That Unexpected Feeling

Chapter 3

Bro! Where are you? Been calling you since this morning but you're not picking up.

Lunch date, bro. Can't text much.

With whom?

Hah! I really can't tell you.

C'mon, bro. Now is not the time to be sneaky.

No sooner than he slipped the phone into his pocket, his date motioned towards a recently opened clothing store within the mall's premises. 'What is it with girls and shopping?' he wondered. Justin grew up with high tolerance for shopping trips that could last for hours and this surprisingly worked to his favor when charming the socks off his dates.

"Justin!" his companion, Cesca Belarmino, called out. "What do you think?" She had picked a printed maxi dress from the racks while sizing herself in front of the mirror.

He nodded absent-mindedly as he felt his attention slowly waning. At that instant, as if granting his wish for a distraction, Alessa's willowy frame entered the same establishment. She was shopping by her lonesome, listening to her Spotify playlist and seemed oblivious to the people around her. Justin casually approached and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Oh, dear Lord. Justin!" she gasped, playfully pinching him on the side. "Can you stop sneaking behind my back?"

"You really have to work on your nerves," he replied, nearly breaking into fits of laughter. "You scare so easily."

The saleslady eyed them both, wary of two young people who were stealthily playfully pinching each other within the store's premises.

"You need any help?" he asked, referring to the shopping bags she carried.

"No thanks," she said. "You seem to have company -"

They were interrupted by elegant hands snaking his forearm. He turned to see Cesca, her perfect, china-doll face pleased at her recent purchase. Breezing through quick introductions, she prodded him to go to a different store acting completely oblivious of Alessa's presence. His shoulders slumped in defeat as he reluctantly followed Cesca on the way out. Justin was too much of a gentleman to ignore his date, and he tried hard to look interested as Cesca kept him in a conversation. He stole one last look at Alessa and her eyes briefly met his before she went the opposite direction.

"You're blowing your Balesin fund on a shopping spree, huh?" Justin's voice startled Alessa who was standing outside a ramen house at the mall. She turned towards his direction and noticed that he'd been happily observing her for the past few minutes. His reddish brown hair looked slightly disheveled and only then did she notice he sported a buttoned-down suede baseball Henley folded to his elbows.

Alessa was surprised. It had only been an hour since they last saw each other. How did he know where she was? Feeling suspicious, she tiptoed and looked over his shoulder. "Where is she?"

"Who?"

"Cesca," she wondered. "Your date?"

He never flinched at the question. "She knows her way home."

"You ditched her?"

"Now that's harsh," he feigned offense at her statement. "I talked my way out would be more like it."

She was amused at his nonchalance. Justin had this crazy sense of humor that none of their friends can ever pull off. Feeling upbeat, she cajoled him into treating him for lunch to which he gladly obliged.

"Where should we sit?" she asked as soon as they entered the premises. The afternoon crowd was quite lean, but the place was bustling with activity.

"Follow me," he replied, taking her hand. He seemed to be a regular of the place and even acknowledged one patron when they passed by a table.

"Sir Justin!" one of the waiters greeted with a smile. "Are you ordering the usual?"

"Yeah, make that two?" Justin replied. "We'll be sitting at the corner, Donnie."

"Sure, no problem!" the guy called Donnie replied. He looked like in his early twenties which would explain why he and Justin got along so well. "We'll have your orders prepared in no time."

Asthey settled into a booth at the corner, Alessa couldn't help but smile as she observedJustin's people skills. For someone she initially pegged as a snob back in highschool, the guy seemed to have friends everywhere.