chris another glance, hoping that he would look at me before he would take the break of the game, but it occurred to me that he already executed an intelligent break. Damn, he is good at this.

The small crowd small-cheered, while I clapped, smiling ear-to-ear, again. Ever since Chris made his way into my life (or should I say "ever since I made my way into his life"?), my smiles got bigger. Parang laging may dahilan para magpatuloy sa araw-araw, although bakasyon naman na namin ngayon. Without me noticing, Chris was already walking towards me.

"Sayang," I heard Chris mumble as I assumed he missed the ball he was supposed to hit.

"Si Hector naman," the referee said, leaning on a post a meter away from the table.

"I'm rooting for you," I told Chris, seeing him get closer to where I was standing.

"Thank you for being here, my lady," he said, smiling at me and looking back at the table. His opponent, Hector—according to the referee, was already on his second shot after Chris missed his chance again and hit a wrong ball.

"Sorry about that," Chris said, looking at me once Hector earned a good score and once it was finally Chris's turn again.

"Don't apologize to me," I said, but this time, it was as if Chris had worn a distraction-free helmet, and his skills had shown Hector that Chris himself is a worthy opponent indeed.

In no time, Chris made a new addition to his score, and it was a good start. Being unsure of the mechanics of the scoring system, I could still tell that Chris was making a good comeback by the cheer of the small crowd. I was right. He is good at this game. Whenever it was Hector's turn, Chris took every moment to analyze the balls' positions, and it made me proud.

My heart was beating so fast at times, but every time he got to shoot a ball in one of the pockets, I could feel the relief. It was like sharing a heart with him, as I knew that he was also tensed by the atmosphere. Hector's looks were, like, showing how pissed he currently was, and that, too, had given me clues that Chris's score was getting higher that his. I wondered why I couldn't see the scoreboard, if there was any.

"We're near the end, people," the referee said, gesturing the people to come take a closer look.

I glanced at Chris, who was chalking the cue stick in the most perfect way possible, again. His height, his hair, and his skills were, like, telling everyone watching that he was sexily made for this game.

Ugh, that sounds over-the-top and corny.

Again.

But he was really made for this game. At least to me.

When Chris was walking towards a part of the table to aim at the cue ball, I stepped backwards to give him space. He gave me a quick look, making me smile, but unfortunately, he made a bad aim, as what I could see. But that didn't end there. Unexpectedly, Chris still made that a last good score by making another ball fall off a pocket.

"And Chris Hartell wins," the referee said, clapping his hands towards Chris.

Seeming unbothered, nakatayo si Chris na parang nakatukod ang cue stick niya sa sahig, habang si Hector naman ay nakatingin lang kay Chris. Hector's eyes were, like, filled with envy, if that was correct.

"Congratulations!" I exclaimed, clapping as hard as I could for my man. Chris smiled at me, his eyes set on me.

"Congrats, man!" I heard one person in the crowd say.

"Good game," Chris said, walking towards Hector with his hand held out for a handshake to be shared.

"Good game, huh?" I saw Hector mumble, storming off the place. With that, I looked down. May mga tao pa pala talagang gano'n? May mga tao pa palang hindi sport?

I looked up back again, ready to talk to Chris.

"Congratulations, my man!" I said, welcoming him, as if, with a hug, and he lifted me up lightly.

"Thank you, my lady," he said, letting me go and tucking a lock behind my ear. "Thank you for coming. It means so much. It's my first game."

"Wow," I uttered. "It was just the first, but you already aced it."

"Nagpra-practice kami lagi ni Lolo sa province," he proudly said. "And you are the reason why I won."

"Whatever," I smiled, admiring his dark eyes. "I am so proud of you, my man."

"Don't tempt me to kiss you," he said, making me feel surprised because I really wasn't doing anything that would tempt him to kiss me.

I found myself facing him, but I already had nowhere to go since I was already leaning against the billiards table. And it was like he already had me cornered.

"I-I'm not—"

"My lady, you are so gorgeous."

But then, our moment was taken away from us when the referee that facilitated the game earlier had to talk to Chris. Did he ever hear our conversation? I asked myself. Kung oo, nakakahiya.

"Ehem," the referee uttered, making us distance ourselves from each other.

"As your reward, I will give you this pin of victory," the referee said. "Sorry if you didn't have the proper awarding, but here you go."

Then, the referee handed Chris a pin that I wasn't able to see.

"Wear it any time you want here in Town in a Building," he said, patting Chris's back. "Congratulations."

And the referee left us both, while Chris was still putting the pin in his pocket.

"Sh-should I help you wear it?" I stuttered, knowing what he just said earlier.

"Yeah, sure," he answered, giving me the pin. "Thanks, my lady."

Then, just as I saw the pin designed like two cue sticks forming an X, I had a question in my mind, and what I did next was ask Chris, "So. . . what do you think will be a gorgeous song for us?"

As cautious as possible, I attached the pin to Chris's collar and glanced up at his face, but by the time when I already had seen his reaction, he immediately replied, " 'Perfect' by Ed Sheeran."

---

"Hindi, hindi puwede," the girl who spoke the most in the group said after akong ipagpaalam ni Paris na kumain kasama nila. "We have confidential matters to discuss in our organization, sorry. We reserved Joan's Sea Cookery for our conversation only."

We were on the third floor since it was about to be lunch, just like what Paris and I talked about, but unfortunately, I couldn't come with Paris because according to the organization's—like—spokesperson or leader, they suddenly would have lunch together as an organization.

"It's okay," Chris said, his hand on my shoulder. "Cerulean and I will be dining together."

"Thank you po," Paris replied, and I snorted because she used "po."

"Mauna na kami," Chris said, tapping my shoulder lightly. "Let's go?"

"Let's go," I replied.

"Bye, Paris!" ang pahabol ko pa kay Paris. She nodded and waved before Chris and I headed to go to the bridge that, as what I could see, connects to the other building.

"Saan tayo papunta?" I asked Chris, not holding back that he would know more about me not knowing much about Town in a Building yet. I trust Chris.

"We will go to the B-Side," he said, reaching for my hand as if it was just nothing to him that I did not know much yet. "The B-Side is the economic side of Town in a Building. May mga kainan, mga spa, mga hotel rooms, and many more. And there, payments are made."

"Wow," I uttered. "I-I didn't know that. Thanks for telling me."

I sighed, thinking about how much of Town in a Building was still unknown to me.

"How about the organizations?" I asked, taking advantage of his explanations. Slight lang naman.

"Organizations inside Town in a Building exist just like how they do in the real world," Chris explained. "They do and plan out things that would be helpful in improving the people's experience in Town in a Building. Ang B-Side, project 'yan ng mga earlier organizations."

"There are four types of groups in Town in a Building, my lady," he continued as we walked on one of the roofed bridge between Town in a Building and the B-Side. "The first one is the family, which embraces pretending to be a real family. The second one is organizations, the one I have already explained to you—they have lots of activities, and the third one is the. . . the family-organizations, which is a combination of both. The last is the squad, which is the most common."

"That's. . . overwhelming," I said, trying to remember everything Chris said and looking up above the roofed bridge, on the fifth floor where the other bridge was. "Ang dami ko pa nga talagang 'di alam sa Town in a Building."

"It's completely okay, my lady," he smiled. " 'Masasanay ka rin,' just like what we always tell new people."

"I guess," I said as we finally approached the doorway of the, like, abundantly lit mall. "I just wish it will be quick though."

"You can take your time, my lady. No one's rushing you," he answered.

I looked at him, smiled, and said, "Thank you for telling me the important things, Chris."

Wala na siyang iba pang sinabi at ginawa maliban sa higpitan ang hawak niya sa kamay ko. Naglakad lang kami nang naglakad na parang normal na paglilibot sa mall, pero the whole time, I was trying so hard to keep myself from smiling. Good thing, he was leading our way and he could not see me that much. I would not like him to see that I was smiling like an idiot.

"I know a good restaurant aside from Joan's Sea Cookery," Chris said, looking at me right when I was looking around the place. "It's my favorite restaurant of all times."

"Oh, really?" I said, smiling. This feels just like the real world.

"Yes, my lady," he chuckled. "Sadly, wala pa akong nakikitang branch nila sa labas ng Town in a Building, but they really serve very delicious food."

"Kain tayo roon?" ang pag-aaya ko.

"Yes, my lady," he nodded, smiling widely. "I wanna take you there no'ng nakaraan pa, but we didn't have enough time."

"Aw," I uttered. My heart melted upon his thought of letting me go there with him. I wonder what the name of the restaurant is.

All on a sudden, Chris ran up one of the escalators, leaving me on the floor we currently were on.

"Hoy!" I exclaimed, chasing him up the escalator while hugging my Scrapbook of Moments and my pouch. "Madaya ka! Come back here!"

Chris stopped when he got to the top, smirking at me while I was running. Luckily, I got to him in no time, but instead of me catching him, he immediately caught me in his arms.

"Cerulean Hathaway. . ." he whispered, staring into my eyes. "Please never leave me."

For seconds, we just stood there, his arms wrapped around my waist, his eyes staring right into mine. The people strolling around us, as though, faded and left us alone. The escalator still moved, but everything was at peace. When I looked down upon Chris's lips, I saw his wide smile. And I knew that I wasn't the only one enjoying the moment.

"My lady, you're so perfect."

"I—"

"I'm serious," he smiled, letting me go and still holding my hand. "I hope you never forget that. Always smile, okay?"

"Okay," I smiled, looking down.

"Let's go na," Chris said, leading the way to the restaurant with a Vigan-like theme on the floor we were currently on. I looked up the wooden signs, and it read, "The Philippine History."

The walls of the restaurant were ivory white and the lights were romantically, as if, lit, and they were from lanterns. The ambience of the place was, like, influenced by the times Spain colonized the Philippines. I was amazed by the concept of the restaurant while thinking about what Chris and I could talk about while we were here. Maybe something he already had planned?

"My lady, I have a dare for the both of us," Chris said, revealing to me that he already had planned things out. What a day, I thought, smiling.

"What is it?"

Chris looked at me, smirking.

"Since dito tayo kakain sa 'The Philippine History,' I dare the both of us to speak in pure Filipino," he said.

I smiled, knowing how difficult yet good it could make us feel. Masarap din gamitin ang wika mo nang walang kahalong ibang wika. Dapat i-challenge din natin ang mga sarili natin paminsan-minsan.

"Okay," I said, smiling.

"Usapan 'yan, ha?" ang sabi ni Chris habang tumatawa. "Start in three, two, one."

"Okay," ang sabi ko.

"Oops—bawal 'yon," ang pagtawa ni Chris.

"Ano ba, mahal ko?" ang natatawa kong sabi. "Nahihirapan ata tayo—"

"My lady, we have to place our Scrapbook of Moments here," ang sabi ni Chris, habang ako naman ay nakatitig lang sa kanya at naghihintay na mapagtanto niya ang sinabi niya.

Hanggang sa 'di ko na napigilan pa. Habang tumatawa, sinabi ko, "Ikaw ang nag-aya sa ganitong hamon."

"Kakayanin ko pang magtagal nang pagsasalita gamit ang Filipino, binibini," ang sabi niya. "Pero kailangan nating iwanan ang Scrapbook of Moments natin dito."

Nakaturo si Chris sa isang karatula na naglalaman ng mga salitang ito:

-

Pakiiwan na lamang po ang inyong mga Scrapbook of Moments bilang tanda ng pagtse-check in.

-

"Sige," ang sabi ko habang nilalagay ang Scrapbook of Moments ko sa lalagyang nakalaan para sa mga ito.

"Ang hirap naman," ang sabi ni Chris habang tumatawa. "I give up."

"Okay, sabi mo, e," I giggled. Dahan-dahan kong kinuha ang Scrapbook of Moments ni Chris at nilagay 'yon sa lalagyan.

"Thank you, my lady," he said, smiling at me.

"You're welcome," I smiled back and looked down as soon as more heat ran up my cheeks.

"Binibini," ang sabi ng isang babaeng may hawak na dalawang menu na maya-maya pa ay binigay niya rin sa amin, "ginoo, magandang tanghali! Mesa po para sa dalawa?"

Napangiti ako nang makita kong suot niya ang baro't sayang pambansang kasuotan ng mga Pilipina.

"Oo sana," Chris said, nodding. It was so nice to see him speak this way. Pakiramdam ko tuloy ay taga-sinaunang panahon kami.

"Dito po, binibini't ginoo," ang sabi niya matapos kaming ihatid sa tapat ng lamesang pandalawahan.

"Salamat po," ang sabi ko nang maka-upo na kami.

"Marami po kaming inihahandang putahe rito sa 'The Philippine History,' at mayroon po kaming meal set for two na tinatawag naming 'Katipunan A'," ang sabi ng babaeng nag-a-attend sa amin. "Nasa halagang 599 Neons lamang po ang Katipunan A."

"Order tayo ng Katipunan A, Ce?" ang sabi ni Chris. I smiled and nodded after seeing the inclusions of the meal set. Dalawang serving ng Sinigang ng Pakikibaka, isang malaking halo-halo, at unli-rice.

Nice.

"Yeah, sure, sure," I beamed.

"Sige po, enjoy your meal that will be served po within fifteen minutes," ang sabi ng babae sabay ngiti sa amin at umalis.

"Ako na ang magbabayad today," Chris said, smiling at me.

"But—"

"No but's," he said, looking at me with concern. "You don't have Town Bills with you, do you?"

"Wala pa akong gano'n. 'Di pa ako nakakapagpa-exchange," I said. "Pero ako naman ang magbabayad next time."

"Sure, sure, my lady," he said.

I sat there, shaking due to the low temperature of the area and waiting for an idea to come across my mind. I wanted to have an idea on what topic we could possibly open. I wanted to have a spark of inspiration on what we could talk about. Just a topic, please. Because I already found the air dead.

"Nilalamig ka ba?" Chris asked, already standing up to put his jacket around me.

"Th-thank you, pero pa'no ka?"

"My lady," he said, carefully placing the jacket on my shoulders, "please take care of yourself even when I'm not around, okay?"

"Okay," I smiled as soon as my eyes met his. "I have a question," I added, finally having that spark of inspiration for a topic.

"What is it, my lady?"

"Do you like music?"

"Of course," he snorted.

"What is your favorite genre of music?"

"Pop," he replied, "with a mix of ballad and R&B."

"Ooh, nice," I said. "Your favorite song?"

" 'A Thousand Years'."

Then, I realized one thing. There was still a lot to know more about Chris, and he would definitely become one of those people who would leave a mark in my life. A good mark, hopefully. I still don't know much about him, but oh, well, it's Town in a Building. And I got time today.

This day is gonna be long.

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