All I Ever Wanted

• 39 •

"Nasaan ba si Kale?" tanong ko kay Raz. Sandali niya akong tiningnan sa rearview mirror saka ibinalik sa daan ang tingin.

"You'll know when we get there," came his really helpful reply.

And I almost rolled my eyes. Did Kale tell him not to tell me anything? Ano ba kasing pinaplano ng lalaking 'yun?

'Yun at iyon lang ang laman ng isipan ko sa kabuuan ng byahe. Halos hindi ko pa nga namalayan na huminto na pala ang sasakyan kung hindi pa ako pinagbuksan ni Raz.

Binigyan ko pa siyang muli ng nagtatakang tingin na sinagot niya lang ng makahulugang ngiti.

Nang tuluyan na akong nakalabas ay hinarap ako ni Raz. "My job ends here. Enjoy the night, Maika."

Ibubuka ko pa lang ang bibig para tanungin kung nasaan si Kale nang nagpaalam na siya at agad na sumakay sa loob ng sasakyan. Hay.

Inilibot ko ang tingin sa pinagdalahan sa akin ni Raz. In front of me was a restaurant. The place seemed old, but it looked posh. Inakyat ko na ang iilang baitang ng hagdan patungo sa main entrance.

Nang maabot ko na ang double wooden doors ay mayroong lalaking nakatayo doon.

"Good evening, Ma'am. Do you have a reservation?"

Tumango ako. "Yes, under Kale Perez."

May tiningnan siya sa hawak na notebook saka tumango-tango at tiningnan akong muli. "Okay po, please proceed sa booth eight."

"Okay, thanks."

Pinagbuksan niya pa ako ng pinto saka ako pumasok sa loob. And wow. I didn't expect it will look like this inside. Kung kanina sa labas ay parang ang luma na ng lugar. The interior was breathtaking. From the fancy chandeliers that were hanging in the ceiling to the different lighting of the place, I was in awe. Tapos sinabayan pa ng instrumental na music sa background.

I felt like I was in a ball of a modern fairy tale. Napangiti ako. If this was a fairy tale, then I have to look for my prince.

Mayroong mga mga table sa gitnang bahagi ng restaurant. At mangilan-ngilan dito ay okupado na. sa magkabilang gilid naman nandoon ang mga booth. And at the lower left corner of it, sa bandang upuan nandoon ang numero. I immediately looked for number eight and I saw it was located at the right end corner.

Naglakad na ako papunta doon. At bago ko pa man naabot ito, nakita ko na si Kale, ang likuran ay nasa akin. But I could tell that he was wearing a coat. So, naka-formal din siya. 

At tila may mata siya sa likuran at nalaman niyang nandoon na ako, dahil bigla siyang lumingon, ang ngiti ay lumapad nang makita ako saka siya tuluyang tumayo.

And I took the time to take in his appearance. He looked good. As in really good. Bagay sa kanya 'yung light green na button up shirt na pinatungan ng black coat. Then I remembered suddenly the dress I wore. It was also green, well a different shade but still. Para kaming nag-usap.

I looked back at Kale's face and saw he was smiling.

"Did you take a peek in my closet?" he asked suddenly. "You're wearing green."

Natawa ako doon. We were thinking the same thing. Napailing ako. "Masyado kang assuming, baka ikaw ang sumilip sa closet ko."

He smirked at my comeback. And I instantly know that he has something naughty in his mind. At bago pa man niya masabi 'yun, inunahan ko na siya. "Hold that thought, Kale. Kung ayaw mong magwalk out ako dito."

He chuckled. "You really know me, huh? And yeah, note taken, ayaw mong inaasar ka. I already learned my lesson before."

I smiled. Good boy.