Strings of Fate

Chem room. 3:48 PM.

Mahigit kalahating oras nang late si Maxine. Si Kyle naman, apparently may make-up quiz. So guess what? Naiwan akong mag-isa sa lab station… with him.

Him—as in Rhyler. The walking enigma. The guy who types like punctuation is currency. The guy who can make "Good." sound like a full paragraph.

And now, here he is.

Sitting one chair apart.

One elbow on the table, staring at his laptop like the fate of the world depends on his spreadsheet format.

Ako naman, hawak ‘yung notebook ko, kunwaring busy sa notes—but let’s be honest, wala akong naiintindihan sa sinusulat ko.

Too quiet.

Too still.

Too much.

Nag-buzz phone ko. Messenger.

Atasha: Huy bakit ang tahimik ng GC niyo? Asan na kayo?

Eli: Group work. Kami lang ni Rhyler. Walang iba.

Seen.

Atasha: …what do you MEAN ikaw lang at si mahal kong misteryoso?!

I sighed and turned off my phone.

Tama na. Focus, Eli.

4:00 PM.

Still no Maxine. Still no Kyle.

And still—walang nagsasalita sa'min.

I peeked from the side of my vision. Rhyler’s hand moved across his screen, calculating formulas and highlighting data like he was born doing this. ‘Yung tipong kahit simple task, parang big deal. Parang may background music. Parang kailangan ng cinematic lighting.

“Okay ka lang?” tanong ko finally. Not because I cared—okay, maybe a little—but more because the silence was so thick, I felt like I was choking on it.

Tumigil siya saglit. Then sumagot nang hindi tumitingin.

“Fine.”

One word. Flat. Cool.

Tapos na ba ‘yung convo? Yun na ‘yon?

I looked at the formula we were assigned. Medyo mali ‘yung part na nilagay niya.

Kaya kinuha ko ‘yung pen ko, tinuro ‘yung part, then sabay sabi, “Dito, imbalance pa ‘yung equation. Kulang ng oxygen sa left.”

He stared at it.

Then at me.

Long enough for me to regret breathing.

Then he nodded. “Noted.”

Pucha.

Even his “Noted” sounds like a mic drop.

Bumalik siya sa laptop. I felt like I had just spoken to a marble statue na mamahalin.

And yet…

My heart was beating like crazy.

Why?

Hindi ko siya kilala.

We don’t talk.

We don’t even follow each other.

Pero bakit parang every second I spend with him in silence—mas nakakabingi kaysa kahit anong sigawan sa hallway?

4:02 PM.

Still no one.

I glanced at the clock, then at him. His lips moved a little—murmuring something I couldn’t hear. Maybe a formula. Maybe a mental reminder. Maybe a curse word.

Hindi ko alam. And somehow, gusto kong malaman.

Napansin niya ‘kong nakatingin.

Nagtagpo ulit ‘yung mga mata namin.

He didn’t look away.

Neither did I.

Walang nagsalita.

The air felt like it was bending.

Not in a romantic way.

In a—what is happening and why am I breathing weirdly?—kind of way.

And then—

The door burst open.

“AY SORRY! LATE NA ‘KO!” si Maxine, hawak ang milk tea niya na parang shield from judgment. “Alam mo naman traffic—”

Parang nauntog ako pabalik sa realidad.

Tinapik ko ‘yung lapel ng uniform ko.

“Okay. Back to work.”

“Hello din pala, ha,” sabi ni Maxine, umupo sa tabi ko.

Rhyler leaned back sa upuan niya, exhaled lightly, then returned to his screen.

Like nothing happened.

Pero may nangyari.

Not in words.

Not in actions.

Just silence.

Four minutes of it.

And I don't know why…

But it felt louder than anything I’ve ever heard.