Drawn by Dawn

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Nasa'n pala itong condo mo?"

"BGC, sa Taguig." Sagot naman ni Art sa akin. We were on our way to the carpark. He was wearing a cream colored long sleeve and dark khaki pants. Ako naman ay nakasuot ng white pants and apricot turn-down collar long sleeve blouse. It was tucked in, and I featured a hazel brown belt. Hindi mawawala ang paborito kong turtle necklace.

Halos dalawang oras ang naging biyahe namin papuntang Cavite dahil naabutan kami ng traffic. Hindi ko alam kung anong bayan ito at hindi ko na rin tinanong. Basta tumigil na lang kami sa isang hotel. Art parked the car and we hopped out.

Pagpasok sa hotel ay may receptionist agad ang naka-recognize kay Art at giniya kami papunta sa event hall ng hotel. Nakita agad namin si Johann doon na may kausap na mga bisita habang si Charlotte naman ay nasa upuan kasama ang isang yaya, it was the same nanny I saw back then. Napatingin tuloy ako sa mga bisita, baka nandito si Cheska. Gladly, she was not. Basta ang sabi nasa psychiatric hospital iyon.

"I'm glad you can make it." Bati ni Johann kay Art. Tinapik ng isa't isa ang likod nila habang nakangiti. Johann's eyes then went down to meet mine, and he seems to be thinking deeply. "You are familiar. Have we met before?"

I shyly smiled. "I guess."

Alangan namang sabihin ko na ako ang nakiusisa sa kanila ni Cheska noon at nagsumbong ako kay Art. It would be pretty awkward!

Good thing Art changed the topic, "Cheska's family coming?" He was wary, I held his hand and intertwined our fingers. Agad namang bumaba muli ang tingin ni Johann sa aming kamay at saka siya ngumisi.

Personally, I think there's no need to hide our relationship. Kahit 'di ko pa man sinasagot si Art, we have this kind of wholesome intimacy that feels like home.

Johann shrugged after, "I think Madame Leonora is."

There were social media influencers and personalities, may mga nakikita rin ako sa telebisyon na mga artista at modelo. Good thing it was a private celebration that's why there's no press or media to cover the event.

Giniya rin kami ni Johann papunta kay Charlotte. Art was happy to see his goddaughter, nakasuot ng white floral dress si Charlotte at may clip sa kaniyang maliit na buhok upang hindi tumama ang mga hibla nito sa mukha. She was really cute! Lalo na ang pisngi. Parang siopao. Kung pwede lang panggigilan, ginawa ko na. Na-miss ko tuloy si Ella.

Art gave his gift right after.

When the event started, everyone proceeded to their table. We also walked to ours, doon ko napansin na may mga taong napapatingin kay Art, lalo sa mga babae. Akala mo magmamayor itong kasama ko rin dahil marami siyang nakaka-handshake at mga babae na nakikipagbeso. He was tall and a head-turner, everyone wanted to talk to him, parang naging event pa niya ito kesa sa inaanak. Kaya naman medyo natagalan pa bago kami maupo.

We shared a table with some of the guests since it was just us two.

"Are you two a thing?" Usisa ng isang babae sa akin na katabi ko. She was pretty, I realized she was a supporting character in one of Art's movies with Cheska and Johann. She smiled at me while the rest in the table were quietly listening and observing. "I'm Caitlyn, by the way." She looked at Art and smiled wider, but it was in a friendly way. Ninang din siguro ito.

"I'm courting her." Si Art ang sumagot, her mouth formed an 'o' and she giggled.

"Sana all!" Pinaypayan niya pa ang sarili, kunwari nainggit. "Chos! Kapag sinagot mo si Arthur, you should prepare for a showbiz life too. People will do anything to invade your privacy and dig personal info." Pagpapaalala niya sa akin.