Chapter 2: He Noticed Her
When Charlie got home that night, she dropped herself onto her bed, still hearing the echoes of music and laughter from the perya.
She stared at the ceiling.
Then suddenly—
“Ugh… nakakahiya.”
She covered her face with a pillow, remembering the boy who bumped into her. The way he laughed. The way he just stood there like it was nothing.
“Ang yabang naman nun,” she muttered.
Cringe.
That’s what it was.
She turned to her side, grabbing her phone, scrolling through random things just to distract herself.
But somehow—
His face flashed in her mind again.
That stupid grin.
She frowned.
“…pero medyo gwapo.”
Charlie quickly shook her head.
“Hindi. Mayabang.”
Case closed.
Or at least… she thought it was.
---
Two days passed.
The fiesta wasn’t over yet—if anything, it was just getting better.
The night before the actual barangay fiesta, the perya was even more crowded, louder, brighter. Music blasted from every corner, kids ran around with balloons, and the smell of barbecue filled the air.
Charlie came back.
Of course she did.
This time, she was with Jamie, Felice, and her younger sister, Charity, who stuck close to her side, wide-eyed at everything around them.
“Doon tayo!” Charity said excitedly, pointing at a game booth.
“Sandali lang,” Charlie laughed. “Hindi pa tayo umiikot.”
They walked deeper into the crowd, blending into the noise and lights—
And then—
There he was.
Paul.
He saw her first.
His expression changed—just slightly—but enough to notice.
Then he smiled.
Charlie paused for a second.
Then gave a small nod.
That was it.
No words.
Just acknowledgment.
But somehow… it felt like something.
---
Not far from them, Paul turned to one of the older guys nearby.
“Kilala mo yun?” he asked casually, nodding toward Charlie.
The guy squinted.
“Si Charlie? Oo.”
Paul raised an eyebrow.
“Charlie?”
“De Guia. Apo nung may-ari ng sari-sari store dun sa kanto. Matagal na yun dito.”
Paul looked back at her.
So she wasn’t new.
He just hadn’t noticed her before.
---
“Charlie!”
She turned—
And jumped.
“AH!”
Paul was suddenly right behind her.
Charlie clutched her chest, eyes wide.
“Anong—?!”
Paul burst out laughing.
“Grabe ka matakot.”
Her friends saw everything.
And of course—they laughed too.
“Charlie! HAHAHA!”
“Ang OA mo!”
“Kala mo multo!”
Charlie glared at him, still catching her breath.
“Anong problema mo?” she said, half-annoyed, half-embarrassed.
Paul just grinned.
“Hi.”
Simple.
Like nothing happened.
Charlie blinked.
“…Hi,” she replied, a bit unsure.
Before it could get awkward, Felice suddenly leaned closer, squinting at him.
“Wait… ikaw ba si Paul?”
He looked at her.
“Ha? Oo.”
“Classmate ka ng ate ko dati diba? Daycare? Tapos elementary?”
Paul laughed lightly.
“Ah… oo yata.”
“Alam ko na!” Felice said, turning to Charlie. “Kilalang-kilala yan. Medyo pasaway yan dati.”
“Hoy,” Paul protested, still smiling.
Charlie looked between them, slightly overwhelmed.
Too much.
Too fast.
She wasn’t used to this.
“Alis na kami,” she said suddenly, grabbing Jamie’s hand.
“Charlie—” Felice started, but Charlie was already walking.
Paul blinked.
Then followed.
“Sandali,” he called out.
Charlie kept walking.
“Wait lang,” he said again, now beside her.
She stopped.
“Bakit?”
Paul scratched the back of his neck again, like the other night.
“Pwede ko bang makuha number mo?”
Charlie froze.
Then immediately—
“No.”
Direct.
Paul blinked, surprised—but amused.
Before he could say anything—
“Meron ako!” Felice suddenly jumped in, already grinning.
“Felice!” Charlie whispered sharply.
Too late.
Felice was already saying the numbers out loud.
Paul listened carefully, repeating it under his breath to make sure he got it right.
Charlie covered her face.
“Grabe kayo…”
Paul smiled.
“Thank you.”
---
The night continued like nothing happened.
But for Charlie—
Everything felt different.
She was more aware.
More conscious.
Of him.
---
Later that night, it was time to go home again.
The streets were dimmer now, the noise fading into the distance.
Charlie walked with her friends, Jamie still holding onto her arm.
Then she noticed—
Footsteps behind them.
She turned slightly.
Paul.
And his friends.
Walking with them.
Not too close.
Not too far.
Just enough.
Her heart started beating faster.
And she didn’t know why.
She faced forward again, pretending not to notice.
But she did.
Every step of the way.
And for the first time—
Charlie Mari De Guia realized…
Maybe that boy from the perya—
wasn’t just noise anymore.