SLOW NIGHT

It is a slow night. She isn’t expecting anything interesting to happen especially because she plans to study. It started out as expected. As she turns each page of her now torn reviewer, highlighting like crazy, not minding the busy noise that surrounds her, she once in a while unconsciously finds herself smiling. It feels so natural. She’s at the same table; while he is… well, not there. She remembers the first time she told her friend of him, her little secret. It was another slow night and they decided to have dinner. It was one of those rare moments when she actually said yes to eating dinner. She was smoking her nth cigarette of the day when out of the blue she announced with a chuckle, “I think I might be liking someone.” She tentatively eyed her friend, waiting for his over the top reaction.

“What do you mean you’re ‘liking’ someone? Do you think he is interested? Does he know or at least does he have a clue? Do you see your future with him?” The excited guy friend interrogated while mindlessly eating the plateful of beef and fries in front of them at Gram’s. He was not breathing, not even blinking, waiting for her answer to the string of questions that was thrown at her similar to the second hand smoke that she constantly emits.

“Lamig lang. This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell anyone. I don’t want things to get out of hand, like you know… the last time.” She puffed with all her might, silently wishing she kept her mouth shut but knowing that sooner or later, she would blurt it out anyway. She pretended to smile nonchalantly, as if this could suck the awkwardness of the situation.

Then they drank... slowly, on a slow night.