“What’s with the Christmas lights?”

Francis turned around to see Lala watching him curiously. She was by the door of Buns & Beans, while Francis set up the lights to decorate the entrance from outside. He had just finished the windows, and was fixing up the rest of it on the door. Although, he was hoping he was working fast enough before Lala could notice what he was doing.

“Oh, just, uhhh,” Francis looked at the lights then smiled at her, “putting them up for the festive vibes.”

“The festive vibes?”

“Exactly.”

“It’s not even Christmas.” Lala tilted her head to the side, but he only shrugged his shoulders to act nonchalant.

“We live in the Philippines. Any time is Christmas time.”

“True, but did I give you permission to do this?”

He sheepishly grinned at her, like a kid caught red handed. Right, this was her coffee shop, and who was he to suddenly make the big decision of decorating the outside? But then, it was all part of the plan! Was it cliche? Maybe. Did it remind him of romcom books and movies? Yep. Still, he was confident this plan would work, and the lights would make a good addition to it. Just when he thought he had to come up with a good excuse, an interruption happened in the nick of time.

“Lala, you were supposed to bring these orders to their tables.” You called out from inside behind the counter. “I’ve got a bunch of other drinks to make, so get to it!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming.” Lala looked at Francis one last time and motioned for him to continue what he was doing.

Phew!

While she busied herself with the task at hand, Francis and You locked eyes and discreetly gave each other a thumbs up. He told You of the plan he made with Aki, and was thrilled that You was willing to be part of it. And when it was nearing 6 P.M., Francis’ cellphone chimed with a notification. Aki had just messaged that he was on the way, and this made Francis rush to finish the job. Once he went back inside, You looked over at him with a raised brow as he signaled it was time to get Lala out of here.

“What’s going on with you two?” The woman herself stepped in, looking back and forth between both men.

“We’re out of bread.” Francis replied without thinking.

“What?”

“Bread. It’s gone.”

That was when it hit You as his eyes lit up with realization. “I need the both of you to go out and buy bread for the sandwiches.”

“I’m pretty sure we still have some in stock.” Lala was about to go and check, but Francis pulled at her arm and jerked his thumb at the door.

“No, uh, You finished it all.”

“What? No I didn’t!”

“I meant him!” Francis pointed at the man.

You gave him the stink eye, but when Lala turned to look at him, he dropped it and raised his hands in defeat. “My bad. I was starving.”

Before anything else could be said, Francis took the lead in bringing her out of the coffee shop, and gave a speech about how they should never be out of bread. He gave one last look at You with a nod, and ushered for Lala to come along before their customers started demanding for more sandwiches.

***

“You’ve been oddly quiet the whole day.” Francis commented as he and Lala walked on, paperbag filled with bread on both their hands.

They were walking along Baker Field where people of different groups hung out. Some were having a picnic, and others were playing volleyball. There were even those walking their dogs— some cats even! All in all, it was a cheery atmosphere out in the field. Yet, his friend was down in the dumps. Sure, Lala smiled whenever he cracked a joke, but Francis could see the way her eyes lacked its usual sparkle.

“I’m just tired from all the work.” She looked over at him with a chuckle, though her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “And talking to customers into dropping some tips in the tip jar.”

“I made less mistakes than usual today, though I think You is close to kicking my ass.”

“Oh, I didn’t notice.”

Francis smiled at her, knowing why she didn’t. She was looking ahead of them, but her eyes felt far away. Like she was gazing into the distance, trying to make out the shapes and colors. “I don’t blame you. We all got something going on.”

“But I did see the way You downed two whole Espressos.”

“He and Aki can have a coffee drinking contest with how they seem into it—” whoops.

Lala’s strained smile stayed for a second, until she looked away to the rest of society. Francis bit his inner cheek, internally scolding himself for mentioning Aki without warning. Though he also wanted to know just how much this affected her. Sure the name Aki was silently banned from being spoken in Buns & Beans, but with the plan almost set in action, Francis had to know what exactly Lala was thinking.

“Do you think Aki will come back?” He probed with a simple question.

This was enough to make her shake her head with a bitter laugh. “No. He probably found a different coffee shop to go to.”

“We don’t know that.”

“True, but come on, realistically speaking?” She bit her lower lip with a frown. “We’re never seeing him again.” 

Francis wanted to say something to that, but it looked like she had more to say with the way her eyes teared up. So he let her have the floor, and nodded at her to go on when she looked at him. This was more than enough for her to do so.

“I just wanted him to have a good rest, even if it means sacrificing work time for it. Like, if it’s about the money, then I totally understand, because I might have done that to myself too, but he was pushing it too far!”

Silence followed, and then…

“But I was wrong for going off on him like that. You was right. To Aki, I’m an acquaintance at best, so for me to do that right to his face was— I should have known my place before doing all that. I don’t know what came over me, and now I won’t ever get the chance to apologize to him for my attitude. Is he taking care of his health better now? I’ll never know.”

They were nearing Buns & Beans now, and Francis could see Aki standing outside by the entrance. Lala has yet to notice him with how she stared at her shoes as they walked, which gave everyone time to get ready. Just like that, Francis nudged his shoulder on Lala’s. She looked at him then, confused, but he only took the paperbag filled with bread from her.

“You might need to rethink about Aki never coming back to Buns & Beans.” Was all he said before gesturing ahead of them. You took that as his cue to plug in the Christmas lights.

Suddenly, everything sparkled just as Lala looked at Aki. The lights all led to him, something Francis made sure of when he set them up, and Aki put on the strap of his guitar as he searched for the words to say. His eyes darted back and forth between his guitar and Lala, but when You gave him a reassuring pat on the back, that was all Aki needed to face her properly.

“Uhm, hello.” He awkwardly waved a hand.

“Hello.” She greeted him back. “What are you—?”

“I, uh, wanted to see you again.”

“Oh— huh?”

Aki let out a laugh, and scratched the back of his head. “You see, I was rude last time I saw you. I didn’t realize that you were worried about me, and I took it the wrong way, so I’m sorry for last time.”

Immediately, Lala shook her hands at that, almost as if she was saying ‘no.’ “It was me who was a jerk! I’m sorry, really, I only wanted you to take care of your health, and— uhm—” she then took a step forward, and almost tripped over the lights.

Thankfully Francis was with her and yanked her back by the arm to stand up straight. “Man, that was close!”

“Of course, leave it to her to make a hazard out of things.” You scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

“I didn’t mean to!” Lala cried, making Aki chuckle again. This then prompted them to make eye contact and they held it for a moment before their shyness took over.

They then stared down at their shoes, a blush creeping up on both of their faces like they weren’t sure how to proceed. Francis wanted to bite his fist from the cuteness going on between them, honestly! He then signaled at Aki to use his guitar when the guy finally looked up again. With a nod, Aki straightened out his back and puffed his chest out.

“Is it okay if I play you a song, Lala?” He asked with this newfound confidence.

She stared at him for a moment, before finally nodding her head. Francis had a funny feeling she wasn’t trusting what words might spew out of her mouth right now. Still, it was all the affirmation that Aki needed to push on. Everyone— customers from inside the coffee shop included— fell silent as he started playing the song on his guitar.

It was a soft and melodic tune, almost as if the song itself was made of feathers, moonlight peeking through the clouds, and drops of water. Maybe Francis was being dramatic with that kind of comparison, but he clocked Aki in an instant that he was good with his guitar yesterday. What Francis didn’t expect, however, was for Aki to start singing with a gentle voice.

“I don't go out, but I’ll do it for you

You never liked it when I drink too much

I hate to dance, but I'll dance with you

'Cause I’d do anything to feel your touch”

Francis was pleased with the singing, and he turned to look at Lala who was staring at Aki with wonder and amazement. Well, would you look at that? Aki didn’t tell him he could sing! So this really was a surprise with how singing wasn’t part of the plan. Even You looked amazed by the whole thing.

“Don't like anybody, tell me why it's different with you

Don't believe in love, but no one makes me feel like you do

I don't say it much, 'cause I just always thought that you knew, ahh”

Suddenly, Aki took a step closer to Lala, then another, until she did the same. Eventually, they met halfway with the lights surrounding them like fairies blessing the moment. He wasn’t done just yet, but Francis may as well be with how he’s on the floor for this moment. Who would have thought Aki had it in him to do something this heart stopping?

“It's what you do to me

I'm wrapped around your finger and I can’t stop

You know I got a soft spot for you

You know I got a soft spot for you

Baby, can’t you see?

I need you, 'cause you’re everything that I'm not

You know I got a soft spot for you

You know I got a soft spot for you”

Aki strummed his guitar one last time before ending the song there. He smiled at Lala all so gently, that Francis felt his heart skip a beat for her. What was his next move? All Francis had planned for them was for Aki to play a song for Lala as a bridge between them so they could reconnect. The Christmas lights were just a bonus.

“Lala?” Aki broke the silence everyone held onto.

It didn’t take long for her to respond. “Yes?”

“I’m sorry for assuming the worst of you, and thank you for worrying about me.”

“You idiot, it’s me who should be apologizing.” She finally smiled, though a tear ran down her cheek. “I’m sorry I stepped over the line with you. I know now that I’m just an acquaintance, so—”

“Acquaintance?”

“Yes, you don’t have to repeat it.”

“But you’re not like that to me.” The guy reached out one hand towards her, and paused. When she didn’t move away, he pushed on and wiped off the tear from her cheek. “You’re Lala, remember? Just Lala.”

Both of them smiled at the memory of it, and he held her face for a moment before retracting his arm. Everyone started cheering for them, and even You had to clap his hands for them. Francis was glad everything turned out fine, and that nothing bad happened. Just as things should be in Buns & Beans!

“Remember when you gave me a free refill ages ago?” Aki suddenly asked.

“The spilled Spanish Latte incident!” Lala clasped her hands together. “I remember it. Why?”

“Well, uh, I promised to pay you back for it, right?”

“Yes?”

“I want to pay you back tomorrow, or whenever you’re free this week.”

She blinked twice at that, confusion evident on her face. “What do you mean?”

“May I court you, and take you out on a date?” Aki shocked everyone with his honesty and boldness.

It was silent for a moment, until—

“You may.” Lala smiled all so brightly, earning another cheer. “That is, if you can.”

At that, everyone went ‘Ooohhh!’ but Aki didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he cheekily smiled at her like he found it endearing. However, that was when Francis couldn’t hold it in anymore and screeched like a fan boy, surprising both of them out of their wits. You immediately stepped in and had to drag him away, just so Aki and Lala could still have their moment by the lights. All in all, the night was sparkling and everything was well.