I'm here in my favourite cafe and I just dropped the call from my brothers. I decided to go out of my flat kasi no use din naman if magtatago lang ako doon. I'll be meeting him later, itutuloy ang tour.
"Hi! Are you alone?" A lady who I think is aged in the early thirties sat in front of me. I nodded and gave her a smile.
"Taga-Manila ka ba?" Napangiti na lang ako nang narinig ko siyang nag-Tagalog. Siguro narinig niya akong kausap ang mga kapatid ko kanina.
Tinanong niya ako kung kailangan ko ba ng trabaho dito sa UK. She told me about their company but did not tell me exactly what the job is. But I'm pretty sure it is legal, I've saw some articles about them before. I told her na babalik na din naman ako ng Manila this week, kasi classes will be back in a month. May mga aasikasuhin pa.
"That's perfect! Think about it, ok? Maghihintay ako sa office. Nice meeting you, Beatrice." She left me her calling card. Stephanie Cruz, HR Department. SyncUK
Nagkita kami ni Jay sa St. Paul's Cathedral. Not sure if it's just me pero from afar, it looks like the USA's Capitol. And I can say, this is my favorite Cathedral of all the places I've been to.
"Do you mind if I ask, what was your urgent meeting about?" Tanong niya sa akin pagkalabas namin ng cathedral.
"Dad called me for a project offered by a university in Germany. Balak yatang gawin sa Manila. Yun lang naman. Try daw i-offer sa Luceat." He nodded and went silent as we walk around. I can feel how awkward he is kaya I started to tag him anywhere.
We ate at the food carts lang for some cheap but yummy local food. It's my treat anyway. One of my musts when travelling is, this. Hindi mo kailangan magpaka-sosyal and spend tons of bucks in everything you do to enjoy.
"Jay, kailan ka uuwi?" Tanong ko sa kanya habang tinitignan niya ang mga lumang pera ng Britain.
"Pinapauwi mo na ba ako?" He said with a matching pout.
"Haha. Funny. I was just asking kasi, hindi natin mapapasok lahat ng museums dito sa London. You might get upset, I know you love them."
"I know you do, but it's okay. I'd be back here soon, and check out the others. I'm leaving tomorrow." Maya-maya ay hinila niya ako at excited nang magpunta ng Buckingham Palace kasi malapit na mag Changing of the Guards Ceremony.
I got pretty excited nung sinabi niyang sa palace na kami susunod na pupunta. Kahit na magi-isang buwan na ako dito, ngayon ko pa lang makikita ang palasyo.
"Nakakamiss naman magmartsa." Nasabi ko nang biglaan habang pinapanood ang mga guards.
"Ano?" Takang-takang tanong niya sa sinabi ko.
"I used to be a CAT officer nung high school. Ever since I was a kid, gusto ko na talaga maging cadette. Then came 4th year, I told my parents na gusto ko mag-sundalo. Tinawanan lang nila ako. They thought I was joking until pinakita ko sa kanila yung entrance form sa PMA. I wanted to be a field surgeon, but it never happened." Tuloy tuloy kong sabi habang nakatingin sa mga guards.
"Hindi mo nakwento sa akin yan. I thought you wanted to be a princess or a queen?"
"I do." This time I looked at him with a smile. "What's better than being a warrior and a royal at the same time?"
He gave me a sad but amused smile. Noong patapos na ang ceremony, I heard him say something that got me distracted.
"Having you would be the best thing."
I pretended to not have heard what he said back in the Buckingham Palace and just went with the flow. It's already almost sunset when I told Jay na gusto kong pumunta ng pub.
"What?! Are you serious about that, Beatrice?" Sabi na nga ba, magrereact siya ng ganito. Hindi kasi siya umiinom, super occassionally lang.
"I really am. Gusto ko lang maexperience. Besides, you wouldn't want me to go alone do you?" What I said made him say yes. But he told me na may pupuntahan pa daw kami.
We walked from the Palace to Westminster Pier. I found myself squealing noong nakita ko ang signage ng pier. We are going on a cruise at Thames River!
Ang saya saya ko nung sumakay na kami ng yacht. Kami ang unang sumakay and syempre, I went to the best spot. Nagulat na lang ako nang umandar bigla ang yate.
"No way, Jay?! You have rented this yacht!!!"
"All for you, Queen Elle."
The cruise has been so slow it was so unexpected. It allowed us to really ponder on everything around us. Sa sobrang tipid ko, hindi ko na ginusto na makasakay dito.
I took a lot of pictures, this is one of the moments na hinding hindi mo talaga dapat pinapalagpas. I have noticed Jay taking pictures too and I smiled by the thought of how we used to take pictures almost everytime we are together.
"Hey Jay. You've changed a lot." Napatingin siya sa akin at halatang nagulat siya sa sinabi ko. I bursted out laughing. "You should've seen your face! Hahaha! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I was just thinking what would catch your attention."
"You have all my attention, Elle." He said almost a whisper.
"Itatanong ko lang sana kung bakit ang tahimik mo. I want the 'professor J' side of you." I said na parang hindi narinig ang sinabi niya.
"You really do, huh?" Lumapit siya sa akin with a smirk on his lips. Shit, stop it. "Iniisip ko kasi kung anong oras ba bibilis tong yate." He scratched the back of his head na parang nahihiya sa sinabi niya.
For awhile, I was just staring at him. Not thinking about anything, just staring. Inaayos niya ang camera niya nang bigla niyang sinabing, "Are you ready?" then smiled.
Napatingin ako kung saan na papunta ang yate. "Wait! Are we remaking Midnight Memories's bridge?!" He nodded and tapped the roof of the driver's den. That maybe is his signal to go fast.
The Directioner in me went all out. "You and me and all our friends, I don't care how much we spend. Baby, this is what the night is for, oh, oh, oh. I know nothing's making sense, for tonight let's just pretend I don't wanna stop so give me more, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!!!"
We sped up too much as I approach the last chorus to make sure it is the London Bridge in my background. As soon as I have finished the song I started laughing and then the next thing I knew, I was sobbing.
"Ibig sabihin ba nito? Hindi ko sila makikita this tour?" He just laughed at me then hugged me. We got off the yacht and told me we're going to ride London Eye.
