03: What is this about?!

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"Sir, before we continue this banter, would like to remind you of your 9 am Singapore meeting."

Automatic na sabi ko nang makita ko ang reminder sa watch ko.

Nakita ko siyang kinuha ang tablet niya, ilang sandaling nag-scroll. I just let him. Boss, doing the CEO things.

Habang ako, sinusubukang bigyan ng sense ang mga nangyayari.

"Their deal is good. We have to fly to Singapore one of these days, please block it in my calendar, Elara." Maayos na paalala ni Damian.

Yep. That's how he is most of the time. Isa iyon sa ilang buwan na siyang nakikipag-negotiate. I guess, nakuha na niya ngayon ang gusto niya.

"Ight, blocking it now." Simpleng sagot ko na lang habang ako naman ako nag-ayos ng schedule niya sa tablet.

Binigyan niya ako ng ilang minuto, bago siya uli magsalita.

"Okay, so going back?"

Huminga ako ng malalim.

“Hindi ko pa rin gets.” Turan ko. Totoo, hindi ko talaga maintindihan.

“Which part?”

“Bakit ako?”

Natahimik siya.

Ayan. There it was.

Si Damian Villareal iyong klase ng taong may sagot bago ka pa matapos magtanong.

Kapag mabilis ang sagot niya, sigurado siya.

Kapag maikli naman, well, just... Damian core.

Kapag isang kilay lang ang tumaas, may sinabi kang katangahan.

At kapag tumahimik siya? May bagay siyang ayaw sabihin.

One...

Two...

Three...

Four...

Aha.

“May tinatago ka.” I told him.

“I don't.”

“Four seconds.” Nagtagpo ang mga kilay niya.

“What?”

"Four seconds kang hindi sumagot."

“Binibilang mo?” Tinignan ko siya na para bang hindi pa siya sanay.

"Duh." I settled more comfortably against the chair. “Research.”

He stared. Walang expression.

Pero may something sa tingin niya na parang nire-review niya lahat ng professional decisions that eventually led to hiring me.

“Page seven.”

Napapikit ako. He keeps on insisting it!

“Ayan na naman tayo.”

“Read it.”

“Bakit hindi mo na lang kasi sabihin, sir? Medyo makulit din po.”

“Because I asked you to read it.”

“Control freak.”

“That isn't new information.”

Fair and square. So I had no choice, para matapos na.

I pulled the folder closer.

Actually, it's not just simple folder with a few pages of paper. Makapal ito.

“Two...Three...Four…”

“Elara.”

“Binibilang ko lang, Sir."

“It's numbered.”

“Hindi ko kailangan ng negativity mo.” Napapikit siya. Sige, mastress ka diyan. Deserved.

Five....Six....

Seven....

My eyes settled on the first couple of words I have read.

It was a name on top.

Not mine.

Not Damian's.

Lucas Gabriel Villareal.

Luki.

My thumb stopped against the corner of the page.

Mabagal kong binasa ang unang paragraph.

Then the second. After that, I returned to the first.

Hindi dahil hindi ko naintindihan. Kundi dahil gusto kong makasigurado na tama iyong binabasa ko.

“Lucas?”

“Yes.” Agad akong napatingin kay Damian.

“May kinalaman kay Luki ’to?”

“Yes.” Something inside the room shifted.

Iyong fifty million. Iyong contract. Iyong ridiculous na one-year marriage proposal.

All of those became irrelevant. Parang biglang umurong lahat sa background.

“Okay ba siya?” Agad kong tanong.

“Yes.” He answered swiftly.

Napakawalan ko iyong hiningang hindi ko namalayang pinipigilan ko.

“May sakit?”

“No.” Again. An immediate answer.

“May nangyari?” I probed again.

“No.” This time, mas mabagal niyang sagot.

Hindi siya umiwas ng tingin. Pero napansin ko iyong bahagyang pag igting ng panga niya. A small detail. The kind other people probably wouldn't notice.

Unfortunately for Damian, three years ko siyang pinag-aralan for professional survival.

“Then ano?” I want the direct answer. Hindi yung nagpipinoy henyo kami dito lalo na at may batang involved.

Hindi siya agad sumagot.

Tumayo siya.

The chair moved softly behind him as he walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window.

Sa likod niya, Makati.

Towering buildings in sight.

Cars far below.

Green patches of Ayala Triangle caught between all that corporate concrete.

A normal view at the Villareal Tower.

A normal Monday.

Except, apparently, ikakasal na ako.

Both of Damian's hands disappeared into his pockets.

Straight ang likod.

Shoulders a little too still beneath the dark suit.

He is calm. Calm, but not relaxed. It is more...

Controlled.

Magkaiba iyon.

“Kinukuwestiyon ng ilang miyembro ng pamilya ko kung ako ang tamang taong manatiling primary guardian ni Lucas.”

Napakunot ang noo ko.

“Why?” Lumingon siya. But he didn't answer.

For a few seconds, I stared at him.

Then instinctively, napatingin ako sa paligid.

His laptop was open. Dalawang cellphone sa desk. Several folders. His tablet.

Then my own tablet.

Pati ako, I'm a walking information hub of his schedules, dahil apparently kulang ang technology para i-contain ang buhay ng lalaking ito.

Singapore.

Development.

Legal.

Investors.

Sites.

Board meetings.

Travel.

And somewhere between all that, recurring lunch reminder.

Created by yours truly.

...

Ahhh. I got it .

Slowly, bumalik ang tingin ko sa kanya.

“Workaholic ka.” Akusa ko.

“I work.” Sagot niya, ni hindi man lang nahiya.

“Workaholic.”

“I manage several businesses.” He clarifies.

“May recurring lunch reminder ka sa Outlook.” Sagot ko uli, na para bang batang ayaw magpatalo.

Doon lang siya tuluyang humarap.

“Which you created.”

“Because you kept forgetting!” In my defense, ang awkward naman mag-lunch mag-isa, habang ang boss ko eh nagpapakabayani.

“I don't forget.” He said.

Napasandal ako sa upuan.

Indenial, sir?

“Anong tawag mo sa alas-kuwatro ka na nagla-lunch?”

A moment of silence. He clears his throat before answering.

“Busy."

I pointed at him.

“Workaholic.”

Bahagyang nag-igting ang panga niya.

Panalo.

“Can we move on?”

“Fine.”

I looked at page seven again.

“So tingin nila hindi ka capable magbigay ng stable environment kay Lucas because you're always working?”

“That's an oversimplification.”

“Pero part iyon?”

“Yes.”

My finger traced the edge of the paper. The legal language was clinical.

Stable household.

Domestic environment.

Primary guardian.

Ang linis tingnan sa papel.

Parang hindi totoong bata ang pinag-uusapan.

“Gusto nilang kunin siya sa ’yo?”

Tanong ko bago ko pa marealize ang bigat because his face instantly hardened.

“Hindi mangyayari.”

No raised voice.

No dramatic billionaire threat.

Just two words.

Quiet and cerrtain.

And somehow, mas effective iyon.

I stared at him a little longer.

So this mattered.

Really mattered...

Napalunok ako.

“So ito ang solution mo?”

I lifted the contract.

“Marriage?”

“One solution.”

Napahinto ako.

One.

Not the only solution.

Interesting.

“One?"

“Yes.”

He returned toward the desk, one hand resting against the edge.

“Meaning may ibang option?”

“Yes.”

“Then bakit ito?”

“Because it's the most practical.”

Huh.

Practical?

Napatawa ako, mahina lang.

“What?”

“Ikaw lang yata ang kayang tumingin sa kasal at sabihing most practical.”

“Would you prefer irrational?”

“Mas romantic.”

“This isn't romance.”

Of course. I am well aware. I knew that.

Pero nakakairita pa ring marinig.

I crossed my arms.

“Nobody's asking you to fall in love with me.” Sabi ko para maisalba ang pride kahit hindi naman natapakan.

Napatingin ako sa kanya.

Napalunok.

Parang hindi niya inaasahan ang sinabi ko. Dahilan kung bakit may ilang segundong katahimikan.

“That is not what this is about.” ilang sandali pa niyang sagot.

Then a silence so loud...

Nagkatitigan kami. Neither one moved.

...

Bakit parang pareho kaming na-offend?

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