Before walking any further, he pulled off his shoes, and left it neatly against the doormat.
“Wow, I’m impressed,” Nina commented, with a grin.
“Are you hungry, Seth?” Mrs. Mendez asked, “My husband just finished cooking some pork sinigang. It’s this really nice Filipino soup dish - my girls absolutely love it.”
He hadn’t realised he’d been hungry, until food was mentioned.
“Yes, please. Thank you so much, that sounds good. It smells good too,” he professed, the aroma of the fresh cooking now wafting through the house.
Seth has never been in Nina’s house before. There was no reason for him to be, back then. It was small, yet cozy - through the entrance, Seth was greeted with the living room, where a channel called GMA seemed to be playing.
Nina led him through the doorway, welcoming him into what he could assume was another media room, for Nina and Elena, which conjoined itself with the dining room.
Through the kitchen walls, Seth could hear some R&B tunes.
Nina guided him through, introducing him to her Dad, and he heartily shook his hand.
After helping himself to a serving of pork sinigang, they settled themselves on the futon couch of the media area, where they had the space to themselves. Beside the TV unit was a looming bookshelf bursting with numerous books and DVDs.
“This is for you, by the way,” Seth said, lifting the bag.
“I was wondering what this was,” Nina replied, with a smile. She placed her bowl of sinigang atop the coffee table, before pulling the gift bag to herself. “What is this - wait -”
Slowly, she drew out each item. First - the bag of chips. She gasped, holding it against her chest.
“My favourite!” she exclaimed.
The aloe vera mask, “I needed this!”
Then, the DVDs. One by one, she pulled the cases out, yet this time, she was silent. Her eyes studied each title, and he began to chew on his lip a little. Nervous.
She’s motionless for a heartbeat. Her lips parted in the slightest, yet no words came out.
That’s when a smile curves the corner of her mouth. Her gaze lifted, resting on him, flickering like the flame of a candle disturbed by a breath.
“Seth, what is this?” she whispered, eyes holding his.
“It’s - uh -” he reached up, scratching the back of his head. All the words he’d rehearsed seem to have dried up in his throat. “I just thought, to cheer you up, after what had happened, you know? And also, yeah. I wanted to do this for you. Just to see you smile.”
As quick as a breath, she surged forward, wrapping her arms around him. His heart pounded ferociously now, and he feared it might betray him. In a bid to savour the moment, he wrapped his arms around her, too.
“What the hell Seth,” she murmured, against his shirt.
Then, when she pulled away, it’s not abrupt, but slow. As if, she too, was reluctant to break the contact.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice quiet yet radiant with warmth. And it may be his own hopeful reach, but he swore, he swore - he could hear something deeper in it too.
Something more than just gratitude.
Like the beginning of something between them. One that neither could say out loud.
Can she feel the shift between us?
Or maybe not. Maybe, to her, this was just the sweet gesture of a friend she’d grown close with over the last few months.
Clearing his throat, Seth gestured toward the DVD cases.
“Want to watch one of them?”
