Tricia was barely a step into the threshold when a hand quickly came and gripped her forearm. She turned to see you looking straight ahead with eyes glazed over, and it takes a second before you lean towards her- Speaking in a whisper.

"When. Did. You. Get. A. Dog??"

Realization hits her, of course you didn't know. On top of it all she forgot to tell you as she brought Rocco home just short of ten days ago, from taking care of the puppy whose hunger never seemed to end, to ensuring he's properly trained not to take a dump wherever he simply felt like it, to ensuring that the chunky dog didn't feel so alone whenever her family had to go tackle their respective work related responsibilities.

Cold sweat starts to form on the back of Tricia's neck as she desperately wracks her brain. Were you afraid of dogs? Allergic? Did you dislike them? Traumatic past?

Nothing comes to mind and after a few more seconds of Tricia's eyes simply fleeting between you and the dog, you open your mouth to reply. Before you could let a sound out however, a squeaky bark resonates through the air.

The two of you turn your heads in the direction of the house interior to find a small pug racing towards you with all his might.

If you ask her about what happened today, she'll say that she knew Rocco would like you. She'd sooner die drowning rather than admit that she simply froze in panic...

Because of her own dog.

"Hello!!"

You quickly let go of Tricia's arm before crouching to the floor just in time for Rocco to get to you and start sniffing at your shoes. The little pug tries to take a bite out of your left shoe and he growls when he's unable to grip it what with his lack of teeth save for his canines.

With a small sound of endearment, you slowly lift the puppy up- Giving him time to adjust and holding him so that he doesn't feel scared of the distance between him and the floor when you stand back up.

"Tricia ang cute cute niya, what's his name?"

Rocco licks at the underside of your chin before he proceeds trying to chew at your arm. With his barely visible canines it feels more like a slight massage than a playful bite and so you let the dog be. You turn to look at Tricia to find her in a sort of trance, staring at her dog like he committed a crime she could not believe.

"Trish?"

The woman in question blinks herself out of her daze, and she answers your repeated question with a slight smile of embarrassment.

His name is Rocco.

You nod in recognition before turning your attention back to the puppy, walking inside the Robredo Residence while showering the little dog with your undivided attention. He looks up at you with a tilted head everytime you call his name, and in the span of less than five minutes you're sure:

You're in love.

You sit down on the couch playing with Rocco, cooing at him as his legs kick when you tickle him, and laughing when you draw circles in the air infront of him and he tries to catch your finger to no avail.

Tricia follows suit behind you, waching the scene play out with a smile on her face as she takes her shoes and coat off.

"Oh akala ko ba namiss mo ko? Bakit dedma ako habang grabe pansin mo kay Rocco?"

Without tearing your eyes away from the puppy who has now settled in your lap, you speak while slightly angling your head in the doctor's direction.

"I've known you since we were kids naman. Meanwhile ngayon ko lang nakilala si Rocco. I'll catch you later!"

Then just like that, you hunch your back to play with Rocco who's lying on his back- exposing his belly to you.

Tricia looks at the dog in disbelief. She got the flat-faced Pug because she found him cute. But now the little hotshot has stolen her girlfriend, and now she's got competition.

-----------------------------2----------------------------

The two of you stumble into Tricia's room, with you feeling a little sheepish at the circumstances that has befallen.

"I can't believe na ipinag babawal pa rin ni Tita na lumarga ako pauwi at this hour, dare I say it's become a tradition since College days.. I have a car naman."

You lightly scratch at your nape, with a spare toothbrush in your other hand when Tricia smiles at you before she goes to fetch a pair of shorts from her closet. "Ayaw niya lang na mapagod ka pa sa pag uwi, kung pwede naman na mag overnight ka na lang since day off mo naman na bukas- Hoodie or shirt?"

"Hoodie please, and I guess I'll just have to bring donuts over next time as thanks para sa bait ni Tita."

She hands you the things you need before you can turn in for the night. You head back towards the door to head to the bathroom for a change of clothes and to brush your teeth, but when you open the door you find that there's a small loaf-shaped Pug sitting on the floor. Apparently waiting for you as he barks happily at the sight of you.

"Hi Rocco!"

You crouch down to pet the dog and give him belly rubs, although you get up after a while and he looks up at you with confused eyes as if he's asking "Where are the belly rubs?"

"Mamaya Rocco, promise."

Although you've promised the little dog, you hear small footsteps behind you as you make your way to the bathroom, and once you step inside- You turn around to find that Rocco has indeed been following you. With a small smile, you pet his head before closing the door on his face.

He paws at the door the whole time you were inside, and just for his own sake you open the door and let the dog stick to you after you've finished showering and changing your clothes. He sits quietly by your feet as you brush your teeth, and sits quietly until you've finished.

You look down at the pug, who does his best to stand on his hind legs... Only to fall backwards in his excitement, with a laugh you scoop the dog up and he settles into your arms in no time as the two of you head into Tricia's room. Who laughs at the sight of Rocco in your arms when she sees you.

"Talagang hindi nagpaawat ah.."

You smile at her, taking note of how the dim ambiance of the nightlamp only serves to make her look even more beautiful- As if such a feat was even possible. You walk over to the side of the bed to sit down on its edge. You set Rocco on the dog bed by the nightstand before taking your slippers off and settling into the bed beside your girlfriend.

Tricia turns the nightlight off, and the room falls into a black and barely lit scene with the barest moonlight seeping through the lace curtains. The both of you settle into each other's arms, and with a deep breath- You're both glad that another day has passed peacefully as life could let it be.

A whine comes from the edge of your side of the bed.

"He's just complaining kasi di siya makahanap ng comfy na position sa kama niya."

You shrug your shoulders in nonchalance after a moment passes without any more sounds from the source.

Another moment passes and as soon as you close your eyes, you feel a tug on the blanket. You turn over to find Rocco standing on his hinds, looking at you with pleading eyes and the corner of the blanket between his teeth. Tricia peeks from behind you and with a small smile she rolls her eyes.

"Ano? Namiss mo si Y/N?"

Rocco does nothing but tug at the blanket with another whine when no one makes a move to pick him up. With a small laugh you maneuver yourself to pick him up, and you end up placing him on the blanket above you and Tricia where he seems to have no problems whatsoever in quickly finding a comfortable position to lie in.

The three of you doze off pretty quickly, and when Tricia wakes up to find you cuddling with the dog instead of her- She shoots daggers over at the peaceful Pug with her eyes.

Grumbling to herself as she gets up to start the day.

-----------------------------3----------------------------

It was a boring day, the Robredo family went out to the mall with you and Rocco tagging along. Everyone hoped that the outing trip would atleast alleviate the boredom but here you all are, walking through the place feeling as bored as you were back in your respective houses.

Rocco however, was very very happy that he's got his favorite human with him today.

He wasted no time running circles around you as soon as you approached, and somehow his energy levels miraculously allowed him to do more than just eat and sleep for the day. The normally lazy dog had a pep in his step when you held his leash.

On the bright side of the seemingly slow day though, everyone got to have pizza just before the agreed time to head home, and although you were all more than ready and okay with splitting the bill- Leni insisted that it was her treat for everyone. Rocco was happy and content to sit by your feet and wait for bits of pizza slices to surreptitiously find its was into his mouth.

You were oblivious to the way that Tricia was squinting her eyes at her own dog every now and then. How is it that every time that you and Rocco were in each other's vicinity, the flat-faced pug manages to steal you away from her- Her own girlfriend nonetheless.

If Rocco wanted bebe time he should've made efforts to find his own.

"But then again, ako nga pala nagbabawal..."

The sound of kids running by the pizza place catches her attention and in one of their arms she spots a big, fluffy blue shark. A lightbulb goes off in her head and as quickly as she can with grace, Tricia stands up from her seat and says she'll be back soon before she runs off to the arcade.

She gets a card with the maximum amount of points in it, smiling at the staff member in thanks before taking off back to where her family is. The four of you turn your head towards the blur that passed by your peripherals to find that it was Tricia, who was now standing beside you with a big grin on her face.

Without a single word, she pulls out the arcade card and sets on the table infront of you. The other three women laugh at Tricia's palpable excitement, Aika being the first one to throw a jab at her sister.

"Huy baka lumipad ka na jan."

Tricia shoots her a sour look in return, and Jillian elbows her eldest sister in the side, while their mother is once again placed into the role of damage control.

"Wag mag away, sa bahay niyo yan ituloy. Jill, Aiks, maglalaro rin ba kayo? O gusto niyo pa ba mag ikot-ikot?"

The eldest and the youngest shake their head in unison, stating that they'll head home with their mom as maybe there will be some cure to today's slowness to be found in the confines of their space- And with that, the four of you move to stand up from your seats and exit the establishment.

You and Tricia walk with the others to see them off before heading to the arcade. When the three Robredos find the jeep heading in their direction, Rocco refuses to move after seeing his Lola board the vehicle. His beady eyes are trained on you in confusion.

Tricia smiles at the dog in victory, she raises your hand holding the card. Showing off to the pug before placing a kiss on your cheek.

"Next time ka na lang Rocks."

The squishy boy barks at her before turning to Jillian and standing on his hind legs, as if to say "Carry me!"

Jillian complies, and Aika is the last to board before the engine revs and the jeep starts to move, signaling the start of its journey.

Rocco barks at you with a whine before settling down in his Lola's lap, sad eyes never leaving you as the jeep disappears behind parked buses after a turn.

You and Tricia walk back into the mall, hands linked together and minds extremely active and giddy at the thought of the arcade. A thought hits you just before the two of you reach the play area.

"Were you jealous of your own dog?"