"The couturier told me that you were a no-show for your last fitting," she issued, her voice so cheerful that it grated on my nerves. "Kailan ka pwede so that I can set a reminder for you?"
It was a Saturday morning; I was having coffee while she was having tea – something we'd been doing every day since we had decided to live together. And something that was starting to irritate me – us doing the same things daily as if we were following a badly-written script.
"Wala namang problema n'ung huling beses na isinukat ko 'yun."
She gave me a doting smile. "Wala nga, pero, mabuti na 'yung sigurado, 'di ba? Is it okay if I reschedule your last fitting this Wednesday?"
I nodded, peeved.
"I have to give the caterers a call today. Two of my cousins have turned vegetarian and I have to make sure that they'd have something to eat at the reception."
She laughed softly. "Would you believe, they requested a vegetarian version of our wedding cake? Then there's Tito Roy who has decided at the last minute that he'd forego eating pork—"
"Can we talk about something else?" I asked. "Puro tungkol sa kasal na lang kasi ang pinag-uusapan natin. The topic is seriously starting to annoy me."
A slight frown marred her gorgeous face but she easily recovered. "I'm so sorry if I've been talking about the wedding and its preparations too much. But, I'm just so excited—"
"What if I tell you that I've fallen out?"
"Ha?" She blinked at me as if she was having a hard time trying to understand my question.
"Paano kung hindi na katulad dati ang nararamdaman ko para sa'yo?"
She gave me a tentative smile. "What do you mean...?" she asked softly.
And maybe that was one of the reasons why she was starting to bore me – she would always veer away from confrontations; she had turned into someone who would always give way. And although I initially found that characteristic endearing it was giving me snooze-fest vibes now.
"My feelings have faded," I coldly said. "Gaano ka ba kamanhid kung hindi mo 'yun naramdaman?"
I saw the flash of hurt in those brown eyes. I saw how her smile slipped. And I saw how she fought for composure and won.
"Do you need us to do couple counseling—?"
"No, Zoe , my God! Ano ba, bakit lahat na lang ng problema natin ay kailangang may ibang taong kasama sa solusyon? Hindi ba pwedeng tayong dalawa lang ang mag-aayos?"
Relief flooded her face. "Okay. Tell me, what do you want us to do—"
"I'm tired of this..." I spoke. "I am tired of us..."
Slowly, she put down the pink and gold cup she was drinking tea from. "Is...is this your way of telling me that we should break up?" she asked, her voice steady even when her hands were not for they were trembling.
I closed my heart against the guilt that swallowed me before it mercilessly spat me out. "Yes..." I spoke.
She fisted the hands she'd placed on her lap. "I see..." she quietly said.
'Yun lang? 'Yun lang nag sasabihin mo?! I wanted to yell the question out at her. Hindi ka man lang ba magagalit?!
"That's all you are going to say?"
She smiled weakly. "Are you perhaps getting cold feet? I know that the preparations were driving both of us crazy but if you want—"
"God, Zoe, when did you become this conciliatory? Do you remember how you smacked that kid in the face when he teased you when we were in Grade II?"
