Franco was busy with his article when his phone vibrated. It was a call from an unregistered number, all the more poking at his already aroused curiosity.

If curiosity killed the cat, Franco felt that it did him in two times over. Before he realized it, he was hearing Julius’ voice from the other line. He no longer needed to ask who it was.

“Hey,” Julius greeted.

“Hello...you,” Franco responded, his mind on the brink of blanking out. “What’s with the call?”

“Are you free for lunch today?” Julius asked.

Franco blinked in disbelief. What the fuck?

He looked at his desk, cluttered with paper and folders from his colleagues. For once he felt relief at seeing the state his desk was in and the amount of work at hand, since he needed a good reason to turn Julius down.

“Actually,” Franco began. “I couldn’t. I’m swamped with work today and I don’t think I can squeeze in a bit of time to grab a bite to eat. Maybe we can do this some other time, hm?”

Julius hummed on the other line. “Well, I guess it can’t be helped. Perhaps we’ll be able to meet next time.”

“Well, I’d better go back to work. Have a good day, Julius.”

“Good luck, Franco.”

Franco immediately ended the call and stared at his desk for a minute, processing what had just happened. For the first time in five years, Julius calls him out of nowhere asking if they could meet. Franco knew this was a red flag.

“Julius Tirona, what are you trying to do?” Franco muttered.

-+-

Dane’s phone beeped, indicating an incoming message. She put down the book she was about to return to the shelf and checked who it was. She let out a chuckle as she saw the name.

Talia: [Hey there, librarian.]

Dane: [Hey yourself.]

Talia: [Are you busy?]

Dane: [Kinda.]

Talia: [What time does your shift end btw?]

Dane: [7 pm why’d you ask?]

Talia: [I was thinking maybe we can hangout later...]

Dane: [I’m up for that, where do you wanna go?]

Talia: [I’ll tell you when I pick you up later]

Dane: [You don’t have to geez]

Talia: [I insist. I’ll see you at the gate later, k?]

Dane: [Like I have a choice]

Dane then sent a message to Tin-tin, saying she won’t be home for dinner. Tin-tin's reply arrived rather quick.

Tin-tin: [Is Talia the dinner?]

Dane: [No, fuck you.]

Tin-tin: [Bitch. Just go and have fun, I’ll tell Franco.]

Dane slid her phone back into her pocket and went back to work. She was about to chide herself for feeling excited about the hangout, but she decided she had to let herself loose for a while and enjoy whatever is going to happen later.

“Life’s too short to snap at yourself, Ate,” her brother would tell her.

-+-

Tin-tin was on a stroll in the business district. Unknown to her housemates, she had been actively seeking jobs, ranging from quality assessment in factories to online assistance in health insurance firms. However, the opportunities seemed to be lacking, and Tin-tin found herself now walking along the stretch of bars and pubs. She chuckled at the irony of it, thinking how she’d always turn to the bottle when things get awry.

She passed by After Eight, stopping to a halt after catching sight of the board placed by the front door. The bar is seeking to hire behind-the-counter help as well as bartenders and waitresses.

Tin-tin smiled to herself, then she pushed the door in. It was still early in the afternoon, and the bar wouldn’t open its doors until five. A paunch sparsely-haired man who stood behind the counter noticed Tin-tin's arrival.

“We ain’t open ‘til five, but what can we do for you?” the man asked.

“I saw your sign outside,” Tin-tin answered. “You were looking for bartenders?”

“Yep. Interested?”

“Yeah.”

“You know your liquor?”

“Sure. I’ve been to different pubs and clubs here in New Manila to know my stuff,” Tin-tin said. “And I can learn more along the way.”

The man nodded with a grin. “Alright,” he said, taking out a bottle of whiskey. “Sit down and let’s talk for a bit.”

-+-

Dane reshuffled her papers and piled them neatly on one side of the desk. Picking up her satchel, she joined Colin and had their time cards punched.

“I won’t be going home just yet, Colin,” Dane told her friend.

“Oh, you’re going somewhere?” Colin said. “Sure thing. But where--”

A motorcycle stopped just in front of the librarians, and when the rider took the helmet off, Colin couldn’t hide his astonishment at seeing Talia smiling at him. He turned to Dane, who was trying to hide her somewhat pleased expression. This sent Colin grinning excitedly, which made Dane frown at him.

“So,” Talia said to Dane. “You ready to go?”

Dane turned to Colin, feeling bad that she had to leave him on his own. “Colin, I--”

“You go ahead, Booker,” Colin assured her. “I’ll be fine, no probs.”

Dane nodded and got on Talia’s motorcycle. “See you tomorrow, then,” she said as she put on the extra helmet Talia brought her.

“Yeah,” Colin nodded. “Go and have fun, you deserve it.”

The motorcycle sped off, and Colin watched with a smile as it disappeared from his line of sight. He took out his phone, tapped a number, and walked as he brought the phone to his ear, promising his mother about bringing her some groceries.

Meanwhile, as Talia drove them along the avenues, Dane wondered where her friend was going to take them for the night. They stopped in front of a brick wall building, and the neon lights flickering from the windows were enough for Dane to know that it was another bar in the district.

“Hope you’re not too tired from work,” Talia told her.

Dane shrugged. “I’m up for whatever.”

“You’re gonna have fun, mark my words,” Talia said as she took Dane’s hand.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Dane added.

Talia smirked as she pulled Dane in. The two were greeted by the barkeep as if they were longtime friends. They took a seat at one of the available booths and ordered their preferred drinks. A band was playing original songs on the stage by the corner, the other patrons moving their heads along with the beat.

“Something tells me you’ve been to this place one too many times,” Dane said, striking up a conversation.

“I’ve been a good patron to this place for five years now,” Talia told her.

“No wonder the barkeep seemed like he knew you very well.”

“Yeah, he does. He’s a family friend, actually.”

“Oh? Pray tell.”

“Our grandfathers both fought in the war, they were in the same group.”

“Small world, huh?”

“Yeah, who would’ve thought? Denny—that’s his name—crossed paths with me at one of the supermarkets in the residential district five years ago and that was how I found out he set up his own bar here.”

Their drinks arrived, brought to them by Denny. Talia ordered two bottles of light beer, while Dane asked for whiskey and cola, her all-time favorite. As Dane gleefully drank, Talia couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” Dane asked, noticing Talia’s smirk.

“Nothing, really,” Talia answered. “You looked cute when you were enjoying the whiskey.”

Dane almost spewed her drink at the sudden remark. “Hey, now. I can’t help it, it’s a really great favorite of mine. After my uncle had me take a couple of chilled glasses of this stuff, the whiskey stuck with me and I couldn’t imagine trading it for another drink.”

Talia nodded, then she took a swig from her bottle. “You’ve tried other stuff, right?”

“Yeah, there’s tequila, the good ol’ Red Horse, probably had red wine from time to time, and those fruit-flavored beers. I don’t explore much since I’m not really one to drink, but I’d go for whiskey if I'm given the choice to pick.”

The band that was playing earlier announced that it was karaoke hour, and anyone who wishes to compete in the nightly contest onstage is free to do so.

“Just tell Denny over there and he’ll set you guys up,” the vocalist added, and he and his bandmates were soon off the stage.

Several of the customers approached the barkeep to have their names listed. Talia sent Dane a knowing look, much to the latter’s exasperation.

“No,” Dane said.

“I haven’t said anything yet,” Talia said with a lilt in her tone.

“True. But still, no.”

Talia tilted her head at Dane, her eyes pleading. Dane kept the frown on her face as she drank her whiskey. Talia then leaned back and stared at the stage with a pout. She once again turned to Dane, who was watching the rest of the crowd. A sly smile formed on her face and she took Dane’s hand as she stood, pulling her off her seat.

Dane was flabbergasted. “Talia, wha--”

“Life’s too short, Dane,” Talia told her, then she turned to where Denny was. “Hey, Denny! We’re joining karaoke hour!”

Denny looked up from his clipboard. “A duet? Sounds awesome! What’s your partner’s name?”

Talia nudged Dane. “He’s asking for your name.”

Dane scoffed. “You could’ve just told him,” she said. “Name’s Dane.”

Denny smiled as he wrote their names on his list. “Yep, I think we have enough contenders for tonight.”

Dane went back to their table, while Talia stayed behind after Denny called her. Denny leaned on the counter and grinned widely at Talia.

“Who’s she?” Denny asked.

“Haven’t she told you her name seconds ago?” Talia asked laughingly.

“I mean, who is she in your life right now?”

“A friend.”

Denny nodded. “A friend, huh? I see.”

“She’s something else. She makes me want to try again.”

“Try again with that fuckbuddy system you once got going with--”

“No.”

Talia fumed at Denny’s remark, then she eased herself down and sighed.

“It’s not going to be like that. I’m not letting it turn out to be like that. I want it to be different.”

“Is she interested?”

“I don’t know, really. She pretty much just goes along with my advances.”

“Why don’t you talk it out sometime? Kinda like a getting-to-know thing.”

“We’ve been doing that for quite a while, but it’s getting nowhere.”

Denny chuckled. “Patience is a virtue, Talia.” He shoved Talia off the counter. “Now get your ass out there and win tonight’s karaoke hour. I’m betting a lot of cash on you and your ‘friend’.”

Talia scoffed as she left the counter and joined Dane back to their table. Their pair were slated to sing last, and as they waited for their turn at the stage, the two made small talk. They gleaned tidbits of themselves from each other, like Talia contracting primary complex twice in her childhood or Dane almost knocking herself out after falling on her back from the monkey bar when she was in the fourth grade. Dane was about to tell Talia about the one time she was Princess of Unity when she was in kindergarten when Denny announced their names.

Talia stood up and offered a hand. “Time to sweep the audience off their feet,” she said.

Dane grinned and held the offered hand. “If anything, it’s gonna be you who’ll do the sweeping.”

Talia let out a laugh and pulled Dane along with her to the stage. Denny grinned knowingly at Talia after noticing their intertwined hands, to which Talia responded with a glare.

“Alright folks, last but not the least, we have Talia and a newcomer,” Denny spoke. “From the looks of it, Newbie here’s got what it takes to bring all the other contenders down.”

The audience crooned at Denny’s comment, and Dane felt a shiver down her spine. She then felt a hand pat her on the back. Finding it was Talia’s, she let out a sigh and smiled weakly.

“Let’s just have fun,” Talia whispered to her. “That’s all that matters tonight.”

The song Denny picked for them was, to Dane’s chagrin, Michael Buble and Nelly Furtado’s version of Quando, Quando, Quando. It wasn’t that she didn’t know the lyrics, but it wasn’t something she’d really listen to or sing in public. Other than that, the fact that it was a love song had her nervous. They were both women, and surely a duet of love between them would raise a good number of eyebrows. Dane just wanted to have fun and stay low while doing so.

Dane sang Buble’s part without losing a breath, and she heard collective sighs and cheers from the audience. She took this as a good sign and continued singing with newfound confidence. Talia then took her own part.

And by Jove, Talia could really sing. Dane was stunned by how smooth and cool Talia’s voice was. It reminded Dane of what her father had said about what made great singers great.

If it’s sweet like honey to your ears, then you’ve got yourself one heck of a singer. 

Dane, having fully gained her bearings, began moving towards Talia onstage and offered her hand, which the brunette took with a smile as they sang. When the song reached the instrumental part, Dane led Talia into a dance, using whatever’s left of her confidence. Talia was taken aback, but she immediately regained her composure and let Dane lead her. The audience let out hoots and sharp whistles, cheering louder. Denny smirked in the sidelines as he watched the two onstage.

They resumed singing, their voices sounding as if they were meant to be heard together. Eventually, the song ended, and they were met by enthusiastic cheers and that one scream of delight by the counter. By the end of karaoke hour, they got second place. The two of them didn’t mind, and they resumed drinking in contented silence as another band took the stage.

They left After Eight by two in the morning, choosing to drag Talia’s motorcycle with them instead of taking a ride. The two shared small talk as they walked.

“I figured you can carry a tune just fine, but I didn’t think you’d sing very well,” Talia told Dane.

“No way, I’m not really that good,” Dane countered, rubbing her nape in embarrassment. “My housemate sings better than I do.”

“I’d rather listen to you sing,” Talia said.

Dane scoffed as she tried to hide how flustered she was at Talia’s comment. But it didn’t mean she was going to just let her get away with it.

“You ain’t so bad yourself,” Dane shot back with a playful grin. “Your voice was sweet—like honey—if you ask me. Angelic, even. I’ll take listening to you all day instead of doing anything else.”

Dane marvelled at how Talia was taken aback by what she said, and her chest swelled with pride now that she had scored one against the brunette.

“Cut it out,” Talia said with a laugh. “Seriously.”

Dane chuckled and turned her eyes to the road as she helped push Talia’s bike. The two reached a bus stop and waited, passing the time talking more. Dane threw a joke here and there, while Talia laughed heartily at each of them. Both of them were somewhat pleased at how the night went for them, and they both had the thought that something like what they shared at the moment wasn’t really that bad.

A bus to Project Resurreccion arrived at the stop and Dane got on. She waved at Talia as the bus left and leaned back into her seat, sighing with a smile. She made her first successful steps forward that night.