The Beautiful Thing (Lucky Girlies #1)

TBT 110

Umabot ng ilang araw ang preparation. Madalas ay nagpa-practice sila kasama ng dalawa pang banda sa Little Theatre o kaya naman ay sa Music Room ng university namin. Minsan ay sa studio ng Invisible String Manila, na matatagpuan sa isang exclusive subdivision, that is a thirty-to-forty-five-minute drive away from the campus. In between those preparation sessions, Anton made sure that I'm happy and being taken care of. Hindi talaga lilipas ang araw na hindi pwedeng hindi niya ako makita. 

Sometimes, Walter would let him in the same office where the higher-ups of student bodies reside just so we could have our little private moment. Most of the time I meet him halfway, either in the quadrangle near the majestic tree na nagp-provide sa amin ng shade and comfort if ever we think of hanging out there... o kaya naman ay sa restaurant. 

"Everything is finalized?" Paguulit ko na tanong sa mga kasama, they all nodded at me for an answer. 

"Yes, President. Complete na ang props, ikakabit na ang extra lighting and spotlight for the open area sa stage, and we already asked the admin if they could prohibit going to the field for the next two days..." 

"Right, later this evening sila mag start na mag ayos ng stage and everything, right?" 

Ngayon naman ay si Walter ang sumagot, "Yes, Anna. They need a lot of time since the platforms are going to be built directly from the ground, as well as the tower of lights to brighten up the whole place once the night peaks," tumango ako sa kaniya. 

"Any hassle? Issues? Bring it up now so we won't be having this same conversation for the next two days," I asked while shuffling through folders and folders of papers, letters, requests, demands, and notes I gathered this morning alone. 

Nag-taas ng kamay si Michael, one of our active representative, "Magiging open daw ba ang RUNJ for public? Ang dami kasing nagre-request, hindi lang sa mismong pages ng school natin, may mga natatanggap na rin kami sa inbox namin." 

I sighed, "I already talked to the admin about it and they are not sure if it's fine to welcome outsiders, syempre we need to prioritize the safety of our students first. But I'm trying to communicate with them, in fact, I'll be off to another meeting this afternoon to discuss some proposal so that this vision can be brought out to life," ngayon naman ay tinitignan ko na ang cellphone ko na umilaw dahil sa natanggap na notipikasyon. 

Walter, who was sitting on my right side side-eyed me and acted as if he was clearing his throat, "Anna, your phone." 

I smiled inwardly, "It's nothing, don't worry," although I was really tempted to pick it up and open the message I received from my boyfriend. 

Tinanggap ni Michael ang sagot ko, pati na rin ang iba pang mga representatibo na dumalo sa pagpupulong namin. At first, I tried raking my mind for any possible questions I could ask them... but nothing came into it. Lahat ng plano ay naisakatuparan, the executions are neat, and everyone is pretty happy with what's happening. I smiled, "If that's all, then I'll adjourn this meeting. You guys can take your lunch na!" I heard hisses of yes to which I chuckled while fixing my things. 

Lumabas na sila ng conference room while Walter lingered for a little while, "Are the bands ready?" 

I raised my eyebrow at him, "I don't know, you tell me. It wasn't my job, you're the one in charge in the first place." The brat whom I have grown to like in a brother sense both literally and metaphorically just rolled his eyes at me. 

"Ikot mo pa iyan ng isa't dudukutin ko iyan," a threat that I'm sure I will do if I'm drunk enough. 

"Tsk," as he sighed heavily, "Are you going home?" 

My sight traveled from my phone lock screen wallpaper of my boyfriend to him, "Yeah, I need to, you?" 

"I will, in fact, Mom instructed me to tell you that we'll be using your jet," it was my turn to roll my eyes at him.

"Nasaan yung iyo?" 

"In Los Angeles, I left it the last time I went there. Sumabay ako sayo, remember?" 

"Fine, sige, sabay tayo pa California," I surrendered instead of starting a friendly argument. 

"Bring your boy daw pala," he added. Napakunot ang noo ko sa sinabi niya, "You told them?" 

He laughed at my reaction, "Why? Wasn't I supposed to? Mom and Tita were asking who was the guy you posted from last time. I only bring their curiosity to satisfaction," Walter reasoned. 

"I feel like you're getting back at me for telling Tita that you're letting the girl, you like, chase you," sabi ko naman. 

And maybe he did. That is one of the things I will never know because he walked out of the door and I put my phone to use and dialed the number of my man. 

"Hi, love," bungad ako. 

"Hi, baby," pagbati niya naman sa akin.

"I'm sorry I didn't reply to your message, I was in a meeting with the Council," sabi ko habang naglalakad sa pasilyo papunta sa mga rooms na nasa loob ng Student Council Rooms. Well, we don't have cubicles here, rather, we have rooms for each position. Yung mga representative ay magkakasama by year level, the Treasurer, and the Secretaries are stationed in one room, while the Vice President and I have a whole office to ourselves. As I said, they value their councils here. They don't just show it by hefty budget but with the comfortability being a student leader can give you when you serve the university and students of Rioflorido. 

"It's fine, baby," and I swear I can almost hear him smiling. 

"Why are you smiling?" 

"I'm not smiling," now his voice is defensive. 

"You are," sabi ko pagkatapos huminto sa harapan ng office ko. I twisted the knob and opened it. There with his majestic presence, my boyfriend sits at the chair of my own behind my mahogany table. 

"Surprise!" 

I smiled, "I am surprised! What are you doing here?" 

Tumayo siya at sinalubong ako ng malaking yakap. His hands worked their way to my waist while he tried to remove the folders and paper I have para mas mayakap ako ng maayos. I gave in and let him do what he wants. Nilagay niya sa lamesa ng walang kahirap-hirap ang mga gamit ko pagkatapos ay niyakap niya ako ng buo. His head are in between my shoulder and my neck while his arms are looped around my body. 

"I missed you," he whispered. 

I smiled with that, "I missed you more, love." 

I can feel his breath as he speaks slowly as if he's comfortable with the situation despite the fact that he's kind of bending down to reach the crevices of my neck, "I brought you lunch," he said. 

"Luto mo?" I asked. 

He hummed and it felt like I was being lulled to sleep by how gentle it was. Hindi pa tumulong na malakas ang aircon ng bawat office kaya malamig, it complemented the cozy feeling his hug is giving me, and the comfort of our own privacy. 

I tap his back to let him know that I'm ready to consume whatever food he cooked, "Wait, three more minutes," he said in between breaths. 

"You're smelling me, no?" 

I only felt his head moving up and down like he was nodding at me. 

"I'll give you my perfume," I suggested. He shook his head, not really speaking, "Ayaw mo?" Tanong ko pa na ikinatango naman niya. 

"Okay, no harm done, you can only smell that scent from me anyway," and we both chuckled at my sentiment. 

"You're right," bulong niya, "And you will never hear me complain against it."