MISMATCH

Chapter 8 - Matteo: Not Meant to be Friends

I was sure that when we left the party, Tony was not happy that I was leaving with Nicole. I kind of got that vibe when he approached us and asked if Nicole wanted to go home. What surprised me was Nicole suggesting I drive her there. I was waiting for Tony to react violently, and could tell that he wasn't pleased with the idea, but eventually he gave in.

"Hey, sorry if I forced you to volunteer to take me home." Nicole told me when I had opened the door for her.

"It's ok. I'm not sure it was ok with Tony though."

She sighed. "Don't mind him. Are you ok with taking me home though? Frances is still at the party."

"Hold on a sec..." I pulled up my phone and rang Frances. "Babe, Nicole asked me to take her home. I can come back and pick you up if you let me know what time."

"It's ok. I'll have Martin take me home."

"I love you."

"Take care, Babe. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

I turned my attention back to Nicole. "So, where do you live? Somewhere near this area?"

She laughed. "Actually, I live in Quezon City. How about you?"

"Ortigas."

"Then let's go to Ortigas. I don't feel like going home yet."

"Why leave the party?"

"I had a feeling Tony didn't want me there. Plus, it's his birthday. He gets a free pass tonight to do anything he wants."

"Do you like coffee? If you don't want to go home yet, we can hang out at this coffee place near my area."

She smiled. "I love coffee. What's this place called?"

I laughed. " It's called Brew's Corner. I like going to this coffee place because of the desserts. I go there when I want to relax. Nothing beats a good cup of coffee and great dessert."

When we arrived at Brew's, Nicole looked excited. I later found out that she was a coffee addict just like me. Frances wasn't a coffee fan so there were only a number of times I took her to Brew's.

"What do you recommend?"

"If you're a sweet tooth, I recommend the Sansrifrappe. It's a Frappuccino that tastes like sansrival. A combination of coffee and dessert. I usually order a cappuccino with an extra espresso shot." [*Sansrival is a Filipino butter cream cake*.]

"I'll order the Sansrifrappe then. I love sweets," She turned to the cashier and gave the order. I was about to reach for my wallet but she took my hand. "My treat because you're driving me home later."

We spent a good number of hours at the coffee shop just talking. I had to disagree with Frances' version of Nicole. Nicole was actually fun to talk to and she had a way to make simple conversations more interesting. She told me that she opened a coffee shop of her own in the Katipunan area. There were certain times when she would mention Tony and they were always sad memories. She recalled how several women would text her to leave him because she didn't deserve him and they did. She eventually got used to it, because Tony would always choose her. Did she want that though? Not really. She was actually waiting for the opportunity to catch Tony in the act. That way she could leave him with a good enough reason for her mother.

I couldn't help but compare her to Frances who saw Tony in a different light. Frances always described Tony as someone who needed to be taken care of, often misunderstood. It was quite different from Nicole's version where Tony was self-centered, independent and carefree. Maybe Tony was different as a friend compared to when he was a boyfriend. All in all, my impression of him had always been right. He was the type to never be monogamous.