Another date

So there I was, getting drenched as I turned into Juan Luna Street. I made a mad dash to cross the road and take shelter under a munting aratilis tree.

A jeepney pulled up and dropped off some passengers...

"Bro!", a familiar voice called out. I scanned the jeep and, lo and behold, there she was.

"Yo! Lorraine!!" Before I knew it, I was hopping into the jeep too.

Inside the jeep...

"Where you headed?", I asked as we scooted over to the side. She was in these faded floral shorts and a light blue v-neck tee. Islander flip-flops, the cool ones from back then.

"Off to Tutuban to buy a bag. Should've gone earlier but had to babysit my brother. I was so pissed off."

"Let me tag along, it's getting late and pouring rain. You got no umbrella?"

"Yeah, can't find Jessica. But I really need a bag. Gave my old one to my brother."

"Where do you live again?"

"Over at Pajo."

"Oh, the one with the steep road and big-wheeled sidecars?"

"Yep, floods there all the time, especially during high tide."

"I was with Kate earlier. She bought a bag in Divi too. Almost got into trouble in Pritil with Jeric."

"Oh... so you and Kate, huh?" I was tongue-tied, forgot I had some explaining to do with Lorraine.

"R-Raine, about what happened between us, I didn't mean for it, but I gotta admit I felt something. When that happened, things got blurry with Kate. We were just starting out but hit a rough patch."

"It's cool, I get it. Kate's sweet but kinda childish sometimes. What did you fight about?"

"She wanted to come to the apartment. Remember our drinking session, Dadoy was there? He had a thing for Kate, but I was keeping her safe. You know..."

"You're really protective of Kate, huh. She's lucky. I feel like I'm just being used."

"R-Raine, don't talk like that. I'm here for you. You're not just anyone to me. Just say the word if you need to talk or vent."

"Jessica's there for stuff like that. It's all good... I was going to say that I..."

She trailed off as more passengers boarded the jeep. We were back in Pritil. When a teenage boy sat next to Lorraine, I held her thigh, stood up, and guided her to the end of the seat. She propped her elbow on the side and bit her thumb. A small move, but it felt like I sparked something in her. She leaned her face close to my left shoulder, her hair brushing against my arm and neck.

Next thing I knew, she bit my shoulder. Her body was so close that when the jeep jerked, her soft chest pressed against my arm. Not as big as Kate's, but still enough to give me chills.

I couldn't decide if I wanted time to slow down or speed up.