I've been to his place a couple of times, but when the elevator doors opened, pakiramdam ko ay nasa unfamiliar place pa rin ako. I slowly walked out of the elevator and looked around. Agad na hinanap ng mata ko si Kade but he's nowhere to be found.
Dahan dahan akong naglakad papunta sa kitchen.
Napa tigil ako nang mapansin ko na may mga pagkain nang naka hain sa dining table at may ilang eco bag na nasa ibabaw ng kitchen counter. Probably from grocery. Naka hilera ang mga iyon sa counter top but it's not necessarily messy. And then, at the corner of my eyes, I saw his back while he's standing in front of the opened two-door fridge.
He's wearing a white polo. Naka angat hanggang sa siko nya ang sleeves and he's wearing a brown apron on top! Kitang kita ko ang pagkaka buhol noon sa likod nya. His hair is glistening. Hindi ko alam kung dahil basa from showering or dahil sa pawis. Either way, I don't care.
Because I cannot decide if I should call him or make a noise so he can tell that I'm there, tumayo na lang ako doon habang tinitingnan sya. He closed the two doors of the fridge tapos dumiretso sya sa harap ng wine rack nya.
We're having wine?
Just as I expected, he pulled one bottle and put it in the table.
That's when his eyes landed on me. Napa straight ako ng tayo when our eyes met.
He blinked a few times before he unties his apron at put it somewhere, tsaka sya naglakad papalapit sa akin. Parang tambol na naman ang puso ko sa bilis ng kaba habang papalapit sya. Nanunuyo na ang lalamunan ko.
"How long have you been there?" Kunot ang noo na tanong nya ng makalapit na sya.
Okay, he smells of soap and faint perfume. Kaka shower nya nga lang kaya medyo basa pa ang buhok nya. The first three buttons of his polo are also open. Napa lunok ako. Pigil ko halos ang aking paghinga now that he's just a few inches away from me.
"K-Kakarating ko lang halos," Totoo naman iyon. Nag enjoy lang ako pagmasdan ang pakilos nya at hindi ko lang rin talaga alam how to call or approach him. My hands are midly shaking by now.
This is really not what I was expecting to happen. It feels weird and comforting at the same time knowing na dalawa lang kami ngayon sa bahay nya.
Kade flicked his tongue. "Uh, I prepared a few dishes I hope you'll like," parang nahihiya na sabi nya. He put his hand on his nape.
"Ah, hindi naman ako mapili sa pagkain. Like I said, I eat almost anything." I force a grin habang pinapakalma ko na ang sarili ko.
That's the time he smiled. "Alright. We should eat. Come on," Nauna syang maglakad palapit sa dining table.
Atubili akong sumunod. Glad that I chose to wear the orange baby doll dress na hindi naman masyadong malalim ang neckline. I topped it up with a white blazer and white clutch. I don't feel like I am overdressed and underdressed at all. Kade's wearing a white polo and a slacks kahit na nasa bahay nya lang rin naman sya.
He pulled the chair before I sit down just like the usual bago sya umupo sa upuan na nasa harap ko. My jaw dropped when I noticed the dishes in front of me. May pasta, may salad, may tempura at may T-bone steak with mashed potato.
I swallowed. Naka awang pa rin ang labi ko na napatingin sa kanya. He was looking at me too! Probably to see my reaction upon seeing what he prepared. I immediately closed my mouth.
"You cooked all of these?" Hindi makapaniwala na sabi ko.
He gave me a shy smile again. "Well, yeah, I didn't have enough time to cook more... so..." he trailed off.
YOU ARE READING
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General FictionCaitlyn Lim thinks that as long as her feelings for Kade Montes, her boss, is under wraps, everything is going to be fine. Besides, she already did it successfully for two years, so what could go wrong?
