Nikolaj pulled over in front of a fine dining restaurant. I wasn't new to these kinds of things as I grew up with a golden spoon in my mouth kaya kahit nasa labas pa lang kami ay alam ko nang mamahalin ang restaurant na iyon. And of course, the food there would be expensive as well.
But with the current state of my finances right now, I clearly know that I wouldn't be able to afford it. Isang dish pa lang ay isang sahuran ko na ang katumbas. I didn't want to spend my money sa kakaunting dish na 'yon kung alam ko namang may mas mura and would be able to satisfy my hunger for tonight.
So, when Nikolaj opened the door for me and offered me his hand, nag-alangan akong bumaba. Like holy shit. I wanted to tell him na sa ibang lugar na lang kami kumain dahil hindi ko afford doon. I knew I would be paying tonight dahil itong dinner ang magiging kapalit sa mga naitulong n'ya sa 'kin.
Is this worth it? 'Yung half month, or maybe even the whole month, ng sahod ko ay mauubos agad ngayon sa dinner na 'to. Ayokong magastos ko pa ang ipon ko.
Maybe I should check my bank account first? Baka nga magkulang pa ang ipon ko! I don't have a credit card pa naman. Hindi ako nag-apply for one dahil mas ini-encourage lang noon ang paggastos ko and because I was still new to budgeting my expenses, I was worried na mabaon ako sa utang instead.
"Is there something wrong?" Nikolaj asked. Nagtataka siguro kung bakit hindi ko pa tinatanggap ang kamay n'ya at hindi pa bumababa ng sasakyan. I could see the valet was also waiting for him for the keys.
Alanganin ang ngiting binigay ko sa kanya.
"Dito tayo magdi-dinner?" I asked.
"Yeah..." He glanced at the restaurant before he looked back at me. His black eyes were staring intently at me. "Don't worry. I made a reservation."
Ah... he must've thought that I'm worrying na baka hindi kami papasukin sa loob since kaninang umaga n'ya lang din naman ako niyaya.
No... I was worrying about my wallet... about my bank account... and my money.
But... he made a reservation. Mas nakakahiya kung ika-cancel n'ya 'yon dahil lang hindi enough ang budget ko.
Hindi na lang siguro ako kakain. After all, this was my treat for him.
In the end, I accepted his hand. My fingers flinched when I felt how rough and hard his hand was. His grip on my hand was tight when he helped me get out of the car. Nakita ko pa nga ang kaibigan ng mga kamay namin. Mine looked a lot smaller compared to his hand. His fingers were even long and they looked beautiful. Lalaking-lalaki.
Hindi na n'ya binitiwan ang kamay ko pagkatapos noon. He was holding it, and my small hand got enveloped in the warmth of his big hand. Iniwasan kong mapatingin sa mga kamay naming magkasiklop. I even ignored the way my heart started to beat fast and how good it felt now that he was holding my hand.
I don't know... It felt... perfectly fitting with his.
The maitre d' guided us to our reserved seat. And Nikolaj, being the gentleman he was, even pulled the chair for me. I smiled and thanked him as I took my seat.
As soon as he sat down, Nikolaj ordered a glass of red wine for our aperitif at mabilis naman iyong naibigay sa 'min. We were also handed the menus. I quickly scanned for the price and almost cursed that the appetizer cost nearly a thousand bills. I wasn't sure if Nikolaj was planning a full-course meal, but I was certain he'd order an appetizer while waiting for the main dish.
Shocks... ang mamahal ng mga pagkain na nasa menu. I already expected it. Sanay pa nga ako sa mga ganitong kamahal na pagkain. When I was dining in a restaurant like this, hindi ko na nga tinitingnan ang price at umo-order na lang basta.
