Paris heaved a sigh as she scanned the whole place. Everything was still the same. The mango tree in the center was still there, the bench, the wooden tables that served as her witness during the time when she mourned over her ex. She smiled when she saw the customers, patiently waiting for their orders. She took steps and sat at one of the tables. The smell- the smell of the barbeque that made her system went wild. The mouthwatering barbeque were inviting her to ruin her diet again...
Mang Pedro's Barbeque House
"Aris! Juskooooooo!"
She looked back upon hearing someone squealing her name.
"Juskong bata ka! Apat na taon kang hindi bumalik dito! Ano bang nangyari sayo at ngayon ka lang bumalik?"
Paris laughed and took the hand of Mang Pedro's wife to kiss it. It's Aling Nena; someone who's very close to her heart. She was just in high school when she had the pleasure of knowing her.
"Grabe 'nay, wala po bang welcome back dyan?" She cracked a joke before pulling Aling Nena for a hug. "Na miss ko po kayo ng sobra 'nay."
"Mas na miss kita kaya halika dito at mag-usap tayo! May pa pila-pila ka pa dyan eh pwede namang dumiritso ka na lang sa kusina. Roberto, isang family barbeque meal ka dyan, hatid mo dito!"
---
"So bat bigla kang nawala bata ka?"
Paris smiled sweetly, feigning and trying to be okay in front of Aling Nena. It has been years but for her, it felt like it all happened yesterday.
"Naaksidente po kasi si tita. So since kami nalang pong dalawa, I decided to sell the house pati narin po ang lupa at doon po ako nanirahan sa Manila. Doon na rin po ako nag-aral ng kolehiyo at nagtapos. Isa napo akong guro ngayon."
"Bat hindi ka nagsabi! Alalang-ala ako sayo k-- Oo na! Andyan na! Aris, maiwan muna kita! Kumain ka dyan! Marami nang customers, punta muna ako doon!"
Paris smiled knowing how Aling Nena missed her. She fished out her phone from her bag and checked the time. It's seven in the evening already.
Half an hour passed, and she wasabout to go home. She's waiting for Aling Nena so she could bid goodbye, but she was still busy accepting orders. To fuel her boredom, she fished out her pen amd started writing.
Dear Shooting Stars,
I'm back again. In this place...
Paris stopped writing when the people around the place looked up. Meteors were falling amd everybody was in awe. She smiled, well who couldn't? The view was beyond beautiful. Another set of meteors fell again and this time, she blew a wish.
---
Paris closed her diary and began putting her things inside her shoulder bag. She stood up, hanging the bag on the crook of her shoulder. She was ready to go when out of a sudden...
Thug!
Paris fell on the ground when a boy, at around 10 or 11 years old bumped on her.
"I'm sorry. I didnt mean to." Uttered the boy, bowing his head, asking for forgiveness while playing with his hands, a sign of nervousness.
Paris' heart melted when she saw how sincere the boy was. Instead of scolding him for being so careless, she kneeled in front of the boy, held his shaking hands and smiled.
"It's okay young man. Next time, be careful and behave well especially at this kind of places." She said, smiling sweetly.
The boy smiled and without any hesitation hugged her. She felt a sudden déjà vu with the happenings. She felt like this already happened. She was hugging the child back, thinking what could possibly happen next.
"Someone will come to us."
She thought and closed her eyes. A moment passed and she broke the hug. The boy smiled, and she stood up. She was about to say goodbye when...
"Ang kulit ng batang 'yan. He was running around and even broke my helmet earlier." Somebody spoke.
Paris turned and saw a handsome deity holding a broken helmet. The man was currently speaking but she couldn't understand nor hear everything he was saying- all she could hear were the loud sounds of her heart. The butterflies were getting wild inside her system. Her ears heard a love song playing, and just like what happens on movies, the surroundings became blurred except for the goddamn man standing in front of her.
"Deep, dark and seductive eyes. Thin lips. Pointed nose. Perfect jawline."
"Miss? You okay?"
Paris was pulled back into reality. Gulping upon realizing that she was staring at him for God knows how long.
"I-im s-sorry. Uhm, so, you were dating? Um, I mean, you were saying?" She felt shy- cheeks burning into crimson red.
He laughed. Paris finally heard him. His laughs were like thunder but the ones that didn't bring destructions.
"Ang sabi ko, kulit noong bata. Ayun oh, andun na naman sa kabila."
Paris smiled. "Kulit pero gwapo." She commented.
The man smiled. "Thank you."
Paris laughed. "It wasn't you! I am referring to the kid!"
The man smiled. "I was just pulling your leg; you're too serious kasi kanina."
Paris fixed her loose hairs, putting them behind her right ear. "So, what was it again?"
The man put his broken helmet on his motorcycle.
"Nothing." He smiled. "By the way, I'm London, and you are?" Offering his hand for a shake.
"Paris. I'm Paris."
_____
🌼 I've unpublished this one and I'm sorry that this became unavailable. I had received lots of messages and my lazy ass was not able to reply. I just felt the need to fuel myself for it seemed like I had lost my pen, but it's here already! Please let me know what's inside your head guys and just comment for dedication.
