A Designer's Creation

18. Nice Guys

Lunch time pero nasa Sip and Drip ako. I should be eating somewhere nearby or magpapa-deliver ng lunch sa office pero dumayo pa talaga ako sa café para lang makita ang reaction ni Jericho sa suot ko today.

"Welcome to Sip and—wow."

My grin automatically widen after I saw his reactions habang nagma-mop ng sahig. He looked at me from head to toe and I proudly combed my hair using my fingers.

"Ito, sure na. May date ka ngayon."

Tinawanan ko lang siya saka ako napailing. Not certain if he was kidding or giving a hunch about my looks.

"May work ako today, Echo."

"Work?" Bigla niyang itinuro ang magkabilang side ng dibdib niya. "May nakikita akong not safe for work sa 'yo ngayon, Cinn. Sige na, aminin mo na. Saang bar ka dadayo?"

"Hey!" Nahampas ko agad siya nang mahina sa braso. "Really, I have a work today. I'm here kasi itatanong ko kung lunch mo na rin ba?"

Saglit siyang napaatras habang naniningkit ang mga mata sa 'kin. Parang nagdududa pa siya sa tanong ko. "Cinn, ang lunch ko, mamaya pang 2. Saka may baon ako. Ang mahal ng pagkain dito sa area."

Oh. May huddle kami mamayang 2, sayang naman. Mukhang kailangan kong magpa-deliver na lang ng lunch sa office. Ayokong kumain mag-isa sa resto.

"That's sad," I said and frowned a bit.

"Okay lang, ano ka ba? Bukas, sabay tayong mag-lunch. Day off ko at for sure, nasa office mo 'ko." He gave me a thumbs up and winked.

Alright. Sabi ko nga, magkasama kami bukas.

"Anyway, I'll have a mocha iced latté and two dozen of assorted doughnuts. May meeting kasi kami later so kailangan kong bumawi sa team ko."

"Sure, ma'am! One moment."

He ordered for me at habang naghihintay ako ng order, tumambay muna ako sa may counter habang nakasandal siya roon. He was resting his chin on the end of his mop while scanning me again.

I was waiting for his follow-up reactions kasi mukhang marami siyang gustong sabihin sa ayos ko. I know I wore revealing clothes today, and I wanted to feel beautiful for someone who knows how to appreciate what I only have. I'm not as pretty as the other fashion designers in Lion, but I can carry myself better than them when it comes to dresses. Too bad, sobrang rare ko lang ding magpaganda sa iba because of Tyrone.

"Just say it," I urged Jericho. "Do I look good?"

"Yeah. Eye-catching ka nga. Hindi ko maalis ang tingin ko sa 'yo."

"Oh, that's cute haha!"

"Kung wala lang akong trabaho ngayon, inuwi na kita. Uy, may dala kang kotse?"

"I have no choice. Why?"

"Buti naman. Kasi kung sasakay ka o maglalakad pauwi nang nakaganyan, baka may makasuhan ka na naman ng harrasment."

I rolled my eyes at that. Yeah, sure I would. Pero sa area na 'to, sobrang rare ng mga gumagalang catcaller. I've never experienced catcalling here anyway. I was fine dressing up like this kung sa ganitong lugar lang ako pupunta. But outside this place, as much as possible, I needed to dress like the Philippines was experiencing a snowstorm regardless of the freaking El Niño times.

"Ready na yata yung order mo," he said. So I took out my wallet and gave him my MasterCard.

"May gagawin ka ba later after work?" tanong ko agad habang papalapit ako sa counter to put my card's PIN.