it was nothing more than a harmless jeepney ride then, until i caught him

looking my way more than the usual acceptable count.

he was sitting two spots to the right, across from me.

i remembered finding an empty seat just when i got inside.

i glanced his way. nope. not my type. moving on.

i do remember dismissing him too. almost point blank--

with his geeky classes and dirty white uniform

as i sat myself and fanned my handkerchief across my neck

i caught him stare and hold on to that for a while.

i glanced away, intuitively, keeping the barrier up and tight.

nothing like the usual poker face to keep 'em away.

he was with another classmate too

and i couldn't make out the conversation but he was doing most of the talking.

great, the blabber mouth. he might have caught me eavesdropping

so he glanced back again.

i shifted my weight to the left and turned my back against him, trying to pretend i didn't notice.

trying in vain to give him the 'go away' signal.

but he was extraordinarily persistent and i couldn't get the hang of it.

i fumbled for my handkerchief again

there were already blotches of dark brown and black.

pffft. white cotton handkerchiefs just can't seem to lie

my stop was still around 20 minutes away and it was burning like hell.

manila sure seeps deep into your skin.

a text message. YES. just what i needed to distract myself.

why didn't i think about that? pretend i was texting somebody

so i could save myself from this unnecessary show of eagerness?

click. open. load. view.

it was my dad, checking in on me. i smiled almost instantly.

any news from home was like cold, fresh water in this seemingly endless desert of dead souls.

my face lit up. i did that and unconsciously i glanced back at him.

oh crap. wrong move. his eyes seemed to light up too, in fake agreement.

ahhh. this is not good.

it was being too uncomfortable so i pretended to fall asleep.

i held on to that drama for about 5 minutes.

god, you should'a seen it. it was sensational.

when i managed to sneak a small peek just on my peripheral view

he seemed to have fallen asleep too.

only his was real. with water starting well at the corner of his lips.

ugh. disgusting.

a few stops later, his classmate went off and gave him a quick tap before coming down.

he woke up almost instantly, gooey and out of sync.

i leaned back at the edge of seat, maintaining my nonchalance.

and then it finally happened.

he looked at me, asked for the time, and the rest is history.

why did i give in?

i don't know.

maybe because all i wanted that time was for the day to end.

and in my perplexed and exasperated self

i found his presence surprisingly comforting.