To Win a Loser's Heart

Step 5: Greet

"You look great, Kuya."

Aimee sighed and assured Bongbong for the hundredth time since they arrived at the venue of his inauguration. He had been checking on his barong and fixing his watch every now and then. It was his day but he was standing at the back entrance - nervously looking at his watch.

"Ano pa bang inaantay mo, Kuya?" Aimee asked - worried with how his brother was behaving.

The rest of their family and the media was already inside of the venue and waiting for them. It was just Aimee who was left when their family decided to go inside.

Before the president-elect could answer, a white van entered their view. It stopped in front of the entrance. A man in a white military suit stepped out of the passenger's seat.

Bongbong took a deep breath and watched closely as the man opened the door of the van. Out came the outgoing Vice President of the Philippines in a beige fiber dress that he sent. She carefully placed down her nude colored stiletto and straighten herself.

Aimee was out of words beside her brother. Her jaw dropped to the ground. "K-kuya?" She pointed at her as if she saw a ghost.

Bongbong laughed softly and approached the new arrival - ignoring his sister. "Madam Leni." He offered his hand to guide her on the flight of the stairs.

She accepted it.

There was a bolt of electricity that flowed through his hand. It did not stop there. It went directly to his chest - making his heart race faster.

"Thank you for inviting me, Mr. President." She said softly but there was a hint of sharpness in it.

"You're welcome." He replied with a sly grin.

He wanted to give her a front row at his triumph to remind her of her failure. Judging by the tone of her voice, he knew that she was aware of it. Despite that, he could not deny how stunning the vice president was.

"Ang ganda...shet." He heard Aimee whisper not too far from them.

"This is my sister Aimee." He gestured his hand towards his sister.

She wanted to melt. "H-Hi..." Her smile turned out to be as awkward as her wave.

"Hello," Leni replied - showing her gummy smile.

Bongbong gulped. He had seen it before even during their debates when she ran for vice president. He did not realize how pretty it was up close. He resisted the urge to run his fingers on her cheeks.

His returned his attention to his sister. "Aimee, you can go na sa loob." He instructed.

His sister bid goodbye. Leni was about to follow her when he stopped her - holding her arm. "Wait..."

Her eyes met his. Suddenly, the ground looked fascinating. He could not bare the weight of her stares. She looked magnificent.

"Samahan mo ko, Madam Vice President." He finally said and offered his arm.

Leni wrapped her arms around his. Then, as if on cue, the voice of the announcer echoed through the venue. "The President of the Philippines, Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr."

They heard cheering as they walked closer and closer out in the lobby where everyone was waiting. He could feel her tight grip on his arm. She was probably mad.

"I'm sorry." He whispered on their way.

"No, you're not." She retorted.

He surrendered. "No, I'm not."

She glared at him - making him grin in the process. He was enjoying teasing her. It was probably the biggest reaction he got from her so far.

"How does it feel to lose?" He asked - maintaining the grin across his face.

She shrugged. "I don't really feel it yet. Why don't you tell me? After all, you experienced it twice." She responded - pertaining to their competition back on the 2016 vice presidential election.

He was not able to answer back as they reached the open space in front of the crowd. Leni pulled her arm away and found a seat next to Aimee who was gesturing the vice president to sit on the chair beside her.

He had no choice but to sit on the other side or the row where he was told to. The program continued but he could not help but steal glances in her direction.

Aimee, who noticed it tried to block his view. "Kuya, can you focus on the program?"

He frowned at her and shifted his eyes to the stage in front of them. He was then told to get up on the stage and take his oath.

"M-Me?"

From the stage, he could see Leni's confusion when the bible was handed over to her. Her eyes widened as she turned them to Bongbong who was smirking at her. She gave them a fake smile before she accepted the book and walked closer to the stage.

Bongbong, who was smiling triumphantly, reached out for her hand as she walked up the stage. Instead of accepting his hand, she accepted the hand offered by one of the congressmen who were invited to the inauguration.

He immediately took his hand back and waited for her to reach her place beside him. As she was walking, he noticed her curves being emphasized by her movements.

"Thank you for doing this." He said - letting the people on stage hear them.

She smiled at him. If he did not know any better, he would think it was a genuine smile. "You're welcome, Mr. President. You know that I am all for the greater good." She said. Her voice was caressing each nerve in his body.

His oath started with her holding the bible. "I, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully and conscientiously fulfill my duties as President of the Philippines," His eyes glanced at the former vice president who was fighting the urge to roll her eyes on him. Instead, she smiled softly.

"...preserve and defend its Constitution, execute its laws, do justice to every man, and consecrate myself to the service of the Nation. So help me God." He continued.

After the program, Leni was nowhere to be found. He wanted to invite her to a small party in their house to celebrate his formal appointment as the president. Almost 30 minutes passed, he finally found her with Aimee at the veranda.

"Pasensya ka na sa Kuya ko ah." He heard Aimee saying.

Leni smiled. "Okay lang 'yon."

Aimee shifted her head and realized that he was watching them. Her eyes stayed at him when she said the next words. "Ewan ko do'n. Crush ka yata no'n eh."

His eyes widened.