One-Week Date Project

Chapter Four

May ilang minuto nang nakakalabas si Pia sa office ay hindi pa rin mawaglit ang ngiti ni France. That was when Juan Crisostomo Tejerro walked inside the office. Nakakunot pa ang noo nito nang tumingin sa kaniya.

Inilahad nito ang kamay.

"Bakit mo ako ipinatawag? And who was that pretty girl who just walked out of the office?" Bahagya pa itong ngumisi.

"She's none of your business so back-off," naiiritang sagot niya dito. "I want you to help me."

"Para saan?"

"Take my position. I'm taking a leave."

Lalo lang mukang naguluhan si Juice.

"Teka, pare. Ano ba'ng sinasabi mo diyan? Saka hindi ka pwedeng umalis. Ang daming trabaho ngayon na maiiwan."

Inginuso niya ang pintong nilabasan ni Pia. "You saw that woman back there, right? I'm chasing after her." Lumapad ang ngiti niya.

Napasipol naman si Juice. "What's the deal?"

Ik-in-uwento niya dito ang arrangement na ginawa nila ni Pia. That he will be Pia's date and tutor for a whole week. Halatang napukaw niya ang interes ng kaibigan.

"What? Like you rejected her manuscript on purpose? Manyak ka, ha!"

"Hindi, ah!" tanggi niya. "Something is really missing in her manuscripts. I want to help her out. Sophia is a very good writer. Kahit noon pa ay fan na niya ako."

"But she was the girl who called you 'leech' in front of everyone, remember?"

Tumango tango siya, hindi pa rin maalis ang ngiti sa labi.

"I still like her," pag-amin niya dito.

France noticed Sophia Arguilles when he went to her college library once during college. Nasa isang sulok ito at natutulog habang katabi ang isang bond ng yellow paper. Noon lang niya nakita ito sa buong school life niya. Hindi niya maalis ang tingin dito noon habang mahimbing na natutulog.

Pia had one of the most angelic faces he had ever seen. She was leaning towards the fair side. Matangos ang ilong and had very kissable lips na ilang beses din niyang pinigilan ang sariling damhin. Habang tinitingnan niya ito'ng natutulog noon ay parang nagkakasala siya sa langit. He thought he was stepping on something sacred and he wasn't allowed to cross its territory.

Ipinagtanong-tanong niya ito. That was when he found out that she was one of the feature writers of their university paper. He genuinely wanted to get to know her more. Nagagalingan siya talaga ditong magsulat. But Pia flatly refused him and called him names inside their college canteen when he tried asking her out.

Aaminin ni France na nasaling ang ego niya sa ginawa ni Pia. No one ever refused Francisco Buencamino Jr. Pero nalaman din niya na hindi lang ito sa kaniya gano'n. Lahat ng lalaking lumalapit dito ay itinataboy nito. He got curious. He initially intended to know why. Pero napakahirap hanapin nito. Their campus was big. At kung saan-saan ito nagtatago para lang siguro takasan siya. O takasan ang mga lalaking humahabol dito. At naging abala na rin siya dahil graduating siya ng Business Administration noon.

Sa lahat ng mga naging girlfriends niya, tanging ito lang ang hindi niya nalimutan ang pangalan. And she wasn't even his girlfriend. Talagang tumatak sa kanya ang mukha nito habang natutulog sa loob ng library. Hindi na niya inaasahan na magku-krus pa ang ang landas nila. Until she submitted her manuscript three months ago. She still wrote well, yes. But she had a hard time incorporating romance in her works. It seemed like she didn't have a firm grasp of romance.

That was when an idea striked him. It didn't matter to him if he was being unfair or if he was using his authority to coerce her. He wanted to know her more.

Nobody could escape from Francisco Buencamino Jr. He will not fail this time.

"Kaya nga kailangan kita," patuloy niyang pagkumbinsi kay Juice. Juice Tejerro was one of the stockholders of Love Dreams na pag-aari ng pamilya nila. "Ayoko namang isipin ng mga empleyado dito na may favouritism ako. Promise. One week lang."

He lied to Pia about being just a substitute editor. Alam niya na hindi ito papayag oras na malaman nito na pag-aari nila ang kompaniyang gusto nitong pasukin. Kanina nga ay gustong-gusto niya nang halikan ito. God knows kung anong paghihirap ang naramdaman niya para lang pigilan ang sariling damdamin. He needed to earn her trust first.

"May favouritism ka naman talaga," buska ni Juice sa kaniya. "Ok. One week. No more, no less."

Pinisil niya ang balikat nito.

"I owe you one, Juice."