Happy Birthday, Crush

37

"How is it?"

With my chin propped up on my hand, I curiously watched Creed take a sip from his drink. He told me that I was free to choose a drink for him so I got him a caramel macchiato. It was one of my favorite orders from that place. Creed preferred his coffee on the bitter side rather than the sweet side, so I warned him that it might be too sweet, but he said that it was fine.

"Sarap naman," he commented, licking his lower lip. "Thank you. I found something new to order here." He flashed me his award-winning smile.

I smiled back. "That's great. Gosh, I thought you wouldn't like it. I was nervous."

"Don't be. I trust your taste naman."

He practically said the same thing with my fashion sense and music taste.

"As you should." I joked.

Creed's mouth formed a subtle smile. "Mas prefer mo bang mag-aral sa labas?" He curiously asked.

"Not really. I was just craving their coffee." I laughed. "Most of the time kasi I'm too lazy to go out. Ikaw ba?"

Before Creed could answer, a hand clasped my shoulder, making me crane my neck. My mood immediately turned sour when I saw that it was Mitchell's hand.

"What a coincidence. Can we finally talk?" Mitchell turned towards Creed. "Bro, I'll just talk to her for a sec." His hold on my shoulder unconsciously tightened, making me tense.

I was about to reply that I didn't want to talk to him when Creed replied. "I don't think she wants to talk to you, though." Tinaasan niya ito ng kilay. "Take your hand off her shoulder. You can't just grab people's shoulders like that." He suddenly stood up.

"I just wanted to talk, man. Why is it any of your business? Ikaw ba boyfriend niya?" Mitchell hissed.

"Yes, I'm her boyfriend." My eyes widened at his declaration. "Ayaw niyang makipag-usap sayo. Respect her choice and back off."

I shoved his hand off me with a bit of effort. "Mitch, please stop. Don't cause a scene."

"Are you serious?" His voice raised. Galit na siya kaagad. He always did have a short fuse. Napatingin tuloy ang ibang tao sa direksyon namin, halatang nagtataka kung anong nangyayari. I pursed my lips in annoyance. This was exactly what I wanted to avoid.

"Oh, she's serious. Leave. Like Neri said, don't cause a scene." Creed replied for me.

Mitchell had a threatening look on his face as he went over to Creed. "Boyfriend or not, it's none of your damn business."

"It became my business the moment you disrespected her." Creed shot him an icy look in return. It was like he was silently challenging the guy. Napatayo ako dahil do'n. If Mitchell touches even a strand of Creed's hair...

"Tumigil ka nga, Mitch!" Galit na sabi ko. "I don't want anything to do with you. Umalis ka na lang, pwede ba?"

He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "I just want you to hear me out. Mahirap ba iyon? Isn't that your future job? Hearing people out?"

Anong kinalaman ng future career ko rito? Wala! I wanted to say that, but instead, I took a deep breath to compose myself. "Yes, it's hard to hear you out. Pagkatapos mo naman akong lokohin na you had good intentions the last time we spoke."

The memory of our "closure" left a bitter taste in my mouth.

"Look, I'm sorry—"

"Your apology means nothing to me now, Mitch." I flatly said. I began fixing my things. Kung hindi siya aalis, e 'di ako na lang! This will only tire me out.

"Neri—"

He was about to come closer when Creed gripped his shoulder. I even saw him tighten his hold.

"'Wag ka nang makulit," saad niya. "At 'wag kang lalapit sa kanya." I could sense the anger in his tone.

"Sir, we're going to have to ask you to leave." A barista walked up to us and stopped in front of Mitchell. "We don't tolerate harassment here."

Creed let go of Mitchell's shoulder. Mitchell pursed his lips as the guard escorted him out of the cafe. Tahimik namin siyang pinanood.

"Are you okay?" Creed asked after a few moments. Tumango ako at bumuntong hininga. "Your ex, obviously?"

I nodded once more. "I'm fine, thanks. I'm sorry, you could've gotten into a fight." Guilt chewed at me. Muntik na siyang madamay sa mga problema ko.

"I can defend myself, Neri. Don't worry about me." His hand suddenly reached out to tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear. I gulped at his sudden move. That was very unusual of him.

"I know that." I cleared my throat and shifted my gaze. If I looked at his face any longer, I might melt. I just took my things out of my bag again. "Mag-aral na lang ulit tayo?"

"Sure."

We did our tasks for another hour. Since we were both focused, we barely talked about anything else. Puro mga short words of encouragement, gano'n. Though I'll admit, I would occasionally sneak a glance at him because... well, crush ko pa rin naman siya. And we're studying together! I'll savor the moment, of course!

When I started to feel hungry, I paused and checked the time on my phone. It was already eight. Past dinner time na pala.

"Hala, it's eight na pala." I shut my laptop before turning to him. "Do you want to have dinner with me?"

"Tatanungin pa lang sana kita," Creed chuckled as he began fixing his things as well. "Sure, dinner sounds great."