He squat-sit in front of me in an elegant way and picked the coin.
All I could do was stare. Stunned.
Then he looked at me. As he stared back, I could nearly feel the pull of his eyes at me. Force of will that sucked the air out of my lungs and my soul from my body. With just his stare, he exuded strength and power.
By instinct, I shifted backward.
But it was a bad instinct.
Napaupo ako sa sahig. Sumakit ang aking mga siko mula sa contact sa sahig ngunit hindi ko ito pinagtuunan ng pansin.
I was too preoccupied with staring at the man in front of me.
Inky black hair and breathtaking face. Magiging masaya ang isang iskulptor sa istruktura ng kaniyang mukha habang ang kaniyang mga labi, matangos na ilong at mapungay na mga mata ay nagbigay sa kaniya ng kagwapuhan.
Seve is handsome but this guy is handsome in a different and manly way.
Sumingkit nang bahagya ang kaniyang mga mata. Ang kaniyang dress shirt, suit at slacks ay parehong itim ngunit ang kaniyang necktie ay kulay asul.
Ang kaniyang mga mata ay mapagmatyag at nakatingin sa akin.
Sa hindi mapaliwanag na dahilan, bumilis ang tibok ng aking puso.
He smelled good. Not cologne. Body wash, maybe. Or shampoo. Whatever it was, it made him look even more attractive.
Inabot niya ang kaniyang kamay sa akin. I placed my hand on his shakily. Lumakas ang tibok ng aking puso nang higpitan niya ang hawak sa aking kamay. Nakakakuryente ang kaniyang hawak. Hindi siya gumalaw nang ilang saglit at kumunot ang espasyo sa pagitan ng kaniyang mga kilay.
“Are you all right?”
Ang kaniyang boses ay malalim ngunit ang tono ay napakalambot.
“I’m fine.”
Tumayo siya sa elegante pa ring paraan at hinila ako patayo.
Nagpatuloy ang pagtatagpo ng aming mga mata dahil hindi ko maialis ang aking paningin sa kaniya.
Mas bata siya kaysa sa taong inakala ko noong una. Younger than thirty, maybe ngunit ang kaniyang mga mata ay nagungusap. I felt attracted to him as if a rope bound me the first time we met gazes and pulls me fastly into him.
He released my hand and bent down to retrieve the ID card I hadn’t realized I have dropped, freeing me from that soul-sucking gaze.
My brain functioned again.
I was irritated with myself for being so awkward when he’s so confident.
He held my gaze as he rose up with my ID card on his hand.
“Are you sure you’re alright? You should sit down for a while.”
Uminit ang aking mukha. It’s just so good to look awkward and clumsy in front of a man who looks so powerful and confident.
“Uh, I just lost balance. I’m okay.”
Napatingin ako sa kaniyang likod at nakita ang babaeng nahulugan ng mga gamit mula sa kaniyang purse.
Pinasalamatan niya ang guard na tumulong at pumunta kung saan ako naroroon upang humingi ng dispensa.
Humarap ako sa kaniya at inilahad ang kamay kong puno ng barya na aking kinolekta ngunit ang kaniyang tingin ay napunta sa lalaking ngayo’y nasa aking tabi at tila nakalimutan na ako.
Pagkatapos ng ilang saglit ay lumapit ako sa kaniya at inilagay ang aking napulot na barya sa bag ng babae.
Tinapunan ko ulit ng tingin ang lalaki at nakita siyang pinapanood ako kahit na ang babae’y panay ang pasasalamat. Sa lalaki. Hindi sa akin, syempre, ang talagang tumulong.
I talked over her. “Can I have my ID back, please?”
He gave it back to me.
Even when I made the effort not to touch him while getting it back, his fingers still brushed mine, sending an electric spark into me.
“Thank you,” I muttered before going around him and getting out into the street.
I paused on the sidewalk, inhaling the smell of Makati with a million things—some good and some bad.
There was a sleek Maserati in front of the building and I saw my reflection on its spotless tinted windows. My face has a slight tint of pink and I’m sure this is definitely because of my encounter with Mr. Powerful.
I could still feel his pull on me, urging me to go back inside where he was and stare at his overly handsome face.
Hindi ko maitatangging hindi ko natapos ang dapat na gawin sa Heiser building but nevermind.
How many times do I have to embarrass myself in a day?
“Enough,” I scolded myself. “Let’s go to the gym.”
