"Oh, you're closed?" Sebastian asked but Teo quickly opened the door for him. He went inside and scanned the whole room, nobody else was there. It felt weird to see the cafe so dark.

Teo suddenly became conscious, he hasn't taken a bath yet and he must look like a mess, "I-I have to give you something!" but he remembered the coffee jelly. He quickly ran to the staff room. He took the huge tupperware full of coffee jelly that was inside the fridge, ran out again and handed it to Sebastian.

"My mother made that" Teo was panting a little bit "It's to say thanks for treating us yesterday with clothes and stuff… but you have to return the tupperware or else she'll kill me" He chuckles and rubs the back of his neck, feeling embarrassed “I know it’s not much but I know it’s full of love… And thank you, I did say it last night but you were asleep in the car”

Despite Sebastian's poker face, his eyes were twinkling and his cheeks were flushed, staring at the tupperware as he took it "Thank you. I love sweets. Don't worry, I'll return the tupperware"

"TEO! GRAB MY TOWEL, I FORGOT IT!" Laurent screamed from the bathroom which embarrassed Teo even more. The bathroom was located in the staff room but Laurent yelled so loud, it echoed.

Teo blushed a little and whispered to himself, "’cause you ran to the bathroom like a kid" his face turned red, averting his gaze from Sebastian. He’s so embarrassing! Oh my God!

"I-I'm gonna be late for class" Sebastian said, feeling awkward after Laurent's remark "Thanks again" He waved bye to Teo, a blush creeping on his cheeks which his glasses hid conveniently.

Teo did the same and after closing the door, he sighed "That was so fucking embarrassing, I hate Laurent so much" He slides down the floor, covering his flustered face.

“TOWEEEEL!!!!!”

♡♡♡

"They're so comfortable with each other" Sebastian whispered to himself with a tiny frown "Maybe I'll just get in their way? They've been friends since high school…" He sighs and pouts, kicking small stones that were on his way.

They even have their own bathroom in the cafe… They share that bathroom! That’s so intimate… It’s like… they’re married or something… I want to share a bathroom with him too.

He thought and sighed sadly. Wait, what if they're together?! Then I really am the third wheel! Are they just being nice to me? Who’s to say they aren’t a couple? It has been years…

Sebastian continued to let his thoughts consume him. Stop. I just have to ask… I’ll ask for sure… They’re nice people. But… I do feel a bit jealous. What does Laurent have that I don’t? What am I supposed to do? How do I make Teo look at me and me only?

“What do I do?”

♡♡♡

"We have so many customers today" Teo released an exasperated sigh while cleaning the counter. Laurent is also hurrying up because of the amount of customers they have.

Laurent is panicking "Maybe because midterms are near? I don't know, they do come here to study a lot" 

♡♡♡

Should I go to the cafe before going home? 

Sebastian asked himself in his mind. In the end he decided not to and headed straight home. It can’t be helped to pass by the cafe since that’s his usual path everyday towards their subdivision.

"SEBASTIAN!" Someone called him while he was walking home, he turned to look and it was Laurent. They saw him walking home as he passed by the cafe.

"Teo and Laurent?" Sebastian asked, removing his headphones "Hey…" 

"Wanna go drink?" Laurent asked with a huge grin. Sebastian's face turned pale.

Teo felt a little awkward because what happened earlier in the morning, he didn't tell Laurent all about it, he spoke "Laurent! Stop being pushy!" 

"Oh come on, Sebastian's totally our pal now!" Laurent said, even playfully hitting his arm "What do ya say? Let's go!" He placed his arm around Sebastian’s shoulder “Come on!”

♡♡♡

"We closed the cafe a bit early today. I'm sooo tired!" Laurent complained. They were at the usual bar they frequent in “The students in your university are brutal. Some are so entitled!”

Why do they always drink? Is this why Teo doesn't get drunk? Building tolerance? Sebastian thought to himself while he stared at the alcohol in front of him. He remembered the headache he felt the morning after he drank. He’s hesitating to drink.

"Laurent, buy me chicken" Teo says, drinking his beer and checking the menu "Chicken lollipop!" He points at the menu “And this, buy me this”

Laurent groaned and rolled his eyes at him "Don't treat your boss like this! What am I, your sugar daddy?!" He slammed his hand on the menu that Teo was holding.

"Boss?" Sebastian was shocked upon hearing it that his thought turned audible “I-I mean what do you mean boss?” He panicked internally for speaking out loud just now.

"Yeah, I'm his boss, I own the cafe!" Laurent proudly said, even though it's just on paper. He pointed at himself, all smug about it “But as you can see, he treats me like I’m an ATM or something”

Teo starts to bicker with him in the background.

So Teo works for him? Sebastian talks to himself in his mind once again with a frown. He kept telling himself they’ll be just friends, that he was fine just being near Teo. His feelings for Teo lingered after all, what’s worse is that it just kept growing stronger. He feels jealous, just like in high school.

♡♡♡

Laurent also drinks a lot like Teo but he always gets drunk in the end. Sebastian thought, smelling his drink. He's trying to build his tolerance too, maybe he can always hang out with Teo that way.

"You're always quiet Sebastian, even in high school, you know we saw you fight at the back–" Before Laurent could finish, Teo covered his mouth and laughed nervously. 

"N-Nevermind that drunk" Teo was still a little nervous so he changed the topic, trying to stop Laurent from blabbing "Liking your drink?" 

"I-I'm a little dizzy" Sebastian was honest, his face a little bit red. He looked adorable, at least for Teo. He did look different from Sebastian in high school but the vibes were still the same for Teo.

Laurent removed Teo's hands on his mouth and immediately asked "Are you shy Sebastian?" 

"Not so much. Not really…" Sebastian answered quickly, drinking his shot in one go "I'm not that shy. I just…" 

I don't like most people… but I like you guys. Sebastian thought but he can't say that out loud. If he did, he would die of embarrassment. "Why are you not drunk Teo? You drank most of it and you even have a beer" Sebastian suddenly asked, getting a little chatty. 

"Maybe I'm just used to it by now. And you? You get drunk so easily" He laughed, which made Sebastian's heart skip a beat. He looked so cute for him that just his smile made his heart pound.

Sebastian smiled softly and laughed a little before drinking his shot again "You noticed" He never imagined he would speak to Teo like this. What was he so afraid of in high school? Talking felt good.

Teo blushed. It was the first time he saw Sebastian smile and laugh like that "I-It's pretty hard not to notice" He shyly fidgets on his glass, feeling his heart beat faster.

♡♡♡

"I don't know why Laurent was so drunk today…" Teo sighed and poked Laurent's face "Sorry Sebastian, I have to take him home" He thought maybe Laurent had a problem at home and he wanted to check out what happened.

"It's okay… I'm not that drunk" Sebastian said, he was a bit dizzy but he could manage. He's slowly starting to get used to alcohol. He’s trying to be… so he could hang out with them more.

Sebastian went straight home and saw some unfamiliar shoes at the entrance. "Oh, I didn't get to meet my mom's best friend last night because I was drunk… and this morning she was gone so early" He rubs his forehead a bit and gathers all his courage. He didn’t like interaction but he’s still going to be respectful.

He went in after removing his shoes. He walked towards the dining area where loud chatters were coming from. He slowly peeked his head.

"Sebastian!" Anselma immediately greeted him "Meet Mary! Call her Auntie!!" She gestures to him to come over immediately, excited.

"G-Good Evening Auntie" Sebastian said, feeling a bit awkward "Mano* po"

"No need, it's okay, my hands are dirty. So respectful!" Mary said with a huge smile on her face "You're so big now Sebby, back then you were just a baby" She observed him and laughed heartily.

Sebastian blushed in embarrassment and looked at his mom in a panic, wondering why she was calling him Sebby. He felt a bit uneasy.

"Oh he doesn't prefer to be called that anymore" Anselma said with a slight chuckle "Just call him Seb" She knows he felt a bit embarrassed.

"He's grown Mary! Don’t tease the guy" Anastacio added with a cheery laugh, joking around "Come on, sit and eat!" 

"I already ate with my friends" Sebastian said, still poker faced with a hint of embarrassment "Nice to meet you, Auntie. I'm going to wash up" He quickly tried to run away from the situation.

"Ay nako, he smells like alcohol again. You won't even drink with your dad" Anastacio sulked while eating his chicken. He has a frown on his face. 

"Hon, let him be!" Anselma scolded him with furrowed brows. The dining room felt a lot livelier with Mary now. 

Mary laughed, her heart felt so full at the moment with the cheeriness "My son will arrive a little later, he just have to take care of something" 

♡♡♡

"Alright, let's see my ma's text, oh someone's picking me up here, great!" Teo muttered to himself after dropping Laurent off in his house. Laurent’s parents aren’t at home. Only their maids as usual. Teo sighed to himself, maybe Laurent just wanted to drink a lot.

He waited for a few minutes and then some guy with a fancy car asked "Matheo Pascal? Son of Mary?" The man looked so stern that it scared Teo a bit. If he didn’t ask that, Teo would think he was being kidnapped.

"I feel like Jesus" He whispered to himself and nodded "Y-Yes I'm Matheo" He tried opening the door but the man stopped him immediately. 

The man went out and opened the door for him "I'm here to pick you up sir" 

Sir?! Teo blushed at the sudden royal treatment.

♡♡♡

It feels so awkward, I think I'm gonna die. Teo thought to himself, trying not to move so much because he was scared to scratch something inside the car. The driver wasn’t speaking at all, he just focused on the road.

Teo just stared out the window, realizing something "This subdivision looks familiar…" He muttered under his breath, making sure the driver didn’t hear him. The closer they get to the house, the more nervous Teo becomes "Son of a bitch. This is–!!" 

♡♡♡

"We have arrived, sir," the driver said. Teo practically turned into stone upon arriving. "Sir?" The man held the door open for him, confused on why Teo isn’t moving at all.

Teo snapped back to reality "T-Thank you!" He slowly went out and thanked the man. He gasped, staring at the house before him "It really is the same. Sebastian's house" the driver then drove away. Teo gulped, feeling anxious. This can’t be right!!

Maybe it's just the same design, right? There's a lot of big houses here in this area.

He rang the doorbell and he was answered by a huge man with glasses "Yes?" 

"G-Good evening sir, I'm Matheo Pascal" 

"Oh! Mary! Anselma! He's here!" The man said in a loud voice, in a flash the two women ran towards him excitedly. Anselma urged Teo to go inside, which he did after removing his shoes. They all sat down in the dining area. There was a lot of food.

Teo remembered how everything looked but back then it was dark. Now, there's food on the table, and people. It was cheerful, the room looked even more beautiful than before. He scans the whole room, gawking at every piece of furniture.

"O-Oh sorry, I forgot. Mano po" Teo stood up and reached out for the two's hands except for his ma, they aren't that religious despite being Catholic so he wasn’t used to it. 

"Such a respectful young man!" Anselma laughed a little, stretching her hand out so Teo could continue "You've grown a lot too!" 

"Eat, eat a lot, there's still more!" Anastacio said, pointing at all the food on the table “A strong young man like you should eat a lot!” He loves eating.

Despite being full, Teo tried his best to eat to not offend them. They did prepare a lot for them. He can’t be rude. Plus, his mother will get mad at him.

♡♡♡

"I'll show you your room Teo" Anastacio said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "It was Sabine's room but she's abroad right now, working. Nobody uses that room" 

"Thank God for that, she's the stubborn one. The other is the quiet one. Well, quiet compared to Sabine" Anselma joked and everybody laughed. Teo felt nervous because of that remark.

Does she mean Sebastian? I must be trippin’, where the hell is he then? Is this really his house? Teo was panicking and delusional in his mind. I saw family pictures when I entered! It was him for sure! What the hell is this coincidence? I feel like I’m in a movie!

"Shall I show Teo his room? We changed everything in there already!" Anastacio excitedly said "Come now" He was excited to have another kid besides Sebastian in their house. Sebastian doesn’t like the things he’s interested in at all.

"I-I can share a room with my ma if it's too much trouble" Teo answered politely but Anastacio was far too excited to even hear him. Teo feels weird to have his own room now, he’s been sharing one with his mother since his birth. Although, sometimes his mother does end up sleeping on the sofa.

"Nonsense! A young man like you needs privacy!" He laughed and stood up from his seat, Teo immediately followed “Let’s go. Let the two ladies catch up”

They both walked towards the stairs. Even the stairs looked fancy. Teo gently touches the wall and the banister. He breathes in anxiously and retracts his hand. Everything feels expensive

♡♡♡

* Mano, a sign of respect and reverence in Filipino households towards elders where the younger one’s forehead touches the back of the elder’s hand; It is a common practice in Filipino households and represents a vital part of Filipino cultural etiquette.