No Two Ways by Chi Yu Rodriguez

Scenes From The Shredder || No Two Ways, The Party

In my most recent book, No Two Ways, there’s an empty space between AJ buying a dress and AJ heading home (-ish) after Axel’s mom’s party. I swear there was something there when I first wrote this book. But alas, in the process of beta reading and developmental editing, the chapter was removed and replaced with a condensed version. (Yes, it was an entire chapter.)

I loved that moment though. So true to “001.doc 002.doc 003.doc” culture, I didn’t delete it. I just plucked it out and moved it somewhere where all the feelings can remain safe and existing but hidden… until now!


The Party

Axel’s family moved from our subdivision in Quezon City to another exclusive subdivision in Pasig two years before we broke up. As I was navigating my way through the community, I was passing through areas where Axel and I made some memories in college.

There was the small park we always walked to after dinner, the clubhouse that we used as a hideout whenever his dad blew up about something, and this tree that we used to hide behind to sneak kisses in before my driver arrived.

While I attempted to get myself out of that dangerous headspace, I pull up to the house. There were a lot of cars parked outside though that I had to drive around the street one more time for parking.

From the outside, the house was still as I remembered. It was a western style, three-story house with a Spanish aesthetic. There was the usual sprawling driveway that led up to the front door, and a gate at the side that led to their humongous backyard.

I could hear people and music from behind the gates. A man standing beside it checked my name off of his tablet then stepped aside so I could walk in.

They most likely renovated some time ago because there were areas that weren’t there the last time I was here. Like the swooping white canopies covering the pool, the small guesthouse at the far corner of the lot, and the deck overlooking the whole backyard.

There were tables set up all over the place. A lot of them were already occupied by people, mostly by Tita Rosario’s friends, with those my age or younger standing near the outdoor bar.

I felt my phone vibrate inside my purse. It was a text message from Jackie. I was about to read it when someone yelled out my name causing my hands to become a bouncy house for my phone.

 “Angelica!”

I clumsily tucked my phone behind my back when I spotted Tita on the deck. She was chatting away with three of her amigas but continued to wave me over as I approached.

“Happy birthday po.”

We exchanged some besos and then I was being introduced to everyone. She kindly informed anyone who would listen that I was Axel’s ex-girlfriend.

“Oh, are you his date for tonight?” One of the women asked.

I didn’t think I could feel more awkward than I already did. “No po, I’m just here as Tita’s guest.”

“Aw, that’s too bad,” another one of the women chimed in. “I tried to introduce him to one of my nieces but he stopped seeing her too quickly.”

“I know. I keep telling him he’s thirty-two and not getting any younger, but my boy is just too focused on his career.”

I just smiled and nodded even as I wanted so badly to interject. I didn’t think he’d be experiencing the same level of prying being a guy, but I guess I was wrong. No one’s love life was safe when a gaggle of titas were around to say something about it.

“Um, where is Axel?” At the risk of feeding into the middle-aged gossip mill, I needed to save myself from this conversation and I bet Axel knew a great hiding place.

“He should be inside. He was ruining his suit wrestling with one of the kids earlier.”

“I’ll just go look for him.” 

“When you find him hija, tell him Tito Boy needs to talk to him about something please?”

  “Okay Tita,” I said before finally excusing myself.

I finally read Jackie’s text message as I stepped into the house. 


Where are you? Come drink with me!

I can’t. I’m at a party.

Boo, you whore 🙁

=*


Great. Now I regretted being here when I could’ve been out having drinks with no strings and totally not-dating. My sigh was heavy but I tucked my phone away again.

There were more people inside but they were at least an entire generation younger than the ones I met outside—kids with their toys splayed over the fluffy carpet, and their uniformed yayas watching nearby.

If I remembered correctly, the kitchen would be down the hallway from where I was. The smell of more food and brewed coffee met me the further along I got. I peeked inside to find the catering staff puttering about, washing used dishes and filling up new ones. At the corner, I saw a tuft of silver hair on a tall drink of water in a royal blue suit.

“Still hiding from the adults at our age, I see.”

He had a smile on at the ready as soon as he turned to face me. “I’m assuming you’re doing exactly the same thing?”

“Yup. I almost got proposed to on your behalf out there.”

“Oh god. I suddenly need something stronger than coffee.”

It was comforting how easily we were still able to get on the groove of things with each other. For the longest time, I hated myself for what I put him through. I thought for sure I wasn’t going to get one of my best friends back. And yet here we were.

“Do you have tea?”

“For the pretty lady in red? Anything.”

Smooth talker. This was definitely Axel Herrera 2.0.

I finally got a better view of his entire look when he handed me my cup and damn, how was he such a stunner? “A black turtleneck under a suit? In this heat? Really?”

“This fabric is thinner than you think. Also get off my style choices, you just got here.”

He took his coffee and walked out of the kitchen. I followed along (and grabbed a pistachio macaron from one of the trays by the doorway), both of us still grinning from ear to ear. We walked back through the living room then up the stairs until we got to what I knew to be his dad’s office.

I was never in there much, but knowing Axel’s dad, those were still the same mahogany furniture from twelve years ago. “Where’s your dad, by the way?”

“Business trip. It was last minute, though. Which makes me think he just made up an excuse to not be here.”

The question of why was at the tip of my tongue. But as we walked out into the terrace, I decided I didn’t want to know.

“Am I messing up my memories or isn’t your piano supposed to be in that room?”

Axel looked behind us and sighed. “Yeah.”

I expected more of an answer than that. That piano was his most prized possession. “And?”

He didn’t answer immediately. 

The terrace was on the side of the house. From where we were, we could see the festivities downstairs if we leaned forward a little and looked around the corner wall. His mom was on the grass now, making the rounds.

“We put it in storage.”

“Did you get an electronic one for your place?”

Axel just shook his head. “I don’t really play anymore.”

Finding out his childhood piano was chucked in storage was one thing, but hearing him say he didn’t play anymore… that broke my heart.

“Is it because of work?”

“Partly, yeah. I just can’t make time anymore.”

I watched him distract himself with the people downstairs. His eyes were blank as they followed his mom around. When I saw a slight tilt to his lips, I turned to find Tita Rosario scooting down to talk to a boy who escaped the kiddie table. 

We stayed like that until both our cups were empty, the faraway chatter in the party our own background music. 

Suddenly, I heard the first bars of a piano piece playing behind me. Axel had pulled out his phone and started playing a song. “I still have some recordings here.”

The song was slow, ethereal. I imagined Axel’s fingers slow dancing with the keys and I felt sad again. He really loved playing the piano. I wish his obligation to his family didn’t rob him of that.

Just then, Axel moved to set his phone down on the edge of the terrace. He took both our cups to the same corner, too.

When he returned, he stood in front of me with both his hands behind his back. “May I offer the lady in red a dance?”

I sputtered. It was a cross between a laugh and me choking to death, and Axel found it just as amusing as I did. The song was still playing from his phone which made this entire moment more than a little romcom-y.

I pursed my lips at him, but I took his hand anyway when he offered it. He took us to the center of the terrace, away from prying eyes, and pulled me closer.

To say that I was a little overwhelmed by us dancing under the stars would be an understatement.

One of his hands was resting on my lower back, while I kept mine on his shoulder. He held my other hand against his chest, right where I could feel his heart beating against my fingertips.

I was keeping my gaze as far away from him as possible. But as we continued to move to the soft sound of his piano playing, something was beginning to settle inside my chest.

There was a weight that wasn’t there before. It started out like a gust of warm wind, a gentle pulse, but was now spreading like lava around my heart. Instinctively, I moved closer—clung a little tighter, and let my head fall against his cheek. 

I didn’t know when I started to cry, but suddenly the neckline of my dress was damp with tears.

Axel had shifted to wrap his arms around me, and I slid my own around his waist. I felt the first few droplets of his tears on my shoulder as the song on his phone came to an end.

We stayed like that for a while, just holding each other and quietly sobbing. When he pulled back, I smiled through my tears seeing how red his nose had gotten.

“Don’t even. You’re no better.” He reached up to wipe my tears, and I did the same for him. But something was pulling me back. So I gave in and wrapped my arms around him again. Tighter this time.

We never got to talk after we broke up. I never tried, and neither did he. This was my chance. “I’m sorry,” I choked. “I’m so sorry, Axel.”

I found comfort in his hand rubbing up and down my back, and the other cradling the back of my head. “You have nothing to apologize for, Angge. Nothing.”

We held each other like we were mending the cracks we left behind by disappearing from each other’s lives. When we finally let go, he gave me a kiss on the cheek and smiled through the aftermath of tears. “What do you say we raid my dad’s liquor cabinet? He has great tequila.”

“Tangina yes, please, lead the way.”

As we ran back inside, giggling like we used to when we were younger, I felt twenty pounds lighter.


No Two Ways by Chi Yu Rodriguez

Find No Two Ways in the following links:

Amazon: bit.ly/NTW-Amazon
Print (PH): bit.ly/chiprints
Rate: bit.ly/NTW-Goodread
Or check out the rest of my books here.

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