ONE OF THE RICHEST

Tres

I arrived earlier than Rafael. I sat there patiently. I wore a simple, body- hugging black dress and a stiletto. Ayokong naamang maging agaw pansin lalo pa't mainit sa media si Rafael pero pwede na rin, ishiship nila kaming dalawa ni Rafael, and word will spread tapos magiging totoo.

Ok. Stop. I'm getting way ahead of myself.

Kinuha ko ang cellphone ko to see if nagtext siya pero wala.

My eyes brighten up when I saw him step inside the restaurant's entrance. I unconciously brushed my hair with my hand and sat properly.

"You're early." Sabi niya pagdating at umupo sa tabi ko. I stared at him. His perfume is filling my nose, and it smells heavenly. I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear when he stared at me.

"Yeah. I arrived 30 minutes earlier." 7pm ang usapan pero nakarating ako dito 6;30 pm pa lang. Then he arrived around 6:50. Which means, he wanted to meet me earlier too.

I blushed at the thought.

"Did you order? Kailangan kong umalis agad. May meeting pang naghihintay sa'kin." Lahat ng imagination at ineexpect ko kanina ay biglang Nawala. Panira naman eh! Kahit kiligin man lang ako saglit.

"Not yet." Sumenyas siya sa waiter tapos mabilis naman agad kaming dinulugan. Tumitingin siya sa menu, habang nakahawak rin ako ng menu pero sakanya nakatingin. Halata kasing nag- ayos pa siya bago pumunta rito dahil iba ang suot niya kanina sa opisina at bagong ligo pa. Kahit saang Angulo tingnan, ang gwapo niya talaga.

"Anong sa'yo?" bumaling silang dalawa ng waiter sa'kin para sa order ko pero hindi pa 'ko nakakapili!

"Same nalang sa'yo." Pasimple kong sabi.

Umalis na ang waiter para ihanda ang order naming. Nakatitig lang ako kay Rafael habang patingin tingin siya sa paligid at sa relo niya.

"How's work?" I casually asked. Mukhang nagulat naman siya sa biglang tanong ko. I love watching him speak, and listening to his stories. Kahit pa kailangan ko pa siyang pilitin para magsalita.

"Good. Just a little hectic." Maikli niyang sagot na nagpadismaya sa'kin.

"What's making it hectic?" I want him to talk more.

"Just some stuff. Annoying board members, stubborn investors. The usual stuffs." Tinatamad niyang sabi. I decided to stop bombarding him with questions. Instead, I should do the talking.

"Mine was good too! I sent my pets to the veterinarian. You know my pets, right? Pero hindi mo pa sila nakikita. You never visited me home. But I'll make you meet them soon. Then I went to my boyfriend's office and invited him to dinner. He agreed!" I batt my eyes at him pero parang hindi ito interesado sa sinasabi ko.

Nawalan ako ng gana kaunti, pero I shook it out of my mind. I invited him for dinner, kailangan ko nang makontento na pumayag siya.