My Greatest What If - Gio Ortega (Published)

Chapter 2

I could read different emotions in her eyes – surprise, doubt, bewilderment. And the closer I got to her table, the more my self-confidence bled. For there was no way in hell that someone like Moira Gokongwei was going to fall for someone like me.

"You're a girl..." she stated plainly. There was no accusation in those words but it sounded like a death sentence to me.

"Yes, I am biologically female," I replied.

Okay, George, leave.

"Ahh...ha...ha...ha..." She looked more confused.

Shit, George, the poor thing was obviously surprised. Don't be too hard on her.

"Nagulat ka ba?" I smiled.

She shook her head, changed her mind, and nodded instead.

Fuck. That's not a good sign.

She lowered her gaze as if she was unsure what to say next and I imagined banging my head against the table.

My God, say something!

"Um..."

Finally!

"Pero, bakit malalim ang boses mo?"

Oops...there's the accusing tone that I have been dreading to hear all day...

"I was born with this voice," I replied as calmly and evenly as I could. I tried to hold her gaze but she averted her face.

I inwardly sighed. There's the answer to your romantic notions, George...

I smiled widely at her steeling myself for her imminent rejection. "You can leave if you're not comfortable," I suggested.

She looked up and then blinked at me in bafflement before a gentle smile tugged the corners of her lips.

Ano 'yang ngiting 'yan, pabaon?

I was sure that I was never going to see her again; I was a hundred percent convinced that it was going to be our last exchange.

"Gan'un? Aalis na ako kaagad, hindi man lang ako kakain?" she offhandedly told me

Her reply caught me off guard and I found myself staring in confusion at her. Wait, does that mean that she's staying—don't get your hopes up, you fool!

I laughed softly. "Oo nga naman, how rude of me. Okay lang ba sa'yo 'yung in-order ko because if not, pwede naman tayong mag-order ng iba."

"Keri na 'yun. Kahit ano kakainin ko kasi gutom na gutom na talaga ako..." she said.

I was just waiting for her to verbalize her verdict although I already knew what it was going to be. Yet I couldn't stop staring at her mouth and wondering how those lips would feel against mine.

Shit, George, stop it! I cleared my throat as I pretended to nod at what she was saying.

"...kung may benta lang silang buong baka ay baka 'yun ang in-order ko at mapasubo ka pa," I heard her say.

Anong isusubo ko? Anong ipapasubo mo—punyemas, George, taglibog ka ba?

"Oo nga, eh..." I said as I gave myself a mental slap.

"Hoy, okay ka lang ba?" she asked.

Hindi na...

"Oo naman."

It was, of course, my fault. I wasn't sure when I started entertaining sensual thoughts about her. She was just so unguarded every time we talked and she would say the darnedest things – like how she was about to take a bath so would it be all right if I call her after maybe fifteen minutes? Or how she was so sweaty because her father's wife made her scrub the garage floor. Sometimes, she would mention how her electric fan was broken so her shirt was clinging to her like a second skin.