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"Nakatitig ka na naman d'yan." Dominique immediately looked away as July sat beside him.
"Hindi a." He scanned his notes and pretended to be reviewing which frankly, doesn't fool anyone given that his notebook was upside down. Unless kung kaya niyang magbasa na baliktad ang mga letra, baka naniwala pa ang best friend niya.
"Bakit kasi hindi mo na lang lapitan? Kaysa yung nagnanakaw ka lang ng tingin d'yan." Dom looked at him with his infamous 'duh' look as if asking, 'tanga ka?'
"Bakit ko naman lalapitan yung kaaway ko? Baka isipin pa nyan nakikipagbati ako. No way!" He slammed his notebook shut which caused some of his classmates to look their way. Nabigla si July sa reaksyon ng kaibigan. "I meant, lapitan mo para madiscuss niyo na yung activity kay Sir Lopez. Sabi mo diba hindi pa kayo nakakapagsimula?" Dom blushed at that. Tinitigan nitong saglit ang kaibigan at inilabas ang telepono.
July noticed the former's ears getting red which he chose to ignore. It was obvious that Dom was trying to avoid what he last said.
They're in their senior year of college already. As usual, magkaklase pa rin ang mag-best friend na July at Dominique dahil sinisiguro nilang parehong schedule at klase ang mapupunta sa kanila. They've been friends since grade school at never pang nagkahiwalay until now that they're almost finishing college. They decided to make sure to stick together for as long as they can dahil ayaw nilang pareho ang pakiramdam nang naiiwan, a.k.a attachment issues. Wala namang bago sa pagiging magkaklase nila e, they like it that way kasi nga, as stated, may attachment issues sila.
Ang hindi lang sila sigurado kung pati si Dos ba ay meron nito dahil kung si July at Dominique ay palagi lamang magkaklase, si Dominique at Dos ay kung hindi laging groupmates, lagi namang partners sa bawat isang activity na kailangan ng kapareha. Minsan nga, mas mukha pang matalik na magkaibigan si Dos at Dominique kung hindi lang sila parating nag-aaway. Their dynamic is very weird, if you ask. Parehong achiever at kilalang competitive ang dalawa. Pambato sa kaliwa't kanang contest at madalas magpataasan ng grado sa klase. Typical academic rivals trope minus the lovers part. Or maybe, hindi pa siguro dumarating ang climax nila?
Matapos ang klase, Dominique decided to approach Dos and try to talk to him. Hinintay niyang makalabas muna ang iba bago lumapit kay Dos. Seeing his best friend walking towards his academic rival, July decided to head straight out and just wait for Dom at the cafeteria.
"So ano, sa library na lang ba tayo?" Dos looked at him with a poker face.
"No need." Isinukbit nito ang bag at palabas na ng pinto nang harangin ng mas batang si Dom (if a year age gap matters).
"Pero hindi pa tayo tapos diba? Wala pa nga tayo nasisimulan." he worriedly asked.
"Nagtanong ako kung pwede makipagpalit ng partners. Pumayag naman si sir e. Si July na partner mo tapos ako na lang partner ni Anne. Ikaw na lang din magsabi sa best friend mo." Tila nagpantig ang tenga niya sa narinig.
"But we've always been partners! Bakit mo kailangang makipagpalit?" the anger in the shorty cutie's (as what Dos secretly calls Dominique) face was very evident. Hindi nakatakas sa mata ng nakakatanda ang panliliit ng mata ng kausap at ang pagpula ng pisngi nito marahil ay dahil sa galit. See, this is what Dos loves about him. Dahil sa puti ng kutis nito, madaling mamula ang kanyang pisngi kapag nagagalit, naiinis, at sa ilang pagkakataong nakikita niya itong kiligin. It's probably the reason why he teases him a lot. He loves seeing the younger's cheeks turn red kasi para sa kanya mas lalo itong nagiging cute at maganda. At syempre, ang galitin ito lang naman ang kaya niyang gawin kasi paano naman ito kikiligin sa kanya diba? Ah basta, it may sound selfish and childish, but the only important thing for him is to see the baby's red cheeks and cute pouty lips so he'll do anything to annoy him.
"O ano, bakit 'di ka sumasagot d'yan? We've always been partners, Dos! Ano, iiwan mo 'ko sa ere?" Dos was taken aback with how the shorter one sounded. Why does he sound betrayed e nakipagpalit lang naman siya? In fact, isn't he doing him a favor pa nga?
"Bakit matalino naman ako, a? I admit, laging magkaiba opinyon natin pero we always make things work naman, diba? Tayo nga laging highest e! Bakit mo kailangan maghanap ng iba?" Again, Dos was confused with how Dominique was acting. 'Ang hirap naman nitong intindihin', he thought.
"Domdom, look, I switched with July so you can be partners with him. Last activity, you said sawa ka na sa mukha ko so I'm doing you a favor now. Ayaw mo ba? Anong gusto mo kung gano'n?" he asked in the softest way possible. Dahil nagtataas na ito ng boses, he tried wooing him in the softest way he could. Ayaw niya nang sabayan ang init ng ulo nito. He badly wanted to touch his Domdom's face and straighten the crease on his eyebrows but stopped himself.
"But I want you to be my partner for this one! Ah, siguro may crush ka kasi kay Anne 'no? Kaya siya gusto mong kapares. Anong meron yung transferee na 'yon na wala ako? Last year lang naman natin 'yon naging kaklase tapos partida irreg pa siya! E 'di magsama kayo!" And with that, Dominique walked out so mad like a volcano waiting to errupt. Dumiretso siya sa cafeteria at pinuntahan ang matalik na kaibigan.
"Alam mo bang isang linggo niyang hindi sinagot texts at calls ko? Kaya pala hindi man lang nagu-update ang loko kasi hindi na pala ako. Tapos ngayon lang niya sasabihin sa'king nagpalit kayo ng partners? Hindi ba nakakainis?" Dominique smiled at July sweetly while obviously fuming mad.
The latter gave him a confused look as he urged the former to sit down. "Anong sinasabi mo?" He asked.
"Si Saavedra, nagpalit daw kayo ng partners? Tayo na raw ang magpares at sila na lang ni Anne."
" Really? Hindi nabanggit sa'kin. That's great news!"
"July, my sweet innocent July. Anong great news doon?! Pinagpalit ako?!"
"Domdom, my sweet sweet Domdom, akala ko ba kaaway mo 'yon? E bakit tunog jowang nagseselos ka riyan? Aba, daig mo pa 'ko magselos a. Hindi nga ko ganyan kay Severino e." July sarcastically said as he took a bite on his sandwich.
Tumayong muli si Dominique sa kinauupuan at dumiretso sa library. Hindi na niya nilingon ang kaibigan sa kabila ng protesta nito.
He spotted Dos at a far corner at their usual spot with someone. At their usual spot?! With someone other than him?! Aba, hindi siya papayag! Pinagpalit na nga siya pati ba naman ang trono niya aagawin? Well, it's not literally a throne but you know kasi- ah, basta!
Babawiin niya kung ano ang para sa kanya! Who does this Dos think he is to replace him like this? Apat na taon niyang tiniis ang mukha nito tapos siya basta lamang isusuko? Hindi!
"Dos!" he shouted in a whispery manner.
"Dominique, yes?" nag-angat lamang ito ng tingin at muling ibinalik ang atensyon sa laptop na nasa harap nila ni Anne.
"Anne, sorry but can you please give us a minute? I need to talk to Gabby." Uh-oh. This is only the third time his Domdom used that nickname on him and the first two times was... well.. let's just say... unpleasant.
Anne just smiled, muttered a little 'sure' and stood up from her seat. Pagkaalis nito ay agad umupo si Dominique sa tabi ni Gabby where Anne was seated before the former barged in. Hindi pa nakuntento, inurong nito ang upuan paharap kay Gabby.
Ilang segundo silang nagtitigan bago binasag ng nakababata ang katahimikan.
"Do you hate me that much? Na you can't tolerate my presence anymore? Malapit naman na tayong grumaduate, a. Bakit ngayon ka pa umiwas? Ganyan ka ba kagalit sa'kin?"
"Dom, what are you talking about?" He spoke so gently with a tone he only uses when talking to the ball of sunshine in front of him. See, this is why Dominique can tolerate his presence e. Even though they bicker a lot, Gabby is always respectful. He can never recall a moment when his Gabby shouted at him even in the midst of the most heated argument. Madalas ay magwa-walk out lamang ito o 'di kaya'y titigan lang siya nang masama. Kung minsan naman ay kapag alam na nitong abot langit na ang inis niya, magpaparaya ito at sasang-ayon na lamang sa gusto niyang mangyari and would just feed his ego by saying things like, "alam ko namang mas matalino ako kaya pagbibigyan na lang kita. Kawawa ka kasi." But they both know na Gabby never meant it and is just his way of being the annoying person that he is. Not once did Gabby made him feel so bad, kung tutuusin.
Hindi man aminin ni Dom sa sarili, alam niyang mabait ang binata sa harap niya. Thinking about that, napaisip tuloy siya kung talagang kaaway niya ito. Kasi, never naman silang nagkasakitan? Oo, laging nagpapataasan, oo, laging nag-aasaran, pero never naman silang dumating sa punto na gusto na nilang saksakin ng lapis ang isa't-isa.
"Dom, I never hated you. Ikaw nga yung laging galit sa'kin e."
"Liar. Lagi mo nga akong inaasar e. Inaaway mo rin ako." he pouted.
"Domdom, when did I ever start a fight with you? Sa loob ng apat na taon, kailan ako nagsimula ng away? It has always been you."
"Sinisisi mo ba 'ko?" There goes the sass again, ladies and gentlemen.
"Kapag mas mataas nakukuha mong scores, niyayabang mo sa'kin. Kapag may ginagawa tayong activities, you always dismiss my ideas. In everything I do, lagi mo 'kong inaasar."
"Ikaw rin naman a!" Dom countered.
"Okay, fine. We do it to each other. Pero ikaw nagsimula. When we we're in our first year, tinapunan mo ng juice yung notes ko right before midterms. Hindi ka nagsorry. Remember? In conclusion, you're the one who hates me."
"You thought I hate you just because of that? You held grudges?" Wow, this guy is unbelievable. Dominique thought.
"What did you expect? Hindi ka nag-sorry. Malamang iisipin kong galit ka at ayaw mo sa'kin.
"A, kaya inaway mo na lang ako?"
"Again, Domdom, inaaway natin ang isa't isa."
Namayani ang katahimikan sa dalawang 'magkaaway'.
"Atleast ako, I don't hate you like that. I just hate how you make me feel. I hate how you're good at everything without putting in some effort. I hate the fact na kahit competitive ako, 'pag ikaw yung mas mataas sa'kin feeling ko dapat nagce-celebrate ako. I hate how habang tumatagal mas gumagwapo ka sa paningin ko. I hate how lagi akong kinakabahan around you pero ikaw chill ka lang when you're arond me. I hate that you're always nice to others pero ako lagi mo lang inaasar. I hate that kay Anne hindi ka man lang napilitan na maging partner siya kahit ako, na 4 years mo nang kaklase, ipagpapalit mo pa. I hate it na kahit anong gawin mo natutuwa ako kaya feeling ko kailangan kitang awayin kasi hindi naman ganoon din yung tingin mo sa'kin. And I hate how I'm always nangangapa when I'm around you kasi hindi ko alam kung baikit gustong gusto kita kahit supposedly magkaaway tayo. So yeah, I probably do hate you. Kasi you never liked me in anyway habang ako pagod na pagod nang itago na natutuwa ako sa tuwing pinapansin mo 'ko kahit lagi mo lang naman akong binibwisit." mahabang litanya nito at padabog na umalis. Ugh, wala ba 'tong ibang alam gawin kundi mag-walk out? Anyway, Dos was too stunned to speak.
Sino ba namang hindi diba? All along ay akala niya galit ito sa kanya, only to find out na he just didn't know how to act around him? All those years of pining tapos parehas naman pala silang gusto ang isa't isa?! Oh boy, he has to put an end to this once and for all.
Sisiguruhin niyang bago matapos ang araw na ito ay magkakalinawan na sila. With that, agad niyang hinanap si Dominique. Una niyang pinuntahan ang rooftop dahil... wala lang. Favorite spot kasi 'yon ng mga nagdadrama e. And knowing Dominique? He's 101% sure na doon niya ito matatagpuan. Guess what? He was right. Nakarating siya doon and found his sunshine seating at a corner. Agad niya itong nilapitan at tinabihan.
"When did I ever say I hate you? I thought you were the one who hated me, Domdom." Saglit siyang tinignan ng kausap at muling umiwas.
"I'm sorry. Hindi ko naman gusto na ganon yung maging tingin mo sa akin. I just thought that bickering with you would be the only way for me to get close to you so I did what I did. I don't hate you. Not now, not ever."
Minutes of silence before Dominique broke it and aired out his concerns.
"You called me siopao last year."
"Because your cheeks are too squishy, and fluffy, and cute. I badly wanted to pinch them."
"Sabi mo panget ako gumawa ng powerpoint presentation."
"You can do better kasi. Hindi akma yung animations mo sa topic. Tapos you like using bright color palettes kahit tungkol sa buhay ni Rizal yung topic. Rizal wouldn't like the pink border as you talk about how he was shot in Bagumbayan."
Mahinang natawa lamang si Dominique ngunit nagtatampo pa rin.
"Nilait mo yung explosion box idea ko."
"Domdom, my Domdom, explosion boxes are so high school." Dos smiled at him apologetically. Dito na napatawa si Dominique at hinampas ang balikat ng katabi.
"But did I ever intentionally hurt you? Even your feelings? Admit it, Dom. All our past encounters were shallow bickering and nothing else. Ikaw lang din naman nag-iisip na magkaaway tayo e. Gusto ko lang naman makipagclose sa'yo."
"Do you really think I hate you?"
"Well, you don't like me either."
"Domdom, seriously? Who told you that?"
"I've always liked you. Since freshmen year. I thought you had the prettiest smile and God knows how much I wanted to be close with you! All those years of me securing we would always be put in the same group for you to assume I never liked you?"
"You what?"
"Yeah, did you honestly think coincidence lang 'yon? I was hoping you'd finally want to be friends with me kaso never naman nangyari so I though this time baka ayaw mo nga talaga. I mean I owe it to you to let you be partners with whoever you actually like kaya nakipagpalit na lang ako kay July. That's how much I like you. E ikaw?"
"Of course, I like you too! Kaya I don't want you to be partners with Anne. What, you think you can get rid of me that easily? You're stuck with me na 'no!" Dom pouted cutely at him and even crossed his arms to prove his point. Ilang saglit silang tumahimik.
"So, tara?" Dos asked as he looked at his watch. They only have 15 minutes left before their next period starts.
"Tayo na ulit partners? Let's do the project na?"
"No. You said you like me and I like you too. Let's go to class together and let's go grab coffee after." He got up and offered his hand to the younger which he refused.
He stood up on his own. "But are we still not gonna be partners?" Dos smiled at that. Seguristang bata.
"Domdom, we're going to class and I'll talk to July so we can switch again. Is that good enough, love?"
Dominique finally showed the taller's favorite smile. He again, offered his hand for Dominique to hold. Dominique immediately intertwined their hands at hinila ang mas nakakatanda.
"Okay. I'd love that." They exited the place with smiles on their faces and ease in their hearts.
And that concludes the story of our favorite, never kumukupas academic rivals, only this time, pwede na nating idagdag ang lovers.