Two Less Lonely People (A JLC-BA Fanfic)

Chapter 1

It all started as an unassuming meeting and neither Alex nor Mina realized that this was the start of what people usually allude to as destiny.

It was early evening and Mina just arrived at Carlo's Pizza. She felt happy that she picked this place for their traditional Christmas party with four of her friends. Ever since she moved out of the big city, she has chosen to meet friends in Tagaytay City because of its cool weather and nice scenery, a view of the quaint and serene Taal Volcano. The place is not packed and Mina was pleased, but then again it was early. Looking around, though, there were already a lot of people in the nearby coffee shop; so they are here for coffee and small talk, she thought, not for a big meal like what she and her friends had planned. She chuckled at the thought of how she and her friends love chattering on end over mouthfuls of food and drinks, unlike the young people of today who would drink cups of coffee together with their chatter.

Once seated, Mina called up one of her friends and was surprised to learn that they were still far from Tagaytay. "I told you to start early so you won't be trapped in weekend traffic" she told Nini. "Or are you just leaving the office?" Mina barked at her friend. She heard chuckling at the other end of the line and a chorus of "Sorry Mina! We will be there soon." "Ok, what else can I do but wait. Hurry now but keep safe" she told Nini before she hung up. Resigned at her fate, she consoled herself with brooding over the thought of being alone for some time with soda and her favorite mozzarella sticks. She ordered her appetizer and started playing Candy Crush on her android to allay boredom from the long wait. They couldn't be here until at least 45 minutes and that was a long time she thought. The mozarella sticks came immediately which disappointed her because she knew the sticks will be consumed in no time given her love for cheese. Munching on the food sparingly, she felt this was agony. She let out a little laugh at her thoughts and realizing what she did, looked around the other guests if anyone noticed her little outburst. Everyone seemed to be engrossed with their respective crowd. That's good, she thought. Little did she know that at the far side from where she was seated, someone was observing her.

Alex was a regular client of the restaurant, doing his business with clients here and making it his semi-office. He usually comes around weekdays and this is one of the few times he came on a weekend and without clients or documents to work on. He had his laptop with him, but only because it was second skin to him. Tonight however, the lappy also provided as decoy for his observing the guests in the restaurant, not that he has voyeuristic tendencies, but he was just bored and he instinctively came to Carlo's which he considers "home". The crowd is rather sizable tonight and he couldn't help himself from observing them. He spotted a couple who cannot seem to decide whether they are quarreling or making up. Not even the ambiance of Tagaytay can set these two straight, he wrote on his notepad. He followed his note with a chuckling smiley icon. Hah! There was a big family dining, with even their grandpa and grandma in tow. Nice this is nice, he wrote. He missed his own family outings he thought. There was a group of friends who couldn't stop taking pictures and looked like they were playing musical chairs doing that. There was a group of apparently church people because they seem to be doting on their pastor.

Then he noticed Mina during her "little laugh" moment. He didn't think she was weird because he realized she was in the same plight as he was, dining alone. He observed her some more and realized that she was bored. He observed how she nibbled at the cheese stick so sparingly and actually found her action cute. Is she alone or waiting for company, he wondered. He motioned to one of the waiters and asked about her. As a regular guest, he has established that bond with the staff. He readily got the information that the lady is waiting for company; a group of friends is joining her. He thanked the guy and decided to come up to her and engage her in small talk. After all she looked bored and she wasn't waiting for a guy.

As he was coming up to her though, he stopped and felt tentative about proceeding, suddenly thinking that she might not look kindly on his audacity. He was about to turn back when Mina called out, "What is it? You wanted to say something to me? This made Alex turn around and with a sheepish grin, held out his hand and introduced himself. "Hi. My name is Alex and I thought you needed someone to talk to so I came up..." Without bothering to let Alex finish what he was saying, Mina took his hand for the handshake and said, "Yeah, I'm bored, please sit down. My name is Mina"