Midnight Memories

Blanket Kick Pt. III

Note: raw & unedited

I GOT OUT of tito Lukas' office as fast as I could. Nang maisarado ko ang pintuan, doon lang ako nakahinga ng maluwag. I clasped my chest and realized I was holding my breath for too long. Tito Lukas is clearly not good for my mental health, para akong mababaliw dahil sa hiya dahil sa mga pinaggagawa ko.

I was entirely aware of what I just did, at mas lalo akong naloka dahil sa sagot ni tito. I should have been disgusted but I was astonished to see that I was far from being that. Surprisingly, I felt kilig upon hearing tito Lukas' rebuttal which was so out of the blue.

What he said was uncalled for, but it was something I clearly liked.

I didn't even bother bidding goodbye to Pearl as I walked as swiftly as I could towards the adjacent corner nearing the elevator. Pagliko ko ay doon lang ako nakahinga ng maluwag. Paglingon ko ay wala na sa tanawin ko ang pintuang pinanggalingan ko kani-kanina lang.

I leaned on the cold concrete wall as I tried to regain my balance. I was immensely shaking that I had to slap myself on the cheeks twice para matauhan ako. Iyong klase ng sampal na magigising talaga ako mula sa kahibangan ko kay Lukas Samonte de Tavera, but it was a lost cause kasi kinikilig pa rin ako. Hopeless na talaga ako sa sitwasyon kong 'to.

The elevator dinged and someone got out from the lift on the right.

"Red, what brings you here?"

I heard the slow clicking of shoes against the marbled floor. I see two sets of black shoes drawing near and when I looked up to see who it was, I was surprised to know that those pairs of shoes belong to my uncle Enero, kuya Levi's father, and my lolo Greg. They were accompanied by five bodyguards just a few feet from them.

I didn't remember lolo having this kind of schedule for today before I left the house, o baka naman sinadya nyang hindi ipaalam sa akin? I mean, I called his secretary about tito Lukas so lolo must've known. And we were just talking about the man earlier. It's kinda sus but I didn't take it as that of a big deal.

Baka may kailangan lang rin talaga sila kay tito Lukas. And considering that tito Enero is here as well, this might be some real business. Labas na ako doon.

I kissed the two on the cheeks. "Good morning po. I had a prior appointment with tito Lukas," I responded, trying to avoid further questions from uncle Enero.

Napatango lang ito at mukhang hindi naniniwalang 'yon lang talaga ang sadya ko. I mean, why would a busy man like tito Lukas—goodness, I really hate calling him tito—allow to spare a little bit of his time with a silly appointment with someone like me? I don't even have a solid position in my grandfather's empire. Ang tanging alam ko lang ay ang maggasta ng pera ng lolo, pero may iilang negosyo rin naman ako—wait, I am overthinking again. Red light, Red, red light.

"Red, can you wait for us? May pag-uusapan lang kami sa loob tapos mag-lunch na lang tayo ng sabay," wika ng lolo.

"I can accompany you inside again if you'd like, lolo," I offered, not minding the fact that I just ridiculed myself inside the very same office I was now volunteering to get inside again.

Kahibangan at its finest, it is.

"I think it would be best for you to stay outside, Red. We'll just fill you in with the details once it's settled," uncle Enero suggested and I don't have even the slightest guts to insist on accompanying them especially when uncle Enero's the one talking.

He's like, the most intimidating uncle among the Imperial uncles when he's wearing his signature crisp black suit and tie, and I wouldn't dare disobey him, kahit na natutuwa ito sa golf skills ko at kahit na soft ito pagdating sa unico hijo nitong si kuya Levi at sa pamilya nito, because if it goes down to actual business, he's one ruthless man, I tell you.