I was sitting alone at our table as the others were enjoying the party. After dancing and joking with Jeff, I had danced with Miguel and then Brian. Unlike other girls, I wasn't typically asked to dance by guys. Lily had told me it could be because I looked intimidating to most guys. Although I liked the idea of slow dancing, I didn't mind sitting alone at a party. Usually, one of my friends would keep me company, but I glanced around and found them dancing with someone.

I shrugged, suddenly feeling disappointed. It wasn't their job to keep me company tonight but it would be nice to have someone to talk to.

I was staring at the small flame from the candle on the table when suddenly, someone placed a glass of water in front of me. I lifted my chin up and saw Vino smiling down at me.

"You seem lost in thought," he mumbled before taking a seat across from me.

I reached for the glass and raised it a little. "Thanks for this."

He gave a quick nod.

I just realized that Vino hadn't asked me to dance with him even if he had danced with a couple of girls already—including Ms. Ocampo.

"Is there something bothering you?"

Yeah, a lot, actually.

"It's nothing to worry about," I said instead.

"Okay..." He reached for his glass of water and took a sip before adding, "If you say so."

"Tonight has been overwhelming. That's all."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "You're not enjoying?"

"Oh, I am," I was quick to answer. "It's just some things are too much. You know?"

The current song came to an end and I noticed Vino straightened his back. His jaw twitched and his shoulders only relaxed when the next song came on. It was one of those popular slow dance songs used for proms.

"Too much, how?" he asked.

"Nothing. It's just it brings back so many memories—not just the good ones. And I get reminded of certain people—people who aren't even here tonight."

"Oh," he muttered with raised eyebrows. He reached for the glass of water and took a gulp.

The silence between us stretched so I decided to take a sip as well.

I shouldn't feel bothered even if it seemed like people were talking about me and Vino. I came here to reunite with old friends and not to answer people's questions about us or to give them something to talk about.

"Are you enjoying the party?" I asked instead. He looked like he was uncomfortable about what I said so it was better to just change the subject.

He nodded. "Yeah... it's fun."

I never had a problem keeping up a conversation with Vino but after what had happened earlier, I was beginning to feel conscious about where the two of us stand or how to keep this conversation going.

I watched him as he fished his phone out of his jacket. His eyebrows creased as he typed on his phone.

"What?" he asked when he put down his phone.

"What do you mean, what?" I chuckled.

"You have that look on your face. What are you smiling about?" he asked and touched his face. "Is there something on my face?"

"Nothing. It's just, you look so serious. It's like you were arguing with someone on your phone."

He chuckled nervously. "No, I'm not. That's my typing face."

"Your typing face?"

"Yeah," he answered. "You do that too every time you write or study. Your eyebrows meet in the middle and you look like you're going to tear the paper in front of you."

Now it was my turn to laugh. "I don't do that."

"Yes, you do," he asserted.

"No."

"You do."

I rolled my eyes at him.

"And you do that every time you can't think of a better argument," he pointed out.

"Stop it," I pleaded with my face buried in my hands.

"I'm telling the truth," he insisted, chuckling.

My laughter sounded muffled because I was still hiding my face in my hands. When I pulled down my hands, Vino was drinking from his glass and finally emptying it.

"Why do we always have to bond over a glass of water anyway?" he asked, putting the glass down.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What?"

"Miguel's birthday?" he asked as if gauging my reaction—if I still remembered.

"Ah..." I mumbled, remembering what he was talking about. "It's because I'm not a good drinker, remember?"

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Some friends talk over bottles of beer. The two of us talk over a glass of water."

"But at least tonight, we have these fancy candles," I joked, gesturing towards the jars of candles in the center of the table.

***

2 years ago

It was half-past midnight and I was tossing around the sofa bed that Miguel had set up in his sister's room. Lily and Bianca were already asleep on the bed—the latter had even passed out drunk.

On the other hand, I wasn't even the slightest bit tipsy. I tried to recall what happened earlier as Avril Lavigne's "Fall to Pieces" blared from my earphones. We had played several rounds of cards and also spin the bottle. They even dared Vino to save his new number on my phone. I wasn't aware he had changed his number because we somehow stopped communicating entirely when he started dating a new girl. He hesitated to save his number without my consent but I just shrugged it off. I didn't see the point as to why I would need his phone number but maybe it would come in handy in the future.

Three more songs later, I was still wide awake. I couldn't text or call Gab because I already said good night and he was probably asleep already. I didn't know why I couldn't sleep so I decided to tiptoe in the dark and went out of the room. I slowly closed the door and glanced at the bottom of the next door. The lights were out. The boys were all probably asleep—considering Miguel and Jeff were also too drunk to stay up.

I knew getting a glass of water in the middle of the night didn't seem like the wisest decision. But I couldn't think of anything else and it was an okay idea, I guessed.

I walked through the dark living room and noticed a faint light coming from the dining room. When I reached the threshold, I almost screamed in surprise. Vino was standing by the fridge, holding a pitcher of water. He was wearing a t-shirt with cut-off sleeves and the light above him was making his skin look even brighter. If Snow White had a skin of snow, Vino must be the male counterpart. He must have noticed my expression because he snorted.

"Did I scare you?"

"Was it too obvious?" I asked, raising my hand to my chest to feel its rapid beating.

He let out a tiny laugh. "Can't sleep too?"

I walked towards the table and replied, "Apparently."

"Water?" he asked, and I nodded.

He took another glass and filled it before setting it down in front of me. We were both silent, seating across from each other. I averted my gaze towards the counter with a tray of chips as I drank from my glass.

Suddenly, I felt a heavy feeling inside of me—as if sadness wash over me like ocean waves. I realized we hadn't spent time together like at the moment. We had been so used to each other's company in high school, and all those were just memories.

We could spend hours talking to each other and not get tired, bored, or run out of things to talk about. We could also spend time in silence, studying together—but on our own or when he wanted to watch me write an article for the Eastview Gazette. We could spend time listening to songs which were mostly his recommendations.

Now we were here together sitting in radio silence. It was awkward and comforting at the same time. I loved his company even if it meant we wouldn't talk but right now, I really wished he would say something, anything to break this silence between us.

I gulped my water as I tried to clear my head. I shouldn't be sad that things were no longer the same. I felt bad because it seemed like I was cheating on Gab. I was still dating him and in love with him. On the other hand, Vino was dating his new girl, Grace, for almost a year now. There was no need to bring back old feelings and memories.

"So..." he mumbled, finally. "How's Sacred Heart treating you, Kath?"

I furrowed my eyebrows and scoffed. "Really? You're calling me that now?"

I was surprised he remembered our bookstore incident but I also appreciated how he chose to bring that one up instead of bringing Gab's name up. Our significant others had been brought up too many times over bottles of brandy earlier.

"What?" he feigned innocence. "Don't you go by that name now?"

I chuckled, leaning back on my seat. "For college peeps, yeah."

"But why? Kane is a unique name already. I like it better."

I took a sharp breath and leaned forward on the table.

"When we entered college, I just felt like I needed a fresh start."

I noticed his shoulders stiffened as he straightened his back.

"So, you changed your nickname?" he asked, and his voice was strained.

I nodded. "I thought 'Kane' was such a special name and I wanted my new acquaintances to call me by a different name."

He moved his glass aside and leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but you mean 'Kane' is reserved for special people?" he asked, and I swore I could see him suppressing a smile.

"Yeah, I guess."

"I'm honored to have met you as Kane then."

"You're really part of the lucky ones," I joked.

He finally broke into a smile.

"Didn't you feel like you needed a fresh start in college?" I asked.

He pursed his lips and shook his head. "Why? Isn't entering college a fresh start already? I'm at a university and will be meeting new friends. Nobody knew me at Saint Edward's when I first step foot on campus."

I shrugged. "Okay, it's just me then. It was a stupid idea going with a new nickname."

"No," he was quick to reply. "I think it feels special. Like we know things about you that they will never know and vice versa. You really drew the line between high school and college."

"You could've done what I did. You could've gone with 'Vince' or maybe 'Ollie'."

"Ugh," he muttered, showing his utter dislike. "I don't think I'll ever use either Vincent or Oliver. I'll always be just Vino."

"We can start calling you 'Ollie' now."

"Don't," he snapped.

"Ollie."

He raised a finger and said, "Stop."

"Aw, is Ollie mad at me?" I kept on teasing him.

"Stop it, Kath," he whispered, grinning at me.

I gasped and it took a few seconds before I recovered.

"Ugh, it sounds weird coming from you," I complained.

"Not as weird as Ollie," he laughed.

I realized that Vino's image might be changing. He had stubble and a man bun. Yes, I had never imagined him growing his hair and sporting a man bun but here he was. Even though he was changing, there were still things about him that hadn't changed—like his smile for instance. The way his lips spread and a laugh line forms still hadn't changed.

We continued talking about college stuff and he told me he was playing for the varsity, which didn't surprise me at all. Of course, he would play basketball. On the other hand, I didn't tell him I had shifted course because our conversation didn't go there, and I didn't want to just suddenly bring it up.

I couldn't remember when was the last time I had the chance to talk to Vino like this. It felt so easy and comfortable and I admitted to myself I missed talking to him. Sure, a lot had changed between us but we were still friends. Friends with a lot of history, but still. And that's what mattered.

"You sure you're not drunk?" he asked.

"Yeah. I just feel warm. You?"

He shook his head.

I felt like we were running out of things to talk about, and my eyes felt heavy anyway. I tried to suppress a yawn but failed.

He glanced on his wristwatch before murmuring, "It's almost 2 a.m."

Ah, that's why I was feeling sleepy already.

"Someone needs some sleep," he added.

"Right," I answered and yawned again.

Vino took my glass and placed it on the sink. We walked back upstairs in silence—comfortable silence. We both opened the doors to our rooms but had stopped for a moment. I glanced in his direction and could barely see his face in the dark.

"Good night, Vino."

I had seen him raise his hand and it hovered above my head like he was hesitating or contemplating. He had lifted it higher and ran his palm over his hair.

"Good night, Kane."

I had smiled because I had heard the smile inhis voice.