Strings of Fate

That wink?

It wasn’t just for fun.

And if Rhyler thought he could walk away like that without consequences…

He had another thing coming.

---

Pagkapasok ko sa bahay, dumiretso agad ako sa kwarto. Bagsak ang bag sa sahig, sapatos tanggal kahit hindi sa tamang shoe rack, at ako? Diretso dive sa kama na parang Olympic-level dive.

Face down sa unan. Hindi ko alam kung dapat akong kiligin, matakot, o mag-request ng mental check-up. Kasi sino ba naman ang nagwi-wink ng ganon, tapos lalakad lang palayo as if wala lang?! Hindi mo naman pwedeng itapon sa hangin 'yung ganong energy tapos mag-pretend na wala kang ginawa.

I turned over, tumingin sa kisame.

"Lord, bigyan mo ko ng sign kung totoo 'tong nangyayari."

As if on cue, my phone buzzed.

I grabbed it half-expecting a GC notification from Atasha, pero hindi. It was nothing. Just a stupid calendar reminder.

*"Drink water, b*tch"\* — wow, thank you past Eli.

Huminga ako ng malalim. Ayoko nang isipin. Ayoko nang kiligin. Kasi the more I feed the feeling, the more it grows. At kapag lumaki na siya nang sobra, masakit 'pag hindi totoo.

Pero...

*What if totoo?*

I picked up my phone again and opened Messenger.

*Online: Rhyler Jace Davids.*

*Active now.*

BAKIT.

My heart jumped like a student na tinawag for surprise recitation.

I clicked on his name. Blank chat. No history. Just that annoying gray text: "Say hi to Rhyler!"

Nakakainis. Gusto ko siyang i-message. Pero paano? Wala kaming context. Wala kaming inside joke. We barely talked!

Well... except nung science lab pairing. And that fire drill. And that one time he handed me a pen kasi nalimutan ko 'yung akin.

But still.

Ako ba dapat mauna?

**Eli:** hey

Draft lang. Di ko pinindot send.

Binura ko.

**Eli:** thanks earlier, btw

Ugh. Too formal. Delete.

Tapos, boom. A message appeared.

**Rhyler:** late ka yata umuuwi

I stared at the message like it was a glitch sa matrix.

ME? KINAMUSTA? UNPROVOKED?

Umayos ako ng upo, hinigpitan ang hawak sa phone.

**Eli:** minsan lang. bakit, may curfew ka ba? haha

Typing...

Wala.

Then may lumabas ulit.

**Rhyler:** wala naman

**Rhyler:** napansin ko lang

**Eli:** stalker alert?

**Rhyler:** observant lang

Napakunot noo ako. Ang tipid. Pero may dating. Parang bawat word niya ay sinadya, parang hindi basta-basta sumasagot para lang may masabi.

**Eli:** hmm. o baka napansin mo lang kasi napatingin ako kanina

**Rhyler:** ikaw 'yung tumingin

**Eli:** ikaw 'yung ngumiti

**Rhyler:** hindi ako sure kung smile 'yun

**Eli:** sure ako. may kasamang wink pa nga eh

**Rhyler:** baka nabulag lang ako sa araw

Rolling my eyes pero smiling like tanga. Ganon pala 'yung contradiction ng buhay. Gusto mong sabunutan, pero gusto mo ring isend 'yung conversation sa group chat sabay caption: "WHAT IS THIS?"

**Eli:** sige deny mo pa

**Rhyler:** sino bang nagsabing hindi totoo?

Pause.

WHAT?

**Eli:** ha?

**Rhyler:** wala

**Eli:** ang cryptic mo

**Rhyler:** sanay ka na dapat

**Eli:** hindi pa nga tayo magkakilala ng maayos

**Rhyler:** hindi naman kailangan ng buong biodata para mapansin ang tao

**Eli:** h-huh?

**Rhyler:** nothing. ignore that

And then *seen*.

Ang lala. Para akong binato sa cliff tapos walang harness.

Who talks like that? Who types like that?

Yung parang binubuksan ka pero hindi mo alam kung anong part 'yung dapat intindihin.

I waited for more, but the chat stayed empty.

Buzz.

**Rhyler:** may free time ka ba bukas?

**Eli:** bakit?

**Rhyler:** may kailangan lang akong sabihin. mabilis lang

**Eli:** tungkol saan?

**Rhyler:** random stuff

**Eli:** okay... saan?

**Rhyler:** dun sa likod ng old lib. may bench dun na walang dumadaan masyado

**Eli:** bakit dun pa?

**Rhyler:** tahimik

**Eli:** sketchy naman

**Rhyler:** then don’t come

Wow. Masungit na ulit. Consistent.

Pero why does that make it even more interesting?

**Eli:** hindi ko naman sinabing ayaw ko

**Rhyler:** good

*Seen 10:57 PM.*

That was it.

No emojis. No "see you." No explanation.

Just a vague invite to a vague conversation in a quiet corner of campus from a guy who barely speaks but says too much in so little.

Nag-scroll ako sa chat thread.

Walang sparkles, walang sweet words.

Pero bakit parang may kulog sa dibdib ko?

And why am I already overthinking what shoes to wear tomorrow?