"I'm so sorry for leaving you earlier. I just really had to for some reason. Thank you, too, for having the box of liquor I left delivered," Uno told Sylvester over the phone. "Anyway, to cover up for my lapse, are you free later tonight at eight? We're having a birthday celebration here at my flat."

Lucky for him, the latter's digit was still the same as what he saved on his contacts for several years. Else he'd drown himself in the unknown waters towards Dos having her partner for herself to enjoy her night.

"You don't have to cover up for it," Sylvester replied with his naturally flirtatious hoarse voice. "But if covering up for it means I'd be seeing you again, then expect me to be there."

"I-I'll see you l-later." Fuck, ang landi! he thought before disconnecting the call.

He ditched his phone on his bed before trotting outside his room to greet his parents and nanny, who just arrived. "Hindi naman tayo lalagpas ng sampu at sigurado akong hindi naman tayo patay gutom, pero bakit ang dami n'yong niluto?" He was surprised to see several food containers carried by them.

The three laughed at his comment as they all headed to the kitchen with Marco replying, "We made sure to cook all Dos' favorite viands and desserts since this is her day and she should have all the best for herself."

Uno rolled his eyes, the vision of Dos and her partner crossing his mind again. "'Pag 'yang mga 'yan hindi naubos, isisiksik ko sa mga bunganga nilang dalawa 'yan!"

"What?!" his parents asked in chorus, their faces brushed with evident shock.

He swallowed a hard lump on his throat, even he was taken aback by his remark. "I--I mean...'pag 'yang mga 'yan hindi naubos...i-iuwi niyo na lang..."

"Oh, of course, son, we will. But we'll leave some here for you and Dos to have something to eat when hungered," Nicole bought his excuse as well as Marco, who gave him a nod.

He sighed in relief, not until Yaya Paning spoke. His heartbeat populated. Though he loves her to the moon and back, he wants her to vanish in thin air.

"Parang iba naman yata ang narinig ko, hijo. Sino pa 'yong isang tinutukoy mong sisiksikan mo ng pagkain sa bibig maliban kay Dos?" Yaya Paning said, curious.

He almost choked with his saliva. It was a good thing his parents couldn't hear his nanny because both had themselves busy unlocking the food containers and transferring them to platters.

"Ya, you're getting old. Kung ano-ano na'ng naririnig mo," he coursed a lame excuse, then indirectly shut her off with what she was about to say by saying, "Ya, Ma, Pa, iwan ko muna kayo. I'll just work on the balloons, confetti and have the party poppers and party hats individually separated so that we won't have a hard time doing it last minute."

He went to his room to take all the party needs to the living room.

Yari had suggested a kiddie party as a birthday surprise for Dos, for Uno told him she's very much of an immature nineteen-year-old turning twenty, hence her stuffed animals, inability to look after herself, and her lack of room for modification of her eccentric behavior, way of thinking and beliefs.

It took him more than an hour to have the party hats individually separated, party poppers unwrapped from their transparent plastics and inflating the balloons. He freed the stringed balloons and allowed them to float by the ceiling, whereas the stringless ones were scattered on the floor together with the confetti.

"Good job, anak! I'm sure Dos will love it!" his mother happily said while roaming her gleeful eyes around the decorated space, her hands clasped under her chin. "You should freshen up yourself now, son. We'll follow. May mga tatapusin lang kami sa kusina."

"Yeah, will do," he replied, pushing to his feet.

The time seemed to pace faster than expected. Uno later found his scowling self standing in front of the long table of bites and quenchers together with his all smiling parents, nanny, best friend, and first love. Each of them was wearing party hats and holding party poppers to pop the moment Dos arrived.

"Portugal, mga hangal! Puputok na pantog ni watabels!" Yari spoke, earning laughs from all, excluding Uno, who was compelled to pull the surprise.

"Umihi ka muna," said Sylvester.

"Shashamahan mo ba aketch? Pa-hard to getchi kasi 'tong zipper ni jun-jun, need ko lang ng helping hand of someone with a big cock, este, heart."

For some reason, his best friend fancying his first love didn't touch a nerve in him. He couldn't care less, not for the reason that he knew it was only a play pulled by the perpetually flirtatious Yari; perhaps he simply didn't mind.

Sylvester laughed along with the others. "Go take a quick piss now. Surely you'd get back here before the birthday girl arrives."

"Sure na 'yarn? Emz! Iihi na nga ako!" He ran to the restroom and came back exactly when the door swung open, revealing both Dos and the woman she was holding hands with at the mall. "Happy birthday, bebe ghorl/Dos!" Yari and the others energetically greeted, popping their party poppers. "Ano na, Uno dzai?! Wiz marunong ngumiti at bumati?! Wiz marunong magpaputok ng party popper?! Ano itey, lamay?!"

Much to Uno's astonishment at the presence of Dos' partner, he failed to shout a greeting and pop his popper. "My popper's not working," he reasoned out, voice trailing off, eyes holding gazes with the woman standing beside the crying Dos.

"I don't know what to say," Dos sobbed with her mouth covered by both her hands.

Uno's parents rushed to her side and hugged her. "Happy birthday," both of them said.

For a few, they stayed that way till Dos hushed and was able to say, "Thank you po."

"The surprise was Uno's idea," Nicole said, looking at her son.

Yari faked a cough while giving Uno a meaningful look.

"It was Yari's, actually," Uno said, rolling his eyes heavenward.

Yari flipped a non-existent hair and struck a fierce pose after being recognized by Marco, Nicole, and Dos for the effort he made.

"Let's enjoy the night!" Marco loudly announced, gesturing his hand to direct everyone's pair of eyes on the long table.

Everyone pushed to their feet, separating by a group of three except Dos and her partner. Yari grouped with Sylvester and Uno, whereas Yaya Paning grouped with Marco and Nicole.

"C.R lang ako," Sylvester told Uno before excusing himself.

"Hoy, bakla." Yari elbowed Uno on the arm. "Baka naman humandusay na lang bigla si Ate ghorl sa sahig katititig mo r'yan," he said, pursing his lips at the woman seated beside Dos. "Ano ba'ng meron? Pachika naman."

"Wala." Uno shook his head, his glaring eyes still pinned at the woman.

"Waley, tapos kung makatitig ka wagas?"

"Wala nga--"

"Nikolai, you know you can tell me everything. Bakit nga? How was your talk with Dos when you came home from my place a day after her confession?"

Uno sighed in concede as he said, "I turned her down."

Yari laughed. "And you regretted it." He sounded concluding; he bought a maddened look from his best friend. "Bakit? Hindi ba?"

"I didn't regret anything!" Uno yelled, drawing the other's attention on him. He gasped and simply drank from his liquor as if nothing happened.

"Sure?"

"More than." For whatever reason, he knew he didn't mean it.

"Sige." Yari stood from his chair. He began taking the bottles and the platters of food from their table.

"What the fuck are you doing, Melchizedek?"

"Lipat tayo kina bebe ghorl, boring ng table natin, eh, 'di ba, Sylvester?"

Sylvester, who just came back, was clueless, yet he must've guessed what Yari was trying to come across that he eagerly nodded and gave a hand with the bottles.

"Lezz go, mga bakla!" Yari clung his arm on Uno's before he took a platter from their table to make sure Uno wouldn't budge. Otherwise, the platter would fall off the ground. "Hi, mga bebe ghorls. Pwedeng maki-share ng table?"

"Yeah, why not? Right, Hon?" Dos said, eyeing her partner, who smiled at the three to agree.

Honey? Winnie the Pooh ka, ghorl? Uno said to himself, about to occupy the seat in front of the two girls when Yari pushed him beside Dos.

"Oh, pak! Love triangle!" Yari quipped, alternately looking at Uno, Dos, and her Honey.

Sylvester gasped. Dos and her Honey turned to look at Uno. Whereas Uno went red and speechless with his shocked, widened eyes fixed at his best friend.

"Does that mean you fancy my woman....Uno?" Dos' Honey asked. "'Cause if so, I think I should be taking her out of your roofing."