Something Spectacular: The Spectacular Night

Sa labas pa lang ay rinig ko na ang ingay na nagmumula sa Arcadian office. Ang kanilang bangayan at asaran, lalo na ang nangingibabaw na boses ni Lawrence na inaasar si Gavin.

"Akala ko ba malandi ka, brad. Ngayong pumayag na ang babes mo, kabadong-kabado ka."

Napangiti ako sabay iling pagpasok sa office.

Everyone was present. There's Stephen and Charlie in front of the desktop computers. Pia and Rhea at the conference table. Lawrence and Gavin in each of the sofa, lounging carelessly as though they were in  their own houses.

"Babes, katatapos lang ng klase mo?"

Gavin sat properly on the sofa to give me space to sit beside him. I sat beside him while trying to remove the bag from my back. Tumayo si Gavin para tulungan ako at pinatong ang bag sa tabi niya.

"The professor knew we have a vacant subject kaya nag-extend siya ng fifteen minutes," sagot ko.

"Saklap," Lawrence muttered from the sofa.

"I heard you two bantering earlier," I told them.

Ngumisi si Lawrence sabay harap sa'kin habang nakahilata. "'Tong Gavin mo problemado sa date-"

Agad siyang binato ni Gavin ng throw pillow bago pa madugtungan ang sasabihin. Mabilis na umiwas si Lawrence habang panay parin ang halakhak.

"Ikaw naman kasi Gavin," Pia, who was busy with her article, chimed in from the conference table. "Araw araw mong kinukulit 'yong tao, ngayong pumayag na, 'di ka na makatulog."

"Pahirapan mo nga, Isabelle," dagdag pa ni Stephen.

Gavin scratched the back of his head, sighing. Hindi siya nagpapatalo  sa mga asaran, pero mukhang totoo nga ang sinasabi nila. Gavin  seemed to be stressing about the date.

"Hindi dapat basta-basta," he muttered under his breath, saka siya sumulyap sa'kin. "Ikaw 'yon babes eh," he told me. "You deserve a special date."

Hindi ko napigilan ang ngiti ko sa kanyang sinabi.

When things settled down in the office, Pia put on her EIC mode and asked us about our articles. Isa-isa namin siyang in-update tungkol dito. Once again, Gavin and Lawrence were the only members behind schedule.

"How about you Rhea?"

Naka-focus si Rhea sa sulok ng conference table habang nakaharap sa kanyang phone.

"Nag-m-mobile games 'yan," biro ni Lawrence.

"Uy, hindi!" she innocently exclaimed. "I'm watching an art livestream!"

"'Yan nanaman ba 'yong livestreamer na crush mo sa Kumu?" biro ni Charlie.

"Hindi nga," muling paliwanag ni Rhea, cheeks flushed. "It's for my article."

"Weh?" pangaasar ni Lawrence na lahat ay nagiging biktima. "Noong isang araw nanonood ka ng lalakeng kumakanta eh, binati ka pa sa livestream."

Tinakpan ni Rhea ang kanyang mukha. "Hindi sabi!"

"Hoy, tama na 'yan!" asik ni Pia sa kanilang asaran. "Dahil pamilyar si Rhea sa mga livestreams, I asked her to feature the country's biggest livestream platforms in her article."

"Sabi sa'nyo eh," mumbled Rhea, her face still had tinge of red.

"Baka 'dyan na rin ako sisikat, mga brad," muling sabi ni Lawrence na hindi nauubusan ng hirit. "Mag-livestream kaya ako habang  kumakanta?"

"Ang tanong, maganda ba boses mo?" patutyada ni Pia. "Daig mo pa tilaok ng manok sa umaga."

"Boss, golden voice kaya 'to. Hindi lang nad-discover. I'm shy."

Napamura si Stephen sa narinig, sabay halakhak ni Charlie.

"Ewan ko talaga sa inyo," iling ni Pia na sumuko na sa pagsaway sa grupo.

Bumaling ako sa katabi ko na tahimik parin habang nakasandal siya sa balikat ko. Gavin held my right hand and played with the thin gold bracelet on my wrist.

"You really are worried, huh?" I asked him.

"Syempre babes, first official date natin 'yon, eh."

"I just told you I'll use the voucher this Saturday. Maybe I need help on something and instead of hiring someone, I hired you by using the voucher."

"Babes, ang sakit. Trabaho pala ang nais mo."

I smiled at his gesture of placing his hand over his chest in such an animated way.

"You're the one who gave me the voucher in the first place."

Hindi niya inalis ang pagkakahawak sa isa kamay ko. He slowly traced the line inside my palm with his finger. Oftentimes, he do it unconsciously.

"Is it really not a date?" he asked like a disappointed child.

"Fine," I told him to stop his sulking. "I'll tell you what's gonna happen on Saturday. You're gonna accompany me to a family gathering."

The members immediately picked up our conversation.

"Meet the family na ba?" chuckled Lawrence and Stephen.

"Shit, babes?" Gavin faced me. I didn't know if he was seriously considering the idea or he was just messing with me like the rest of the members.

"Silly, it's a social gathering," I told him. "My parents are still out of the country until next week, but the event is pretty important so they asked me to attend. And since I have a plus-one, I've decided to use your voucher for it."

"Chaperone lang pala ang nais," Gavin muttered. "Kalimutan niyo na, mga brad. Umasa lang ako."

He made a scene of facing the other side of the sofa nang hindi parin binibitawan ang kamay ko. I scooted closer to him and gave him my sweetest smile.

"Tampo ka?" I teased. He tried his best not to face me. "I didn't say it's not a date."

Unti-unti siyang ngumiti, that slow grin na hindi niya maitago sa'kin. "Palibhasa babes, alam na alam mo kung paano ako kukunin. Isang  ngiti mo lang, hulog nanaman ako."

"Silly."

--

The night of the event arrived. I was wearing one of the formal dresses Mom had bought for me for such occasion. She always makes sure I'm equip for social gathering.

And despite my refusal to attend most of the time, I liked this one dress she had bought. It was a silver sparkly dress, off-shoulder with a decent length.

Tinulungan ako ni Nana na maghanda para sa party. She was in my  room, trying to tame my long straight hair.

"Gusto mo bang itaas natin ang buhok mo?" tanong niya.

Naalala ko bigla si Gavin na madalas paglaruan ang dulo ng mahaba  kong buhok.

"Not really," I told Nana.

She ended up doing a half-do where half of my hair was secured with a feather crystal pin, and the lower half remained cascading down my  back.

"Sigurado ba kayo na hindi kayo magpapahatid?" tanong ni Nana pagbaba namin sa living room.

"Gavin can drive and he's bringing the minivan."

"Siya ba 'yong lagi mong kausap tuwing gabi? Isa sa member ng Arcadian?"

I bit my lips, feeling the heat on my cheeks. "Yes."

I received a text message from Gavin telling me he was already at the front gate. After grabbing my tiny handbag with my stuff, I headed straight to the driveway with Nana. Kalalabas lang ni Gavin mula sa sasakyan and he looked extra charming tonight in a formal dark gray  suit.

Nagkatinginan kami, nakangiti. I tried to curtsy in front of him and he  did a mocked English gentlemen gesture of offering his hand with a  bow. We ended up laughing.

Nagmano si Gavin kay Nana bago muling humarap sa'kin at nanatiling nakatitig.

"What?" I asked him.

"Ang ganda mo, babes."

"And you don't look so bad either, Mr. Gavin Nicholo," I commented with a smile.

Nagpaalam kami kay Nana. I sat on the passenger seat of the minivan while Gavin sat comfortably behind the steering wheel, both ready to head to Quezon City.

Habang nasa byahe, napansin ni Gavin na hindi ako mapalagay.

"Okay lang, babes?"

"I'm just not really comfortable attending social gatherings, specially family gatherings," I mumbled. "Once I've learned to say no, I barely attended them."

"May rason ba kung bakit?" Gavin's gaze remained on the road.

"It drains me most of the time," I admitted. "Sometimes, it feels like stepping into a different world with faces familiar to me but I couldn't connect to. They often talk about investments, stock prices, their corporate careers and connections. Dapat interesado din ako sa mga ito, hindi ba? Dahil ito ang magiging mundo ko. But I stick out like a sore thumb."

Sumulyap ako sa labas ng bintana, sa expressway na kasalukuyan  naming tinatahak.

"I'm pretty sure there will be a lot of this kind of people at the party, specially the one celebrating is my Mom's brother. He's a big businessman and a politician in his district."

Tumango-tango si Gavin. He knew me enough to know whenever my nerves take over, mas kailangan ko ng makikinig sa'kin. I needed to  voice out my thoughts.

"I had a cousin taking Law and another one taking Civil engineering.  We all measure up to our parents' expectations, you know? We're kind of trophy children."

Naramdaman ko ang kamay ni Gavin na mahigpit na hinawakan ang palad ko.

"You're way beyond that," he told me. "'Wag kang mag-alala babes, kasama mo ako."

We arrived in the busy city. It was impossible to miss the venue  because it was one of the tallest buildings in the area, inside a grand  hotel.

After leaving the minivan at the basement parking, Gavin and I headed  to the hall where the gathering was taking place.

The party was grand, with gigantic chandeliers sparkling above us, with the entire floor wrapped in red carpet, with gold lights surrounding us  and people in glorious dresses and suits.

I pulled up a rehearsed smile just like I used to do. Pero nang maramdaman ko ang kamay ni Gavin na pinisil ang palad ko, doon ko naalala na hindi ko kailangang gawin ito dahil kasama ko si Gavin ngayon.

The night started with greetings, a lot of them. From far relatives to family friends and my parents' acquaintances. They initiated small talks while enjoying champagne, wines and sparkling drinks from servers  who roamed the hall. Spread on the long tables were wooden platters filled with imported cheese, grapes, olives and meat slices. Displayed in layers and towers were plethora of desserts and tiny pastries.

Most of the relatives asked about my studies, my course, my parents' businesses and how bad they felt for them being away in such an important day.

Gavin and I got separated when a relative introduced me to several  people on her table. The chat lasted for a while and when I searched for Gavin again, worried that I left him behind, I saw him casually talking with other guests, being his usual self, smiling and being charming in a suit.

Sometimes I forgot how charming he could be, how easily he fits in a place because of how pleasant and genuine he is, like it didn't cause  him energy to smile and hold conversations like that.

I approached Gavin and also greeted the couple who were far-relatives from Mom's side.

"Isabelle," the woman greeted cheerily. "Is he your boyfriend?"

I stared at Gavin, wondering what he had told the couple. Gavin shrugged, grinning.

"That's so nice," the woman said before I could even come up with an answer.

"You two look good together," said the man beside her.

Nang makaalis ang mag-asawa, I whipped my head to Gavin. "Ano'ng sinabi mo sa kanila?"

His grin didn't falter, as though he was enjoying it. "Sinabi ko lang na ikaw ang babes ko."

I stared sharply at him. He stared back with the same intensity. We  were having a silly staring contest in the middle of the party. Until both of us gave up, smiling.

"Isabelle!"

A guy waved to me from the crowd. I immediately recognized the voice and waved back. Ilan lang ang taong gusto kong makita tuwing may ganitong okasyon and Shane, my cousin, was one of them. He was smiling wide in a black tuxedo and a gold dotted black tie. It was his father's birthday after all.

"Akala ko hindi ka nanaman pupunta," ngisi niya nang makalapit sa'min. "It's been what, three years since you've last attended a family gathering?"

"You know the reason why," I told him, feigning a frown.

"At hindi ka na loner ngayon, congrats," halakhak ni Shane nang makitang kasama ko si Gavin.

I was about to introduce them to each other nang malaman ko na nakapag-usap na sila bago pa ako dumating.

"How?" I asked, quite bewildered.

"Kaninang wala ka," ngiti ni Gavin. Bumaling siya sa pinsan ko. "Nahanap mo na?"

Kumunot ang noo ko sa usapan ng dalawa. We were not even in the  place for several hours and Gavin seemed to be already close with my cousin. Iba talaga 'pag sociable ang isang tao. Seeing the two together was like seeing two suns in the same place.

"Sino'ng hinahanap mo?" I asked Shane. "You're with someone?"

He instantly scratched the back of his head. "Yes, my best friend," he muttered. "She's probably somewhere judging the entire party," buntong-hininga niya.

Ngumiti ako. "I like her already."

Shane roamed his eyes around the hall, searching for this particular person. He fetched someone from the crowd as though fetching a child or a lost cat. Hinila niya ang isang babae na ayaw magpa-awat sa pakikipag-diskusyon sa isang bisita.

"Can you imagine?" himutok nito pagdating sa'min. "They think film school is a waste of time? I swear to God, Shane. These people are feeding their souls to darkness."

Hawak parin siya ni Shane sa braso habang patuloy siya sa kanyang litanya.

"And here she is," pakilala ni Shane. Hindi ko mapigilang mapangiti sa dalawa.

"Oh!" Doon niya lang tila napansin na may mga bago siyang kaharap.

"Isabelle and Gavin this is Gab. Gab this is my cousin and her boyfriend."

I was about to correct Shane, but decided not to. Pagbaling ko sa katabi ko, hindi naalis ang ngiti sa labi niya. I turned to Gab while trying to  hide my own smile

"You're in film school? That's great."

"Yes, but people here are people who can't appreciate art."

"Tell me more. They're basically robots."

I asked Gab more about her course. I rarely encounter creative people  like her in this kind of place. Habang nag-uusap kami ni Gab, nasa gilid lang ang dalawa at pinagmamasdan kami. Sabay kaming lumingon ni Gab dahil sa kanilang mga tingin habang nakahalukipkip pa ang mga braso.

"What?" we both asked.

Gavin immediately raised his hands. "Wala ah."

Shane on the other hand shoved his hands on his pockets. "Wala kaming sinasabi."

Nagpatuloy kami sa pag-uusap ni Gab. She was a joy to talk to. An opinionated and curious lady. But eventually, Shane was asked by his father and the two needed to go.

The party lasted past midnight. But we had to leave earlier because of  the drive home. We bade goodbye to several people, including Shane  and Gab.

"You should visit often," said Shane.

"Why not just go where they are?" commented Gab. "Malapit lang  naman. Pampanga, right? I've heard they have hot air balloon festivals there."

I nodded with a smile. "I'll send you an invite once the season starts."

"We'll see you soon then!"

The two stood by the doorway of the hotel, waiving their hands. Bago tuluyang makaalis, narinig pa namin silang nagbabangayan tungkol sa pagiging tamad ni Shane mag-drive and Gab wanting to do a roadtrip in the future.

"You think those two are platonic?" I asked Gavin on the way to the basement parking.

"Kung ano man ang nararamdaman nila para sa isa't-isa, mukhang pareho lang."

Gavin placed an arm on top of my head.

"Why do you keep doing that?" reklamo ko sabay abot sa braso niya habang naglalakad.

"Babes, okay lang ba na iniisip nila na boyfriend mo ako?"

Heat spread on my cheeks. "There's no point in denying anyway.  Hahaba lang ang usapan," I tried to reason out while avoiding Gavin's gaze.

Tumango-tango si Gavin, tila hindi naniniwala sa rason ko. Saka siya nakangiting umakbay sa balikat ko habang naglalakad kami pabalik sa minivan.

--

On our way home, habang palabas kami ng city, nakaramdam ako ng gutom. That's the thing about me. No matter how scrumptious the  dishes served at a party, I couldn't eat properly, sometimes not at all, during formal events.

Gavin noticed it too kaya huminto kami sa isang stopover bago makarating sa Pampanga. it was close to midnight and most of the restaurants were close and the only drive through was not even  available.

Gavin parked the minivan in the empty lot and we both stepped out in  the chilly evening breeze. Nagkatinginan kami ni Gavin sabay tawa  dahil pareho kaming gutom. We run together to the only fast-food restaurant open at the stopover.

Napatingin sa'min ang dalawang natitirang customer pagpasok namin  sa restaurant, maging ang crew na kumuha ng order namin. We were still in our formal suit and dress, fresh from the party and desperate to eat something greasy.

Nang makabalik sa minivan, may dala kaming tig-dalawang brown paperbag ni Gavin na puno ng pagkain. Double burgers, large fries, milkshakes and chicken nuggets.

Gavin placed the bags on the roof of the minivan habang pareho  kaming kumakain sa labas, nakasandal sa sasakyan at nakaharap sa bakanteng parking lot sa ilalim ng mga bituin.

Once we were done eating, niligpit namin ang mga kalat, tinapon ang mga ito sa kalabit na trash bin at naglinis ng sarili. Pero tila walang gustong bumalik sa sasakyan at umalis.

"Gavin?" tanong ko nang nanatili kaming nakasandal sa labas ng sasakyan. "Do you think we can do things like this for a long time? You know, with Arcadian, with you? Travel, go to places, have adventures, be with each other."

Lumingon siya sa'kin pero hindi siya nagsalita. Maya-maya pa, hinawakan niya ang kamay ko.

"Hindi tayo nakapagsayaw kanina."

He was right. Most of the people in the party were dancing earlier. But we were too busy talking to people and trying to be comfortable in between.

We stared at each other. We just had the best possibly place to dance earlier, at a hall of a grand hotel, but we were here, in an empty parking lot, both smiling as I took his hand.

"Then shall we dance, Mr. Gavin Nicholo?" I teased.

Gavin faked a bow and squeezed my hand. "We shall."

We danced and laughed like silly kids under the lamp post, in our formal clothes, in a stopover halfway from home, in a time where half of the world was asleep.

The silly dance and Gavin's hum became slower, his voice lower, as he embraced me.

"Babes, hindi kita nabigyan ng the best date tulad ng pangako ko," tahimik niyang sabi habang hawak ako sa kanyang bisig at mabagal na sumasayaw.

I stared up at his face, thankful to the universe that I've met someone  like him who I could share adventures with.

"You did, Gavin," I whispered. "This is a spectacular night."

THE END