Campus Royalties (Kingdom University, #1) | Published under Psicom Publishing

Chapter 35

"Yes, Mom, I'm already here. Sa may reserved section, right? Okay."

Ibinaba ko ang phone ko matapos i-confirm kay Mom kung saang table nakapuwesto ang imi-meet ko. My knees were shaking when I entered the restaurant. Parang gusto ko na mag-backout. Maybe making decisions while my emotions were still overwhelming me was not a good idea.

Pero nandito na ako kaya wala na akong magagawa.

I drew a deep and long breath before heading to the table. In-assist din ako ng isang staff kung saan ako dapat pumunta nang sabihin ko ang pangalan ko. My heart was racing when I saw a figure patiently waiting on a reserved table. Nakatalikod ito sa direksyon ko kaya hindi ko nakita ang mukha niya. He was wearing a fine suit, the usual attire for a formal dinner.

Naglakad ako papunta sa harapan niya at akmang magpapakilala pero pareho kaming napatigil nang makita namin ang isa't isa. I was so surprised that I gasped while pointing at him.

"Patrick?!"

"Steff?"

We just stared at each other in disbelief. I did not expect a familiar face at all. Besides, hindi ko rin akalain na pumapayag siya sa mga ganito.

Dahan-dahan akong umupo sa tapat niya at bigla akong na-awkward. Parang noong isang araw lang ay nag-open pa ako sa kanya tungkol kay Darryl, tapos ay magkikita kami sa ganitong sitwasyon.

"S-sorry," I said with a lowered voice. "My mom forced me to be here," dahilan ko.

Natawa naman si Patrick. "Same here."

Natigilan naman kami dahil binigyan kami ng menu at kinuha rin ang order namin. We both ordered steak, and after that we continued our conversation.

"Since nandito naman na tayo, let's just consider this as a friendly date," he suggested.

"R-right."

I was grateful that he was trying to make the atmosphere comfortable, especially since this was supposed to be a meeting for our potential partner in the future.

"I honestly did not expect to see you here," he remarked. "Akala ko next year pa tayo ulit magkikita."

"Ako rin," I snickered. "I guess pareho tayo ng problemang hinaharap."

Instead of the usual introduction and small talks, we just started complaining about our parents. Kung bakit kailangan naming um-attend sa mga ganito kahit bata pa naman kami at mas importante pa ang college degree. O kung paanong lagi silang masusunod at wala kaming magagawa kung hindi gawin ang utos nila. We were at their mercy since we had to inherit our respective companies in the future.

Saglit na nahinto ang usapan namin nang mai-serve na ang food. The steak looked appetizing and it smelled good, too. I wasn't planning on eating a lot, but it was so good that I couldn't stop.

"Kumusta ka naman pala after . . . that?" tanong niya nang patapos na kaming kumain.

Was he talking about what happened last Friday?

"Oh, uhm, I'm okay right now, I guess?" I said.

A lot of things had distracted me from him this weekend kaya hindi ko siya gaanong naisip. Although, it was bad when I was about to go to sleep. Everything that happened that day kept on replaying in my head, and I would feel that stinging pain in my chest.

Patrick said everything would be alright in time, and he kept on cheering me up. Nagpasalamat naman ako sa kanya dahil kahit papaano ay gumaan ang loob ko.

I suddenly wondered why I couldn't like Patrick as a guy. He was handsome and nice. He also took care of me, and he would attentively listen to whatever I was saying. Anyone would fall for that type of person, but I guess there were also people that we could only see as friends despite their charming nature.