"I'll stay for the night," he said and looked at his eyes. He felt his hand held tighter with his. "Kung ayos lang sa'yo?"
"Malamang, ako nag-insist," Stell laughed.
They cleaned and washed the dishes together. Then they got ready for bed. JPN decided to use the other room beside Stell's. As much as he wants to sleep beside him, there's something urging him not to, saying it's too quick to be roommates just like that.
Stell insisted that they should sleep together but JPN said he's not used to sleeping with others which the other respected.
"Sure ka ayos ka lang dyan?" Stell asked him, gesturing at the other room. They're now in the hallway, standing in the middle of their rooms.
JPN nodded and smiled at him reassuringly. "Oo naman. And besides, nalinis naman natin kanina. Thank you rin sa pagpapahiram ng damit," he said and pointed at his purple cotton PJs that's matched with Stell's yellow cotton PJs.
"Naku, kay Paulo ka magsabi, wag sakin," and they both laughed. He's got a point though.
"Alright, alright," and he stared at him again. He's wearing his glasses tonight and JPN swear it suits him even more. "Goodnight, Stell."
"Goodnight, Pau."
Before Stell could walk, JPN grabbed his arm and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. Stell hugged him tight before completely walking towards his room and closed it.
While JPN laughs at himself, smiling at Stell's door.
When he got back to his room, he picked his phone up. He forgot to tell Mr. Santos.
To: Mr. Santos
Hey, sir. Stell insisted that I should sleep here. Is that okay?
He let his cold finger touch the send button and he breathe out the air he didn't know he's holding for a moment.
It didn't take long before he saw a 'seen' sign below his message, but Mr. Santos' reply sure is taking longer than usual.
He almost jumped when he received a reply.
From: Mr. Santos
Sure, andyan ka na eh hahaha
Kidding aside, go lang
of progress. Can't wait to tell you about it:))
He closed his phone right after he sent his last message.
He then laid at the soft mattress, staring at the ceiling. He clutched his chest that's still weirdly running by now.
"Goodnight, Stell," he mumbled into nothing and clicked the lamp at his bedside table off.
---
Middle of the night. Almost past midnight when JPN woke up. He heard someone's crying that made something in his chest run again. He clicked the lamp open and clutched his blanket for dear life.
"S-sino nandyan?"
Akala ko ba di ako mumultuhin ni Paulo?
Stell!
He immediately remembered the other. He walked closer to the wall separating their rooms and listened closer.
That's when he realized that the crying voice is coming from the other room. He quickly dashed his way outside and carefully opened Stell's room, being sure not to wake the younger.
But then his shoulders fell as he realized that Stell's the one who's crying all along.
"Paulo..." he sobbed, gripping his pillow tighter, being soaked by his tears. "Sabi mo di mo ko iiwan," he said in between sobs.
