They went to Mall of Asia the morning after they had sex for the first time.
It wasn’t their first time to spend the night together but lots of firsts certainly took place that day - their first kiss (with each other), their first make out session which eventually led to their first fuck.
Everything went too fast. All she could remember was that they were about to sleep when he wrapped his arms around her. She snuggled at his chest as her hand rested on his back. They were doing this for months: sleeping together, wrapped in each other’s arms, but that night was different. When she heard his deep breaths and felt him trace his fingers on her back, she knew that night would be different.
She couldn’t remember exactly what happened next. She just found herself kissing him as his hands explored her body. That night, everything that was wrong felt so right for her. When he finally asked if he could enter, she didn’t have any hesitations.
Neither one of them talked about what happened when they woke up that morning. She was the first one to get up. She fumbled through the sheets to look for her panties. She glimpsed at the naked person sleeping on her bed as she put on her clothes.
Minutes after, he got up and asked her where his briefs were. “Sa’n mo tinapon ang briefs ko?” He kidded as they both searched. She found his briefs under her bed and he snatched it from her hand. He saw the stains on her sheet and teased her about it. Everything seemed so casual.
They went out to have goto for breakfast. They could have stayed at her place and cooked breakfast but she didn’t want her housemate to find him there. With nothing else to do, nowhere to go, and the day to spare, they decided to go to Mall of Asia.
Having opened just three weekends ago, they wanted to find out what the fuss was all about. He and she walked aimlessly around the mall, lost in the throng of strangers. She wore plain houseclothes and slippers and he wore the same clothes he was wearing the day before.
They checked the IMAX theater. Superman would be out in two weeks and the attendants were already accepting reservations.
“Nood tayo Superman sa IMAX,” he said.
“Mahal eh, 350.”
“Sige na, just for the experience.”
“Sige,” she conceded.
(A few weeks later, they would each watch Superman separately. She paid 350 to watch it at Gateway while he watched it at Glorietta with someone else. She didn’t bother asking.)
They went on with their aimless stroll in the mall until he invited her to have coffee at Starbucks. With his coffee jelly and her mocha frap, they watched people from the glass wall, and talked about the weather. Nobody dared mention the events of the night prior.
While they were at the mall, he would put his hand on her shoulder or she would cling to his arm but they never held hands. When they got tired of walking, they went back to her place to sleep. They ordered KFC for dinner, watched random shows on cable until he decided that it was time for him to go home.
As she walked him to the door, he gave a perfunctory “una na ako” and left. There was no tender goodbye, not even a kiss on the cheek.
What happened to them the day after they had sex for the first time was hardly romantic. Why would she expect romance? Sex between friends is never romantic.
People she knew who had been to Mall of Asia had varied reactions. Some were impressed: andun na lahat ng stores, mapa-high end or jologs; ang romantic ng view ng bay; and ang galing nung IMAX, para kang kasama sa pelikula were some of the praises. Others were disappointed: ang daming tao; hindi covered iyong nasa gilid, ang init; and ang layo, were the lamentations.
However, when they asked her what she thought of the mall, she had no opinion. Although she saw the enormous skating rink, the scenic view of the bay, and the tram, these were insignificant details. She couldn’t remember anything, except that it was where they went the morning after they had sex for the first time.
She never returned to Mall of Asia.