The office was unusually quiet that afternoon.
Parang may sariling mundo si Aila habang nakatitig sa monitor. Hindi naman siya talaga nagtatrabaho — the spreadsheets blurred into meaningless grids habang ang utak niya ay nilulunod ng isang tanong:
Bakit parang hindi na lang ito tungkol sa bet?
Kanina lang, si Ian ang kasama niya sa pantry. Akala niya normal na small talk lang ulit — pero he opened up. Out of nowhere, he told her about his childhood, his absentee father, and how being vulnerable in a cutthroat world like theirs was a liability.
"I don't like trusting people," he'd said, looking at his coffee mug instead of her eyes. "They either use it against you, or leave."
And Aila, who thought she was the one playing the game... suddenly wasn't so sure anymore.
"Gusto mo ng halo-halo?" tanong ni John habang nag-aayos ng upuan sa break room. Nandun din si Kimberly, hawak ang milk tea at mukhang may hinahanda nang tsismis.
"No," sagot ni Aila, sabay buntong-hininga. "Gusto ko ng confession booth."
Napatawa si John. "Ay, naku. Dito lang 'yan, Sister Aila. Confess away."
Aila bit her lip. "Alam niyo naman yung bet, diba?"
Kimberly nodded. "Oo naman. Ikaw pa. Our very own mission-impossible girl."
"Well..." Aila twisted her fingers together. "What if... what if I wasn't faking it anymore?"
Tahimik.
Nagkatinginan si Kimberly at John. Finally, John leaned forward. "As in... you like him for real?"
Aila nodded slowly, eyes wide. "Wala sa plano 'yun. Pero after everything... I think I do. And now I feel like the worst person in the world."
"Hey," Kimberly said gently. "Hindi ka masamang tao. Napasubo ka lang."
"Napasubo?" Umiling si Aila. "I made a man open up to me. I earned his trust. And I did it para manalo ng pustahan. Kung malaman niya 'to, he'd hate me."
"Which means," John chimed in, "you're starting to care about how he sees you. Kasi nga... you care about him."
Napapikit si Aila. "Exactly. Gusto ko nang umamin. Kanina nga, muntik na ako."
Earlier that day
"Thanks for staying late last night," sabi ni Ian habang naglalakad sila palabas ng building. "I know I'm not the easiest person to be around."
"You're not that bad," Aila replied, half-smiling. "Just... slightly terrifying."
He actually chuckled.
That rare, genuine laugh of his made something twist inside her. Don't do this, Aila, bulong ng konsensya niya. Don't let him fall if you're not ready to catch him.
She stopped walking. "Ian?"
"Hm?"
"I... I need to tell you something."
Tumigil din siya. "What is it?"
And she froze.
Her mouth opened but no words came out. Sa halip, ngumiti siya — fake, apologetic. "Wala. Wala lang. Nakalimutan ko na pala."
He raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"
"Yeah," she lied. Again.
Back in the break room, Kimberly sighed. "Baka hindi pa ngayon ang tamang oras, Aila. Pero kung totoo na talaga 'yang nararamdaman mo... dapat handa ka sa consequences."
John nodded. "Like if he walks away."
"O masaktan siya."
"O worse," Kimberly added. "Marealize niyang mahal ka niya... tapos malalaman niya na may bet. That would ruin him."
That night, sa labas ng condo building ni Ian, Aila waited in the parking lot, pretending she just happened to be there.
"Hey," Ian said when he saw her. "You okay?"
"I just... needed fresh air," she lied again, though something in her eyes gave her away.
"Want to come up? I have leftover ramen."
"Naku, baka ma-fall ako," biro niya, then froze at her own words.
Ian stared at her. "Too late?"
Napakagat siya ng labi. "Para sa'yo?"
He didn't answer. Instead, tinapik niya ang elevator button. "Come up."
Inside, his place was neat, minimalist. Black, white, and grey — just like him.
They sat at the bar counter. He handed her a bowl of ramen and said, "You're different from the others."
She blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Most people... they want something. Information. Promotion. Leverage. Pero ikaw..." He paused. "You ask questions like you actually want to understand."
Aila's throat tightened. Because I do, she wanted to say.
"Why do you hate people so much?" tanong niya, voice gentle.
Ian leaned back. "Because they pretend too much. You think they're genuine, pero may hidden agenda pala. I learned that early."
She nodded slowly. "Trust is scary."
"And rare."
Napayuko si Aila. Then what am I doing, lying to the only man who trusted me after all these years?
That night, habang nakahiga sa kama niya, Aila stared at the ceiling and whispered:
"Ryan... what if I told you the beginning was a lie... but everything after that started becoming real?"
She closed her eyes.
Wishing she could tell him for real.
Before it was too late.
End of Chapter 7
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