Anchor of Serenity

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Pinagbuksan niya ako ng pinto, at sabay kaming pumasok sa loob.

He went straight to the cashier to place our orders, while I stood there, nakatulala sa gilid niya, like a lost kitten.

Nakita niya ako na ganoon ang ayos. He chuckled, I can see amusement in his eyes. "Maghanap ka nalang ng mauupuan natin at ako na mag-oorder rito," akala ko 'yon lang ang sasabihin niya, pero nang malapit na akong tumalikod ay bigla siyang may pahabol. "I prefer on the second floor, more peaceful and less crowded."

I nodded and made my way to the second floor of the coffee shop, seeking a comfortable corner away from the sun para maiwasan ang init.

Totoo ngang wala gaanong tao dito. Two of them were a couple who seemed lost in each other's gaze, while the others were a group of three female friends.

Maingat na naglakad si Kuya French sa banda ko dala ang tray na may dalawang coffee at donuts. From what I observed, one was hot coffee, while the other was iced.

Nilagay niya ang hot coffee sa Banda ko at ang box ng donuts naman sa gitna namin.

Ba't hot coffee? I want mine iced...

I didn't want to let him know that I didn't like hot coffee, so I took a small sip from my cup. I tried to hide any expression of disappointment, but I couldn't. He seemed to notice that I was bothered by something.

"Hey, you okay? Gusto mo na bang umuwi?" he asked, concern evident in his voice. So smooth, so gentle.

"What? No, I like my coffee." Only then did it register in my mind that I hadn't actually answered his questions, making me seem defensive and showing that I didn't like what I was drinking.

"You're not good at hiding, Adrielle," He chuckled. I saw his perfect white teeth. That was one of the things that made him more attractive. "You don't like your coffee hot?" he raised his eyebrow, questioning.

Tipid akong ngumiti at tumango. Nahihiya. I watched as he took the hot coffee I was drinking and exchanged it for his iced coffee that he hadn't touched. "B-but, I already drank some of that," I stammered. He didn't care and took a sip from the same straw I had used earlier. "I don't mind," He said and smiled at me.

I reciprocated his smile. So Embarrassing. But it would be more embarrassing if I pretended to like hot coffee and he found out later that I don't. I would hurt his feelings that way, kaya mas mabuti na 'to.

What kind of foods do you like? Favorite restaurant? Gusto kong malaman lahat, so next time we eat out, I'll know what to order," Sa susunod na kakain sa labas? May susunod pa? What could be the possible reasons for us to eat out? I wondered.

"I like cookies, xiao long bao, especially if it's choco lava! I also like croissants, donuts, mochi ice cream, strawberry and blueberry cheesecake, ube cakes, or anything with ube flavor, uh, ube pastillas and such... creamy carbonara with lots of cheese, hello kitty dumplings, chocolate rice porridge... What else... I can't name them all because there's so much. When it comes to drinks, I like matcha latte! And for coffee, iced." I said one by one while thinking about the foods I mentioned.

"Hello kitty dumplings? You don't want dumplings in general? Only the Hello Kitty ones?"

"Well, gusto ko rin naman ng ordinary dumplings. Pero there's something extra special about the Hello Kitty ones. They're just so cute!" I smiled, showing him a picture of the ones I had recently.