Chapter 00
I quietly went out of the house and headed straight to my car. Today's the last Sunday of the BAR! Naka-schedule na kami para salubungin si Iñigo. Alam ko naman na si Cha lang ang gusto niyang makita, but wala siyang choice kasi makikita niya rin iyong mukha ko. I'm here to stay kahit ayaw niya! I made a promise to his dad na hindi ko siya iiwan. I take promises seriously.
"Hi!" sabi ko sa ka-date ko nung dumating ako sa resto. Thankfully, dumating naman ako on-time. I completely forgot that I agreed to this date! I mean, alam ko naman na nag-agree ako, but I forgot na kasabay iyon nung BAR salubong ni Iñigo. And I didn't want to cancel naman kasi nakaka-hiya. Siguro naman hindi siya magagalit if aalis ako nang maaga. I still needed to meet Cha and alam ko na traffic ngayon papunta roon.
"Hello," he replied with a smile.
I sat down and then I was handed a menu by the waitress. Ngumiti muna ulit ako sa kaharap ko. He's a friend of a friend—kadalasan naman na nakaka-date ko ay mga kaibigan din ng mga friends ko from hospital and med school. A lot of the guys I dated, nagiging friends ko na lang. Ewan. Wala kasing sparks. Ayokong ipilit if walang sparks. Gusto ko iyong... kakaiba. I saw how it works! And that's what I want for myself!
Iyong love na parang sa parents ko na going strong kahit 30 years na.
Iyong love na parang kina Rhys na sobrang weird na ganon pala iyong kakambal ko... who would've thought?!
Iyong love na parang kina Iñigo na sometimes, he just wouldn't shut up about her.
I wanted that for myself.
So if wala nun, 'wag na lang. I want love, but I want the love. I didn't want to settle for... just okay. Pwede na 'yan kaysa wala. I want the heart racing, toe curling kind of love. That's what I want and I'd like to think that that's what I deserve.
"I'm Graciella," I introduced myself.
"Michael," he replied.
I smiled. "Nice to meet you, Michael."
"Likewise," sagot niya naman sa akin.
We talked about general topics for quite a while. Ganito naman talaga kapag first dates. To be honest, it gets kind of tiring after a while... Kasi paulit-ulit lang iyong sasabihin mo. You'll talk about yourself, your favorite movie, your favorite songs, your different favorites. Sometimes, gusto ko na lang gumawa ng carrd tapos basahin na lang nila in advance tapos ask na lang nila ako if may any clarifications.
"Excuse me," I said after a few minutes of talking. Dumiretso ako sa CR. I sent a quick text to Cha telling her that I'd meet here sa coffee shop malapit sa gate. Marami kasing tao 'dun based on experience nung si Rhys naman iyong sinalubong namin. Ayoko lang na doon pa kami maghahanapan ni Cha kasi ang stressful.
Mabilis lang ako sa CR dahil gusto ko lang naman itext si Cha. I find it disrespectful kasi na magtext kapag may ka-date ako. Baka isipin nila na hindi ako interesado or hindi ako nakikinig.
"Yeah, no... Sunod ako. This date's a snooze fest. She's pretty, yes, but she looks boring."
Napa-hinto ako sa paglalakad.
He was talking about me... right?
He was talking about me... badly... to his friend... while we were in the middle of our date.
Oh, wow. I didn't know how to process this.
"No, hindi pa ako aalis. I'll stay. She's pretty, so I'll get over the boring personality."
Hindi ko alam kung ano ang gagawin ko. Do I continue walking and let him know that I heard everything he said about me? Or do I turn around and pretend that I didn't hear anything?
BINABASA MO ANG
(Yours Series # 5) Always Yours (COMPLETED)
ChickLit(Yours Series # 5) Graciella Rae Arevalo just wants to love and be loved. She feels like she has a lot of love to give and she just wants her own person to love. Mayroon na kasing mga boyfriend at girlfriend iyong mga tao sa paligid niya. She doesn'...
