C9 CHAPTER 09

The following morning after they pushed through with the plan to go to their friend Ian's place in the metro, they agreed to have 'boy's night' and went out clubbing. Apparently, Dwayne was wasted enough to remember how they got back to Ian's condo. The five of them were staying over, they have quite the hangover to fix.

It was that same morning when Dwayne saw unread DMs from the girls they're with last night. He lightly groans at the sudden strike of headache once he laid eyes on the illuminated screen of his phone.

Dwayne woke up in his matching sleepwear lended by Ian: navy blue long sleeves with brown checkered lines, paired with shorts of the same pattern. He instinctively held his head as he felt a sudden headache. Damn, wasted big time.

He slowly made his way out of Ian's condo guestroom, rubbing his eyes and still holding his head due to the pain.

"There, he's awake!" Ian's voice was heard from the sofa where Charles and Marco were still dazed, watching their friends play Xbox.

"Well, good morning to you too," Andrei chuckled upon seeing Dwayne in the kitchen brewing coffee. His hair was disheveled and there were dark bags under his eyes.

Instead of a reply, Dwayne groaned as he sat on one of the high chairs at the island table in the kitchen, facing the living room. "My head hurts!" he complained.

"That's because you didn't stop last night, you dummy!. You downed all those drinks and entertained all those girls," Charles laughed loudly. "You're one too!" He turned to Marco to slap him lightly. He hasn't said a word since he woke up.

"Dude, I got so many DMs from girls last night," he chuckled. A glimpse of what happened last night, among all of them, Dwayne was the center of attention. Charles managed to attract some attention too, but not as much as Dwayne, who got three straight away.

It seemed like their friends' eyes lit up. "Let us see!" They even ran to where Dwayne was sitting in the kitchen. Even Marco, who had been spacing out, stood up to take a peek at Dwayne's Twitter inbox.

Charlse: Oh, she said hit her up. She gave her number!

Ian: I think she wants another round of shots with you, bro, HAHAHA!

Andrei: How did they find your account?

Marco: With Dwayne blabbing away last night, he practically gave them everything, even his bank account pin, to the girls surrounding him, HAHAHA!

"I'm done, bro. You guys take it, get the number yourselves I don't want 'em," He rubbed his eyes again before taking a sip of the hot coffee made by Andrei. Silently hoping that his headache would subside. Charles and the others immediately grabbed his phone to stalk the accounts that DM'd him.

After they went to Xylo last night, they had Lomi afterwards (Lomi is a variety of Egg Noodles that are usually soaked in lye water/soup) hoping to sober up, but Dwayne was in such a shitty state that he doesn't even remember having Lomi. He just slept on the Lomi house table and all he remembers is Ian throwing pajamas at him once they got home to change into something fresh and comfortable.

This isn't their first time drinking, let alone clubbing. They've been to many bars, whether in Manila or in their hometown. But last night. Last night hit differently for them, especially for Dwayne. He was wasted, literally and figuratively. Maybe they just craved a little bit of a good time too much. Ever since classes started, things got busy. Some of them are busy with work—especially Andrei, who helps out in his family's company.

Today, they're heading back to their hometown in the afternoon, just like before. Ian will stay behind because he attends the University in the metro as a first-year Industrial Engineering student. The question is, how will Dwayne drive back home in this state? Your driver is wasted, so much for today's plans. A not-so-friendly mental note: don't get wasted if you're the driver.

Dwayne snapped back to reality when he felt his phone vibrating multiple times in his hand. He adjusted his sitting position from leaning on his elbow to check it, lowkey nervous it might be one of his sisters, so he quickly thought of an excuse but...

It was Akira.

She was hoping to look for an acquaintance to go with her in the premier of her favorite show Fast and the Furious.

Dwayne couldn't help but smile to himself as he read Akira's messages that had just arrived, sent around quarter to 9 am. And yes, they discovered they both have a liking for Fast and the Furious, starring Vin Diesel. It was really a coincidence. They also found out they've both been fans of the franchise from the beginning. It's actually nice to have someone you share your interests with.

A loud chuckle from Andrei nearly made him faceplant on the island table where he'd been sitting since earlier. "Damn, you're actually giddy, aren't you?" He burst into laughter.

"Dude, I'm not giddy, your vision's just blurry, fix that," Dwayne retorted, feeling guilty in Andrei's eyes.

Charles: "Nah, man, I can see that smile from over here even while I'm facing the Xbox. You can't fool me, you sly fox!"

Marco: "Did you reply to any of them?"

Ian: "Uh-oh, you're in trouble with your blockmate crush if you happen to do so,"

"Hey~ I don't even have a crush on Akira!" Dwayne tossed his indoor slippers at Ian, but they fell short.

"Why are you so affected then?" Andrei made that Shrek meme face.

Dwayne knew all too well he wouldn't win against his goofy friends. Keeping the sweet thought of Akira messaging him first, aside from that guy Jayden. To himself, it was enough to make his day.

He replied quickly with 'Sure thing. Next week?' before locking his phone again.

Around 10:50 am, the boys heard the condo door keypad beep open. Along with it was a voice they definitely missed hearing.

"Knock, knock. Marc, my child, are you home?" The voice called out, carrying grocery bags in each arm and an eco bag in one hand.

"Mom," Ian greeted as he heard his mother's voice. "Let me help you," he added, joining his friends in approaching to pay their respects.

Ian's mom we're no strangers to them. Since their time in the province, she had been like a second mom to them. If they were to base it on something, Mrs. Enriquez was the closest to the group, as she had been taking care of them since high school.

She's the type of mom who would make you hangover soup the morning after a boys' night out but would give you a sermon if you went overboard. Just like now, judging from Dwayne's state, he badly needed a hangover soup.

Charlse: "Hello, Auntie Mommy. How are you?"

Andrei: "Oh, sorry, Auntie Mommy, if we didn't inform you that we were coming."

Dwayne: "It was Charlse's fault, Auntie Mommy, he's the mastermind behind it all."

While Charlse had a very scandalous reaction to his friends' accusations. "No, it's okay. Besides, Ian mentioned you guys would visit on weekends." She smiled at them. "So, how have you all been? By the way, I brought Sinigang (A kind of sour soup that uses pork as a main ingredient). Help yourselves to the broth and eat," she added, arranging the groceries she brought for her son.

Marco: "Hey! Is that Auntie Mommy's signature Sinigang?"

"Of course! I figured you guys could use some because... I saw Andrei's story on Instagram," she gave them the 'I-know-what-you-did' look when they realized Auntie Mommy had seen the pictures from Xylo last night.

Charlse: "Oh, Dwayne, looks like you need it the most. You and Marco."

Dwayne: "We really do, not before smashing that gaming console onto you"

Charlse: "Hey, let's not resort to violence here, YOU VIOLENT CREATURE!"

Their bantering and teasing continued among the friends while they enjoyed Auntie Mommy's Sinigang, clearly missed by all. Who would say no when the Tupperware used looked like it had been washed again, leaving no trace of the dish. Spotless.

"Do you guys have plans this afternoon?" Mrs. Enriquez asked as she closed the food cabinet, facing Dwayne who was still eating.

"We might swing by UPTC later, Ma. They're heading back home in the afternoon," Ian replied, patting his satisfied belly.

In the end, they also arrived home late because they went to various places. They went around UPTC for leisure and also to buy what their Auntie Mommy requested from BreadTalk for Ian's youngest brother, Ranger, because it's his favorite bakery. I mean, who doesn't love their bread?

Charles volunteered to drive them home because he still cherishes Dwayne as a friend, even though he constantly teases him about every little thing. Before heading straight home, they made a stop to eat at Chill Top Cubao. It's a roofdeck restobar that offers a stunning view of Manila at night. You're satisfied with the food, and your eyes are satisfied with the view.