PLEASE BE MINE...AGAIN (Completed/Editing)

Chapter 7.1

"Lora,"

She lifted her sight when she heard Steven called her name. She was bolted out of the blue when she saw him bringing two plastic bags with the Yellow Cab Co. logo on its yellow boxes.

Her mouth watered when the aroma of the pizzas inside the boxes invaded her nostrils. Her olfactory receptors were telling her that it was the aroma of her favorite food!

Hindi niya napigilan ang sobrang matakam. Ngunit kasabay niyon ay hindi rin sinasadyang kinilig siya sa ideyang baka hindi pa nito nakalimutan ang paborito niya. Well, she loved pizza since they were kids. Walang gaanong pizza parlor sa Señora Carmen at nakakakain lang siya noon kapag nasa bahay siya ng mga Monterossa.

Maghunus-dili ka, Lorabelle Yañez! Alalahanin mo na Yellow Cab ang pinakamalapit na food chain dito! sita ng matinong bahagi ng kanyang utak.

"Yes, Sir?" she answered, then stood up from her swivel chair.

"Can you pause the proofreading first? Lunch muna tayo," he said, plastering that panty-dropping smile on his red lips again.

Bahagyang itinaas ng binata ang kanyang bitbit. She hovered her eyes around to check if Rosel was still around. Balak kasi niyang takasan ang pag-aaya nito. How can she eat solemnly with this man? Baka kasi magka-ulcer pa siya dahil paniguradong hindi siya makakakain nang maayos kapag ito ang kasalo niya. Awkward!

"Eh, hinihintay ko si Rosel kasi sabay na kaming magla-lunch," walang gatol niyang pahayag.

She swallowed a lump in her mouth when she accidentally met his gaze.

"Ah, iyon ba? Well, cancelled na iyong lunch date ninyo kasi ipinagpaalam na kita sa kanya kanina pa."

"H-Ha?"

"Yeah! I even met her at the pantry nang dumaan ako before I went to Yellow Cab. So, shall we go to my office? May utensils at condiments ako doon."

Shet! Sukat sa sinabi ng binata ay tila wala na talaga siyang lusot. Pakiramdam niya ay parang drum na tumatambol ang kanyang dibdib. Destiny was indeed playing out of her. Jeez! It didn't even give her the chance to back-out. Well, she had no choice but to give this man a "yes".

The lunch, which Steven treated her was sumptuous. They had one of Yellow Cab's specialty pizzas, the Four Seasons that went along with Charlie Chan Chicken Pasta, but her appetite seemed to deteriorate.

Lorabelle had admitted to herself long before that she ate like a gourmand, though she was able to maintain her curves. Ngunit pakiwari niya ay ayaw magdaan ng pagkain sa kanyang lalamunan.

Paano siya makakakain nang maayos kung ganitong kaharap niya si Steven Monterossa at panay ang titig nito sa kanya? Na ang bawat titig nito ay tila tumatagos sa kasuluk-sulokang bahagi ng kanyang pagkatao. And she could read something out of his stare. It was as if he was ticking her off for what happened six years ago...

SIX YEARS AGO

"Ano, sasama ka ba sa Japan, Lorabelle?" untag ng kapitan na siya talaga ang sadya roon.

She was with her aunt in Parañaque. Ang pagiging half-sister nito at ng kanilang ina ay hindi naging dahilan upang hindi sila maging malapit sa isa't-isa. Her aunt was the first person that she would go to everytime her pocket ran out of stock, and the woman was her guardian while she was there.

Matagal na siyang inaanyayahan ng kapitan doon na sumamang mag-Japan kasi maganda siya at maganda ang balingkinitan niyang katawan. But she just couldn't say "yes" to the offer because she really dreamed to earn a degree since she was a kid. She was willing to take all the risk just to get a diploma. Aside from her studies, she couldn't also afford to be far from Steven and her parents.

"Naku, pasensiya na po, Kap. Pero hindi ko po talaga matatanggap ang alok ninyo. Gusto ko po kasing mag-aral na lang dito sa Maynila," she emphathetically disagreed.

Her decision had been already final and irrevocable. Saka ano ang gagawin niya sa Japan? Nakakatakot kaya ang bansang iyon. She had been hearing about the transnational organized crime originated in the country called Yakuza. Baka maging sex slave pa ang beauty niya pagdating doon.

"Sayang naman, hija. Minsan lang nakakapag-abroad ang isang tao kaya grab the opportunity habang bata ka pa," giit ng lalaki.

Nais na niyang marindi sa sinabi nito kasi parang tape lang na ni-record at paulit-ulit na lang ang linya nito sa tuwing inaalok siyang mag-Japayuki.

"Eh, 'yong iba na lang po. Salamat na lang po, Kap."

"Sige, Lorabelle. Pero mananatiling bukas ang slot hanggang sa katapusan ng buwan kapag nagbago ang isip mo, ha."

She sighed in relief when the man had finally given up. But when the barangay captain left their house, she received a call from her mother in Señora Carmen that her father's health condition worsen.

May sakit ito sa baga at ilang buwan nang huminto sa pagtatrabaho sa hacienda Monterossa. Mabuti na lang at likas na maawain ang mag-asawang Brian at Arrian. Hindi binawasan ang kita ng kanilang pamilya kahit nakaratay na lang sa banig ang kanyang ama. Magsisilbi na raw iyong tulong sa pagpapagamot ng sakit nito.

She didn't get a good sleep for two nights while thinking of the barangay captain's offer. But that long distance call pushed her to go for the offer. Kaya siya na mismo ang pumunta sa bahay ng lalaki at pikit-matang tinanggap ang napipintong kapalaran sa banyagang bansa ng mga singkit.

"Sorry, Steven. Sorry... I love you," she whispered in the wind as it flipped her hair while she was walking away from the house of her aunt's house.

She was clutching her travelling bag while heading to the bus terminal. Her tears gently poured down her cheeks as her mind was composing the reason that she would give to Steven. Doon niya naisipan na sabihin na lang sa binata na pag-aaral ang dahilan kung bakit siya mangingibang bansa. Ayaw niya kasing alukin na naman siya nito ng tulong. She didn't want Steven to take pity on her.