Sweet Nemesis

Chapter 17

#OLASweetNemesis

Chapter 17
First Time

"Were you forced?" Keno asked while he followed me closely behind.

"No."

"You agreed on your own accord, then?" sunod niyang tanong at dahil sa haba ng mga binti niya ay agad niya akong naabutan.

"Yes, I did," I replied.

"I thought you didn't like blind dates?"

"Well, I just thought maybe it wasn't that bad." I shrugged my shoulders and slowed down, walking across the lobby. "The Tans are very kind. I also want to meet the artist behind the painting I bought during the charity event."

"So you only agreed to meet him because he's the artist of the painting?" paninigurado niya.

"Yes, I guess? And, well, I think it's time for me to find someone to love. I want someone who would see me eye-to-eye, without any limitations or inhibitions," I said with a mild taste of bitterness in my mouth. "Malay natin, 'di ba? Maybe he's the one I'm looking for."

Natahimik si Keno. Hindi na nasundan ang tanong niya. Ayaw ko na rin sanang magpatuloy pa ang pag-uusap namin. However, a part of me was seeking an answer to a question I was hesitant to ask. May gusto akong malaman. May gusto akong madinig muka sa kanya.

"What do you think, Keno?" I bravely asked as I craned my neck to look at him. "Do you think I made the right decision?"

Keno's silence stretched until we reached his car. Hindi ko na inulit ang tanong ko dahil baka wala lang talaga siyang interes na sagutin 'yon. Baka kung ano pa ang isipin niya sa pagkuha ko ng opinyon niya.

Agad akong pumasok sa sasakyan at sumunod naman siya. Keno seemed to be a bit lost in his deep thoughts. It had been more than a minute since he got inside, yet he didn't bother buckling his seatbelt or starting the car until he broke his silence.

"You're right," he said.

I swallowed hard and froze in my seat when I finally heard his answer. My whole body went numb.

"Maybe you'll finally find the man you are looking for in him."

It wasn't the ideal answer I wanted to hear. I wanted him to disagree, but I guess it was better that way. His honesty closed off any misleading actions or words that fueled my false hopes and delusions.

Upon hearing those words, it felt as though he was telling me that I should find someone else to love because he could never return the same feelings. It was enough to confirm that he didn't feel the same way as I did. Mas okay na 'yon kaysa direstahan.

"I thought so..." sabi ko na lang at saka nagsumikap na ngumiti.

We didn't talk for the rest of the ride back home, and I carried on for the rest of the week until the day had finally come.

Tita Selena arranged the blind date for me and her son. Magkikita kami agad ng anak niya kinabukasan pagbalik nito ng Pilipinas. Because I was meeting their only son, I made efforts to look presentable. I even went to a spa to get pampered and get my nails done.

I saw Nikko's pictures on the internet. Tita Selena shared all the links to his social media. Naka-private 'yon lahat kaya ang profile picture niya lang ang nakita ko. He has a public account on Instagram, but the entire feed is dedicated to his art. Ni isang picture na may mukha niya ay wala akong nakita.

Nikko resembled both his parents. He got his eyebrows, nose, and lips from his father, while his slightly narrowed almond-shaped eyes reminded me of Tita Selena. His skin tone was fairer than most men I knew who had tanned skin. He looked like a Korean idol or an A-list Chinese actor.