ONE

7:45 P.M. at the Bus Station

"Thank God! I made it just in time."

As I stepped onto the bus…

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" I asked the guy sitting there. He looked like a student too, though it wasn't obvious since he wasn't wearing a uniform.

"Nope," he replied curtly.

"Okay, thanks!" I sat down and adjusted the things I was carrying, which didn't fit in my bag, so I had to hold them instead. Next week was finals week, so I had a ton of projects to finish and submit.

By the way, I'm Maria Luisa Dimeranda, but I go by Lui—that's what my friends and everyone who knows me call me. I'm a second-year college student at a university, taking up Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication. I'm the second youngest among six siblings—well, now five, since our eldest passed away when I was nine years old.

People always say I'm petite, and I agree since I'm only 5'2" tall. My hair reaches my shoulders, and people often envy it because it's super straight and jet black. Unlike others, I wasn't blessed with long eyelashes, and my nose isn't particularly high, but it's not flat either—just average. My face isn't too long or too round, just somewhere in between, and I have fair skin.

I'm just an average student, but I'm active in school activities, especially as part of the dance troupe because I love dancing. I also enjoy reading Danielle Steel and Sidney Sheldon novels—that's my go-to hobby. During vacations, I often lock myself in my room to read, and sometimes, I write poems depending on my mood.

"Hmm… excuse me again, what time is it? I forgot my watch because I was rushing earlier."

"Gosh, Lui, did you really have to explain? That was so unnecessary!" I scolded myself.

"Eh? It's 7:45 P.M.," the guy answered shortly again.

"Wow, huh! A man of few words."

I just realized I'd never noticed this guy before. I know all my usual bus mates by name or face since I commute daily, both in the morning and at night.

Yes! You read that right—I commute every day, and take note, it's a one-hour ride from my hometown to the city where I study. Last two semesters, I rented a room near school, but I had to live with a cousin I didn't get along with. So, I told my parents that once I reached second year, I'd commute instead. Anyway, my schedule is still manageable even though I have a full load.

I don't like having long vacant periods between classes. I prefer my subjects scheduled back-to-back so I can finish early, giving me time to go to the library for assignments, research, projects, and other stuff. I always make sure my grades meet the cut-off so I can still enroll with maximum units every semester.

Midterms and finals are especially exhausting, but honestly, I can handle it. No monkey business, though—it's just school-home, home-school for me. That's why my high school friends are sulking—I keep turning down their invites, always saying, "Pass for now, I'm busy with school stuff." But hey, it's the truth!

Well, I do have a crush at school, so there's something that keeps me inspired—still balanced. The only thing is, I don't have any suitors. I don't know why! But that's okay. Studies first before love life. I'm really looking forward to graduating and working. My goal is to finish my course in three and a half years. So, fight, fight, fight! I can do this!

Going back to our previous topic—as a daily commuter, those of us who travel from my hometown, Sta. Cruz, all recognize each other. We may not all be close, but we know each other by face since we're from the same town. That includes a few of my high school classmates and schoolmates, or even those I went to elementary school with, whom I sometimes run into during my commute. There are a lot of students and workers traveling daily.

Anyway, back to reality. I find this guy sitting beside me kind of mysterious. I feel a little attracted to him. He's the typical tall, dark, and handsome type, with a sharp nose and thick, long eyelashes. But his eyes are stiff and cold, emotionless. His black hair falls neatly, making him look like he could be a model for men's shampoo. That's why I got curious—hehehe. Is that even, okay? It's just that I've never seen this guy before. Since I commute every day, I've practically memorized the faces of the people I always see.

Because the bus ride from Sta. Cruz to the city is quite fast, many prefer to commute daily. There's no traffic unless you're already in the city proper.

Well, anyway, it's not bad to ask questions, right? As long as I'm not being rude. They say asking questions isn't a crime. While waiting for the bus to leave the terminal, I thought—why not try talking to this guy? Hmm? Where is my noisy group of friends anyway? It's weird not having them with me today. Now I have no one to chat with. This is boring.

"So, sorry, Mr. Mysterious Guy, but you're my target now."

"Excuse me again." I flashed a peace sign at him before making a request. "Can you adjust the air conditioning? It's not reaching me properly."

"Wow! Mr. Mysterious acted on my request so fast. Nice one!"

"Thanks!"

He just nodded.

"What the…? Is he really like this, or is he just snobbish? Okay, now I'm even more curious!"

"Hmm... Just a question. I'm just curious because this is the first time I've seen you here. I'm a daily commuter, and I pretty much know everyone I ride with. Are you from Sta. Cruz, or the next town over?" I looked at him, waiting for his answer.

Counting… one. Two. Three…

His right hand rested on his chin, fingers lightly touching his lips, while his elbow leaned against the window frame. Meanwhile, I kept counting. Four, five—

He finally looked at me and answered, "Sta. Cruz."

"Are you for real? It took you almost ten seconds to answer, and that's all you're going to say?"

I wanted to say that to him, but I held back. Patience, patience, patience.

"Lui, don't stress yourself, okay?"

"Oh, I see. Hehe… Sorry about that. Like I said, it's just that I've never seen you before, so I got curious."

He turned to look outside the window, watching the people passing by and the food stalls nearby.

"Wow. Is this guy majoring in ignoring people or something? Okay, one more try, Lui."

"What school do you go to?"

He looks like he's debating whether to answer me or not—tsk!

He's still staring out the window.

"Ugh! Talking to this guy is so hard. It's always a" dead-end conversation! What am I even doing? Why did I think it was a good idea to talk to him?

After what felt like forty-eight years of waiting, he finally answered.

"Bright Beginnings University," he said shortly.

"Oh! Good, nice school!" I forced a smile so he wouldn't notice how annoyed I was getting.

"Yeah," he added.

Good thing the bus is finally full and about to leave. But I'm still wondering—where is my noisy crew?

The noisy crew is what I call my regular commuter friends from my hometown. Some of them were my classmates in high school, while others became friends simply because we saw each other every day during our commute.

"Ah, whatever. At least Mysterious Guy is still answering my questions, even if it takes forever before he responds. But I won't back down—I'll ask again."

"Did you grow up in Sta. Cruz, or do you just have relatives there?"

I could almost hear the ticking of a clock as I waited for his answer. Then, he finally turned to look at me.

"I studied in Sta. Cruz from elementary to high school, but I don't stay there during vacations."

"Well, at least it only took five years for him to answer this time."

"Ahh, okay," I replied.

"You're not a daily commuter, are you? Because this is the first time I've seen you."

And there it is again—the sound of a clock ticking as I wait.

"Is he going to answer me or not?"

"No, I just have something to do there today, so I'm heading home. But I actually live here in the city."

"Well, at least he's answering now. And his replies are getting slightly longer, hehe…"

"Oh, I see. Where did you graduate high school?"

All in now! Even if it's just one question, one answer, I'll take it. Better than falling asleep again and missing my stop. Ugh, what a nightmare that would be—paying extra fare and getting home late? Another round of scolding for sure.

Flashback

I was in a rush that day—it was finals week. I didn't wait for my noisy crew because I was completely drained from the exams. All I wanted was to go home, eat, take a shower, and sleep. I had been pulling all-nighters for days, and since it was the last day of exams, I just wanted to go home early and rest.

Unfortunately, because I was so exhausted, I fell asleep on the bus. I had no idea I had already missed my stop until I was jolted awake by the conductor yelling:

"Anyone getting off at Del Carmen? Wake up! Del Carmen! Del Carmen!"

I shot up from my seat. "I'm getting off!"

Damn it! I slept too well! Huhu, what do I do now? I'm so far from home! I was supposed to have extra money left, but now I'm doomed!

I got off the bus, crossed to the other side of the road, and waited for another bus to take me back. But just my luck—it took almost an hour before one arrived.

By the time I finally got home, it was awarding ceremony time—aka, my mom scolding me to death.

"Where have you been? You're so late! Do you even think about your safety? Anything could have happened to you!"

Ugh! As if I wanted this to happen! So unfair!

From that day on, I made sure to always sit next to someone I knew, just so I'd have someone to chat with and not fall asleep again.

Back to the present.

"St. Theodore Academy," he answered.

"Okay. I went to San Augustine, in case you were wondering," I replied, hoping he might know someone from my school and actually show some interest in asking a question for once.

Silence. Silence. Silence.

"That's it? Nothing? Seriously?! This guy is exhausting! So annoying!"

I started thinking of another topic. Think, think, think.

"Aha!"

"Do you know anyone from your batch or schoolmates at STA High? Maybe I know them."

More silence. He was back to staring out the window like there was some breathtaking scenery out there when, in reality, there was nothing special—just streetlights, small buildings, and houses as the bus made its way out of the city proper. The road was well-lit, but the farther we went, the darker the surroundings became, making it hard to make out what was beyond the roadside.

"Hmm... I don't think so, because most of my classmates are studying in Manila and Cebu after high school. I'm not sure if anyone stayed here."

"Wait, what? Is studying in the city not allowed for their batch? Is it a requirement to study somewhere else? How fancy! And wow! He's speaking in English now? Is he leveling up his cold and snobbish act? Seriously?! Does he think I can't speak English too? Unbelievable!"

He glanced at me briefly before turning his gaze back to the window.

"Okay. But what about you? Why didn't you study in Manila or Cebu like your classmates?" I asked sarcastically.

Silence. Again. Then, he let out a deep sigh—probably getting annoyed. Hehe.

"Whatever, dude. Be as annoyed as you want, as long as I don't fall asleep and miss my stop! That's a big NO, NO!"

After another forty-eight years of waiting…

"Actually, I'm a transferee from Maple Wood University, Manila. I just started this semester at Bright Beginnings University," he said, finally looking directly at me.

"Whoa! Confident, huh?"

"Ohh, that makes sense. No wonder you're not familiar to me. I usually recognize the people I see on my daily commute, even if I don't know them personally," I replied, meeting his gaze.

"Ha! You think you're the only one who can give an intimidating look? Let's see who wins this staring contest."

"Okay," he answered shortly.

"Lord, please let my stop be near because I swear, this guy is draining all my energy!"

Minutes of Silence.

I don't want this anymore. I just got even more exhausted from everything I've been doing—life, seriously! To fight off sleepiness, I tried reading the draft of my research project in Biology. I need to finish it by tomorrow since there are no classes on Saturday, so I can encode and print it. That way, by Monday, I can submit it to our professor. Because honestly, the moment I get home, I'll probably just crash. I'm not even sure if I'll have the energy to eat. It's been such a long day with all the requirements I had to complete, plus the group project for my major subject, which we're only halfway through. That's why I only managed to get to the library at five p.m. to photocopy references for my biology research project.

I was startled when someone suddenly spoke beside me.

"Biology?" His voice broke the silence that had stretched between us for several minutes.

"Oh, is he real? Did he really ask me?"

"Yup," I answered without even looking at him.

"You think you're the only one who can give short answers, huh?"

"That's my major."

"Oh, really? Did I ask?"

"Really?"

"As if, duh!"

"Yeah, but I'm just a first-year when it comes to that topic," he added.

"Oh, okay," and that caught my attention.

"So, you're a BS Biology student? Are you planning to proceed to medicine?" I asked.

He shifted his gaze toward me after staring at the window.

"It depends," he answered.

I tried to gauge if he was going to open another topic.

"He thinks I don't know the art of seduction? Ha!" I pretended to stay focused on what I was reading when he asked me another question.

"What's your degree program? If you don't mind?"

"Oh wow! Suddenly, he's interested in me."

"Mass Communication," I kept my answer short since it seemed to work on him.

"Bwahahaha!"

"Really? I know someone who's also taking the same degree as you," he said.

"Wait, did I ask him? I don't think so. Short answers really are effective."

"Ahh," I simply replied before going back to my deadmatology mode.

I was caught off guard when some of the stuff on my lap went flying as the driver suddenly hit the brakes. A lot of passengers woke up and started complaining.

"What the heck, Mr. Driver?! Take it easy! We still want to live!"

"Mr. Driver, I still want to graduate!"

Suddenly, the whole bus became noisy as passengers voiced their complaints, but the driver didn't even react. Meanwhile, I was busy picking up my scattered things. Thankfully, some people helped pick up my books and handed them back to me. I thanked them with a small smile.

Then, out of nowhere—

"Did you get hurt?" asked the guy I'd been talking to, whose name I still didn't know.

"Not really," I replied. It wasn't that painful since the backrest of the seat had foam, so my head didn't hit too hard.

"Thanks," I added.

"You?" I asked back.

"I'm fine. I didn't hit anything since I managed to hold on."

The conductor walked towards us and started explaining what had happened. Apparently, there was a motorcycle ahead of our bus, and the driver seemed to be drunk because he was swerving. Since the road was curved, our bus couldn't overtake him. Then, the motorcycle suddenly toppled over. Luckily, our driver wasn't speeding, but everyone still got startled when he suddenly braked.

But in fairness, it was better that way—at least we were all okay, except for those two guys on the motorcycle, whom we had no idea what happened to. Good thing our driver was kind enough not to yell at them and just avoided them so our trip wouldn't be delayed.

After gathering all my things and settling them on my lap again, along with my backpack, I decided to stop reading my biology research when my seatmate suddenly asked,

"Are you okay with commuting every day? From Sta. Cruz to the city and back?"

"Yeah, it's fine. It's tiring, but you get used to it," I answered.

"Well, you're right. But still, traveling two hours every day back and forth is exhausting," he said.

"Yes, it is. But just a little more patience—finals are next week, so I'll get to rest soon."

"Haven't you tried living in the city?" he added.

"I did, back in my first year, for two semesters. But I didn't get along with my cousin, so I decided to just commute instead. My schedule is still manageable, and I actually enjoy it," I told him.

"Okay."

Thankfully, we were almost at the terminal where we'd be getting off—just one more town, and then we'd be in Sta. Cruz. My butt hurt, and all I could think about was lying down in bed. So much had happened today. I was already imagining my bed when my seatmate—whose name I still didn't know—spoke again.

"We're almost there," he said.

"Wait, we're about to get off, and I still don't know his name. Ah, whatever. I'll just ask—no regrets."

"Ah, if you don't mind, I'm Lui Demiranda, by the way, even though you didn't ask. We've been talking for a while now, but we still don't know each other's names," I said with a smile, probably to hide my embarrassment.

"Georje Peralta," I replied—just in time as the bus turned into the Sta. Cruz terminal.

"All right, nice meeting you. I'll head off now," I said.

"Yeah, likewise."

With that, we went our separate ways, and I bid goodbye.