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"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR!" Lannie screamed as a start from the other line. "HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY, BITCH!"

"Thank you! Thank you," I laughed as I held my phone near my ear. "Baliw ka talaga, haha."

"Ikaw nga, baliw kay Chris, e," she cackled.

"Hoy, si Cerulean lang 'yon," I said.

"Talaga nga ba?" she said with a weird tone. " 'Di mo love si Chris?"

"Love," I giggled. "Aywan ko sa'yo. Puro ka kalokohan. Lumayas ka na nga sa cellphone ko, haha."

"Ang harsh, ah," she laughed. "Sige na, happy birthday raw sabi ni Maddie, ta's sunduin ka namin mamaya kasi pupunta tayo ng Town in a Building on your special day!"

"Sige, sige, bye-bye na," I said. "Lagay lang ako ng gamit sa locker tapos lalabas na rin ako."

"Sige, malapit na kami sa inyo," she said. "Bye-bye."

"Bye."

The call ended. That was my sign that I should get going. That I should go and fix my things.

"Hap—py—birth—day—a—gain," a familiar voice said, holding me by my shoulders and shaking me.

"Aray, parang baliw lang, oh," I laughed as I looked behind me, and I saw it was James. "Thank you."

I remembered how much past me would lose her mind if this happened before Chris came into my life. I would blush if I wasn't in love with Chris yet, but yes, I didn't feel flattered that James greeted me twice on my birthday.

Well, it was happy. Yeah. Everyone greeted me on my special day. But I was going to meet someone who hadn't greeted me yet, and so, I was excited to meet him again.

Chris, I smiled as his name echoed inside my head.

I looked around to ground myself. Wala ka pa sa Town in a Building, I thought. 'Wag ka munang kiligin. James had already left and walked to his seat all the way over to the back. Rivera siya, so nasa second row siya from the back.

I picked my books up from below my seat, hugging them tight since they were a lot. With five books and three notebooks in my arms, I walked out of our classroom to meet the fresh air and my locker. The skies looked so pretty and clear. Ang aliwalas din ng paligid.

Oh, my, why am I like this?

"Happy birthday, Stephanie," Lian, my friend from the other section and my former classmate, said, raising her eyebrows.

"Thank you," I said as we passed by each other. She soon followed me to where I was walking to.

"Hoy, magtapat ka nga, blooming ka, e," she laughed. "In love ka ba?"

"Oo," I said. "Char."

" 'Di nga?" Lian said, quite shocked. "Stephanie, parang ang saya mo kasi lagi, e."

"Talaga?" I said in disbelief. Wow.

"Oo. You're more appreciative than the way you are before. Light na rin yata ang everyday mood mo ngayon."

"Gano'n ba?" I chuckled.

"Oo," Lian laughed. "Sino ba 'yang special someone mo?"

"H-ha?"

"Sabi mo in love ka," she said. " 'Di puwedeng joke lang 'yon!"

"Ano, basta, ano siya, mabait," I said as we stopped by my locker. "Tapos siyempre, gentleman."

"Pogi?"

"Oo! Sobra," I said, imagining his mask as I unlocked the padlock of my locker.

"Kailan mo papakilala sa'min?" she said, giggling.

" 'Ala, lowkey lang muna," I said, unsure of how they would meet Chris. Chris was just a persona of whoever it was under his mask, and he was just a person inside Town in a Building. I looked at Lian with an unsure gaze as I placed my books and notebooks inside my locker.

"Ah, oki," she said.

I locked my locker again, shutting those books away.

"Bye-bye na, Stephanie," she said, waving at me.

---

" 'Yon, oh, hinahanap si Chris," said Veronica, shaking my arm.

"Siyempre, para mas happy ang birthday niya," Lannie said.

"Ano ba, nami-miss ko lang," I said. "Pero ang corny ng pagkakasabi ko no'n."

"Walang corny sa love, 'di ba, Veronica?" ang sabi ni Paris. "May lovelife na rin ata 'to, e, ayaw lang umamin."

"Wala nga kasing label," ang sabi ni Veronica. "Kaya shh lang dapat."

"Nako, may lovelife na nga," ang sabi ko nang pabiro.

"Parang ikaw wala, ah," Paris jokingly said.

I looked down on my nails.

" 'Di ko naman tinatago, e," I giggled. "Alam na alam niyo nga, e."

" 'Di raw tinatago," ang sabi ni Veronica. "Kahit kina Tita Michelle?"

"HOY!" I exclaimed. "Iba naman kasi 'yon. Hindi nila talaga dapat malaman."

"Ah, gano'n ba, gesi, gesi po," ang sabi ni Paris. "Ay, may surprise nga pala kami sa'yo."

"Hala, ano ba 'yon?" ang sabi ko. "Hindi naman kailangan—"

Before I could take back what I said, someone covered my eyes by their hands. I automatically touched their hands, I felt a watch. I know someone who wears watches on her right hand.

"Warning: you know her in the real world, so don't say her name," I heard Paris say.

"Kilala ko na siya," I smiled, giggling as my eyes weren't closed anymore.

"Divinie," I whispered to Divine as a joke. Lahat kasi ng pangalan namin (Melanie and Maddison's nickname) ay nag-e-end sa -ie, kaya binibiro namin siya na Divinie ang tawag namin sa kanya.

"Happy birthday, Cerulean!" Divine exclaimed and hugged me, ignoring the joke I whispered to her.

"Hala, pa'no mo nalaman ang pangalan—"

"Veronica and Paris already prepped me for Town in a Building last night," she smiled. "So call me Carrie Florence."

Carrie extended a hand out, waiting for a handshake, so I quickly took it and hugged her again.

"Goodness, I missed you so much," I said. "Ang tagal ko nang 'di nakabisita sa inyo."

"Okay lang, nako, nandito na ako, kaya lagi na tayong magkikitang apat," Carrie giggled.

Divine is one of my best friends. Isa siyang proud maldita na kung sa mabait naman ay mabait din. Napakasaya niyang kasama, at matagal-tagal na rin simula no'ng nabisita ko siya sa bahay nila. Medyo malapit lang naman 'yon, pero inuunahan kasi ako nina Lannie at Maddie, kaya 'di na ako nakakapunta sa kanila. Mas malapit kasi ang bahay ni Divine sa bahay nina Lannie at Maddie.

"Ayan pala," I giggled. "Nagtatapos na rin sa -ie ang name mo."

"Kaya nga, e," Carrie smiled. "Pero balita ko, may lovelife ka na raw."

"Ay," I giggled shyly. "Ano kasi. . . ."

"Asus, mayroon, e," Carrie cackled.

"Oo na," I pouted.

"Sabi sa'yo, e," Paris laughed. "Sabi sa'yo, may lovelife 'yan, e."

" 'Di pa siya makapaniwala, e," Veronica laughed. "Kasi ang akala rin namin, mauunahan ni Carrie si Cerulean."

"Akala niyo lang 'yon," I joked. "Char."

"Ay, grabe talaga," Paris laughed. "Iba talaga 'pag in love. Nako naman."

"Hindi naman sa gano—"

"Wala, wala," they, like, booed me. Kaloka talaga 'tong mga kaibigan ko.

"Hoy, tama na 'yan," Veronica said. "Baka magsumbong 'yan kay Chris."

"Oo, susumbong ko talaga kayo," I pouted and rolled my eyes jokingly.

"Hala, patay tayo riyan," Carrie teased.

I looked around as a joke, just for them to laugh and to show them I was looking for Chris, but the joke ended up with me, finding Gideon amongst the people on the balcony. I gestured my friends to follow me as I walked towards the balcony's doors.

"Hi, Gideon!" ang pagtawag ko sa kanya habang kinakalabit siya. "This is Chris's second mask," I said to my friends, looking at them to explain.

I cautiously clung to his arm as he hadn't spoken yet. He hadn't greeted me yet, but that's okay.

"Hey, is everything okay?" I asked as soon as I felt something was wrong and he wasn't speaking.

"Uh," Gideon looked at me, and I got a closer look at his handsome face. "I—I need space." With that, he removed my arm in his and moved farther.

"Meet me in The Philippine History later," he said. "I just need space."

Without saying anything more, Gideon left me. He did not even greet me. That hurt. So bad. Hindi niya man lang ba naalala na birthday ko ngayon? Bakit kailangan niya mangailangan ng space sa mismong birthday ko?

"Ano nangyari?" Paris asked, oblivious of what Gideon had said.

"H-he said he needs space," I said, frowning. Damn, it hurts more when I say it.

"On your birthday talaga?" Carrie said.

"Yeah, I know, right?" Veronica said.

Before I could feel it, tears flowed down and beneath my mask. All those times I held his hand, all those times he almost kissed me, and all those times he said he would kiss me in front of the altar. All those times were about to fall apart.

I remembered the time when I had a dream—a nightmare—about us breaking up. It could be anywhere near now. One wrong move, he might not want me anymore.

"Cerulean?" Paris called. "Are you okay? Hey, don't cry."

"S-sorry," I said, wiping my tears away. "I need to go to the washroom."

Luckily, I found the washroom near, so I ran to it. I could still feel the kiss Chris planted on my forehead as I ran. I could still remember how he drove me home. All of those things could end. He just had to say it and break my heart.

Desperate for an open door of a cubicle, I pushed to check if they were occupied or not. One cubicle was unoccupied, letting me in. I wished immediately for everything to be okay. It can still be okay, right? We're not breaking up, right?

Because I knew when one person needed space in a relationship, it was going cold. That was the complete description of what I could feel—cold. I felt cold and in need of my man's warmth, but he said he needed space. Space. Space.

Wherever he was inside Town in a Building, I hope he was thinking of me, thinking about how it could be all fixed. Hindi maaaring mangyari 'to. Ito na ang pinakakinatatakutan ko. Heartbreak over Chris Hartell.

I mean. . . binati niya man lang sana ako bago niya sabihing he needed space. I wiped my tears away, sighing.

It was all so good, so perfect. But then, this happened.

"Meet me in The Philippine History later."

Like a light at the end of a tunnel, I found hope. He needed space just for a short period of time. He needed space just for some moments. It meant that my pain wouldn't have to be forever.

But it could also mean he would finally say he would break up with me and he just needed time to figure it out.

Fighting the feeling of bad things happening, I unlocked the cubicle and stepped outside as if I was a pre-mature baby being born—I wasn't ready, but I was going to face it. I had courage the most at that moment, so I wanted to face it since I could. Baka ito na lang ang panahong kakayanin ko pang makarinig ng kahit anong masakit na salitang bibitawan ni Chris.

Naglakad ako palabas ng cubicle at palabas ng comfort room nang nakayuko. As if I was not taking time because I actually wasn't, I walked my way to Carrie, Paris, and Veronica.

"Let's go to The Philippine History," I said, almost a whisper.

"Right now?" Paris said.

"Yeah," I said. "Baka ngayon na lang ang panahong kakayanin kong harapin si Chris, si Gideon."

"S-sure," Veronica said. "Let's go. We'll be by your side."

I could hear the heels of my ankle boots click when we walked—when I half-ran—to The Philippine History. This time, the clicks were more encouraging even just for a bit. It wasn't like the irritating clicks that I heard when I did the Mic-Taking for the first time, for Chris's dare. Soon enough, it occurred to me that we were already on the third floor of the B-Side, several meters away from The Philippine History.

I can do this, I thought with all the courage I could muster. He can't break up with me on my birthday.

Looking up, I saw a gentleman wearing a mask similar to the mask of Chris, but it was just covering half the face of the gentleman, unlike Chris's, which covered three-fourths.

I didn't realize he was the same Chris I loved and cared for until I witnessed his flailing arms. At that moment, I knew how much he loved me. When I ran and fell into his arms, he said, "My lady, happiest birthday to you," and I felt like a princess.

"What the fuck, Chris?" I laughed, in a manner completely opposite to ladylike, as he caressed my cheek, going all the way to my lips, as if to stop me from cussing.

"Don't cuss, my lady," he said. "That's bad."

"Then punish me," I rolled my eyes. "I mean. . . you already punished me with all that 'I need space' thing."

I looked around when I heard people singing "Happy Birthday" to me. A group of The Philippine History's employees were the ones singing to me.

"Oh, my goodness, Chris," I gasped, hitting him in the chest. "You did this for me?"

"Anything for my lady," he smiled as they continued singing.

"Chris, I wish I could tell you how happy I am that you're not breaking up with me," I expressed, teary-eyed while caressing his lower cheek that was newly exposed due to the new cut of his mask.

"And I cut my mask for this special day," he said as he noticed I was eyeing his mask's edges.

"Why though?"

"I want you to know how sincere I am with you," he said, planting a gentle kiss on my forehead.

"I think I kinda get it," I said, thinking about how with less coverage of his mask, it meant how he loved me even without the masks on, even as Stephanie and whoever he was without the mask. I let myself believe. It was my birthday.

"You will get it," he smiled and hugged me.

By then, I felt how my tears were going down my cheeks.

"You're making me cry," I said, muffling it with my palm.

"Hush," he said, placing locks behind my ear. "Sorry if I made you cry earlier."

"You did it, still!" I sighed, smiling still.

"I'm so sorry, my lady," Chris said, cupping my cheeks. "I love you."

And then, I found the world continuing again as if it stopped before. Suddenly, I heard the birthday song again, I felt Veronica, Paris, and Carrie's presence again, and the fairytale and the real world merged, as if.

"Blow your candles, my lady," Chris smiled.

And I did.

The cake was teal, just like the color of my mask. There were edible butterflies, I supposed, on it, picturing how my stomach felt at the moment.

I heard Veronica, Paris, and Carrie sing the birthday song along with the people holding my cake.

"And my letter to you," Chris said, handing me a scented envelope also in teal.

"Th-thank you," I giggled.

I carefully opened the envelope's seal, making sure I didn't ruin it, and I started reading it.

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