Liquid Courage

Night 010

For the past hour, that particular smile never left his face. I don’t really know what’s with him today but he seems really happy. But I gotta admit that he really looks better with that smile, he’s ten times brighter than usual.

“Why are you so happy?” I can’t help but ask.

He titled his head to look at me. He laughed and took a sip from his can. “What?”

“Nothing. It’s just that…you’re all smiles tonight.” I said and drank from my can as well.

I don’t even know it’s possible for his smile to get wider than it was earlier. I wish I could be that happy as well. Maybe something really good happened.

“It’s better than crying, Marg.”

“You’re weird,” I looked at him like he suddenly had a visible third eye on his forehead.  I don’t really know what’s with him but I’ll just be glad for him. At least he’s feeling a lot better than last week.

My gaze landed on his wrist, particularly on the bracelet I gave him for his birthday. It’s been a week since I gave him that and everytime I see him, I can’t help but check if he took it off already.

I know that Alfonso is really different from other guys, I know he appreaciated it even if it’s cheap but compared to the gifts he received…the bracelet doesn’t really stand out. And knowing he hasn’t taken it off yet, it makes me feel special.

Or maybe he just likes the bracelet.

“Catch it, Marg,” he instructed as he throwed a pack of chocolate to me. It was so sudden that I didn’t catch it. Good thing it landed just behind me.

I opened it and took one. I really like the fact that it’s dark chocolate. Chocolate plus beer? Let’s see if it’s a good idea.

He sat near me and took one chocolate. I didn’t notice that he stood up earlier to get this chocolate from his bag. One thing I noticed about him is he’s really prim and proper when eating. He’s even better at me when it comes to food etiquette.

“Do you know how to eat loud?” I suddenly asked.

His forehead creased. “What? Do you want to eat loud?”

I laughed and shook my head. “No, of course not. It’s just that I noticed that you eat without a sound. How do you do that?”

“So you’ve been watching me?” he teased. From a happy smile, it shifted to a smirk.

“What? No!” I defended. “I just noticed at the cafeteria earlier.”

He took a sip and continued giving me his teasing smile. “You noticed because you’ve been staring at me, Marg. Don’t deny it.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Well, I have no choice but to look at you because you just sat in front of me without my permission.”

He laughed. “Hey, I asked!”

“No, you didn’t.”

“I did.”

I shook my head at his foolish action. He’s trying hard to deny it when we both know what happened. “You even lied about not having a table when clearly there were a lot of vacancies. Oh, Alfonso you’re not a good liar. I can see right through you.”

“But you gotta admit you enjoyed watching me eat,” he winked.

“Yuck!” I elbowed him. “I’d rather eat alone than watch you eat.”

“Ouch…” he touched his stomach and made a painful face. “You’re gonna kill me with that elbow, Marg.”

I laughed at how ridiculous his face is. “You won’t fool anyone with that kind of acting, Esquivel. You better practice.”