The hours flew by quickly. I didn't even realize it was already lunchtime if Alicia, my newly hired secretary, hadn't reminded me. "Would you like me to order for you so you don't have to go out?" she kindly asked me."Yes, please," I replied, giving her a grateful smile. With that, she left me alone. After a few moments, I found myself once again consumed by my work. Alicia hadn't brought the food I ordered yet, so I decided to use the time to finish up some other tasks.I was in the middle of my work when I heard the sound of a message alert on my cellphone. I casually picked it up and looked at the screen, unable to suppress a smile. It was Marius."Have you eaten yet? Don't work too hard. You might get sick," the text message from Marius said.To be honest, I didn't know if I needed closure for the annoyance, I felt towards him this morning. Because at that moment, I felt more of the excitement brought by his concern for me, even if it was just a simple text message. And that's wh
"Are you seriously going to wait for me here?" It has been half an hour since Marius arrived when I asked him that question. I was still working while he remained seated on the chair in front of my working table, engrossed in flipping through a magazine."You can move to the couch if you want to be more comfortable," I said again as he glanced at me and smiled."I'm really serious about everything I do for you," he replied to my initial question. "And to be honest, I don't know whether I should be happy or offended by your second remark," he continued.My eyebrows immediately furrowed upon hearing Marius's last statement. "Why would you be offended when you're the only one I'm concerned about?" I asked, unable to suppress a soft chuckle.Marius shrugged his shoulders before answering, "I just remembered that you might be tired of looking at my face, that's why you're suggesting I move to the couch." He still had a smile on his face.Hearing his words, I couldn't help but burst into la
I can say that there is a big difference in that dinner compared to what Marius and I did last night. Maybe it's because we are officially friends now. "Are you okay?" Marius asked me when he noticed I had finished eating. I nodded and took a sip of water from my glass. "Yeah, I'm so full," I said truthfully, followed by a soft laugh. I saw Marius's dark eyes sparkle as he continued to gaze at me. In them, I could sense the admiration that he had never really hidden from me since the beginning. "Do you want to go home now?" he asked as we walked towards his parked car. I shrugged quickly before speaking. "It's fine with me if you want to take a walk in the park first," I said. The park wasn't far from where we were, and we could see a few people walking there. Most of them were couples. Marius stopped walking and faced me. "Are you sure?" he asked, his face brightening with a happy expression, his thick and beautiful eyebrows raised. "Yeah. It's just a stress reliever," I repli
"I don't know if it's just because I've been busy, but the days have been passing by so quickly that I barely notice."Are you sure, Mama Cecille?" I asked as we were having breakfast in the dining room. I had told her that Marius invited me to go out for the day, and since I expected it to be a long day, I wanted to give her a heads-up in case I ended up coming home late."I'll take care of Andrea, Sam," she said, smiling at me. I knew she would. After all, during the long period when my brother wasn't around and Lana and Andrea were left in the care of Marius and Mama Cecille, it was Mama Cecille who took care of them. So, when it comes to taking care of my niece, Andrea, I'm sure she's in good hands.The truth is, I couldn't help but feel embarrassed in front of Mama Cecille. If only I could control myself, I wouldn't go out with Marius. But I can't deny the truth either—that I always want to be with him."Thank you, Mama Cecille," I said.She just nodded. "Will he pick you up here
After attending the church service, Marius invited me to the mall. We decided to have coffee at a nearby coffee shop, where our conversation took a delightful turn."Why didn't we have coffee at your coffee shop?" he asked me.At that moment, I was enjoying the bibingka I had ordered, along with the black coffee in my cup. I shrugged my shoulders and took a sip of coffee before answering Marius's question."I just didn't want our employees to think we were on a store visit," I replied. "And besides, I wanted to taste their coffee and bibingka here, to get an idea of how we can compete with them," I added, intentionally lowering my voice so that no one else could hear.Marius laughed at my statement, and I must say, he became even more attractive in my eyes. Although it wasn't the first time I had heard his laughter, it always sounded like music to my ears."You really are a businesswoman," he replied, his eyes sparkling with amusement before he picked up his cup of coffee to take a si
"In the countless times I asked Marius to let me help him in the kitchen, he refused just as many times. I couldn't fathom why he was doing that. But I must admit, every rejection only added to the points he earned to win my heart."What do you think?" he asked as we sat facing each other, having lunch together.I first tasted the Chicken Tinola he cooked. Earlier, while we were grocery shopping, he asked me about my favorite Filipino dish. I told him the truth, and that was it. I couldn't help but be impressed when I tasted it. Then, I looked at him with a smile that I just couldn't wipe off my lips."In fairness, it's delicious," I replied, and it was the absolute truth.I saw Marius's eyes twinkle after I said that. I knew he was pleased, and I had no regrets about it. The truth was, I couldn't move on, and I couldn't believe his way of courting me. It was something I hadn't experienced with my previous boyfriends.Well, maybe that's just how it is. Perhaps Filipinos have a differe
I was awakened that night by the delightful aroma of the food Marius was cooking in the kitchen. A smile formed on my face as I realized the real pillow cradling my head. My sleep was truly blissful. I got up and glanced at my wristwatch. It was past six in the evening. I was taken aback at first. Four hours of sleep? I got up and headed towards the kitchen where the handsome man was busy preparing our meal. I noticed that Marius had already taken a shower. He was now wearing a simple white shirt that clung slightly to his well-built physique. For the bottom, he had on sweatpants. "Oh, you're already awake," he said, probably sensing my presence. He placed two plates on the table and then pulled out a chair, signaling me to sit. "Before I take you home, I want you to eat first. Okay?" he said, not wasting any time. Marius promptly attended to me, starting by putting rice on my plate. As I observed him, I remained silent and watched him work. "I reheated the remaining Chicken Tino
The following days were filled with excitement in Marius's company. This was despite the fact that he was still courting me, and I hadn't given him an answer yet. It wasn't the first and last time I visited Marius's condo unit. There were more visits. He enjoyed having me cook for him, and eventually, I found myself looking forward to it as well. Since his workplace was close to his home, it wasn't difficult for Marius to do that. "Tomorrow, come to the house because Andrew and Lana will be back." On a Friday night, just like before, Marius picked me up. This time, we agreed to have dinner at my office because of the workload I needed to finish. "Really? Can you believe that? I've been courting you for a month now," he chuckled afterward. I smiled and continued eating. "Are you getting impatient?" I asked him, looking directly into his eyes. Caught off guard by my question, Marius quickly lifted his head and met my gaze. "No way!" he denied rapidly. I smiled broadly. "I thought