Halo-Halo To Love You

With a spring in my step and a big smile on my face, I entered the classroom and greeted my classmates enthusiastically, "Good morning, everyone! Hello! Hello!"

Making my way to my seat, I passed by Felipe Cruz, one of my classmates, and flashed him my sweetest smile. "Good morning, Felipe!"

As usual, like every day, Felipe responded with a cold glance before putting on his earphones and turning towards the window.

Concerned, my three best friends huddled around me and noticed the frown on my face. Pam asked, "Moxy, why did you even bother?"

Celia chimed in, "He's always so quiet."

Rita added, "He seems more like a snob, heartless even."

All I could manage to say was, "But isn't he cute?"

They all exclaimed at the same time, shocked, "Huh?"

Just then, our teacher entered the classroom and greeted us with a cheerful, "Good morning, everyone!" He made an unexpected announcement, "We will be having a cultural food festival next week at 2:00. We'll set up a food stall for the event, and I need some volunteers."

Eager to participate, I raised my hand and waved to catch the teacher's attention. "Okay, we have one volunteer, Moxy as always, and..."

The rest of the class seemed uninterested and avoided eye contact with the teacher.

"And, of course, I've chosen Felipe to work with Moxy on our food stall."

I glanced at Felipe, hoping he would meet my gaze, but he remained focused on the window. Panic surged through me. Oh no! I'm paired up with the infamous "King of Heartless" himself, Felipe Cruz. This is a problem! I really want to enjoy the cultural food festival, and the only way to ensure that is by making Felipe my new friend. I can do this!

I quietly cheered myself on in my seat. Our teacher continued talking about the cultural food festival and its events.

****

As we finished setting up the food stall, Felipe handed me a matching blue apron with our initials embroidered on the front—M.M. for me (Moxy Montero) and F.C. for him (Felipe Cruz).

"Wow! You made a personalized apron for me. That's really cool, Felipe! Can I call you Fel?"

He gathered the ingredients for making Halo-Halo but didn't respond or even look at me.

"Alright then, let's make the best Halo-Halo ever, Fel, Felipe!" I said with a wide grin.

He continued preparing the Halo-Halo silently, not uttering a single word.

As I watched him meticulously place each ingredient—shaved ice, purple yam ice cream, creamy leche flan, coconut shreds, mango, gelatin, corn, sugar, and evaporated milk—I noticed a peaceful smile on his face, something I had never seen in class before.

"Wow! Are you smiling? I never knew you could smile."

He glanced at me but still remained silent.

"You're really quiet! You can talk to me, you know. We can be friends. Best friends, even."

I lightly point his cheek with my fingertip.

He looked at me, and in that moment, time seemed to slow down. His dark eyes gazed at me intensely, and as I caught myself staring at his full lips, thinking of kissing him, I quickly shook my head, reminding myself not to get distracted by his cuteness.

As he busily continued preparing the Halo-Halo, I helped by cleaning the bowls and spoons.

Two students approached our food stall, and I immediately went to them and warmly welcomed them, saying, "Hey, try some Halo-Halo. In English it means mix-mix. It's a delicious dessert/dish from the Philippines, perfect for the summer, especially in this hot weather."

"It looks so pretty and delicious, oh, what a cute dessert!" the girl said, gazing happily at the Halo-Halo.

Her friend nodded. "Let's give it a try. It's really pretty." She turned to us. "Can we have some?"

"Yes, definitely!" I nodded, smiling.

Before we knew it, a long line of students had formed at our food stall, and even some teachers joined in.

After a while, exhaustion started to set in. "Phew!" I sighed to myself, wiping my face and unknowingly smearing a food stain on my cheek.

Without saying a word, Felipe took out his handkerchief and quickly wiped off the stain from my cheek. Then he returned to preparing more Halo-Halo.

I couldn't help but smile, trying not to let him notice my reaction.

Is he really heartless? Just now, he showed that he actually cares.

I stretched my arms and let out a yawn. "I feel so tired! We have so many Halo-Halos to make."

With just those words, Felipe spoke to me for the first time that afternoon. "Take a rest. I'll handle the next batch of Halo-Halos myself."

"Really? Are you sure?"

He looked at me, and for the first time, his expression was kind and gentle.

He nodded, and in the blink of an eye, he was back to making the next batch of Halo-Halos.

I sat down on one of the chairs in the food stall, observing how passionately and hardworking my partner was in creating the best Halo-Halos he possibly could.

I could tell from the way he prepared the dish that he loved what he was doing.

Minutes went by, and my hunger grew. I could hear my stomach growling.

Slowly, the people at the food stall dwindled until there was no one left.

I touched my stomach and whispered to myself, "I'm so hungry."

All of a sudden, Felipe placed a serving of Halo-Halo on the table in front of me, accompanied by a note that read, "For you."

He sat down beside me, also holding his own Halo-Halo.

I smiled and hugged him, momentarily surprising him.

"Sorry, I just felt the need to hug you. I really needed this right now. Seeing all the Halo-Halos made me so hungry. I thought I wouldn't be able to taste any. Thank you so much, Felipe!"

He looked away and quietly enjoyed his Halo-Halo.

As I continued to savor mine, I noticed how Felipe resembled a child, thoroughly enjoying his Halo-Halo. He looked genuinely happy.

"Wow! This tastes amazing! How did you do it? Can you teach me? What's your secret? Tell me, Fel... Felipe?"

I thought he wouldn't respond, but he suddenly spoke up, saying, "When you make a Halo-Halo, you should do it with all your heart. Make it with love. Without love, a Halo-Halo won't be the best one a customer will ever taste. That's what my grandma told me. She came to America and missed Halo-Halo so much that she decided to open a restaurant in Manila Town, where she sells her special Halo-Halo, along with barbeque that has a special homemade sauce."

"I have to visit your family's restaurant, Felipe."

"You're welcome to come anytime, Moxy," he replied, remaining quiet for the rest of our time spent enjoying our Halo-Halo.

I savored each delicious bite and continued talking to him, even if he wouldn't say a word, just listening.

"This is the most amazing Halo-Halo ever! I absolutely love it! Your recipe is perfect! Perfect!" I clapped my hands and happily hummed a song.