I kept smiling, but then I winced a little when my eyes started to sting from the camera flash. Once it was over, he thanked me, and I thanked him back before he walked away.
"Are you okay?" Brix asked me, concerned.
I didn’t answer right away. I just blinked a few times and tilted my head slightly upward, trying to get rid of the floating white spots in my vision.
May iilang lumapit saamin at nakipag usap pagkatapos. One well-dressed lady smiled and complimented my outfit.
“I love your dress,” she said. “It really caught my eye,”
"I'm flattered," I replied with a smile.
I was wearing a cream-colored cowl neck satin cocktail dress and a pair of the same color ankle two-strap heels.
"Uh, if you don't mind me asking...are you two dating?" she asked, pointing at the both of us with her right index finger.
I chuckled as I shook my head. "Oh, no. This is our first time meeting each other,"
She chuckled. "Really? But the way he looks at you says otherwise,"
Nag angat ako ng tingin kay Brix at nahuli kong nakatingin siya saakin bago niya ako nginitian.
"Hindi niya inaalis ang tingin niya sa'yo," she added.
I just gave her a small smile, not really sure how to respond.
Natapos ang pagsasalo hanggang sa lumapit na saakin si Mommy at sabay na kami lumabas bago dumiretso sa sasakyan na kanina pa pala nasa labas. I didn't know that she had already called our driver.
I had spent the rest of my time chatting with the girls from the same possé after Brix introduced me to half of the guests here.
But I started feeling a bit uncomfortable around him. I had already told him I was seeing someone already, but he still kept flirting with me. He even joked that now he had ‘competition’ because of Taft Guy.
Which I find really sudden and a bit irritating. Kasi bakit niya sinasabi 'yon e hindi naman ako pumayag na magpaligaw sa kaniya?
Habang nasa loob ng sasakyan ay tinanong ni Mommy kung anong nangyari na kasama ko si Brix. I told her that Brix introduced me to a lot of people.
"You know...your Auntie wants me to expose you to events like this...to widen your network," then chuckled.
"I already know a lot of people, though" I said.
"No, hija… the people you meet at school? Sometimes those relationships don’t last very long. But here... meeting people from different fields? That’ll be useful, especially in the business world,"
"The more people you know, the more resources you will have" she added.
I wanted to ask why she even hesitated at first about attending this event if she thought it was this important.
If being exposed to events like this will help me in the future, then why even hesitate at first, right?
Hindi ko na sinama sa pagkukwento ko sa kaniya ang mga pinaggagagawa ni Brix. Growing up, I realized I couldn’t fully open to her anymore about personal stuff—like dating and how boys sometimes flirt with me.
Maybe it’s just part of getting older? Wanting a little more privacy, even from your own mother.
Pagkauwi namin ay agad akong dumiretso sa kwarto. I took a quick half shower, then carefully removed my makeup before putting all my skincare products onto my face.
While doing all of those, my eyelids were already heavy—wanting to sleep immediately. Pero nilabanan ko ang antok habang ginagawa ang mga 'yon.
Gustuhin ko mang matulog agad dahil sa sobrang pagod at antok ay hindi ko magawa. I don't want to regret what will happen the next morning if I don't properly removed my makeup.
Nang matapos, ilang segundo palang na nakahiga sa kama ay nakatulog agad ako. The next morning, my phone was bombarded with tons of messages.
Inisa isa ko ang mga ito bago sinagot ang ilang mga importante at hindi na pinansin ang iba.
I also sent a reply to Taft guy's messages. May 3 missed calls pala siya kahapon at iilang mensahe. Nangangamusta siya at sinasabi niya kung anong ginagawa niya ng ganoong oras.
Hindi ko na nagamit ang phone ko kahapon dahil abala ako sa pakikipag usap sa ibang tao.
To: Taft Guy from Morato
Hello, good morning!! I just woke up. Galing kasi kami sa isang event kagabi, so I didn't know na you have messages pala :(
Right after hitting the send button, I got out of bed. I washed my face with water and brushed my teeth before making my bed.
Pagkatapos ay bumaba na ako at habang pababa ng hagdanan ay pinupusod ko ang buhok. Mommy already left for work, so I ate alone in the dining hall. Pagkatapos kumain ay lumabas lang ako saglit para magpa araw.
I let out a groan as I stretched out my arms right after stepping out of the door. "What a lovely morning,"
–
Ngayon ay nasa Mall kami. He invited me out for brunch, and even though I was still kind of full, I ate with him anyway. It felt rude not to, especially since I agreed to meet him.
Besides, I felt a little guilty for not replying to his messages right away yesterday when we were supposed to be getting to know each other more.
"Where do you want to shop first?" he asked, and from the corner of my eye, I saw him looking at me.
Abala ang mata ko sa paghanap kung saan nga ba ako unang mamimili. There were too many stores here to begin with, so I don't know where to start!
"Doon na muna," I said, pointing toward a store I recognized with my finger.
"Okay," he said.
Nagtitingin ako ng lipstick habang siya ay tatlong hakbang ang layo saakin. He was looking at the different products with slight brows furrowed.
"I'm still confused why you girls need so many of these. Aren't they all the same?" he asked, chuckling.
I paused, holding a dark red lipstick swatched on the pad of my index finger, and looked at him.
"No, they are not all the same, actually" I said.
"Really? They kind of seem like it," he said, glancing at the mirror above the cosmetics counter.
Natawa nalang ako bago pinagpatuloy ang ginagawa. Boys like him will never get makeup—or how different the shades actually are.
Ngayon ay naghahanap na naman kami kung saan kami pupunta.While we were walking, two guys who had the same vibe as him suddenly approached us, making us stop.
"Hey, dude. I didn’t know you were here too," said the mestizo guy with slanted eyes as they bumped fists.
The buff moreno guy glanced at me.
"Akala ko ba hindi ka aalis ngayon?" he asked.
Taft guy chuckled and raised the shopping bags he was holding. "Well, sudden change of plans”
The mestizo one burst out laughing. "Dude, don't tell me you're dating this girl? I can't believe you," he said, still laughing.
I pressed my lips together. I am offended! What does he mean by that?!
"What? Can't believe that I bagged someone like her?" Taft guy said, smirking at them.
"I mean...she's pretty, but uh...can she—"
"Dude, what the f**k?" The moreno one cut him off, with both of his brows furrowed.
Ako naman ngayon ang nagtataka dahil sa pinag uusapan nila. I don't like this chinito's guts. He acted so conceited!
Then Taft guy smoothly changed the topic by asking them something related to their class. Ang atensyon ng dalawang lalaki ay nasa kaniya na at parehas tumatango sa sinasabi niya.
I looked away and sighed, rolling my eyes before turning back to them, waiting for their conversation to end.
Ngayon ay naglalakad na sila palayo saamin dahil may pupuntahan pa raw sila. We just watched them leave, and the mestizo guy kept glancing over his shoulder at us.
"Jian, don't forget to update us, alright?" The moreno one called out before laughing and fully turning his back on us.
"Mga baliw," he muttered, sounding so amused.
I shook my head before walking first. Hindi ko na tinignan kung nakasunod pa ba siya saakin basta tuloy tuloy ang paglalakad ko.
Hindi na kami masyadong nagtagal na magkasama dahil pagkatapos pumasok sa isang clothing store ay kinuha ko na ang mga hawak niya. His lips parted as he looked at me with confusion in his eyes.
"Hindi ka ba mabigatan diyan? Ako na," he offered, reaching out to take them back.
I shook my head and forced a small smile. "I have to go home na e. I already texted my driver to pick me up,"
The truth was, I didn’t have to text anyone. I had already arranged earlier for my driver to pick me up after two hours—and those two hours were apparently just enough for both of us.
Honestly, his friends had already ruined my mood.
–
"I hate his friend's tone and his words made me feel ugly," I said.
"That guy made you question your face value, huh?" Yus said, almost chuckling.
I immediately pulled off my sunglasses and shot him a glare. "You and your tone, too!"
I let out a groan and laid back down again as the sunlight hit my face.. Nandito kami ngayon sa sun lounger area sa gilid ng pool namin at parehas na nakahiga para magpahinga.
Inimbita ko siya dahil wala akong magawa at para na rin malaman niya kung anong nangyari kahapon na kasama ko si Jian.
Now that he was starting to tease me, I realized inviting him over was a bad idea. Imbes na gumaan ang pakiramdam ko dahil nailalabas ko ang sama ng loob ko sa mestizo na 'yon ay lumalala lang dahil sa kaniya!
"Hey, I didn't mean it that way" he chuckled.
I rolled my eyes, still staring up at the sun, feeling the breeze brush against my skin. Using my right foot, I fixed the edge of the cloth I was lying on since it had folded under me.
He said he didn’t mean it that way, but he was chuckling? Yeah, right. I'm not dumb enough to believe that!
He cleared his throat. "Anyway, what's your plan—"
"Oh, shut up. Let me have my peace and quiet," I cut him off.
"Damn, you're starting to annoy me too" he said.
"Talk to my hand," I said, holding up my right hand and moving it like it was talking.
He sighed heavily, and after that, both of us just stayed quiet, listening to the sound of dry leaves scattering across the ground as the wind blew them around.
Then, my mind drifted—and I suddenly remembered my birthday was coming up.Imbes na tahimik ang isip ko ay kung ano ano na naman ang pumasok dito.
Where should I celebrate it? Should I throw a big party or keep it simple? And who would I even invite?
I let out a deep sigh. This is so hard!
Pumasok na ako sa loob matapos ang ilang minuto at si Yus naman ay umuwi na pagkatapos magpalit ng suot dahil may kailangan pa raw siyang tapusin na gawain. I just gave him a lazy wave before slipping through the back door.
In the end, the idea of throwing a grand party turned into a much simpler plan. Mommy and I decided to spend a two-day trip in France. Luckily, my birthday fell on a weekend.
Celebrating in Saint-Tropez wasn't originally part of the plan. I just randomly suggested it, and surprisingly, Mommy agreed.
We spent the first day strolling around, trying all sorts of activities like wine tasting, horseback riding, a boat trip, and of course, shopping.
On the second day, we explored even more—hopping from cafés to museums, visiting beaches, and wandering around the town square. I almost filled up the memory card on my digital camera because I kept snapping pictures everywhere we went.
I got to spend my birthday once again creating new happy memories—and this one was special because I got to share it with my mom.
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