19: The Great Pretenders

“Ladies first,” Drino stated.

“How about you go first this time? I pitched to you my ideas first multiple times, remember?”

“Alright, I got it.”

“Good afternoon, Ma’am and Sir. What a pleasant day to begin my thesis presentation. I am Alejandrino Montezales, a 4th-year psychology student conducting my study, ‘Design a Darling’. And oh, before I forget, please call me Drino instead for easier communication.”

Ashmille signaled to start his presentation.

“You know what… I’m good,” he paused.

“Huh?” she’s confused.

“I won’t practice anymore.”

“Why? Are you ready with your presentation for tomorrow?”

“Nah, I still need to polish some documents and read more literature. But my gut feeling screams, I can do it.”

They were helping each other, questioning one another to prepare themselves for the panels. They acted like reporting to the actual panel members. This would give them the skills to improve their presentations, prepare answers to potential questions, reduce anxiety on presentation day, and ultimately ensure their graduation.

It's been 8 fruitful months since they collaborated as thesis mates who work individually.

It’s been quiet for 5 minutes when Drino broke the ice.

“So, Ms. Feder…”

“Yes, Sir?”

“How would you build your boyfriend?” Drino asked, impersonating their professor.

“That came out of nowhere.”

“You should answer it, still.”

“Doesn’t that question seem unrelated to my study?”

“How so?”

“You’re technically asking about my personal thoughts.”

“Which makes it more interesting, doesn’t it?”

“And you’re having fun doing it to me.”

“Okay, that would be my last follow-up question for you. And who knows? That question might pop out of the three panelists.”

She contemplated that he might be right. It’s better to be ready for some quirky questions and not be surprised by them on the day of their thesis defense.

“To answer that last question, Sir, how would I build my boyfriend? To be honest, I never thought of that question or asked myself that. Here’s my take.”

The question Drino thought of was provocative that it stimulates her insights. She didn’t expect it, but it was too interesting not to answer, so she got curious about herself about what and how she would answer.

He nodded. “Go on”

She gulped. “I would like to clarify that I would not rather build my boyfriend.”

Drino furrowed his eyebrows and leaned forward. “Kindly elaborate.” He’s acting professional, not the usual goofy Drino.

“I would rather not build him because I want my boyfriend to be who he truly is. I believe we all possess at least one negative trait and behavior. And I want to fully accept not only my boyfriend’s notable traits and positive attributes but also his imperfections that are considered negotiable for me because I love him.”

She paused for a moment. She started gesturing with her hands for further explanation.

“However, it also does not automatically mean that I will shrug off and tolerate his negotiable negative traits. I will be his girlfriend, certainly not his mother. I am his partner who will support and encourage him to be the best version of himself. If he’s willing to do so for himself and for the people around him who care for him dearly… This ends the question-and-answer portion.”

Drino was stuck in his position, staring into nothingness.

“Sir? Alejandrino? I’m done with mine.”

Drino came back to his senses when he heard his name called by her.

“Ah, yeah,” he claps his hands. “Congratulations!” He stood and shook her hands. “You made it to this stage. Well done, Ms. Ashmille Feder. Brilliant!”

“How did it go? Did my answers feel right with you? I couldn’t memorize everything in my thesis book draft, but I understood all of it, so if the panelists went into circles, I could answer them.”

“Yeah. You did great, especially the last one. Sounds like a Miss Universe’s answer,” he giggled at his own statement.

“You’re getting way overboard with your praises. Did you listen attentively to me? I felt unsatisfied with my answers. Besides, I wasn’t prepared for your last question, so how did it become the best answer I had?”

“Exactly. The last question I asked you was a spontaneous one, yet your answer was more natural because it came from your heart. You neither memorized nor processed it beforehand, but your answer flowed seamlessly. I can also see your expression lightened compared to when you were tensed. It showed your authentic self, where you shared how you truly feel about it. All of which are pleasing to me.”

“Well, because that was the only question you asked, which was based on personal life, and the only question I answered opinionatedly. I don’t need facts to back it up.”

He scoffed. “You’re right. I lose.” He jokingly raised both his hands, declaring he lost.

"Any other input?"

“I discerned, according to your answer, that you don’t like a manchild or probably mother’s boys, as your boyfriend.”

“I’m done,” Ashmille left the stage after her mock presentation.

“I’m kidding.”

“I’m heading home. I need to get ready for tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I must too.”

“Let’s call it a day.”

*phone notification*

“Almost forgot to set it into a silent mode for tomorrow.” His cellphone popped a notification, and he checked it. “Looks like I won’t be going home yet.”

“Why?”

“Terryl and the gang invited me to hang out. He calls it an initiation before we present tomorrow.”

“Partying is a thing, but you can’t be drunk and groggy tomorrow. We will present in the morning.”

“Fair enough”

“I don’t mean to barge into your private life, though.”

“You’re right about it. Tomorrow’s a big day!”

She sighed, looking at the four corners of the room. “Two trimesters passed quickly. I was even scared thinking about my future thesis when I was a freshman, but here we are now. Tomorrow will determine where the 8 months of efforts go. And who would have thought I’d rather do this thing individually?”

“And I became your thesis buddy who also did it individually!”

They both laughed softly, reminiscing about their early college days.

“Yeah, it never crossed my mind. The popular, noisy guy is working with the nerdy, quiet girl. What an ironic duo,” she commented.

“Isn’t it supposed to be the iconic duo?”

“It is, but that’s not how we are. We are the Ironic Duos because the total opposites are teaming up for a common cause.”

“Brilliant!” he exclaimed. “It appears to be a romantic comedy segment or film series. The ones that are currently popular with teenagers!”

“Haven’t heard of those.”

“We’re no longer teens, so it makes sense. Although I got to watch one of them.”

“Uh-huh”

“I presume we are iconic duos, too. The iconic noisy guy and the iconic nerdy girl.”

“We may become an iconic duo because in our batch, we’re the only ones who did an individual thesis. We also didn’t pair up to do it as a group. And I beg to differ. You’re the only one who’s iconic because you’re a popular guy, I’m not.”

“Should it be an iconic solo? Guess not. It sounds odd to have that title.”

“But much better.”

“I honestly think we’re compatible duos instead. You know, like a perfect match.”

Silence filled the air. It has become awkward.

He cleared his throat. “Take note, I’m not popular,” he denied.

“I’ll list it for you.” She gestured her pinky finger to count it as number one. “You're constantly surrounded by people. You always bump into your friends and greet them. You have a big group of close friends. The professors remember you well. Even the employees here know your name.”

“I’m surrounded by many people because, yes, I am an extrovert. I can’t live without people. I bump into my friends because I’ve met some of them in high school, they reside near my neighborhood, and I’ve known them from joining some clubs. My group of close friends got bigger because of Savi’s boyfriend. We became closer with him and his friends because Savi adopted them to form a thesis group. The professors always scolded my group because we’re naughty,” he chuckled, remembering the headaches they caused their professors. “And the older school staff here have known my parents because they both studied here as well.”

“College lovers?”

“Yes and no. Yes, because they met during their college, but no, because they never had an interaction at that time. They majored in different programs, and my dad is two years older than my mom. Then fate led them again for a fateful encounter, like they were meant to be right from the start. They were surprised to know on their first date that they were both alumni of the same school. What’s funny is that they look back on their yearbooks. Unexpectedly, they both graduated in the same batch because Dad stayed for two more years in college, even though he’s older. It’s like they might not meet earlier, but their path narrows slowly, guiding them to come across one another.”

“What a heartfelt love story your parents had. They sure seem like a lovely couple.”

“Yup, they are. Who I am today is largely a reflection of who my parents are. You can pretty much figure it out yourself, haha,” he talked proudly of his parents.

“I can see that.”

Aside from pretending to be real couples, they are also good at pretending they’re presenting their thesis defense in front of the panelists.

“I couldn’t believe this would be our last date,” he remarked.

“Prototype dating”

“Ah, yes, the last prototype dating.”

“It was my suggestion to have an academic-related date. Since we haven’t rehearsed our thesis defense, this is getting two things done at once,” she remarked.

“That’s smart.”

“At least we were able to make it into five. Both our schedules have been so hectic that we couldn’t squeeze in any more dates. Having five dates is acceptable for our data.”

This marks their last prototype dating, the Academic Excursion that Ashmille listed and picked by the spinning wheel.