Under The Stars

Chapter 16

Sa loob ng kotse hindi ako makatingin ng deretso kay Dark dahil kahit hindi ko nakikita rinig ko ang mahina nyang tawa na mas lalong nagpamula ng mukha ko.  Wala naman ako dapat ikahiya diba? Normal sa babae ang mag ayos pero bakit pag siya ang naka pansin nakakahiya? Wtf?

"Altaira, look at me." Napatalon ako sa gulat sa biglaan niyang pag sasalita. Bat ako lilingon? Anong meron?

"Why would I?" I asked him still not looking at him.

"I won't tell you unless you look at me." Slowly I move my head and look between of his eyes.

"W-what now?"

He chuckled. "Wala lang."

Hinampas ko siya using my bag. "Gago nito pinalingon ako kasi wala lang?"

"Bakit kasi hindi mo ko pinapansin?"

"Eh bakit kasi pinapatingin mo ako sayo?" Naiinis ko'ng tanong.

"I just want to see your beauty is that bad?" He asked innocently.

My heart jumped. "N-no." And I looked away.

"Its been a months since I handled my dad's business. I'm so stressed. I am always stressed. Ang daming problema na ginawa ni Eljun that may caused the empire's fall. Luckily we moved faster and I saved our business." I listened as he start to tell his struggles. "And you know I can't save it without your family's help so I am very thankful."

I looked at him. "Nah, it's nothing Dark."

"No it's not just nothing. It means a lot for me so thank you." He look at me and smiled. "Moving on is a long way process I know but I think I already had enough time moving on and going through a lot of process before I finally come and say it to you that I had moved on already. Actually I moved on even before that party happened. I just gave myself time to focus more on business and now I am here next to you asking if we could go to date?"

My eyes grew big and my jaw almost dropped. "So the necklace you gave me was the sign that you like me?"

Nakita ko kung gaano kapula ang tainga at ang leeg niya. "Y-yes. I want to confess to you that time but I felt like that is not the right time."

"And you think this is the right time?"

"N-nope. Pero n-ngayon lumakas ang loob ko sayang pag di ko pa sinabi." Nahihiya niyang sabi.

"Bakit hindi mo pa sinabi nung gabing yun?"

"I don't want you too feel that I'm just saying those words because I am overwhelmed and I'm using you as my rebound. Because no. I am not." He looked at me again for a while. "I am not rushing you to feel the same thing. I want to make it slow. I want to ask you to go out on a date with me. Ask you if I can court you and such. Just slowly but surely."

I smiled. Just like the way I want it slowly but surely. After that conversation we change the topic because he noticed my movements became awkward. Who wouldn't be? I like him too but his confession made me feel awkward.

Nakarating kami sa bahay and the dinner are already served kaya kumain na agad kami. As usual business pa din ang topic nila and hindi naman ako maka relate. Mom and I talked about fashions and all tge girly stuffs so I don't feel out of place but Dark got our attention.

"Tito, tita, Can I ask you something?" He look serious but the redness of his ears are very visible. My parents looked at him confusely even me and Yuan.

"Yes of course." My dad responded.

"I just want to ask you if I can go out and date your daughter?" Everyone was shocked including me. Napayuko na lang ako sa hiya. What the hell? Do he really need to ask my family's approval? Ako ang idedate niya why not ask me instead? 'papayag naman ako'.

I heard my mother's giggles so I slowly look at them only to see their smirks. I rolled my eyes to them. Alam kong papayag agad sila. Bugaw sila eh.

"Kailan ang date?" Dad asked him. 

"Tomorrow after work." He answered. 

"BUKAS AGAD?'' nanlaki ang mata ko dahil sa sinagot niya. Bakit bukas agad? Hindi ba pwedeng i-process ko muna yung mga sinasabi niya?

He chuckled and nod at me before he look at my dad. "Does it mean a yes, tito?"

"Of course! Why would I say no? You're a great man." My father laughed and kiss my mother's forehead. 

"Oh yeah why would my family say no, eh this is what they've been waiting for ever since I graduated college." Dagdag ko sa sinabi ni dad.

"You're 27 now Altaira, dapat sa ganyang edad may pamilya ka na. Tumatanda kang dalaga." My mom teases me. "Don't you like Dark?"

I stop eating and bit my lips. I don't want to say it though I already knew the answer. I am afraid that if I open my mouth and answer my mom, makakampante si Dark and will cause pressures to me and maybe to him.

"You don't have to answer." I look up and meet his forest green eyes. He smiled at me. "I don't want to rush things between us tita. I want to take it slow as we know each other more and eventually develop our feelings."

Narinig ko ang mahinang pag ubo ni dad kaya napatingin kami lahat sa kanya. "Altaira already suffered from heartbreak when she was 18. I don't want her to go through that kind of pain again, so promise us that you will take care of her and you will treat her as your queen." I can see the seriousness in my father's eyes. "She is our princess, Dark. I don't want her to get hurt in any possible way."

"I don't have any plans of hurting her tito." My dad nod and smiled at him.

The dinner went well. Dark is with dad and my brother in the pool area drinking some whiskey and having some man to man talk while me and my mother spend our time watching a movie. My dad is not a serious person whenever he's with us so hearing him talking about how much he value me and his family is a heart touching. I am so lucky to have a father like him.