"Relax, Joaquin," Katie whispers as they walk away from the car. "You're sweating buckets."

Joaquin groans, tugging at his shirt. "I'm a mess already, huh?"

"Not yet. Let's keep it that way."

Joaquin blows air out of his cheeks, stuffing his hands into his pockets, his gaze fixed on the bar ahead. His heart pounds as they near, a spike of adrenaline flowing through his veins. Why is he so nervous?

"You sure you're okay tagging along?" he asks, glimpsing at Katie.

"Of course. Unless they don't want me to? Actually, I don't even care. I want to meet Julian. I have to."

He snorts. "Right. Julian."

Katie flips her long hair over her shoulder and looks at her French manicured nails. "Shush."

Joaquin pushes the door open, holding it for Katie as his eyes swiftly survey the bar. The mellow hum of jazz music drifts from the corners, mixing with the buzz of low conversations, the scent of spilled alcohol and cigarette smoke lingering in the air. It's indeed a cozy spot for late-night drinking, with industrial pendant lights hanging low, casting warm pools of light over the booths filled with patrons.

Joaquin and Katie shuffle in between strangers. A guy boldly winks at Katie, and she counters with an icy glare, mumbling a curse word.

"Over here!" Myka's voice rises above the noise, her hand darting up in a wave.

Julian whirls his head, locking gazes with Joaquin, before shifting to Katie, whose strides quicken. She slides next to Myka, one leg crossing over the other with effortless poise. "Good evening, folks," she greets with a dazzling grin.

Evan gapes, stammering, "Oh, hello. Um, I'm Evan. I work in marketing. Love music. And, uh... I'm friends with Ate Myka and Julian, and Kuya Joaquin is kind of my idol."

Myka huffs, rolling her eyes. "Evan, breathe, please." She turns to Katie. "Glad you could make it. I guess you're off today? Since you've just hung out with Joaquin."

Katie's smile widens, dismissing the jab, and retorts, "Oh, you noticed? That's nice."

Myka, taken aback, finds no words and grabs a piece of mozzarella stick. Meanwhile, Joaquin hovers awkwardly, eyeing the only available spot—next to Julian, who's aggressively going to town on a plate of nachos.

"Sit down," Katie utters, giving him a pointed look. His gaze flickers to the people around the table, and then he yields. It's been so long since he sat with the same crowd.

Katie's attention falls on Julian. "Julian, right?"

"Yeah, nice to meet you," Julian answers warmly, causing a wave of confusion for everyone at the table, excluding Evan.

"I've heard a lot about you."

"All good, I hope?" An eyebrow arches. "Anything I should be worried about?"

"Nope. Only the very best things."

Joaquin feels a flush creeping into his cheeks. "Actually," he interrupts. "Let's order some drinks."

Katie sneers and indulges Joaquin's plea to steer the topic elsewhere. She leans back, flagging a server, while Julian sips his beer, resisting the urge to pry into the best things Joaquin had told her about him. How could he have said positive things?

Julian broke his heart. Left him in the dust, when he knew it was Joaquin's biggest fear.

It doesn't matter, Julian tells himself. Joaquin brought Katie with him. If that wasn't a statement, nothing else was.

"So, Kuya Joaquin," Evan pipes up. "It's so great to see you! What's new?"

"Oh, uh. Where to start? So, I'm with Jimenez now. But before that, I spent a year at another firm after I passed the bar, mostly civil litigation and corp. Dabbled in some criminal law. And uh, my father had retired. I took some time off to help him settle down with some relatives in the US. What about you guys?"

"As I said earlier, marketing. Been there for two years. It's not an exciting job, and I'm mostly surrounded by women. I'm the token guy on the team," Evan quips and nudges Myka, prompting a round table of introductions.

"Joaquin already knows who I am," she says.

"I don't," Katie responds with a cheeky smile. "Let's hear it."

Myka's lips twitch as she shoots Katie a surprised look. Julian and Evan exchange glances, and Joaquin shakes his head slightly, the only person fully comprehending what's happening before their very eyes.

"Oh, okay. Well, I started at Jimenez. Mostly civil. A bit of criminal law. Right now, I'm hating how one of my current cases is going, but I can't really talk about it, so let's just say I need this drink." She raises her glass of red wine and takes a sip.

Katie picks up the cue and jumps in. "My turn, then. I run a makeup brand, mostly online, but my team and I are planning to expand. And when I'm not working, I paint."

On impulse, Julian inquires, "What medium do you use?"

"Acrylic. I also like watercolor," she replies. "You sketch, too, right? Mostly with pencil?"

"Um, yeah. And charcoal," he replies meekly, realizing that Joaquin must've said something. Probably one of the things he'd mentioned to Katie.

Evan perks up. "He just wrapped up an art exhibition. There's going to be another one, right?"

"Yes. But I'm just one of the many new artists there. Got lucky..."

"Can we go?" Katie asks, throwing Joaquin a furtive smile. "Joaquin and I?"

"Oh. Ah. Yes. I'd—We'd love to," Joaquin murmurs, his grip tightening around his glass of whisky.

"Uh, sure. Why not?" Julian says, snatching a barbecue skewer. "I'll let you know the details later..."

Myka stares at Julian, her frustration bubbling under the surface. Why'd he say yes? Plus, the elephant in the room remains unaddressed. Her patience is running out.

"So, uh, what's the real score between you two?" she asks bluntly, her tone casual but obviously probing.

Julian gulps but keeps his face impassive, his heart skipping a beat at Myka's directness.

Joaquin tilts his head, forehead crumpling. "What are you... me and Katie?"

Then, his eyes dart to Julian as the reality dawns upon him: Katie was the girl he'd been set up with before Julian ended things with him. Alarmed, he claims, "We're friends. Just friends. Nothing's happening here."

Julian finishes his beer without a word, intentionally avoiding eye contact with Joaquin. Katie, on the other hand, laughs out loud. "Exactly. Hell, no."

It's Evan's turn to ask. "Wait, are you guys serious? Why not? You guys look so good together."

Myka throws deadly daggers at him. Oblivious to Joaquin and Julian's past, he mouths a "Huh?" in her direction.

"That's a good question." Katie rests her chin on a palm, smirking. "I'm a lesbian."

Julian's jaw nearly hits the table. "What?"

Myka mirrors Julian's reaction, but for a distinct reason. She grapples with the fact that Katie, one of the hottest women she's ever met, might have been trying to hit on her.

"Oh," Evan mumbles. "Makes sense."

"What makes sense?"

"You're into Ate Myka."

Myka winces, stepping on Evan's shoe on purpose, and he yelps. "Ate!"

"Whoops! Moving on!" she exclaims, reddening, then deflects. "Julian has something to ask you, Joaquin!"

"Me? I don't..." Julian begins, trailing off, as it sinks in. Myka is referring to the controversial baby photo.

In less than a minute, she's earned herself two death stares from two people at the table.

"Well?" Joaquin looks at Julian, eyebrows arched."What is it?"

Myka wiggles her eyebrows. As she opens her mouth, Julian blurts out, "Oh, um! I have a dresser! To be delivered tomorrow. And I... don't know how to put it together." He gives an awkward chuckle. "B-But it's okay. I'm sure I can figure it out. Forget I said anything. Never mind—!"

"I can go help you," Joaquin says. "I've got nothing to do. I'm no expert, but two heads are better than one, right?"

"Right. Two heads," Katie recounts suggestively. Julian and Myka cough in unison, Joaquin's face contorts into something between horror and embarrassment, while Evan frowns, failing to catch on.

Julian mentally scrambles. How would he get out of this? Joaquin in his room. Tomorrow. When was the last time he'd cleaned up? Had he even bothered to finish folding his laundry?

"What time, uh, is it scheduled for?" Joaquin asks.

Julian licks his bottom lip. Screw it. He's just offering to help. Being not tied to Katie is irrelevant. "Oh, it's scheduled for 3 PM. Again, no pressure–"

"Is your number still the same?"

"Yes, still the same," Julian replies, dismissing the shiver that runs down his spine.

His number remains saved in Joaquin's phone—just as he hasn't deleted his.

"Why'd you guys stop contacting each other?"

The whole table goes quiet, their heads whirling at Evan, who is still as clueless as someone wearing glasses at night. Julian has to tell him. If he knew, maybe he'd learn social propriety and refrain from saying things that would kill Julian due to shame.

"Well, this is fun, and uh, interesting," Myka remarks, shifting in her seat. "So, uh, Joaquin. The baby photo in your office?"

Julian's stomach twists, eyeing Myka. How many more revelations is he supposed to process tonight?

Joaquin's lips curve upwards. "Oh? That? I've caught people whispering about it. I didn't think it would be a big deal. But it's Alex's daughter, Jessica. My goddaughter."

"Alexander's baby?" Julian mutters under his breath.

The baby's not Joaquin's—of course not. He doesn't wear a ring, and he lives alone. If he had one, Julian couldn't imagine him not being active in raising them. Abandoning his own kid is the last thing Joaquin would do.

Feeling like an idiot for jumping from one wrong conclusion to the other, Julian can't stop the grimace that tugs at his face. He instinctively raises his finger for a beer refill as if the cold drink can ease the emotions swirling in his chest.

No, no, no. There's still no fate. No divine providence. No universe intervention. As he'd assumed, Joaquin is acting like the adult, trying to alleviate the tension between them. Plain and simple. So, even if he's not tied to Katie, to Jessica, things are exactly as they are.

******

Past 9 PM, the group decides to call it a night. When Myka signals to the server to pay, they're surprised to learn that it's been taken care of by Joaquin, no less. He insists it's a 'thank you' for the invite.

Myka hisses, "Don't make it sound so formal! It's not like you wouldn't be invited again."

Julian watches the interaction, resigned to the fact that Joaquin might join their mini-group. Not all the time, maybe, but still. Sighing inwardly, he decides, for his own peace of mind, to accept it. He can't keep stressing out over the same thing.

Evan gets into a taxi first, waving them goodbye. Katie is picked up by a driver and offers to take Myka home, who declines politely. Katie shrugs, unfazed, and zooms off.

"Is she coming on too strong?" Joaquin asks Myka, a touch of concern in his voice. "She can be intimidating, even for me."

"Uh, well, not really? She's... confident. And I've dealt with worse from men." She rubs her arm. "I'm just surprised. I've never considered dating women. I mean, I think she's gorgeous..."

Julian speaks up, lips pressed thinly. "Are you going to think about it? If not, tell her. Like how Alex did. Cut it straight to the point and no hopes hanging around."

Myka nods, absorbing Julian's advice. "Okay. You're right. Thanks, guys." Her cab pulls up, and she waves her hand before getting in, disappearing into the flow of traffic.

Julian glances at Joaquin. "Walking would take us around twenty minutes."

"Do you usually walk home after a night out?"

"Sometimes. It helps me sober up," he replies. "But I'm feeling pretty tired, so a taxi works."

"Sounds good." Joaquin taps at his phone and books a ride. "Ride's three minutes away."

"Great."

The music and the distant clink of glasses filter through the restaurant door, lending them a strange reprieve from the ensuing silence.

Joaquin steals a glimpse at Julian, pushing his glasses higher on his nose. Finding himself here again, standing side by side with him? It's bizarre. Dreamlike. Joaquin's fingers tingle, longing to feel him on his fingertips, but he locks them into his pockets, exercising self-restraint. Without a clear signal from Julian, he wouldn't cross the line.

He'd already done enough.

The car ride is quiet. Julian hadn't lied about being sapped of energy. The past two weeks have sucked his mental fuel, thanks to his usual way of spiraling when it comes to Joaquin. He'd been spinning in circles until tonight—shocked, relieved, and then shocked again. Which is stupid and childish. He hates that his growth seems fake. Fragile. As if he hasn't learned anything.

They arrive at the apartment building. Making their way to the elevator, a pang of nostalgia hits them both. Joaquin used to walk Julian to his dorm when time permitted, their conversations carrying them through the night and pulling them closer.

Too close it damaged them both.

It's a memory better left forgotten. It doesn't need to be revisited.

"Good night," Julian mumbles as his door unlocks.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Joaquin catches Julian's shoulders stiffening. "But if you're not okay with it—"

"No, uh, it's fine. I'll see you."

"Okay," Joaquin replies, tone lower, the delight in his voice repressed. "I'll see you."

******

A/N: Quick survey here... How do people feel about g x g? I can play around with what I've started here, but I've never written this dynamic before. Cool with it? No? Any insight would be fantastic! Got some ideas but... I don't even know if I should turn it into a side story. Haha.

And thanks for reading up to his point. Votes, comments, reactions... everything's appreciated. This might be my last work, so hopefully you stay until the end. xx