Page 120 of A Solid Guide to Surviving a Situationship

But then, the music shifted before he could answer.

Abrupt, but not jarring.

The heavy bass dissolved into something softer, slower—replaced by the warm strum of a live guitar.

A few heads turned to the low stage.

“Alright, ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between,” the DJ said. “We’re switching things up for the last five minutes before midnight. Go find the one you love… the one you’re dating… or the one you just met. Kiss them until the fireworks go off! Who knows? You might spend the rest of your life with them.”

A soft cheer rose from the crowd as the lights dimmed just slightly, just enough to make everything feel a little more intimate.

“Alright, live band, take it away!”

The opening notes of Saksi Ang Langit floated through the air.

Swoons rippled through the crowd as the song continued.

“I love this song,” he mumbled.

I glanced at him—the stranger—and he was already looking at me.

We both smiled

Not the loud kind, but something small… knowing.

Around us, people started pairing off. Hands finding hands. Bodies turning toward each other. Lips finding lips. Conversations lowering into something more private.

He stood straight now.

But we didn’t move closer.

Didn’t touch.

And somehow, we still swayed—subtle, almost absentmindedly. Like our bodies had agreed on something without asking first.

“So,” I said lightly, “does this count as part of your honesty?”

He huffed a quiet laugh. “I think this makes it worse.”

“How?”

“Now it feels like whatever I say has background music.”

“That’s your problem,” I said. “You waited too long to answer.”

He smiled again—shy, but a little more open now.

“Okay,” he said, taking a small breath. “Honest?”

I nodded.

“I didn’t want to be here,” he said.

I raised an eyebrow. “We covered that a while ago.”

He shook his head slightly. “No, I mean⁠—”

He glanced around. At the couples. The lights. The night…