Of (Heart)Beats and Bylines [Completed]

Chapter 41- University Life

A/N: Hi everyone! Hope you are all feeling better after a challenging week in the fandom. It's difficult to write, but I'll finish this (about 10 more chapters to go). And since I have no Twitter, I'll just say this here...

ALDUB PA RIN!

Some 22 months ago (still taking off from Chapter 39- The Party)

It's a Saturday morning and I'm at this campus restaurant while preparing for my class.

It has been a month since I started with my master's degree and I'm enjoying all my classes so far. One thing though, I still get lost in this vast campus. It is one of the biggest universities in the country in terms of size and population. At nearly 500 hectares and with a student population of 25,000, it's easy to get overwhelmed with its sheer enormousness.

I'm thankful that all my classes are contained in one building. This way, I have no worries about navigating and scurrying through other structures to make it in time for an oral report or a written exam. There was no orientation for graduate students like me, but RJ was more than willing to tour me around the place that has been his scholastic home in the last six years. This early in my studies, I already feel closer to him than ever before. Since we share a campus now, we spend our break time in between classes together, too. Sometimes, RJ and I would be content with just walking around the campus as if it was one big park, what with the many snack vendors every few blocks.

I checked the time. It is 8 a.m. and my first class starts at 9. RJ's starts at 9 too, so I'm wondering where he is. But instead of ordering, I browsed through the thick stack that is my required reading.

Suddenly, someone slid in the booth in front of me.

"Hey miss. You're so pretty. Pwede ba makipagkilala?" he pressed on cockily.

I squinted at him but answered right away. "I'm sorry but that seat is taken. I'm waiting for my boyfriend and he is due to arrive any minute now."

"Is he late? I can keep you company in the meantime," he proposed with a wink.

"No, but thank you for the offer," I said firmly.

"Sayang naman yung opportunity na magkakilala tayo. I'm sure mas gwapo ako dun sa boyfriend mo," he said smugly.

"Loko ka talaga!" I said, playfully throwing a table napkin at him.

RJ laughed boisterously that a few diners glanced at us. He then leaned on the table to kiss me. "I'm just messing with you. It's so early in the morning and yet you're so serious with your reading."

"I should be. The Philippine press history is not a fun read. Was there traffic jam on your way here?" I bothered to ask even though I know in all likelihood the answer was a resounding 'yes'.

"It was starting to build up," he said simply.

"Let's have breakfast now, shall we? I haven't ordered. I didn't want to without you and I have no idea what you feel like eating today."

As RJ and I ordered, we talked about our coursework. For my first term, I enrolled in three subjects as I am hell bent on finishing the degree in two years. My homework has been manageable so far, since I apply the concepts directly on the job and vice versa. Sometimes, when articles are needed in class, I get to rehash or simply submit what I had composed in a past reporter's assignment. What I am most grateful for, however, is that my classes neatly tie-up some questions I have at how things work in the office. If there is one thing I am nervous about, it is maintaining the required cumulative weighted average of at least a 2.0 all throughout the course of the degree. This would have been easy as a full-time student, but dreadfully challenging as a full-time employee.

RJ's case though, is a stark contrast to mine. He is now on his third year as an aspiring attorney. Preparing for his classes meant reading piles and piles of materials that included textbooks, court decisions, legal provisions, and all other related materials. And some Supreme Court decisions can be around 30 pages long. One time RJ even explained to me how his classes operate on the modified Socratic method. "We are expected to come to class with a mastery of our homework. Hardly anything is ever explained; you get called for recitation and you are expected to answer flawlessly a barrage of questions."

That's why the longer we have been in this relationship, the more I have grown to not just love, but admire RJ. "Did you finish all your reading assignments for today?" I asked as our orders starting getting served on the table.

"Of course, I've mastered the art of speed reading way back grade school. That's what's keeping my head above water." RJ answered confidently, but I know the pressure is now getting to him.

"By the way, I think I know where to invest the money." I paused from taking a bite out of my omelet, as I know RJ's been itching to make his inheritance grow-- the money he got from the sale of their Sta. Rosa property.

"One of my brods is establishing this website that specializes in authentication of things, mostly luxury items. The site has a pool of experts signed up, then if you need to validate the authenticity of your item, you pay the expert a fee, then the site gets a share from the payment. What do you think?"

"It sounds exciting and promising! But I don't want you to spread yourself too thinly. You have your correspondent job-"

"--my subsection only comes out twice a week," RJ interrupted.

"And your apprenticeship at Ethan's dad's law firm-," I continued.

"--only during semester and summer breaks," he interrupted again. "I don't have to do anything else; I'm just coming in as an investor," he pointed out.

"It's really up to you, RJ. But I do think it's a great idea."

"Thanks, love. I'll see you at lunch time? Pick you up in your building."

We wrapped up breakfast and proceeded towards our bailiwicks. I drove northwest, towards Plaridel Hall or the College of Mass Communication and he drove northeast, towards Malcolm Hall or the College of Law.

We headed towards opposing directions, but the pleasing thought is that whatever happens, we are always on the same side.