Letters from Spring Street

Chapter 14

Richard enters the lobby cafe at exactly three fifteen in the afternoon and immediately notices their favorite spot empty. The harsh ray of sunlight however, was bouncing off the silver tip of what he assumed to be Maine's pen.

As he walked over to their table, he sat down and inspected the things splayed across the table. These are her things, alright. But where is she?

Was she in such a hurry to go somewhere? This isn't like her at all.

He notices how the table was in a slight disarray, her bag was even left unopened, and from where he was sitting, he could see that she left her phone inside as well. Scattering the table were pieces of paper scrunched up--maybe she was drafting some design and decided against it?

He had this sudden urge to pick one up and open it, and he was all but ready to do so, he grabbed the nearest one and started to unravel it.

"Rj!"

Richard snaps his head back and sees her walking briskly towards him. As soon as he saw her smiling, the sunshine lightly grazing her face, he drops the scrunched up piece of paper and his curiosity completely forgotten.

"'Maine!" He stood up to meet her, and practically lunges towards her, enveloping her in an embrace.

She was startled of course, but the feeling of his arms protectively wrapped around her was so overwhelming, she immediately reciprocated.

Realizing his forwardness, he grudgingly, but gently pulled away from her, "I'm sorry. I got carried away." He says, eyes downcast on the marble floor, but she noticed how her ears were burning red.

She pursed her lips, stifling a laugh, "Ano ka ba, Richard! Okay lang." It was kind of nice, anyway.

"What? Anong sabi mo, Maine?"

"Huh? Wala akong sinabi ha!"

Crap, did I say that last bit out loud?!

"Meron eh!" He teased, leading her to sit on the spot in front of him. She shot him a look as she did.

"Okay, okay. Wala ka na sinabi." He smirked naughtily at her.

"Hay nako, Mr. CEO. Lucky for you, I'm in a pretty good mood today."

"I always feel lucky when I'm with you, kahit na sungitan mo pa ko. You're still the best part of my day." Richard replies, his tone playful--but his eyes, like they always do, give him away. There was this quiet sincerity in them that was boring into her. That look, that look got her every single time.

He was being too honest, and it both scares and excites her, she decides to reciprocate this time, "If that's the case, then I'm the lucky one." She smiles back at him, "Because I made it on the list."

"What list?"

"The list of your favorite people in the world."

He chuckles at her, highly amused that this girl was winning him over by the second, and with so little effort. "There's some inaccuracy there."

She forehead creases, and she felt like crawling under a rock for the rest of her life. Did I go overboard this time?

"You didn't make the list, Maine. Right now, you are the list."

She looks at him blankly for a second and feels the blush creep on her face, "Ikaw Richard, masyado mong ginagalingan. Okay, okay, you win." She ended up taking a sip out of her now cold tea just to avoid looking him in the eye.

"What made you so chirpy today, Maine?"

"Huh?"

"You don't usually indulge me when I say things like that." He shuffles in his seat, "Aaminin ko, kinilig ako dun."