I'm Getting Older While He's Not (Unconditional Love Trilogy #1)

Kabanata 1: Ang Paglalapit

"Miss Carter?" he said it as if he finally came to his senses, probably because he noticed I was staring at him with a look that clearly said I wasn’t interested.

"Excuse me? Anong uwing-uwi na? May hinihintay pa nga ako, eh. . . boyfriend ko!" I lied about the last part and tried to act tough, but he just laughed and mimicked my expression. I couldn’t believe he found it so amusing. Nakakatawa ba iyon?

"By the way..." he looked away.

I took a deep breath, naiirita na. Tinignan ko lang siya mula ulo hanggang paa. But I my eyes stayed at his shoes.

Some says that if you feel uncomfortable with that person look at them and stare at their shoes, promise titigil sila.

Ilang saglit I heard him took a deep breath.

"uh, hindi po, speaking of you're not busy, how about let's go out and eat," he stuttered as he tried to change the subject, a nervous smile creeping onto his face. It was clear from his expression that he was a bit scared. I couldn’t help but feel a little satisfied at his reaction. It was nice to see him flustered for a change making it hard for me to suppress a smirk.

See? Confirm. Natakot yata sa kagandahan ko. Well, small things.

"You mean date, huh?" I clarified while looking into his eyes, but I quickly turned away when he met my gaze with a serious expression. A moment later, I felt a chill run down my spine as he leaned in closer to me. My heart raced, and I couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking. The tension in the air was palpable, and for a second, I felt completely caught off guard.

"Yes, it's a date po and libre ko na po," he continued to stare into my eyes while I pulled my face slightly away from him, feeling the tension building between us. I was acutely aware that even a small shift could bring our lips dangerously close to touching.

So, he's asking for a date? Pagkatapos niya akong i-joke time kanina, mag-aaya siya ng date? Ang kapal ng mukha?!

Anong oras ba?

Of course, magpapalusot ako. Hindi naman puwedeng magbabati kami agad, ano siya? Lucky?

Ipinikit ko ang mga mata ko sabay kagat ng ibabang labi, thinking kung ano ang sasabihin ko.

"Uhm... sasamahan kong bumili ng pocket book si April, ih," I excused myself, even though I knew April had gone home a while ago because she was embarrassed about what had happened. I hadn't even managed to find her. I had no idea how she managed to slip out of the gate so quickly.

"Edi isama po natin si Adelaide," he replied then he smile like a kid. "Treat ko po kayo."

Halos malaglag ang mga mata ko sa gulat. Natawa ako nang tinawag niyang Adelaide si April. Ni-halos biyakin niya ako na parang buko kapag iyon ang tawag ko sa kaniya.

I closed my eyes again, trying to think of another excuse. I felt completely cornered, with no choice but to go along with it.

I pouted a little, then smiled at him modestly as I opened my phone and tapped on the Messenger app. I pretended to open our conversation with April, hoping it would add some credibility to what I was saying. I was nervous, but I tried to keep my composure, knowing that I needed to come up with something believable.

"Uh, Ethan— na una na raw si April, next time na lang daw siya bibili since nawalan siya ng mood," mahinhin kong sabi, s'yempre with a touch of serious face para hindi ako mag mukha hindi kapanipaniwala, 'no!