Not A Cliffhanger!

With the number of times we've played "I Spy" one would think, "Oh they're finally free from the jail booth!" Sorry to burst everyone's bubble, but we're still locked up. No one has bailed us out even though our friends have visited us throughout our couple-hunting.

"Say Cheese!" The flash of Aizhy's phone was blinding. Why does she even have a flash on when it's so bright out? With a satisfied smile on her face she went closer.

"Send ko 'to sa GC natin," In a hushed tone, she showed the picture she took. I was pouting while throwing a peace sign while Zyle had his signature dimpled-smile, eyes shaped like crescent moons. Oh, I didn't realize he had a peace sign above my head.

"You don't need to thank me," She winked. I wish Zy wouldn't hear anything or if he did, please don't let him understand what she's implying.

"Good luck diyan sa booth," Krissia laughed then pulled Aizhy, running off. I don't know where, because I have not seen the booth's layout. I've been stuck here since the beginning!

That was the first group of friends who didn't even bother to give up their ticket to the booth handlers.

The second?

"Pres! Seth! Quatro!" I called out to them. I assume they were trying to check out the booths together. Sana ako rin 'no? It would've been enjoyable if I was with Zyle to see the booths yet here we are constrained in a cage playing a never-ending game of I spy.

"There you are! Ti-nag kita kanina sa GC para sumama ka sa amin pero 'di ka nag reply," AJ seemed relieved to see me. He was definitely concerned I didn't respond to a tagged message.

"I'm so sorry, I've been here since before lunch time."

"Don't apologize, let me bail you out."

Quatro was about to hand his ticket to get us out when Seth pulled him by the shoulder and whispered something to him. Unfortunately, I could not make up what he said, however I'm going to guess to not bail us out.

"Sorry," Seth said, dragging the two who were trying their very best to escape from his grasp. They're literally physically larger than Seth and they can't get away from him?

"Well, that failed," My shoulders slumped in defeat. Zy wrapped his hand around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him.

"Guess we're going to play another round of I spy."

"We've probably pointed out all the couples here!" I groaned.

Zy pulled me into a hug. He guided my head to lay on his chest then caressed my hair to calm me down, "There's one more."

I know the only view I have right now is his broad che–necktie and white polo, that's our uniform haha. Oh, look! His ID lace is green! Go STEM! Haha...anyways, I could imagine his soft smile; his dimples barely showing, faint and gentle as he always is.

"I spy with my eye two people stuck in a booth."

His hands moved from my head to the small of my back. I looked at him, our bodies still pressed together. For sure I was blushing really hard. I'm not stupid, I know he was talking about us. Alam kong minsan napaka-oblivious ko. I just can't comprehend that what he said would ever be real.

My worst enemy is actually my own self. I'm served the finest dish of signs, yet I choose to order the worst item on the menu—overthinking with a side of self-pity. Oh, and a shot of what are we? A classic combination.

Zy was patiently waiting for my response. Should I play along or chicken out? The whiteboard at the back of my door flashed in my mind. Written in purple ink: "Making Cliches Happen."

Why should I chicken out when I can flirt instead? I mean, Valentine's day is approaching rapidly with a bow and arrow ready to shoot. Fingers crossed, Cupid will shoot us right about...

Now!

"Zyle and Melvyn?" I confidently answered. Kung mali ang sagot ko, I could just pass it off as a really good flirty joke.

Zy's gaze that was once meeting mine lowered. My heart fluttered as soon as I registered where he was looking.. Imitating him, I turn to stare at his lower lip that he was currently biting. Our faces were inching closer; I could feel his breath on my lips. I never knew what the word temptation truly meant until this very moment.

On the same note, I never understood those flowery narrations in books. They were fun to read. Flipping page after page to see the lines woven for the two main characters, filled with poetic notations that are jaw-dropping or inspirational in a way.

Still, I never could comprehend why, whenever there is a romantic scene in a book everything seems to turn into purple prose.

Everything seems slower, even though their actions are quick and simple to the eye—complicated only by the author's writing style. The author could've opted for a simple sentence. For example: "He kissed me."

Instead, their words always need to be elongated in a charmful way. Hooking readers, making them curl their toes in anticipation on how the kiss will happen. Is it in a jail booth? The author can't just say they kissed in a jail booth. That would be foolish!

A romance author often describes a scene in rosy sentences: Two lonely boys stuck in a cramped space, entangled in each other's arms. In the heat of the moment, their gaze meant something more than a fleeting glance. They knew what they wanted; they wanted intimacy that they had not crossed over before—to kiss one another.

So, how am I going to describe such a scene when we never kissed?

"Am I interrupting?"

I frantically pushed Zy away. He didn't budge but our faces were farther apart than they had been before. I refuse to see who talked just now or I will explode from the amount of embarrassment I'm experiencing.

We almost kissed.

You don't know how much I wish that almost wasn't in that sentence. Even in real life, I get a cliffhanger! I thought those were exclusive to fiction.

"What's up, Matt?"

So it was Matteo. I'm going to guess na andun din si Kirby. Kung tama nga ako, I'm so dead. Pag nalaman ng mga kaibigan ko na nagiging intimate ako sa isang lalaki na I don't have a defined label with. I will be the new teasing target of HUMSS 1.

"Mel!?" Perfect opportunity to cuss. Fuck, nandito si Kirby!

"Hi, Kirby. Fancy seeing you here," I sounded so awkward. I don't know how to calm down.

Someone pressed the emergency button in my brain, and I'm going into an emergency system shutdown.

"No, no, I'm not going to answer that. What's up with this?" Matt pointed at the two of us. Did I mention that he's hugging me? Did I also mention Matt saw our faces inches apart earlier? I want to break down and cry so badly but I can't add to my embarrassment streak.

"We're hugging," Zy answered.

"No, yung kanina."

Zy stared at me as if he was asking me if he could answer with, "We almost kissed." Regardless, once he examined my expression, he let me out of his hold, though I noticed he was a bit hesitant to let me go.

"Still hugging," He firmly uttered, "He was freaking out because the booth was too cramped."

"Sure," Matt didn't believe anything Zy said. At least he let us off the hook. Kirby, however, had the most thrilled smile. He even wiggled his eyebrows directly at me. Kirby I swear if you utter a single word to anyone in the classroom I'm going to crash out.

He knows damn well I'm not good at handling too much teasing and too many questions at the same time.

"Kirby, can you bail us out?" I hinted with my eyes that if he were to scream that his ship has sailed, there will be consequences a.k.a. me going nonverbal for a very long time. He already experienced that when we were in JHS hence, he knows I'm not playing.

Yes, Kirby had done something similar back in Junior High. I do not want to explain any details, or the consequences might come sooner than expected.

"Sige!" He winked, which meant he understood me. Gosh, I really love Kirby. He knows better than to repeat the same mistakes..

Finally, we were free.

"Punta muna kayo sa booth ng STEM 1. Lalo na ikaw, Zy—wala ka pang ambag sa staff hours," Natawa ako kina Matt at Zy na parang mag-ama na pinapagalitan ang kanyang anak.

"Wala akong ambag because I was in the jail booth the whole time," he reasoned.

"Oo nga! Grabe, ang sama ng ugali mo, Matt!" I wanted to laugh so bad at how Matt's jaw dropped at Kirby's words; however, I kept my cool.

"I don't have a bad personality. Ayaw ko lang siya mapagalitan ni Sir Manalo dahil wala siyang staff hours," he frowned. Kirby pinched his cheeks. Because of their height difference, he needed to tiptoe in order to do that.

They're so cute. Mattby is definitely my non-fictional basis of what a healthy romantic relationship is. Actually, as far as I know, Kirby hasn't said yes to Matteo yet. Not sure why, but I don't have the right to butt in and be nosy.

Umiling si Zy habang lumalakad kami papunta sa kanilang booth. "These two lovebirds," bulong niya sa akin.

"Is this what they call LQ?" I asked, joining in our silent teasing.

"Wanna try that?" I nearly tripped, surprised by his question. Well, two can play your little teasing game, Mr. Sanvictores.

"We're not even lovers."

Zy giddily smirked, his face lighting up as though I had given him the opportunity to say something flirtatious. Too bad, he got cut off by the one and only Captain of the STEM basketball team. This is the first time I was happy someone cut him off—I can't handle too much.

"So totoo pala ang sinabi ni Sera," JC said, crossing his arms and resting them on the countertop. When he spotted me beside Zy, a familiar mischievous smile appeared on his face

"Kala ko nasiyahan ka sa isang matamis na pagtatagpo," Mala-tula talaga ang pagsalita niya ng Tagalog. Ahy, nahawa ako!

Kai's head popped out the partition wall then slid next to JC. His smile was identical to JC's—playful, a little wicked like he was onto something.

"Sheesh, matamis na pagtatagpo. Sweet rendezvous in English," Is he Google translate?

He turned his back to us, pretending to make out with someone. Kai, who never beats the insane allegations, even made fake smooching sounds. Why hasn't he been thrown in the jail booth yet for public indecency?

JC smacked Kai on the head. I winced, I could imagine how much that hurt. Though, he lowkey (highkey) deserved that.

"Tumino-tino ka diyan!"

"Bro, chill out! Nagbibiro lang 'yung tao eh parang hindi kumpadre." He rubbed his head to ease the pain.

"Switch na tayo. Baka mamaya masira niyo pa reputasyon ng booth natin," Matteo said, shooing them away as he took over at the counter.

"Welcome to Cone-tagious Letters, Melvyn and Kirby. What can I get for you?"

I chuckled at the pun. It heavily reminds me of the Cornetto pick up lines. I miss eating ice cream. I haven't gotten the chance to read the silly jokes on the lid since I was busy with treasurer duties during Intrams Week.

"What's on the menu?" Kirby cutely asked. He tilted his head, making his mid-length bleached hair perfectly fall on his right shoulder. Hindi ko masisisi si Matteo kung bakit siya nahulog sa kanya.

His existence gives me cuteness aggression. Maybe because he's shorter than me? Or his cheeks are really chubby? Oh I know, he resembles a bunny—no, no, that's wrong. He's literally the character Kirby! Even his smile is similar to Kirby's.

One more reason is because he's like the younger brother I never had. Yung tipong bunso na sobrang nakakagigil kahit minsan nakakainis.

Zy wrapped his hands on my waist, "Para kang na-inlove kay Kirby, ha."

Opposite of his lively tone, his eyes were blank— uninterested, potentially...jealous? Here comes the delusional train, surely you have the ticket on hand let's hop on board to delulu land. Pause reality real quick. Nagseselos ba siya kay Kirby?

My brain almost threw a party at the thought of Jealous Zyle. I don't care about my imagination anymore—his jealousy was real. Oblivious Melvyn just graduated. Say hi to know-it-all Melvyn, he's going to annoy you with his overconfident assumptions.

"I didn't, he's the sibling I've always wanted."

"Ah, okay."

Namula ang tenga niya sa kahihiyan. Tinanggal niya ang kanyang kamay sa aking bewang at ibinulsa ito. I wanted to pester him about why he got jealous over Kirby but I held myself back. That interrogation can wait.

"Mel, they have your favorite!" Tuwang-tuwa naman si Kirby na may Vanilla sa menu. I did not want to embitter the mood by saying that it's the most basic ice cream flavor. I scanned the menu to see if they had his favorite.

"Kirby, guess what? They also have your favorite."

"May cotton candy?!" Nakita ko kung paano ngumiti si Matteo. He definitely pushed his section to add that flavor for Kirby. My Mattby ship will never sink.

"It's funny na na-assign kami sa ice cream-themed booth," Kai said while snacking on a cone waffle. Tinignan niya si Zy habang nakangiti nang malawak.

"True," JC scooped himself a rocky road ice cream. Nainggit ako sa kanila. They basically get free unlimited amounts of ice cream—unless they run out of stock in which case, it wouldn't be unlimited.

While Matteo was scooping our orders, I asked Zy why they titled their booth Cone-tagious Letters.

"Na-inspire kasi si Zy sa cornetto, kaya boom—custom messages ilalagay namin sa envelope. Galit nga mga admins sa amin kasi parang message booth daw, pero syempre, 'di kami magpapatalo. Kaya yung custom messages na yan, kami gagawa, hindi yung customer," Kai butted in.

"You really like cornetto, huh?"

"Mhm, super," His stare stayed a second too long. Not that I mind, he can stare for however long he wants.

JC fake gagged, "Sobrang landi! Grabe ramdam ko yung kaba..."

I couldn't catch what JC said at the end. Kai was laughing so loud that it could be heard from this booth to the back stage. Please note that their booth is at the very far end, opposite of said stage.

"Saan pala si Luke?" Zy looked around to check where the infamous "Silent Killer" was. Hindi ko pa din alam hanggang ngayon kung bakit 'yan ang school nickname ni Luke. Oo, he's really quiet but surely he wasn't that quiet.

"Nasa CR, code numero dos," Kai answered, getting another piece of cone.

"Kaya pala ang tagal niya," Matt murmured. "Here you go, one cotton candy and one vanilla ice cream."

Kirby took a bite of the cold dessert. He seemed happy after taking a taste. I share the same sentiments as him. I'm overjoyed that I can finally feel the coldness after the heat I experienced in that booth.

"Paano pala yung letters?" Kirby took another bite.

"I volunteer! May naisip ako para sa kanila," Kai chowed down the cone waffle. He grabbed the pen and paper in a frenzied fashion, muntikan na siya madulas from rushing too much.

I watch him write on the paper. He was surprisingly careful with his strokes, afraid that he might rip the paper because of his hectic mood. In my peripheral view, I could see both Zy and Matt blatantly glaring at him. They're truly best friends—giant babies.

"Okay, para sa inyo mga lovey-dovey chupchup cuties mwamwa 'di kayo deserve ng mga yan, sana hindi nila narinig ng mga pare ko yun, hehe," Mabilis siyang magsalita. Malamang ayaw niyang marinig ng dalawa ang pinagsasabi niya.

"What did you say, Kaizer?" Zy's eyebrows knitted. Hindi lang ako sigurado kung dahil ba sa nagagalit o nalilito siya. I'll think about that later. For now I should drag him away from their booth so they won't start a fight.

I expressed my appreciation to Kaizer by thanking him before pocketing the envelope. Pagkatapos noon ay hinila ko si Zy para tingnan ang mga available na booths. I ignored Matteo's desperate shouts for Zy to come back and work. Sorry, Matt, I need this booth scene to happen on the first day.

"Bawi na lang ako bukas!" Zy shouted. We were both laughing, not caring if somebody was eyeing us. Judgement can't dim me down if he's here— holding onto me—smiling, bright as ever.

In the middle of a crowded court, everything was a blurry mess except him. If this was a scene in a movie there would be a song playing in the background. However, when it's him no sudden signing comes up. To contradict such a cliche is to create another, there might be a lack of melody regardless there was no lack of him—of Zyle.

He's enough.

Similar to the books I've always adored that overuse cliches and tropes alike I would want to live a life wherein I would be part of those worn out cliches in his daily life. From the prologue to the epilogue.

I want to be his endgame.

The thing is I would've been happy if I could say the common phrase "You had me at hello" to him. Though, I could never bring myself to utter such a sentence.

Especially since he never had me at hello.

He had me from the very beginning.

He didn't even need to deliver a single word. He only smiled and my whole world became him. Such a simple gesture can turn a person's life upside down for better or worse. Still not certain which ending I would have.

But romance that revolves around cliches would have a happy ending, right?

Gosh, I keep comparing our moments together to scenarios that can be written in a book. Nonetheless, isn't that a testament on how much I've grown to be fond of him? Who am I kidding? Fondness does not capture the emotions I had clutched so dearly on the very moment I laid my eyes on his captivating stature.

Somehow the word love falls short.

What word beyond love would best describe admiring a man out of my league for about five years?

Obsession? Too toxic.

Infatuation? Too short.

Affection? Too gentle.

Every word falls flat.

"Mel, let's go to the photobooth!"

There it is the smile that made me fall deep. For now I'll use the word love. I love each and every detail about Apollo Zyle Sanvictores. From his physique that resembles the characters I've always wanted to meet in real life to his personality that keeps breaking my thoughts apart only for him to pick it right up and build it back to a new, free mind.

"Cute 'to," Zy picked up a cat headband. I didn't make a fuss and let him put it on me.

"You should wear this," Now it was my turn to put a headband on him. This time it was not a cat but a dog which fit him perfectly.

"Say cheese, Mel."

I was taken aback when he cupped my chin using a singular hand. His dimples appeared looking all attractive while I looked akin to a pufferfish. The camera's flash went off, our first photo was taken. Wait, this is our very first picture we have.

I faced him to tell him that this was our first photo though the flash went off again. Our second photo was me staring at him.

And the rest went by fast. I'm sure we did all the duo-poses you could do in a cramped photobooth. Cheek hearts, peace signs, finger hearts, and other heart poses that he thought of. He was the one directing the poses. I was too distracted by the fact we had our first photo.

"This time, you pick the next booth," Zy suggested.

"Can we do the henna booth? It seems fun," The photos were finally printed out. I slowly grabbed them out of the machine, a bit scared that I would tear it off.

"Of course, let's go?" He patiently waited for me to walk alongside him. Habang naglalakad, may iisang litrato ang nakaagaw ng atensyon ko.

Out of all the pictures that were different variations of heart poses or me looking at him, there was a single picture that made my heart want to escape from my body.

It was Zyle staring at me while I was fixing