Naniningkit ang matang tinignan niya ang lalaki. Pasipol sipol lang ito habang tumitingin sa paligid.
Nagreserved ito ng isang area ng fine dining restaurant na malapit sa pinagtatatrabahuhan niya. Muntik na niya itong konyatan dahil bigla nalang siya nitong dinala doon ngayong wala man lang siyang kaayos ayos, simpleng shirt at jeans lang ang suot niya dahil casual lang naman sila sa office dahil Friday.
Ang consolation niya lang ay ganoon din halos ang porma nito, only that, he looks elegant and magnificent even with simple clothes.
Nang mapansing tinitignan niya ito ay ngumiti ito ng matamis. "Too handsome?"
She just rolled her eyes on him. "Anong meron? Uutang ka ba? Wala akong pera."
Umismid ito. "Woman, you clearly don't know how much I earned, do you?"
Napakayabang talaga. Tinaas niya ang kamay para patigilin itong magsalita. "Yes. And I didn't want to know. Ang gusto kong malaman ay kung bakit mo ko dinala dito?"
"Uhm...to eat?"
Lalo niya itong pinaningkitan ng mata.
Natawa lang ito.
"Come on, love. I'm around the area, I got hungry, then I remembered you're working somewhere here, and I just want to treat you to lunch. Was it bad?"
Pinaningkitan niya lang ito lalo ng mata. "Kung pinagti-tripan mo lang ako, wala akong pambayad dito, sinasabi ko sayo."
He just laughed. "Was I that mean to you? I'm sorry. Let's just say you bring out the child in me."
"Child? Worst kamo."
"Come again?"
"Wala."
"Let's eat. Don't worry, this is on me." Then, he winked.
Her heart beat tripled. Right, this is the time to be worried.
The whole time they're eating, some of the staff has been asking for their picture with him. He's clearly annoyed but he obliged everytime.
Tumikhim siya ng umalis ang empleyadong nagpakuha ng litrato dito. "Was it like this always?"
He just shrugged his shoulders.
"Why are you not complaining? I didn't know their company policies but it doesn't take a genius to figure that this one's against it, why not report it?"
"They know that it's against the policy, yet they do it. They maybe wanted it so bad."
Napailing na lang siya sa logic nito. "Wait, are you just scared of the backlashed you'll received once you turned them down?"
He just looked at her as if saying, 'Really, are you asking me that?'
If there is a celebrity that doesn't care with his/her image, Tabi must be one of them.
"Right." Sabi nalang niya at nagpatuloy sa kakain.
Nang may isang empleyadong lumapit na naman sakanila ay di na siya nakatiis.
"We're eating, Miss." She even smiled at the staff but there is warning on her eyes that's why the staff hurriedly went away.
Mukhang na-amuse naman si Tabi sa kaniya. "Why did you do that?"
"Well, I'm neither kind nor a celebrity like you so I could bitch anywhere anytime." She winked.
Natawa naman ito.
"Besides, medyo nakakainis na din. Our eating's always disrupted sa kakalapit nila. Nasa harap tayo ng pagkain, hello. Dapat pala tinumba ko din 'yung lamesa for added effect."
Tuluyan na itong natawa. At napailing. "You're crazy, love. But the kind of crazy, I need in my life."
Minsan gusto niya magbago ng pangalan. Bakit kasi iba ang dating pag binabanggit nito iyon. Bakit parang hindi niya pangalan? Bakit tunog endearment?
