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Myka’s last high school prom surprisingly had gone well. By “well”, she means Patty crossed her mind only twice the entire night. She knows the woman had been invited to a mixer and she’s promised Myka to text once she’s back at the dorms.

She now approaches her own home; Anjo, her prom partner, and a senior student from St. Jude, had insisted he take her.

Anjo’s fine, Myka thinks. He’d been respectful the entire night, hadn’t seem offended that Myka had spent the majority of the time dancing with the Angels rather than with him. And so Myka says yes when he asks if she could take her home. She also says yes when Anjo follows it up with a “May I kiss you?”

Myka had known what to look forward to, seeing as this is the second time she’s kissed anyone. It lasts longer than her first one, and she doesn’t know why but she keeps on waiting to taste strawberries. It doesn’t come.

Jas hasn’t left Patty’s side since they’ve bumped into each other, 20 minutes into this party. She hadn’t wanted to seem rude and so she’d let her hover, occasionally asking her questions about her major and why she’d taken said major.

She’s berated herself for forgetting to charge her phone at home, and for not bringing ang powerbank with her. She’d been in the middle of texting Myka back when it suddenly dies on her.

“Okay lang ba sa’yo if lumipat tayo dun sa may pool? Para less maingay,” the other woman says to her now.

Patty looks at Jas and eventually decides that yes, that wouldn’t be so bad actually.

She sits too close to her by the poolside. Patty’s breaths slowly become heavier. She tries to play with the water to distract herself but she can feel Jas’ pinky inching towards her. She pulls back before contact is made.

“I-I’ve got to go na pala? Nakalimutan kong may isang essay pa akong due tomorrow,” Patty mumbles, standing up.

She speed-walks away, not giving the other girl a chance to stop her.

Myka looks up from her phone only to realize Leah is waiting for an answer to a question she hadn’t heard.

She winces, scratching the back of her neck. “Sorry, Leah. Ano ulit yun?”

The other woman flashes her an apologetic smile. “That’s the fourth time you checked your phone tonight. May…hinihintay ka ba’ng tawag or text?” There’s no sense of malice in her tone, Myka notices, which makes her feel even worse. They’d been dating for a while now and she has been nothing but good to her these past few weeks.

Myka should have known letting the other woman spend tonight at her place is a bad idea. Tonight, aka, the same night Patty’s supposed to go on this date with this girl she’d told her about.

Patty had said she was going to send her a text once the date is over to let her know how it went. Myka check the time—almost 10pm. Nothing but radio silence from her best friend. She picks her phone up, firing up several text messages.

She downs the last few gulps of her beer, and chuckles mirthlessly. “I haven’t been a good host tonight, ‘no? Sorry for…being distracted,” she tells Leah. “Choose mo yung next movie?” she adds, handing her her laptop.

They’re almost an hour into Leah’s chosen movie when Myka realizes it’s a bad idea as Budjoy lets go of the lines “O yes, kaibigan mo ko! Kaibigan mo lang ako. And that’s all I ever was to you Ned…”

She feels her eyes start to water so she rapidly blinks to fight them off. But Budjoy follows that up with “…And I’m so stupid to make the biggest mistake of falling in love with my bestfriend. Dahil kahit kailan, hindi mo naman ako makikita eh.”

She finds herself suddenly standing up from where they’re cuddled on the couch. “Hey, okay ka lang?” Leah pauses the movie, looking up in alarm.

Myka turns around to hide her face from the woman still sitting. “Uhm, ano lang. I…I don’t feel so well? I’m…mauna na ‘ko sa room? I’m really sorry, Leah.”

When she wakes up, Leah is still fast asleep beside her. She moves closer, removing the strands of hair covering the other woman’s eyes.

She drops a soft kiss on Leah’s forehead, then another on the tip of her nose, and finally a short peck on her lips.

That wakes Leah up and something about the way Myka’s looking at her makes her chuckle humorlessly. “Let me guess—kailangan nating mag-usap?”

The date is going well, too well, Patty likes to think. Conversation has flown easily. Every time Reese opens her mouth, the other woman can’t help but be mesmerized.

Patty only realizes they’ve finished an entire bottle of tequila when she suddenly stands up and loses her balance. Good thing Reese has fast reflexes and is able to catch her in the nick of time. “Kung mahuhulog ka, sana hindi sa sahig, ‘di ba?” Reese mutters, earning her a soft giggle.

“So gaano mo na katagal gusto si Myka?” Reese adds and that’s enough to sober up the other woman. She carefully pours herself a glass of water, taking large gulps before answering. “Reese. May jowa na yung tao.”

The other woman shakes her head. “That’s not an answer.”

Patty runs a finger on the rim of her glass, chuckling nervously.

“I get why Myka would think it’s a good idea na ireto ka niya sa akin. She’d spoken so highly of you, alam mo ba?”

Reese places one hand under Patty’s chin, making her look at her. “You know what the wildest thing is? Mas marami pa akong narinig sa kanya na stories about you than from you tonight.”

Patty closes her eyes and leans her cheek against Reese’s hand. “Uy ‘wag ka ma-sad. Nag-enjoy kaya ako. And I know you did, ‘too. I’d really like if we could do this again,” Reese backtracks. “Pero maybe not as a date na, ‘no?”

labs

plEASE tell me pupunta

ka sa bday party ni tomas

patty

gabs ): tagal ko nang

‘di ka nakikita ):

GABBY ):

,,,bb? i miss u

“Bb”. Tangina naman, Patty thinks as she reads her notifications. Hmm. What if.

gabs

bb

labs

halUH parang tanga

gabs

…ay tagalog ng “duck”

:P

labs

gabs

HAHAHAHAHA OO NA

na-miss ko rin kasi

sina tomas

labs

‘wag ka na lang pala

pumunta

Patty throws her head back laughing as she reads the other woman’s reply.

gabs

pinapatawa lang kita

kasi alam mo na

idk how you’re handling

yung breakup…

labs

who needs a jowa when

i have you naman

Patty keeps the last message unanswered. Hay, Sta. Budjoy, patron saint ng mga nainlove sa best friend, gabayan niyo po ako.

“Dare.”

Patty smirks at the Falcons sophomore. “Sige, Ramos. I dare you to stay at least 5 feet away from Ace,” Jana raises her brows. “…for the rest of the night.” The Angels let out collective oohs.

The former SL Angels team captain wordlessly picks her almost-full glass of rum cola…and easily downs the entire thing. It’s a known fact among the groups of friends that Jana Ramos has the highest alcohol tolerance.

Jana takes one of her girlfriend’s hands and intertwines their fingers, kissing her knuckles. The other girls collectively make teasing sounds.

“Etong si Ace hindi pa nga lasing, ang pula-pula na ng cheeks,” Tomas voices out.

“Te, alam kong outside hitter ka pero bagay ka pang Best Blocker next UAAP season,” Patty adds.

Jana leans her head against Ace’s shoulder and cheekily smiles at Patty. “Ikaw na next, Gabo?”

“Hoy, don’t get any ideas. Si Ace magtatanong! Truth sa’kin,” Patty rebuts.

But Jana moves closer towards her girlfriend, whispering something in her ear. Patty audibly gulps. Ace meets her eyes and slightly winces. “Uhh, sino daw last kiss mo, Patty?” she finally says. And Patty opens her mouth to answer but then Ace follows it up with “…sa lips?”

From the corner of her eye, she sees Myka momentarily look up from her phone.

She rolls her eyes and picks up her own glass of jungle juice, downing it.

“Damot naman! Magkukuwento lang eh,” Tin berates.

Patty lets out a nervous laugh, consciously avoiding Myka’s stare for the rest of the game.

The party dies down after a few hours. Some of the girls stand in front of their DIY white screen, doing karaoke and a few are hunched over the couch, watching a movie on Tomas’ laptop.

Patty, surprisingly still somewhat sober, quietly goes around the room and picks up cups and plates, putting them on a garbage bag. She then walks toward the sink to wash the glasses on the counter.

“Uy iniiwasan mo ba ‘ko?” She hears a familiar voice behind her. She doesn’t have to turn around to tell who it is.

“Grabe ‘to, hindi mo ba ‘ko na-miss?” Myka adds.

Patty resists saying “I’ve been missing you my entire life.”

She scoffs instead. “Tulungan mo kaya ako? Ikaw magpunas, ako maghuhugas.”

Myka walks beside her and does what she’s asked. Patty can feel her stealing glances.

“Patty.”

“Yes, Labs.”

“Bad kisser ba yung huli mo?”

The glass Patty’s holding slips from her hands, making her mutter a “sorry”.

“Ayaw mo kasing ikuwento,” Myka adds.

Patty turns the faucet off and moves slightly away from the other woman to open the cupboard above, the door covering Myka’s fave from her view.

“Uy.” Myka wouldn’t budge. “How embarrassing ba kasi yun-“

“-Ewan ko, parang okay ka naman?” Patty finally answers. “Na kisser, I mean.”

When Patty closes the cupboard door, Myka’s a lot closer than she’d expected her to be, so she bumps into her. She’s looking at her with an expression she can’t quite name. “Gabby?”

“I haven’t kissed anyone else since that night, Myka.”

The room was filled with Tomas rapping Hambog ng Sagpro Krew’s Classmate, and Muse’s Supermassive Black Hole playing over the Twilight baseball scene, but Myka hears her loud and clear.

Myka rapidly blinks. “I’m- I have to use the bathroom, wait lang.”

Patty rests her back on the counter, rubbing the heels of her hands against her eyes. She only opens them to the sound of someone calling her name. It’s Jana she sees, mouthing the words “Sundan mo!”

Thankfully, Myka doesn’t lock the door. She opens it carefully. The woman was going through her vanity kit, standing in front of the mirror.

“That was during my second year of high school, Gabs.”

Patty chuckles mirthlessly. “Yes, I’m very aware.”

Myka looks at Patty’s reflection, catching her eyes. “What about Sienna? Naging kayo for…months, hindi ba?” Patty answers her with a shrug.

She finally turns around and faces the taller woman. “Bakit?”

“Bakit ano, Myka? Bakit…wala pa akong nahahalikang iba?” Patty scoffs. “Well, it’s not for lack of trying. Quite the opposite, I actually have tried. A lot.” She starts to pace. “But it’s always the wrong set of eyes, staring back at me. Walang kalyo yung kamay nila. Walang…nunal. Dito sa may bandang ilong,” she stammers.

She doesn’t stop pacing. “I don’t have to try to prove that they couldn’t live up to that. To you.”

Tears had been brimming in Myka’s eyes before she realizes. Patty stops pacing when she hears sniffing, and walks closer to the other woman.

“Hey. Myka, anong-“

“I’ve wasted so much time, Gabby. I thought you were to trying to get over me.”

Patty scoffs, wiping the corners of Myka’s eyes. “I could never, even if I wanted to."

The shorter woman lifts both arms, clasping her hands at the back of Patty’s neck. “I really shouldn’t have waited long to do this.”

Patty moves her hands to grip the other woman’s waist. She audibly gulps before whispering, “Do what?”

Myka cradles her cheek, thumb grazing her lower lip, silently asking for permission. Patty nods slightly, closing her eyes.

A meeting of lips and suddenly everything makes sense. That’s what Myka’s missing. What Patty keeps coming back to.

Myka lets out a little gasp, making Patty pull away. “Did-did I do something wrong?”

The other woman smirks, not taking her eyes away from Patty’s lips. “Something right, actually.”

The shorter woman swallows the gasp Patty lets out. It lasts for a few seconds before Patty pulls away. “Sandali. Gamit mo ba yung strawberry lip balm na I’ve been using since high school?”

Myka groans, burying her head in Patty’s chest. “You owe me so many dates, Gabo.”

They only pull away when someone starts incessantly knocking on the bathroom door.

“Ihh sabi sa’yo hindi aalis yung Ned!”

“Aray naman, dahan-dahan sa hampas!” Patty says, rubbing her hand against the arm Myka had just slapped.

On Myka’s laptop screen, Ned is kissing Budjoy’s thumb, where their friendship ring is placed. Myka absentmindly runs her thumb on the friendship bracelet Patty had given her on her last birthday.

They both watch as Ned kiss Budjoy’s forehead, then the tip of her nose, and then both cheeks. “Patty, anong feeling?” she asks.

The junior hums. “Ng?”

“Yun,” Myka answers, pointing at her screen.

“Kiss sa cheeks? Parati naman kitang binebeso ah.”

“Ihh, I mean sa lips. Ano feeling?”

Patty feels her entire face heat up. “Hala ba’t ako tinatanong mo? Pa’no ko malalaman?”

Myka shrugs. “One year older ka sa’kin eh, kaya I thought-“

“-I haven’t,” she cuts her off.

Myka puts her laptop aside, plopping down on her bed. “Well…whoever your first kiss will be, they’d be lucky. What do you think yours would be like?”

Patty mirrors her best friend, lying down beside her. “Ewan ko, I just…want it to be with someone special to me.”

The other woman elbows her. “Eh ‘di qualified pala ako? Do you remember kung anong sinulat mo sa letter na binigay mo kasama dun sa birthday gift mo sa’kin? ‘To someone I hold especially close to my heart’.”

Patty giggles and soon enough Myka joins her. “Hindi ba weird if we did? First kiss mo ‘to Myka.”

Myka turns to her side, and lifts one hand, cradling Patty’s cheek. “And you’re my Gabby.”

Outside Myka’s room, they can hear her little sister singing along to David Archuleta’s Crush, which is (still) today’s top 1 song on Myx’s Daily Top 10.

Myka watches as Patty’s throat bob up and down. She tucks the strands of hair covering the other woman’s eyes, smiles, and finally moves closer.

She presses her lips against Patty’s and the first thing she notices is they’re very soft. Her hand absentmindedly weaves through the hair on the back of Patty’s neck. The older woman lets out a soft sigh.

It merely lasts for a few seconds but Patty pours so much softness into it, Myka doesn’t fight off melting into it.

When they pull away, Patty sees Myka’s blown out pupils. She clears her throat, raising her eyebrows.

The corner of the other woman’s mouth stretch out so wide. “You taste like strawberries.”