Apple Pie tried closing her eyes and lulling herself to sleep. Pilit niyang pinapatulog ang kuryosidad na nararamdaman dahil sa ingay ng mga tawanan at musika na nanggagaling sa unang palapag ng bahay.
Tonight was Yohan's grand dinner party. "Grand" para iyon sa kaniya dahil nalaman niya mula sa mga katulong na 50 guests daw ang imbitado. The cook even ranted to her that the party was informed to them at such a short notice. Hindi tuloy magkaundagaga ang mga ito sa paghahanda kanina. Siya naman ay nais sanang tulungan ang mga ito sa kusina ngunit agad namang tumanggi ang mga ito dahil nga sa bilin ni Yohan na bawal siya doon. Sinubukan niyang tumulong sa mga katiwala na nag-aayos ng silid kung saan idadaos ang kasiyahan ngunit nakita siya ni Yohan at napagalitan. Hindi daw siya nito gustong tumulong doon. Buong araw tuloy siyang bored dahil wala si Xav para i-entertain siya.
Ngayon nga'y gumabi na at rinig niya ang kasiyahan sa ibaba. It was far from her room but it didn't stop the merry-making from getting to her ears. She just sat in her bed (or rather Yohan's because he insisted that she would sleep here from now on) for several hours, listening to the distant sounds of voices and waves of laughter, imagining what was happening downstairs.
She had always been a lover of Historical Romance stories. Noong nasa high school pa lamang siya ay mahilig siyang pumunta sa isang store na may ngalang "Booksale". They sell second-hand books for very affordable prices. Yung mga HisRom na stories na nakahiligan niya na usually ay tig-200 plus ang presyo ay nabibili niya lamang ng bente doon.
Nabasa at napanood na niya ang mga "ton" parties during Regency period, ngunit ni minsan ay hindi pa niya nalalaman kung papaano ba nagpa-party ang mga tao sa 19th-century Philippines. Na-curious tuloy siya.
"Gusto kong lumabas . . ." bulong niya sa sarili. Nababagot na siya dahil tila ayaw siyang pagalawin ni Yohan. Kung pwepwede nga na lagi lang siyang nakahiga ay mukhang mas sasaya pa ang lalakeng iyon. Pinilit niyang pigilan ang sarili ngunit hindi na niya kinaya kaya naman halos patalon na siyang tumayo mula sa kama at nagmamadaling naghanap ng maipangtatakip sa kaniyang mukha. "I'll just take a peek," she promised herself, not wanting to get into any trouble with Yohan but still determined to witness an event that she would surely regret missing.
Nang makapagbihis ng maayos ay nag-aalangan niyang binuksan ang pintuan at nilabas ang kaniyang ulo. She looked at the hallway and confirmed that no one was there before finally going out of the room. Dahan-dahan siyang naglakad at panaka-nakang tumitigil upang pakiramdaman kung may tao bang paparating. Mabuti na nga lang at wala siyang nakasalubong na katiwala o bisita habang pumupuslit siya sa pintuan papunta sa garden. Nasa bandang likuran kasi iyon kaya naman tiyak na walang makakakita sa kaniya.
Nakalabas naman siya ng ligtas sa may side garden kaya naman ang hiningang kanina pa niya pinipigilan ay kaniya ng napakawalan. She took a deep breath again before slowly walking towards the lighted side of the house. Nasa West side ng mansyon ginaganap ang kasiyahan. Kitang-kita mula sa kaniyang kinatatayuan ang repleksyon ng mga ilaw na nagmumula sa mga daang-daang kandila na sinindihan ng mga katulong kanina. Being here in the garden would be perfect because she can see what was happening inside, but they won't notice her easily.
Maingat siyang naglakad papunta sa may halamanan at tinago ang sarili doon. She looked at what was happening inside and can't help but feel amazed by the grandness of the party. It looked so striking and majestic. The buffet table was adorned by lumpiang shanghai, pancit, palabok, batchoy, crispy pata and even a freaking lechon, the young one. Sa may gilid naman ay nakita niyang may mga buko pie, biko at cassava cake. The place was lit up by hundreds of lighted candles that adorned every wall. Some were even placed in a chandelier-like holder and hung overhead. The room was flooded with thousands of flowers and she even heard from one of the maids that Yohan instructed for the finest china that they have.
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My Everything In His Past (2nd Book of 'In His Past' Series)
Historical Fiction"I wish I realized much sooner how important you are, my wife, my president, my everything."
