Together but Separate

Chapter 19: Build Her Up

Kate Rojas

I felt the limousine stopped. It was an indication that we had arrived in the venue. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I felt a hand on top of mine. I opened my eyes to see who it was. I saw Tita Jasmine giving me an encouraging smile as she squeezed my hand.

"Do not be nervous. We are here for you," she said in a genuine way.

I hesitantly smiled. "I cannot help it po. This is the first time that I will be attending a gathering as a Ferragni. I am nervous that I won't be able to represent you correctly."

"Do not worry about representing us, hija," Tito Niccolo replied, so I faced him. He and tita were sitting across me. The limo that we rented for the event had seats that were facing each other. Nicko and I were sitting on the same side while his parents were in the opposite side. "Just be yourself. You do not need to impress anyone. We know who you really are and that's what matters the most."

A genuine smile suddenly appeared on my lips. I felt better after hearing what tito said. Since this morning, I had been nervous about this event. Maybe I felt pressured because I would be attending the event with Nicko and his family. I wanted to make them proud and be able to represent them correctly. I put a lot of pressure on myself so bad. In return, I just felt miserable.

Tito Niccolo was right. I just needed to be myself.

"Thank you po, tito. Your words helped me feel at ease."

He smiled and turned to Nicko. "Take care of Kate. This is her first. Make sure she does not feel out of place."

"Yes, dad." Nicko nodded.

Tita Jasmine squeezed my hand one more time before she let it go. Someone opened the door of the limo. Tito Niccolo went out first. I saw him offered his hand to tita as she climbed out of the car.

Nicko went out next. I took another deep breath before I decided to go out. Nicko's hand immediately held my arm to help me. I appreciated his support because I was wearing heels and a long gown.

Camera flashes welcomed me as I stepped outside the car. I did not know how big this event was for reporters to come and document the event. Nicko said this was a yearly thing, so they were probably expecting this every year.

Nicko offered his arm. I looked up to see his face. This man looked more handsome tonight. His hair was nicely done. He also looked fresh, as always. His gesture was appreciated at this moment, so I grabbed onto his arm. We walked to the entrance of the hall together as we held arms.

As we walked, naalala ko bigla ang sinabi niya sa akin.

If you think that you are not special to me, you are wrong.

Remembering those words made my heart jump once again. We had not brought this up again since then, but I knew it was real. He really said those words to me. I hoped that he would say those words again and expound what he meant.

"Look up. You should be proud of how beautiful you look tonight," narinig kong sabi ni Nicko kaya napaangat ako ng tingin sa kanya. He smiled then looked forward.

I followed what he said. I held my head up and tried to look confident in front of these high profile people.

Many people welcomed us when we entered the venue. They seemed to be looking forward to see us, especially Nicko's parents. Everyone was so welcoming.

Tita Jasmine never failed to introduce me to every person we came across. She would always introduce me by saying, "This is my beautiful and kind daughter-in-law."