14: Prototype Relationship

The time is 8:00 AM on a Sunday. Drino has just parked. Getting out of the car, he leaned against it, glancing at his watch to see it was 8:03 AM. He then pulled out his phone and sent a text to Ashmille.

Where are you? Just arrived.

He started walking towards the entrance of the city’s historic Walled City, where every cobblestone whispers stories of the past. There are ancient churches, strong forts like Santiago, and museums filled with rich history. It's like stepping into a time machine of Spanish-era buildings and cultural adventure.

Late 16th Century Historical Time-Travel was one of Drino’s five date ideas. In addition to being close to their school—within a 10-kilometer range, this location is a popular romantic destination for couples.

While he wished to make it more romantic by picking Ashmille up, she wouldn't let him.

“Send me your address. I’ll pick you up at 7:30,” he asked.

“You don’t have to. We can meet at the dating location instead.”

“Isn’t picking you up and riding in the car with me a part of dating? Riding in my car to get to that place for our first date is still within a 10-kilometer radius.”

“I prefer to commute. Let’s meet there separately,” she insisted.

“Alejandrino,”

Ashmille arrived after 35 minutes of waiting. She was late on their first prototype date.

She was dressed casually in blue pants, a simple white knitted short-sleeved blouse with a gold necklace, clean white sneakers, and her hair pulled back in a high ponytail. Drino sported a relaxed look with a beige and black checkered polo over a white t-shirt, black pants, patterned black sneakers, a khaki cap, and gray round sunglasses.

“Sorry, I waited for 30 minutes for a ride. I couldn’t reply to you right away because I was walking outside and had to be careful with my phone in public.”

“I understand.”

He stared at her.

“W-What’s wrong?” She became conscious of her look.

“We’re dating, aren’t we?” Drino asked for her confirmation because it feels surreal for him.

“That was the purpose of going here. Yes, for our thesis.”

The ambience went awkward for unknown reasons.

“This place is nice,” she changed the topic and turned her gaze to the surroundings.

They are strolling in a majestic place.

“Have you been here?”

“Yes, once when I was in my first year with my classmates for a project too, like what we’re doing.” She’s reminiscing about those times with her friends.

“Where are they now?”

“If you're wondering why I don't have friends in this class, it's because I registered late and had to choose a class at the last minute, which prevented me from joining them. That's why I'm in this section. But I do get to reconnect with them in our other major and minor courses.”

“So, that’s how it is.”

“Uh-huh. Oh, a bamboo bike,” she pointed at the wooden bicycle rentals.

“Do you want to tour this place by bike?”

She nodded. “Yes”

“Alright!” Drino affirmed. “Sir, we’ll rent these 2 bikes for an hour, please.”

“Good thing I didn’t wear a long skirt today.”

“I'm sure you'll look adorable anyway.”

“I thought so too, as the skirt is perfect for this setting; however, we'll be riding bikes.”

“Right. Comfort over everything.”

They explore the Fort, a Shrine, an old church & traditional houses. There is a plaza featuring the luxurious lifestyle of the past and old mansions while biking.

A sudden drizzle turned into a downpour, forcing them to dismount their bikes and dash for cover under a nearby roof. They left their bicycles at the café entrance.

“I wasn't expecting rain today, especially since the sun was shining so brightly earlier,” Drino said.

“Neither did I.”

“Let’s head off to the café and take a break.”

They grabbed their refreshments at a hidden café showcasing the old yet elegant charm of the 1600s. They took the seats near the glass walls to keep an eye on the bamboo bikes they parked.

Ashmille ordered a hot tablea mocha paired with ensaymada, while Drino ordered a purple yam latte with classic local baked rice cake called bibingka.

“Hmm,” Drino hummed in approval. He loves food. “I’m in love with these! You don’t get to try this ube latte everywhere, so this is a must-have when visiting here. They didn’t use artificial flavoring, but a real ube. You can see there are ube bits. Paired it with bibingka…” He did a chef’s kiss gesture. “I’m out of words. It’s spongy and fluffy, which melts in my third bite. The sweet and savory flavors are playing tug-of-war with a subtle smoky sensation.”

Ashmile smirked, thinking he was out of words, yet he expressed his delight eloquently.

“Wait, do you know why this pastry has a smoky flavor?” he asked.

“It must have been baked using the traditional cooking method. It is baked in a clay pot set over hot coals and wrapped with banana leaves that lightly char as it bakes.”

“Oh, so that’s how it works,” he’s amazed.

“See the tiny black particles beside the banana leaf?”

He nodded.

“Those came from the charcoal.”

“I am learning new stuff because of you. How are you liking yours?”

“I enjoy their rich hot tablea mocha. Just a bit sweet for my liking, so I poured a bit of water to balance it. The ensaymada is less fluffy and smaller than expected. Yours seems better.”

She peered at his bibingka. That was the pastry she was supposed to order, but didn’t because Drino ordered it first, and she felt awkward having the same order.

Drino pushed his plate of bibingka.

“Try some. It’s really good.”

“O-Okay, thanks.” She hesitated but gave in. “Mm… I’m out of words.” She is, literally, unlike Drino.

“Right? You can try my drink, too.”

“Uh, no need.”

“I’ll order more bibingka!”

He went to the counter and quickly returned to their table carrying two bibingkas

“Got the last 2 of these. The woman behind me was ready to order two, but I was fortunate because the man ahead of me had just ordered 30, leaving these as the last ones,” he whispered.

“Thank you,” Ashmille smiled and took a bite. “Ouch!”

“Hey, it’s still hot.” He stretched his hands out with a tissue to her chin, catching the bibingka she spat. “We got their last batch, freshly baked. I can smell the coal from it.”

Ashmille flustered. “Sorry, I’ll take care of it.”

Drino wiped her mouth with another clean tissue. “You can be clumsy, too,” he tittered.

“I’m not.”

“You are, for now.”

He dabbed her mouth gently with a tissue, then paused. His gaze fixed on her lips, where traces of matte red-orange lipstick remained. He began to lean slowly when she gave a soft cough.

Their faces went warm like it was going to explode. They avoided their gaze.

He twitched, leaning back, and stopped wiping her mouth. “There was a sugar granule on your lips,” he blinked fast.

“My throat, s-something’s stuck,” she stuttered.

She moved her left hand to grab the mug to drink her tablea, but because she’s flustered, she almost knocked it off.

“Careful,” Drino whispered. “What did I tell you? You’re a bit clumsy sometimes,” he smiled, gazing with his teasing eyes on hers.

She gulped, staring at him, who was amused by her. It’s not because she lost to him in a small debate about whether she’s clumsy or not. She took one more gulp of her drink before speaking.

“By the way, Alejandrino…”

“Oh, the rain stopped. We could ride the bikes again after we’ve finished our food.” He took a bite of his bibingka and two sips of his ube latte. “You were trying to say something?”

“I want to include something in our agreement.”

“About the prototype agreement? What else do you think should be added?”

“Agreement number 6, regarding the emotional aspect of this experiment.”

“Yeah, we already covered that part.”

She leaned in a bit closer to ensure he could hear her properly. With a solemn expression, she stated, “Don’t fall in love with me.”