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XIII. New Beginnings

It's through no fault of hers that she was sitting on the edge of her bed with no idea what to wear. He only said 'put on something nice' - "And that's really informative," she grumbled.

She opened her wardrobe doors wide, and stared long and hard at its contents, thinking at that very instant that it was the most girly moment she ever had. She's always been a shirt and jeans person, you see - it's a lot easier.

But he said 'something nice', and she didn't know if jeans would be appropriate for wherever he was taking her to.

She eyed the rather fitting black dress tucked neatly in the corner of the wardrobe, that he once told her she looked good in.

She wasn't sure if it still fits.

Taking a leap of faith, she sucked in her breath sharply and removed the dress from its hanger.

"Here goes, all or nothing," she thought, and prayed fervently in her head as she pulled the dress on. When it was finally adjusted properly, she let out a small sigh.

One point to gym.

Taking a time check, Aga was to arrive in 30 minutes. Given his track record, she had duly added 30 minutes for him on her own accord. Therefore, when the doorbell rung only 5 minutes late, she was pleasantly surprised.

"I'm only 5 minutes late," was his opening declaration, before following it up with, "Enough improvement?"

"There's still room for more," she laughed.

"Magandang gabi," he greeted as they gave each other a soft kiss on the cheeks, "you ready?"

"Oo. As I'll ever be," she replied as she stepped out of her apartment and locked the door behind her.

"You look good," he eyed her dress, "that's the dress I said..." He trailed off at the end while his eyes continued the journey down to her legs.

"That's the one. And salamat po."

"Gym's good for you," he added with a smirk, with which she responded with a hard stare.

"You're welcome," he chirped as he opened the car door for her like a true gentleman.

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Curiosity eventually got the better of her as they drove along for almost an hour with no signs of stopping yet.

"Are you going to tell me where in the world we're going?"

"It's a surprise, my dear. Just wait lang."

"You're really weird tonight."

"Hey, hey, just because this is a first doesn't mean I'm weird alright."

"Okaaaaaay..."

The conversation ended as the car settled into a comfortable silence.

"Has Direk contacted you about the third movie?" he suddenly spoke up again.

"Hindi pa. She's talked to you?"

"Just earlier, before I got to your place. Did you check your phone?"

She rummaged around in her handbag before pulling out her phone.

"Oh, it's flat. Oops! What did she say?"

"It's being delayed. She's not happy with the script. It still needs some work."

"Till when?"

"I'm not sure. She's targeting second half of 2015."

She considered it for a moment.

"I've tapings for The Voice. I'm pretty sure either the adults' or kids' season will be taping then...probably the adults'."

"We'll make it work," he simply replied, "I can work around your schedule. I'm pretty sure the crew would be glad to accommodate."

"Morning," she said, suddenly solemn after hearing his response, "Alam mo, I'm really hoping this does work out, trust me. I want this as much as all of us do. It's not just a promise. From the bottom of my heart, I want this."

"I know you do, and I trust you," he said, lifting a hand from the wheel and squeezing her thigh in a comforting gesture. Only problem, was that he left it there.

-----

Her heart thumped rapidly as she felt the warmth on her thigh. Scratch that, it was a searing heat. Her body immediately stiffened in response.

Question 3, answered.

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A/N:

I'm so terribly sorry for breaking my pinky promise. But still, do vote, comment and share! 😝😝

And for those of you wondering what in the world Question 3 is, look back to the end of Chapter XI. Rumination. :)

With loves,