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After the event, we waited for Lily by the benches in front of the university chapel.

"Where have you guys been?" Lily asked as soon as she trudged her way through the grass in all her pink glory. "Did you see the fireworks display?"

"Her shoe got stuck in the catwalk," Logan pointed at me. I elbowed him and then we both laughed like it was a joke only the two of us could understand.

When Lily looked at me, I could tell that she had a million questions she wanted to ask me about Matt. But when she saw Logan and me laughing together, her aura changed from irritated to relieved. As we walked from the open grounds to the multi-level parking where Logan parked his car, Lily never once asked me about what happened earlier that evening. And I felt, too, that there was no need for that.

Lily subtly pushed me into the passenger seat because, as she put it, her big gown needed bigger space. Throughout the ride from our alma mater to Lily's house in Manila, our dear mini Hitler regaled us with her nonstop chatter about college friends, current events, and the fundraiser's similarities to a traditional cheesy wedding. She never once mentioned Matt.

We dropped her off at her house at past one o'clock in the morning and made our way back to Quezon City. We were nearing E. Rodriguez Sr. Boulevard when Logan and I both realized that we hadn't eaten anything since we arrived at the event. So despite the rain that started falling steadily, we decided to stop somewhere to grab a quick bite.

I suggested we settle at Off the Grill in Tomas Morato, a resto bar that is famous for their live band performances. We were still in our formal wear but we didn't mind the stares. Logan took off his coat and loosened his black tie as we sat down and quickly scanned the menu. We ordered a plate of calamari, pork sisig, a bottle of San Mig Super Dry for Logan, and a bottle of Vodka Cruiser Cranberry for me.

Ah, this place brings back so many fond memories, I thought. I told Logan about the time I discovered the wonders of vodka. When I was a high school senior, my parents finally allowed me to serve alcohol at my birthday party. My guy classmate, who was suffering from his first high school heartbreak, took the only vodka we had hostage. He finished half of the bottle's contents on his own, and then he puked right into my Mom's flower box. Since then, my friends and I swore off vodka.

I was 19 when I discovered Vodka Cruiser, courtesy of my cousin Meg. That year, before she left for Singapore for a short modeling gig, we decided to have her despedida at Off the Grill in Tomas Morato with our cousin Jules and some of Meg's model friends. When I told my cousins that I didn't want any beer because of the bitter aftertaste, they ordered Vodka Cruiser for me.

"Here, insane," Meg said as she pushed the pretty bottle toward me. "Parang juice lang 'yan. You'll love it."

And I did. I had two bottles of the red stuff and another bottle of Vodka Cruiser Ice during the quick dinner of lechon kawali and calamari. I was tipsy before we even left the resto bar to transfer to Padi's Point for some serious dancing (for them, of course. I can't dance.)

If there's one piece of advice I can give anyone who hasn't been to Padi's Point in Tomas Morato, it's this: try not to go down their ridiculously steep stairs when it just rained and you're half drunk.

Padi's Point was pretty packed that night back in college but our group managed to snag a table. We ordered another round of beer for everybody and a bottle of Vodka Cruiser Ice just for me. I was hooked. I was already seeing double when I remembered that I left my phone on the backseat of Jules' car. I insisted on getting it because I was waiting for Matt's call.

Meg agreed to go with me. Hand in hand, my cousin and I made our way down the steep staircase when one of my heels slipped off the edge of a step and I lost my balance. I was about to fall face down when Meg caught the back of my blouse and pulled me back quickly.

"Muntik na akong mahubaran that night!" I told Logan just as our plate of sisig arrived. The waiter gave me a weird look and left. "Grabeng manghatak ng blouse si Meg. Muntik nang malaglag 'yung padding ng bra ko e! Hahaha!"

"Buti walang nakakakita sa 'yo noon," Logan said as he squeezed a piece of calamansi all over our pork sisig. "Nakakahiya 'yon kung nagkataon."

"Ano'ng wala?" I scooped a spoonful of sisig into my mouth and chewed quickly. "Ang haba kaya nung mga waiting sa entrance ng Padi's Point! Diyos ko, nakakahiya talaga pero buti na lang lasing ako."

"Astig!"

"Yeah," I said smugly. "I puked inside my cousin's car after that. He banned me ever since. Hahaha!"

"Champion!" And then Logan gave me a high five.

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• Meeting Logan (Part 1)
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