"Maybe we could go somewhere. Like a tea or coffee shop?" Seri told Uno on their way to the parking lot.

"Tea shop would do. We just had coffee earlier over breakfast." He forced a thin smile.

Is there a need for us to talk? Really? Or she solely wants to elate herself as she stares at my oh-so-striking self? Ah. Nah. Nah. Nah. We're on the same spot, he inwardly told himself. Hmm. Not enough to pique my insecurity, neither to bend my conception nor to equate Dos' effect on me, came his judgments as he tried to catch a glimpse of every of her side profile's angle. I do think my gayness doesn't exist when Dos is around. He tried to stifle a giggle yet failed.

"Yes? What are you looking and giggling at?"

He gasped in panic when she caught him taking a clandestine peek over her visage, more so when she heard him giggle aloud. Quickly, he strayed his gaze on the ground they were ramping at and replied with, "N-nothing."

"Ok, then. I'll lead the way to the tea shop. Just follow me," she said, standing beside her yellow sports car parked a few cars away from his. "Or do you have a preferred shop? We can go there if ever."

He didn't know they had already reached the parking area. It must be the instance when he busied himself eyeing her, which caused him not to.

"Anywhere will do." He went to his car and waited for her to maneuver her vehicle off the lot before he drove off.

Uno's eyes nearly twitched at how overly fancy the teashop was as if the owner's a fan of scrapbooks. There were two plant boxes on each side of the two-way wooden door by the entrance. Paintings of flowers were adorning the walls plastered with embossed wallpaper interior design. Floral fabrics were clothing the tables, so were the chairs and other movables like the counter and the long table for condiments. The scent of sunflower oil coming from the humidifier was the only redeeming factor that punched a liking to Uno.

I should have made a choice. He sighed at his thought, guiding himself to take a seat on the two-seater table Seri had found for them.

"What would you like to order, Uno?" she asked without lifting her eyes from the menu.

"Black currant tea," he replied. "Nothing else." He expected she'd ask for any additional orders, so he cut her to the chase. The latter simply nodded her head as she called for a waiter.

Not a long wait later, they had their orders on their table.

"I'll go straight to the point, Uno, since I know you're dead wondering why I wanted to talk to you considering that we're both not wanting this," Seri broke the stillness blanketing them, stirring her brewed Cinnamon tea.

Uno did the same. He stirred his Black Currant tea, quietly waiting for her to proceed with her words, although the loud and robust thumps on his chest bothered him throughout his wait.

"Did you move in at the unit beside mine 'cause you want to win Dos back?"

"That's...that's....unbelieva--"

"Uno, I'm not up for any denials right now 'cause frankly, I didn't pocket much time. I have work to attend to, so do you. Let's wrap things up as fast as we can." Although impatience etched on her words, she still managed to appear curt and cool.

His gazes traveled from her down to his cup of tea and began to stir it again. His mouth experienced an unsought scarce of saliva. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.

He was about to supply his response when his company spoke. "Guess I'd be considering your silence as a yes." She smiled, which the edgy Uno didn't reciprocate. "But you are aware that Dos and I are dating, aren't you?"

A firm nod was what he only gave in response. The answer was a resounding yes, but something about the stares of the specimen of womanhood in front of him made him mute the second time.

Where the fuck is your tongue, Uno?! he chided himself.

She chuckled. "Man, loosen up," she said, pulling her back from her chair to tap him lightly on his shoulder. "I ain't gonna eat you here," she shrugged, "not the type to fuck up anyone just 'cause they're fancying who's mine, for I know I've picked a men's woman and having someone like you, tailing and romancing Dos within my eyeshot or not, isn't new and never would it be an issue to me."

Her remark meant negative to Uno as if she was taking Dos for a display or a trophy girlfriend.

He swept his eyes up and down Seri's form disdainfully. "Never would it be an issue? What do you mean? Would you mind humoring me?"

She took a sip from her tea. The steam coming from it lent Uno a hazy view of what could have been her reaction with what he retorted.

"I knew Dos was having an identity crisis even before I tried wooing her, and before the day, she said she wanted to give me a shot," she said after placing her cup on the saucer.

No more steam was obscuring her face anymore, giving Uno a plain, clear view of it. Sobriety etched into her face, so were into her eyes locking gazes with his.

"My...err...my mom....uhm...already told me about her conception. But...but uhm...she didn't clarify that she isn't sure yet of what she is," Uno said. A replay of his conversation with his mom over the phone more than a month ago popped into his mind.

"You let me finish first, Magnus. Come clean to me. Are you acting that way because she's moving in with a woman and not with a man? Did your father and I fail to rear you as someone with non-diminishing respect over one's perspective of self? Or did we fail to protect you from stigmas when you came out that you're displacing your anger towards them?"

"I-I'm n-not....N-neither am I....s-stigmatizing either of them....i-it's just....it's just that....h-her parents a-asked me....t-to roof her, d-didn't they....? A-aren't they....supposed....t-to permit her....first....before she....moves out....?"

"They don't have to."

"You are unbelievable, Ma."

"Unlike your Papa and me, her parents don't accept her for what she is, the reason why they sent her here. But I know there was something other than that, for no parents would ever want their child to be so far from their reach-but neither of them disclosed something more to me, nor did I dare to ask because it might be something that should stay only within them. So, please, son, just let her. But don't let her totally slip off your hand, look after her still. 'Cause, it's the same thing I'll do."

Probably trying to banish Uno's sudden quietness, Seri forced a cough.

He then snapped out of his thoughts and straightened his disgruntled suit. "Sorry, were you saying something?" he asked, much of an apology for his sudden spacing out.

"As I've said, I knew Dos was having an identity crisis re her honesty to break the matter to me. Maybe your mom simply failed to clarify it with you, or more acceptably, she wasn't briefed by whoever," she said. "So I'm telling you now that she is. Not to give you awareness, not to put her on shame since we both know the society isn't too welcoming for closeted, uncloseted, and confused individuals like us, and of course not to give me immunity from pain if she comes to know she's rather straight and chooses to ditch me right after."

She took a sudden long pause, withdrawing her eyes from him. From him, who didn't fail to catch a glimpse of the tears blurring her eyes right the moment she turned to look away.

"Seri...." He, too, suddenly paused along with the urge to land himself a hard punch for being such a jerk on putting up a plan to win Dos over the woman he was fronting. "Seri, I...I--"

"I'm telling you this 'cause I know irrespective of how much I'd give her, regardless of my martyrdom to let myself be her trial and error device re her quest for her identity--if men win her over me, that's just the end of me. Of us. And that isn't some news to someone like me, who's been through several failed relationships with confused women."

She chuckled bitterly. Uno couldn't feel more contrite--a feeling that quadrupled when she went on saying,

"But do you know what's news to me?" She darted her eyes back at him--conjuring emotions Uno deciphered as the same emotions lurking in his own when he realized he feels the same for Dos. "Is that she may be in crisis, she may be confused with how she feels towards me, but she never was confused with how she feels towards you and that just hardly punched a reality check on me--I wouldn't stand a fight with men still. As I've heard, she just liked the way I cared for her, looked after her, asked how her day went, listened to her, and liked. So basically, she never liked me at all. And it pains me. But it would hurt me more if I'd stay knowing she doesn't find her happiness in me regardless if I find it in her."

"Seri--"

"Keep her, Uno. And care not if I'll be hurting 'cause I'm beyond willing to make the adjustments for her."