The Price Of Love

Chapter Three

"Tate!" She smiled as she tilted her head up to meet his eyes. He had such beautiful eyes, they were of deep brown hue. It lit as he stared at him. She knew those stares well as she'd seen them from the eyes of countless men. She wondered if he'd recognized the same stares in her eyes.

She took in a deep breath and tried to play it cool even though her insides felt like they were turning liquid. Si Tate the Great ang nasa harap niya ngayon. Ang lalaking kinababaliwan ng libu-libong babae sa buong mundo. But she knew better, hindi niya pwedeng ipaalam dito na ganon din ang nararamdaman niya. She had to stand out. Hindi niya pwedeng ipahalata na katulad din siya ng mga babaeng iyon kung hindi mawawalan ng gana sa kanya si Tate. He'd probably seen something in her that he hadn't seen in any girls and she wouldn't let that go. She didn't know what it was yet so she had to be careful. Maybe it was because she kept it cool the first time they met, unlike the other girls's who sees him as a god that had descended from heaven. Siguro nga iyon ang dahilan. Sanay ito na siya ang hinahabol ng babae and then Yuka gave her something to chase after.

"Hey..." He flashed a smile.

Yuka could feel her heart beating loudly in rythm with the loud music. He was even more handsome when he smiles. Sumagi sa isip niya ang isang picture ni Tate sa isang sikat na underwear ad. Him and his grey boxer shorts, it was a huge bulge by the way. She had felt it with her own hand when he spilled the wine on him. Napasinghap siya. She thought she needed another drink.

"It's so nice to see you again. God, you're beautiful." He said, almost breathlessly. Tate hadn't been much into asian-looking chicks. He'd dated women of different ethnicities but he always went for the tall, blonde babes with banging bodies. He never liked things that looked... fragile. He was a big man and he knew he needed big girls who could handle him, not some delicate butterfly he could easily break in half. But then there was Yuka, a petite woman whose height barely reached his shoulders. Hindi niya alam kung bakit parang may kung anong magnet ang babaeng ito na humahatak sa kanya. Hindi katangkaran ang babae, she was the kind of beauty that should come with the label handle with care, para itong babasagin na maynikang nakita niyang naka-display sa lumang cabinet sa ancestral home nila sa St. Tropez. Pero iba ang pinapakita nito sa mga ikinikilos ng babae. She moves and thinks as though the world owes her. She walks like every man should kiss the floor she'd walked on.

"Oh, Tate." Tumawa si Yuka. "Pang-ilang babae na akong sinabihan mo niyan ngayong gabi?"

"Hmm... let's see." He rubbed his chin as if thinking before chuckling. "Come on, do you think I go around telling random women they're beautiful? I tell it to women who deserves to hear them like my Mom and you..."

Nagpakawala ng malawak na ngiti si Yuka. "Football player ka nga talaga. Ang galing mong mangbola."

Kahit malakas ang music sa paligid nila ay parang tawa lang ng lalaki ang naririnig niya. "That's a good one. But this time I'm not playing around, Yuka. Sawa na akong maglaro."

"Ah, so gusto mo nang magretire?" Tumaas ang isang kilay niya.

"Retire from football, no. But playing on a different field, maybe. Who knows?" Kibit-balikat na sabi nito. "May I get you something to drink?"

"Um, a glass of moscow will do." She said.

Lumapit si Tate sa isang bartender sa bar at binulungan ito. Within seconds, he was holding a glass of moscow mule in one hand and a glass of yorsh from himself.

"It's too crowded in here. You wanna go to the VIP?" Tanong ni Tate nang iabot nang lalak sa kanya ang baso.

"Sure!" Yuka answered, almost immediately.

They headed straight to the VIP. It was a private space and there were only the two of them inside. They could still hear the sounds from the raging music of the club outside the private space but it was muffled.