Wonderful Unknown

Chapter 5

A/N: Shoutout to @HanTells on Twitter/X! Ang ganda ng WU-inspired edit niya. Go check it out! By the way, wala masyadong plot 'to. Puro kalandian lang. So if that's your thing, enjoy! 🤭

***

There was a bounce in her steps as she crossed the crowded floor to the bar. It’s been almost two months since Roxy started working in Golden Mare, and she finally stopped fussing over the short hem of their ever-changing uniform. In fact she found that night’s cowgirl costume cute - vest, skimpy denim shorts, and all.

But what gave Roxy the extra boost of confidence was her hair. She decided to have it cut a little bit shorter, and she loved the way it turned out. Maricar helped her style and curl it in the employee lounge hours ago, and safe to say it was a hit. Compliments have been pouring all night from her peers and customers alike.

“Kuya Celso, isang round pa nga nung kulay blue na shots,” she asked the bartender who was running from one end of the bar to another.

“Yung Kamikaze? Roxy Bear, wait lang ah,” Celso said, quickly grabbing bottles she didn’t recognize. “Umuwi na kasi si Ted. Taas ng lagnat.” Celso rushed back to the other end of the bar before she could even reply. With nothing better to do, she sneaked a quick peek at her phone, checking on Nica and Aiden.

Nica has been a real blessing in the past few weeks. The 15-year-old academic scholar wanted to join a dance group, but her allowance was not enough to cover other expenses like shoes and costumes. Even though she was an only child, Nica had experience babysitting her cousins. She was nice, smart, and very responsible. Her love of reading also meant that Aiden got to have story time during those nights when Roxy was not home. Hiring Nica was one of the best decisions she ever made in the past two months.

About two minutes later, Celso returned looking a little overwhelmed by the crowd. “Ano nga ulit sa’yo, Rox?”

“Kami-”

“I’ll take it from here.”

Roxy was surprised at the sight of their young boss donning an apron, clearly serious about helping out and tending the bar.

“Hulog ka ng langit, Bossing,” Celso said, a little winded from running back and forth. 

Pablo gave him a pat on the back. “Clear that crowd then take a break.”

“Copy, Boss!” 

Finally, he shifted his gaze to her and asked, “Kamikaze, right?” 

“Uh… Y-yes po.” She bit her lower lip as he rolled up the long sleeves covering his arms.

Arm porn! Lord, pakilayo po ako sa tukso. 

She tilted her head a little to the right, fascinated by how his huge hands were working quickly through the bottles and glasses, 

“See something you like?”

Her cheeks started to feel warm after being caught drooling over his little display. She cleared her throat and changed the subject.

“Marunong ka pala mag-mix ng drinks?”

He grabbed the cocktail shaker and gave her a look she couldn’t explain. “You would’ve known if you weren’t avoiding me,” he replied casually, as if he didn’t give a flying fuck.

It’s not that Roxy was avoiding her enigmatic boss. He was gone for three weeks, handling business deals in Japan on his grandfather’s behalf. 

Did he send the bouquet while he was in Tokyo? Probably. 

Did she purposely ignore his message asking if she received the flowers? Not exactly. 

Getting a text from him at ten in the evening was just the cherry on top of a very long, confusing, and tiring day. So she put it on the backburner and opted to deal with it at a later time. She intended to use her early bedtime as an excuse when she replied the following day - it’s just that, she didn’t remember his message until three days later when she noticed that the red roses had started wilting in the corner of their kitchen counter. By then, she thought it was already too late to respond.