In His Kiss

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Laure Ri Daza's Point of View

The giraffe emoji got me. Ilang linggo pa lang kami magkakilala ay parang alam na niya agad ang kahinaan ko. Sa dami nang nalaman ko tungkol kay Hiro ay para akong lalagnatin. Kahit ang mga sinabi ni Gemma ay hindi pa rin mawala sa isip ko.

I tried my best not to respond to his text message. Kaya naman nag focus lang ako sa aking trabaho hanggang makapag out ako. My plan is not to see Hiro in the company. I think I already made it clear to him that I no longer want to continue whatever this is.

The moment the clock hits five thirty in the evening, I hurriedly put my things inside my bag and bid goodbye to my co workers. Sigurado akong nagtatrabaho pa rin si Hiro ngayon sa kanyang office at hindi niya ako maabutan sa lobby. Dali-dali akong lumabas sa elevator nang makababa ako sa ground floor habang hindi pinapansin ang mga taong nakakasalubong ko. Not until someone just put a black cap on my head and stood besides me.

"Don't shout or you'll draw attention." Hindi ko pa naibubuka ang bibig ko dahil sa pagkagulat nang bigla na lang nagsalita ang nasa tabi ko. Hindi ko na kailangan tumingin sa kanyang mukha dahil kilalang-kilala ko ang boses ni Hiro.

"Put the cap on your head and follow me." He quietly said. Inayos ko naman ang pagkalagay ng cap sa aking ulo. Mabuti na lang at kaunting tao lang ang nandito sa lobby at mukhang walang nakakapansin sa aking dalawa. Good, because I don't want to be in the center of gossip in that online forum.

Walang sabi-sabi niyang hinawakan ang kamay ko at hinila na lang kung saan. Mas nauna siyang naglakad sa akin habang ako ay nasa may likuran niya. Hawak pa rin nito ang kamay ko at mukhang walang siyang balak na bitawan ito. Doon ko lang nakita na hindi na nakasuot ng suit si Hiro. He's wearing a black tracksuit. At kahit siya ay may suot na rin sumbrelo sa kanyang ulo. It seems like we're sneaking out— but I guess we're really sneaking out.

Tahimik lang kaming dalawa na pumunta sa parking lot. Siya na rin ang nagbukas ng pinto ng passenger seat at pinapasok ako sa loob. Did Hiro just put a cap on my head so no one will see me? And did he just changed from wearing a casual suit to tracksuit so no one will recognize him? I don't know what's happening. Parang napaka bilis ng mga pangyayari. Hindi ko alam kung akong sasabihin ko kay Hiro kung makapasok na ito sa loob ng kotse. Should I say hi? Or should I keep my mouth shut? I was formulating words inside my head that I didn't notice that Hiro is already inside.

"I'm sorry," I was taken aback when Hiro apologized the moment he entered his car. Tinanggal na rin niya ang suot niyang cap at iniligay ito sa may backseat. I watched him ruffle his hair, and now he has a messy hairstyle.

"Nagulat yata kita kanina, Laure. Trust me, I'm also shocked to see you inside my office."

"We already talked about this." I removed the cap I was wearing and put it on my lap. Pasimple akong humawak sa aking dibdib at pinakiramdaman ang tibok ng aking puso. My heart couldn't keep still, maybe because I was inside the CEO's car. The same car that Hiro used when he went to see me in my hometown.

"Why did you become so indifferent? You told me last night to enjoy this while we're at it. Was that a lie?" Hindi ko na mabilang kung ilang beses na akong napalunok sa pwesto ko. Both of us shared some of our feelings last night. Sino naman ang makakalimot nito? We even said that we're attracted to each other. Pero iba pa rin talaga kung malalaman kong isa siyang Stanislaski. I must be lying if I said I'm not intimidated.

"And I told you I'm attracted to you Laure. You can't just stop this. I won't accept it." Natigilan ako dahil mukhang binabalik niya sa akin ang naging usapan namin sa balcony niya.