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"Are you sure akin na lang 'to?" Clara asked, referring to the alcoholic drink. It was the last glass. Captain America: Civil played on his television, though frankly, she was only partially paying attention to it. Her and Roman, although awkward at first, had now fallen into a comfortable conversation. Hindi na sila nauubusan ng topic.
"Oo. I'm going to stop now so I can drive you home later." He assured her.
She smiled at his thoughtfulness. "It's fine, Roman. I can ride a UV Express from MOA."
He shook his head and returned her smile with his own. "I invited you over, so it's only right I get you home safely. Para 'di ka na rin gumastos."
Clara gave in, not wanting to go back-and-forth with him anymore after realizing that she got to spend more time with him this way. Sue her, she was intrigued by this man, especially when he gave her small, yet genuine smiles. Something in Clara's gut told her that very few people got to see this side of Roman Santiago, that she was one of the privileged ones who got to witness it.
Her eyes roamed around his condo. He'd given her a tour when they'd arrived, but it was only now that she got to focus on what exactly made the unit his. You could catch a glimpse of one's personality in their interior setup. There were stuffed toys on the floor, a bag full of tennis balls, tennis rackets, and two snake plants. Mayroon din siyang maliit na plant sa table at sa kitchen counter.
Roman followed her roaming gaze and said, "I like plants. Gardening. Nagga-garden ako minsan with with my mom. Bonding activity namin, gano'n." He shyly laughed.
Ang cute! Clara inwardly squealed. "That's really cool. I kill every plant I touch." She gloomily replied, remembering her poor attempt at gardening back in high school.
"Maybe you just don't know the proper technique. Don't be sad about it na. You can always learn," he assured her. "If you want lang... I could help you."
"Thank you, I might have to take you up on that." She raised her glass and took a sip. She made a mental note to ask him more about the plants him and his mom had in their garden. Maybe she could start small, like the one on his kitchen counter. She was pretty sure it was called Fittonia. "So... tennis? You play?"
"I do. Another hobby naman. The extra tennis balls and stuffed toys belong to my dog, Hazel, by the way." Sagot niya.
Clara almost yelled in excitement, but she was able to control herself. "You have a dog? How old? What breed? Where is it?"
Roman's lips quirked at her excitement. He grabbed his phone, opened a folder entitled "My Baby", and handed it to her so she could browse freely. "She's one. Poodle. And she's not here right now, nasa bahay siya with my parents."
"My Baby," she snorted. "Baka people might assume na you're taken or something when they read the folder name."
"My baby is my child," he mused.
"Does Hazel have an IG account? Kung oo, can I follow it?" Clara asked curiously, obviously excited. Some of her friends had Instagram accounts of their pets. To her, Roman didn't look like the type, pero malay ba niya.
Clara would probably make an Instagram account as well... but of course, she needed to have her own pet first. She'd wanted one ever since she was a kid and she would adopt one once she became financially stable and had moved into a condominium that allowed pets.
Roman liked seeing that kind of look on her face. Her carefree smile and bright eyes only accentuated her beauty. She had honey blonde that stopped above her shoulders. He wanted to run his hand through her locks and find out if she liked that sort of thing.
"Mas nauna mo pang hingian ng Instagram handle aso ko kaysa ako, ah." He joked.
"Sorry?" She sheepishly grinned. "What's your Instagram?"
"xavierroman," sagot niya. "Walang Instagram si Hazel. Baka sa term break, gumawa ako. Help me?"
"You would trust me with that?" She asked curiously.
Roman nodded. "I trust your judgement. You're photogenic. Good at taking photos, too." He paused, only realizing that he'd openly admitted that he had stalked her page out of curiosity. Not that he was ashamed of letting her know, but he figured he'd admit it once they had gotten to know each other better. If she'd agree, of course. The ball was in her court, after all.
Clara bit her lower lip at the unexpected compliment, and he pretended not to notice. He also pretended not to notice her french-tipped fingernails on the couch, inches away from his own fingers.
"You're good," she assured him. "Ako rin naman. I checked your socials after mo mag-message."
Tumawa siya, grateful sa honesty niya. "Mahilig ka sa photography?"
She nodded. "Oo, hobby ko. My lola--- she's the one who taught me---was a professional photographer---actually, that was how she met lolo. She's retired now, but she still took photographs. She would either put them in photo albums or we would put them in scrapbooks. Lola taught me everything I know."
"You didn't want to become a professional? Like your lola?" Roman curiously asked.
"I did," Clara shrugged. "But I decided that I wanted to separate my hobby from my career. I know it's not the same case for all, but I just don't want to taint my love for photography in case the job ever became toxic."
"I get it," Roman assured me. "It's your outlet, eh. A way for you to rest."
"Exactly." Clara said, glad that he understood.
"So, bakit business administration?" He asked, his gaze intently focused on her.
She leaned back into the couch as she answered his question. Funnily enough, she could get used to this.
-//-
Clara gulped down the rest of her drink and made an appreciative sound. "Hey, thanks again for not... you know, snitching. Won't do this again, that's for sure."
"Oo naman," he stood up to grab a pitcher of water, so they could get the alcohol out of their systems. "Like I said, it's not my business. And yeah... baka fluke lang na ako 'yong naka-swap mo, kaya better to just leave the drinks at home. Don't want you to get in trouble." Sabi niya pagkabalik sa living room.
Napatawa silang dalawa.
"Okay, drinking buddy." Biro ni Clara.
"Drinking buddy, huh?" He chuckled. "I like that."
Both of them never expected to ended up in his condo, chatting like they've known each other for years, but clearly, they didn't minded one bit.
