Halfway Down There

Chapter 02

"Ciao, Miss Reyes."

Pagkadaan ko sa hallway, isa sa mga staff ng Di Savoia ang nagpaalam sa akin. As a common courtesy, I smiled back and greeted him politely. I was already up minutes before sunrise, preparing a few files on my laptop and randomly scrolling on Pinterest. Right now, I enjoyed myself with a royalty breakfast.

Tumingala ako sa lalaking nasa gilid ko. "Buongiorno. The Classico, per favore."

"At your service," the waiter said, with a smile.

I waited until he left my table since I don't like using my phone in someone else's presence. Minsan lang iyon, maliban na lang kung nasa awkward situation ako. Dahil matagal tagal dumating ang order ko, sa paligid ko na lang tinuon muna ang mga mata ko. In the center of the restaurant, the guy who ate with me yesterday stood under the archway.

Nanliit ang mga mata ko nang mapagtantong mag-isa ulit siya. His friend, Alejandro was again, not around. I pouted my lips and drank a bit of water. Iniwas ko rin agad ang tingin sa lalaki para bumaling sa kabilang side. The waiter has still not come yet so I had no choice but to wait for more minutes. There are a lot of customers no matter what time of the day it is, that explains the extension.

Umabot ng halos fifteen minutes ang tagal ng pagdating ng order ko, ngunit may rason naman pala kung bakit. I finished the meal pretty quickly and once I stood up, I caught a glimpse of the guy I've been eyeing for some reason. Alam kong kilala niya na ako kahit papaano dahil sa pagsama namin kagabi pero bahagya akong nagulat nang mabilis siyang umiwas ng tingin. It was like he only let his stare slid past me.

It didn't bother me much considering I barely know the guy so it was out of my concern. Pero medyo nagtaka pa rin ako.

"Ms. Reyes?" bungad sa akin ng parehong staff kanina. "Your bags are right beside the security. If you need a ride, there's also one outside, Signorina."

Lumingon ako sa labasan. "Oh, you didn't have to. Thank you!"

"Prego, Signorina. Spero che Di Savoia vi sia piaciuto," (I hope you enjoyed Di Savoia) he said with manners and then slightly bowed his head. "Speaks Italian?"

"A bit. Grazie," pagtango ko. Tumingin muli ako sa labas at hinanap ang maleta ko sa malayo. I sighed in relief when I saw it was still there.

I excused myself from the person in front of me and went back to my hotel room to quickly gather my remaining belongings. Pababa na ulit ako nang magkasabay kami ni Alejandro. Hindi ko sigurado kung tanda niya rin ako, but he let me in the elevator first. Perhaps he's just a gentleman. He's on his phone, the same occurrence as the first time we were in an elevator with his friend.

Nanatili akong nakahawak sa bag ko habang naghihintay makarating sa first floor.

"Nice to see you again," Alejandro said out of the blue, the reason why I turned to him.

"Nice to see you, too," neutral kong sinabi. He nodded his head with a fading smile on his lips.

Iyon lang ang sinabi niya at iyon lang din ang sinabi ko. I felt awkward in there. Dire-diretso na ako palabas ng hotel. It would be nice to stay here until the end of my schooling, but I need to be smart when it comes to my expenses, lalo na ayaw kong masyadong asahan si Daddy at aaminin kung minsan ay ignorante ako sa usapang iyon.

Binuksan ng driver ang trunk para ilagay ang maleta ko roon. I opened the door myself and sat inside, waiting for the driver to settle himself down. When I heard the mild thud from the back, I took it as a sign that we were ready to depart. I left the window to my side open while sometimes glancing back at the hotel.