Chapter Five
“Would you be so kind to tell me what happened, Aly?” tanong sa akin ni Athena habang nasa cafeteria kami at kumakain. It was almost one o’clock in the afternoon. Ngayon-ngayon lang din kami nagkaroon ng lunch break dahil may tinapos pa kaming gawain.
“Hmm?” I hummed before reaching out to my drink. Pinagmasdan ako ni Athena habang ako’y dahan-dahan na umiinom. I doubt she would stop asking lalo pa’t wala siyang mahagip na kuwento patungkol sa auction.
Pinagtaasan niya ako ng kilay nang maibaba ko ang aking baso. “ I know you were with Adam Creight that night. Anong nangyari? Did he do something uncalled for? I know he is a ruthless man at baka..”
“Stop it, Athena. Wala siyang ginawa, okay? I just think it was not important to talk about what happened. He’d been a kind and accommodating host.”
“I heard from Ashton that he took you to Davao. Davao! Sa gabi with just his private plane! Hindi ako naniniwalang walang gaanong nangyari doon? Did you..” she eyed me accusingly. Nanlaki ang aking mga mata dahil doon at muntik nang mabulunan.
Oh no. I know what she’s thinking! “Hindi nangyari ang bagay na iniisip mo, okay? We just had dinner. That simple.” pagtatanggol ko.
Nakita ko ang kaniyang pagnguso. “Really?”
Tumango ako. “ He was not ruthless, Athena. Iyon lang ang akala ng mga tao sa kaniya pero ang totoo, mabait naman siya.”
“He looked scary..” Athena said in a ‘duh’ tone. Pinakatitigan ko siya doon. Hindi ko naman siya masisisi na ganoon ang pagtingin niya kay Adam. I mean he really looked scary on the pictures especially when he’s darn serious. Ganoon din naman ang naging reaksyon ko ngunit nagbago iyon.
That night was indeed an extraordinary night. Hindi ko maipagkakaila iyon. I’ve never been into a private plane, let alone fly across the country in the time of the night! Hindi ko inaasahan na ang karanasang iyon ay mararanasan ko na kasama ang nag-iisang Adam Creight. Who would have thought that a commoner like me would experience luxury even just for a night with a handsome business tycoon?
Adam and I both stopped walking when his phone rang. Mula sa aking pagtanaw sa mga bituin ay nalipat ang aking tingin sa kaniya. He had this normal look on his face and he slightly smiled when his eyes met mine. Bahagya akong ngumiti at nahihiyang iniwas ang tingin.
He was kind to let me change my clothes. Mula sa mahabang gown ay nagpalit ako sa isang simple at komportableng dress. It reached my knees and it was flowy. Dinadala ng hangin habang naglalakad kaming dalawa.
“Excuse me. I’ll just take this call..” aniya. Tumango lamang ako. Lumayo siya at doon sinagot ang tawag sa posteng hindi malayo sa akin.
Davao was beautiful. Isa na ata ito sa mga lugar na pinakamalinis at matiwasay. Kung makikita ko lamang ito sa umaga ay tiyak na baka gusto ko ng tumira dito. But I’ll just be here for how many hours. I’ll be here with Adam for just a little time. Ngunit masaya ako. Nararamdaman kong nagagalak ang puso ko sa pangyayaring ito. One moment I was problematic and then the next, I was being dreamy. Ito yata ang tinatawag nilang pagbabago ng tadhana kahit sa maikling oras lamang.
Bumalik si Adam sa aking tabi matapos ang tawag na natanggap. As I look at him, I noticed that his face became unagitated. Nawala na ang bahagyang kunot sa kaniyang mukha at nababakas ko ang pagngiti niya. I guess the call wasn’t a bad news.
“You look happy.” komento ko habang pinagmamasdan siya. Mas lalong umaliwalas ang kaniyang mukha at mahinang tumawa.
“Indeed. I got a call from my overseas investor. I guess it wasn’t that bad.”
