Through Secrets Unveiled

Chapter Thirty-Four - Setting Things Aside

THERE WAS NOTHING BUT TOTAL SILENCE BETWEEN STACEY AND PAIGE. Paige still had her super sleek bob hair on and was wearing white from her turtleneck sleeveless top up to her high-waist straight pants and sneakers.

Silang dalawa lang ang nasa Design Department. Kapwa walang imikan. Nakaupo pa rin sila sa magkabilang-dulo ng nag-iisang mahabang desk doon. Paige was in her own corner, facing her tablet propped up to serve as an alternative laptop. She was busy with checking the sales pitch and online captions that Eloisa from HR Department made. Iyon ay para maitugma ni Paige ang mga ito sa ii-illustrate na mga larawan ang ads para gamiting pang-market sa bagong watch collection.

Samantala, kahit bukas ang laptop ni Stacey, hindi roon nakatutok ang kanyang mga mata. May kandong siyang mga rattan strips. Nagkalat ang ilang hindi tapos na rattan wristbands sa palibot ng kanyang laptop at may ilan na nakapatong sa keyboard nito. It had been months since Stacey stopped weaving, she could not believe she can easily go rusty on it! In her mind, her weaving experience and knowledge were still fresh. Pero ngayong ginagawa na niya mismo ang paghahabi, hindi niya makuha-kuha ang gustong pattern.

For the Rosa Cobra design, she wanted the wristbands to look like a snake's skin. It was easy to criss-cross a couple of rattan strips to capture a diamond-like scale, but sometimes, she miscalculates the thickness and size ratio of the wristband. Kinailangan niya tuloy umulit nang umulit.

But Stacey had to admit it, her frustration with getting her weaving right helped her forget her problem with Renante.

Narinig niya ang mahina at malalim na paghinga ni Paige. Napalingon tuloy siya sa kinauupuan ng babae.

"Wanna grab some coffee?" aniya rito.

Mata lang nito ang gumalaw para tumutok sa kanya. As usual, she looked so emotionless with her naturally blank face. Kita niyang panay ang pagsara at buka ng mga kamaynito, inuunat sa bawat pagbuka ng mga kamay ang mahahaba nitong mga daliri.

"What for? Malapit nang mag-uwian." At saka nito iniwas ang mga mata sa kanya. "I want to go home already."

Kung hindi pa nagsalita si Paige, hindi pa mapapansin ni Stacey ang oras sa pinadulo sa baba ng kanyang laptop screen. Thirty-two minutes more and it will be six in the evening.

Ibinalik niya ang tingin sa babae. Nakatutok na ulit ang mga mata nito sa screen ng gamit nitong tablet. She kept stretching her fingers.

Now that she was not weaving wristbands, everything that happened this day came flooding back into her mind— ang naging pagtatalo nila ni Renante, ang pending na desisyon kung ipo-produce ba ng Gallardo Wears ang Rosa Cobra design, at ang tattoo ni Pierre...

All of a sudden, Stacey got an idea.

"What about you, me, and Tita Luz hang-out this weekend?"

Sa wakas,nagpakita na rin ang babae ng reaksyon. Mabilis itong napalingon sa kanya, nagsalubong ang mga kilay.

"The three of us?"

Stacey nodded. Habang nakatingin kay Paige, dinadakot na niya ang kandong na mga rattan strips at pinagsama-sama ang mga ito sa rejected na wristbands para mas mabilis mailigpit.

"At bakit naman?" tuwid nito ng upo at sinimulan na rin ang pagliligpit ng gamit nito. "What's up? Is this part of your preparation to become Mrs. Villaluz or something?"

"What if it's a yes? Will you decline my invitation?" nakangiting baba niya sa screen ng kanyang laptop bago sulyapan muli si Paige.

Paige was already busy stuffing her tablet inside her classy Parisian bag.