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"Everything's going to fall into place."
"You're being too optimistic, Win. In this field, I'm sure you know better than to be one."
Risa gathered her things right after their meeting with the rest of the now majority bloc. They're currently in Sherwin's office. They've just finished discussing their next move right after what happened in the session earlier.
Did she know that things would come this far after being almost alone in her position in the minority for several years now?
No, she most certainly did not.
Several years. She almost snorted at the thought. Who would have thought she could survive this long to see the day she would finally not be alone in this fight?
Parang suntok sa buwan. Yet here she was.
Yet here they are.
She looked at him slowly picking up his things while looking at his phone. Tila 'di nito malaman kung titingin ba ng messages sa phone o bubuhatin 'yung kakarampot niyang gamit para makaalis na sila.
Everybody left a few minutes ago. Nagpaiwan lang si Risa dahil kinailangan niya ng time mag-sink in lahat ng nangyari for the past few weeks.
Things were getting too real and unpredictable.
As for Sherwin, well, she didn't know what he was thinking. He's probably here because obviously it's his office, and he's extending his courtesy to wait for her.
"They're calling it a Senateflix now. Did you know?" she opened up. The office was quiet, so her voice slightly echoed in the four corners of the room.
He nodded. "I heard from my staff a few days ago, yes."
She couldn't help but chuckle. "Now if you think about, we've managed to show at least half the genres you can see in a series. Action, drama, comedy. . . "
"Even romance?" he quipped.
"And you know what else usually comes after these themes?" she continued. Win's humor going right above her head and out her left ear. "Tragedy."
He nodded at her again. This time, slowly. Naghiwalay ang tingin nila. He looked down at the circular table at the center of his office, while she looked at the curtains on the left side of the room.
"I'm worried, Win," she finally admitted. "We're getting so close to settling all these problems, getting these pieces together, finally getting to the bottom of something even though it still seems so far-fetched. . ."
Their gazes met.
She went on. "I just feel like something's not right. There's something that's still missing. Something we should be aware of by now."
The two of them were already standing, ready to leave the room. But her words lingered in the air and in their minds.
It would be foolish not to address her concern as early as now, he thought. Kailan pa sila ulit magkikita dito sa Senado. Something about the thought of Risa worrying and being on her wit's end over the shenanigans of the other bloc bothered him.
Win sat back one chair away from her previous seat. He gestured her to do the same. She did so and put her purse on her lap.
"Why haven't you opened this up earlier amongst our group?"
She shook her head. "It's all just a feeling, you know? Like something's off. I just couldn't wrap my head around it at the moment."
He's still having a hard time figuring out where she's getting at. Still, he patiently listened.
In the end, she merely shrugged her shoulders and sighed. A heavy one. "I don't know. Maybe this is just me being a Pisces."
Nagawa pa talaga nito magbiro. Pero ginatungan din naman ni Win.
"You do absorb a lot of energy. Don't ask me how I know your zodiac sign's description."
She laughed at that. "You don't strike me as someone who dabbles on astrology."
"I don't. But it's part of society's common knowledge nowadays. Kahit tumingin o magbasa ka ng news, may daily horoscope pa rin."
"Ang daming na-delay. Ang daming naghihintay. Ang daming nangyayari. Mas marami pang plot twist na nangyari for the past three weeks dito sa senate kaysa sa pinapanood na series ng anak ko." She gave an exasperated laugh. "I don't know how things led us to this pont."
"Survival. We did what we did in the name of staying in the game."
"At what cost? People's lives, Sherwin? Is that what we're really willing to put on the line?"
"We're gonna get back to normal, Risa. Everything will go back to how everything should have been scheduled and arranged."
"They're delaying everything. You and I both know why." She looked at him in the eye as her grip on her purse tightened. "And we don't know how far they would take things just to stop it."
Silence. He didn't know what to say. He knew every move and decision they make right now is crucial. They're walking on thin ice every single day, wondering how much longer the heat would take before they all drown. Wondering if making things cool down 'til it's frozen cold would make the ice beneath their feet more manageable.
But this is the Philippines. There's no way in hell things would turn calm and cool, regardless of how long they're willing to wait.
"Alagaan ang lamang. That's what we need to prioritize right now. We've already talked about the main actions we must do from here on out. If we're speaking long-term, let me see what I can think of. We're gonna have to think ahead given how unprecedented things are getting."
"We can rest for now," he reminded her. "You, of all people, deserve that, Risa."
"But it's still not enough," she countered. "Hindi natin alam kung ano na naman bubulaga sa 'tin bukas makalawa—"
"I believe in you. I believe in us. Is that enough?" This was the first time he cut her off.
He never dared to do it before. Never dared to silence her and her neverending thoughts.
"Will that be enough?" he added. "At least, for now?"
She blinked before turning to him once again. Her eyes never wavered and still showed that determined expression to get to the bottom of things.
They have been together in the Senate for a decade. But for the life of him, he could never master the art of reading her mind and next move.
"I trust you, Sherwin. And I trust you'd always remember that."
If what she just said was an assurance, a reminder, or a threat, he had no idea.
But he does know one thing.
He looked at her straight in the eye when she began to talk again.
"Is it a good idea for me to trust you on that?" she asked.
There's no way he's going to let her down.
"I'll make sure of it."
"You shall?"
"I will."
***