"Oh, try this one on," said the guy I was with, handing a pair of lacey, candy-pink bra to me.
It was just 6pm at a swanky mall. I was with a guy who decided to surprise me with a shopping spree. I still don't know what bit him or what he ate, which made him decide to bring me out on a shopping date.
***
His name is Ted Mark Cruz, a drummer for a popular pop-rock band. He's kind of cute, because he makes me laugh and he has this handsome smile. We met at a coffee shop in Makati, when I was too lazy to go home and he appeared from nowhere, with friends.
I was in queue, waiting for my turn to give my order, and he suddenly stepped in line right behind me. I looked at him and gave me the cutest smile ever. I actually didn't know why I looked at him.
"Hi," he said, waving his hand at me.
"Oh hello," I greeted back, trying to smile. "What a day."
He smiled some more. "I know right! I can't believe it. Bomb threats here, bomb threats there! Good thing they're all a false alarm."
One of his friends called him from across the coffee shop. "TMac! We're leaving! Emergency."
TMac tensed up, looking at his friends. "What? No! Y'all leaving me? Oh alright."
He then returned his gaze to me, his smile never faded. "So, it's just us?"
I nodded, smilingly, relieved by this friendly gesture.
**
Into my second order of Double Chocolate and his second order of Chocolate Cherry, we laughed at each other. He kept on firing jokes, even telling me his work as a drummer for Sponge Cola.
"Oh wait, I forgot to tell you my name!" he said, laughing after a sip of his warm java.
"I know it. You're called TMac, right?"
TMac smiled. "Well, yeah. My name's Ted Mark Cruz. You?"
"Jamie Esquivel."
We shook hands. Then I looked at my watch. "Oh, it's eleven already! I have to go."
"But it's the weekend," said TMac, surprise evident in his voice.
I stopped, clutching my laptop bag and my cellphone. "Oh, is it?"
TMac laughed again, which made me turn red in embarrassment.
"Yes it is, Jamie," he said, offering to sort my stuff out, his eyes still looking into mine. "Where would you want to go? Do you want to escape from this busy, noisy place?"
"Well," I replied, surprised by TMac's invitation. "I'd like to go to a quiet place, like that seaside place behind MOA. Sorry if I'm...jologs."
TMac smiled. "Sure! I don't think that's jologs, you know. Do you drink?"
I bit my lip. "Not so much."
"Oh alright, we'll just get a few bottles."
***
We were inside his car, so spacious and clean-smelling. His radio blared funk music, which he said he likes. (After all, he was that guy from Out of Body Special.)
"Sorry if I bore you," I said, looking away in the window, to the sight of city lights against the background of night.
"What? No, you don't bore me," replied TMac, his voice friendly. I could tell he's smiling.
"Here we are," he announced, parking the car, and stopping the engine. He got out, went around the car, opened the car door for me (which I'm so thankful about), closed it for me, and proceeded to the boot of his car to get his ice box.
