Dayne
I don't know what woke me up, but I could've sworn something did. I opened my eyes only to instinctively close them again and lift my hands up to shield them from the blinding rays of the sun seeping through my window. Deena won't be back until next Sunday so I'm pretty sure it's not her loud knocking that roused me from my sleep.
As I was trying to figure out what woke me up, I jolted from the bed as something vibrated from under my pillow. Damn, my phone. It is the culprit!
"Ugh," I groaned as I sat on my bed, too fogged up by sleep to even move. I was as still as a post for about a minute before I decided to go back to sleep again. Sleep is life! The weekends are for me, myself and I. No double "S" lording over me and bossing me around.
"Hmmmm...," I moaned in satisfaction as my head hit the pillow and I was once again cradled in the comfort of my bed. I love weekends. Love my bed. Hmmmm.
I was about to lose my consciousness and drift back to dreamland when my phone vibrated again and I had to jerk my head from the pillow.
Groaning in frustration for having been robbed of my sleep yet again, I reached for my phone from underneath the pillow. With only one eye slightly open, I swiped the screen and scrolled to see who has been disturbing my Saturday sleep in.
Huh? Brian? What is it this time? Wait. Brian, who?
Then all of what transpired last night came flooding right back to me, making me sit up straight in bed and with shaking hands, click on the message icon. He sent me three messages already. I suddenly felt a shiver run down my spine. Sleep already a distant memory. Only nervous excitement and anticipation filled my entire being at the moment.
7:47 AM
[Good morning, Precious! Did you sleep well last night? I hope you slept as soundly as I did.]
Oh.... it was not for me but for the girl he's practising for. So, her name's Precious. Wow, he's got it bad for her. She's his first thought upon waking up. Lucky girl.
7:55 AM
[Breakfast in bed, Precious? I don't exactly know what you'd like so I brought coffee, tea and...ME. Hope you like ME. 😊]
I laughed at his cheesy and definitely corny attempt at a joke, and a not-so-original-and-not-so-new one at that. But he's just so adorable. How lucky could this Precious be?
8:04 AM
[Wake up, sleepy head. You are one heavy sleeper, Dayne Samaniego.]
Well, at least I'm sure this one's for me. I smiled while I typed in my reply.
[Good morning to you, too, Sir! Are you being possessed by my boss right now?]
[No, but I would love to be in her shoes even just for a day.]
[Just so you could be a junior partner for a day? Big dreams, huh?! Or so you could wear stiletto heels, maybe?😁]
[No. So, I could have you all to myself even just for a day.] I barely had time to let what he meant sink in when he sent another text.
[As my assistant, of course! So I can slave you around for a day! Ha ha!]
[Hahaha. Oh, I would so love that, too! So, I could also spit on your coffee and add a little sprinkle of dust while I'm at it from the stack of files on my desk, for added creamy effect. Oooo, yummy.]
[Do you really do that to her coffee?!]
[🤭🤫😏]
[Dayne?]
[Ok, you got me. Course not! As much as I want to at times, I respect the woman so much to do that. So, no, I don't act on my unsavory thoughts about her coffee.]
[Sorry for even asking. I should've known you wouldn't. Double "S" is so lucky to have you, Dayne. I just hope she knows that.]
[Thanks. Precious is one lucky girl, too, Sir. I think that you're thoughtful and sensitive and loyal and funny that she'd fall for you in no time. If she doesn't, then she doesn't deserve you. At all. And receiving sweet thoughts like the ones you sent for her first thing in the morning would surely melt her heart. That's one point in your favor.]
Then I sent him the message I've been wanting to tell him since my reality check last night. This might just be my only chance. Here goes nothing.
[And that's why I think you should just ask her out already. You actually do not need to practice with me, or with anybody else. No need for pretend dates for you to waste your time in. Do whatever comes from your heart. Just go ask her out. She'd be stupid - sorry for the term - to turn you down and not give you a chance.]
The silence that followed was deafening. I started to feel agitated as minutes passed by without receiving any reply from him. Was I too obvious? Too eager to get out of this sticky situation, maybe?
Great! He knows! He knows that you are backing out the morning after you said, "I do" Dayne. "Ugh," I groaned, slapping my palm on my forehead as I did so.
Or maybe he is just doing something more important with his life right now than sit around and text you. I would prefer to think so. I don't want him to hate me. Can't have bad blood with anybody from the firm. It could get in the way of work. And, of course, there's this itsy bitsy bit of fact that I really like Brian. He's a good man.
I heaved a long sigh and got out of bed. With sleep no longer appealing to me, I better do something worthwhile. Get my mind off this confusing state I'm in. But first, breakfast.
I took a quick shower before heading out to the kitchen. Deena is still out of town for the rest of her vacation with Chris, her fiancé. She deserves all the happiness that she now enjoys having been through a number of failed relationships and too much heartache that I cannot even start to imagine how she was able to survive all that still intact and even stronger. I smiled at the thought of my best friend who I'm really missing right now.
I opened the fridge to get a couple of eggs, fresh milk and cheese. I love my cheese. I whipped up some fluffy cheese omelette and grabbed two slices of white bread to pop in the toaster. Then I prepared me a mug of steaming hot coffee.
I then called mom while munching on my crunchy toast to check on them and to inform her that I'll be home next week as it is a long weekend. I miss my mom's cooking and I can't help but look forward to my long weekend with my family. Happy times.
Every once in a while after the call with mom, I would check my phone for any message from Brian. But there was none. Sigh.
After breakfast, I washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen and the dining room. Cleaning the entire house is our usual Saturday routine. Now that Deena's not home, I will have to do it by myself. It was almost 2:00 in the afternoon when I finished cleaning the house. I did not feel like having lunch at all. I was so exhausted that I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.
I didn't know how long I was asleep for but I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. Ugh, not again.
Without opening my eyes, I let my hand grope for my phone on the bedside table. Once I held it, I instinctively swiped the screen and put the phone on my right ear muttering in my sleep-thick voice, "Hello."
"Good morning, Dayne! I see someone has been sleeping all day." Brian's voice greeted me. I can almost hear him smile through the phone.
"Yeah. And someone has been waking me up like an alarm clock. All day." I answered still with eyes closed but already smiling.
He laughed. "You are one funny girl, Dayne Samaniego."
"Well, funny is my middle name, Sir. Happy to make people happy. That's me." I teasingly replied.
He laughed again. Sleep has somehow recharged me and made me feel good. I sat up on the bed and stretched my free hand while the other still held the phone to my ear.
"So, funny girl, do you have plans for tonight?"
"Aside from sleeping some more? None that I could think of, Sir. Why?" I asked groggily.
"Brian. That's my name, Dayne so please call me that. We've agreed on that, right?" But before I can even answer he spoke again, "Anyways, uhm, can I ask you out to dinner then?"
This guy just won't let up so easily, huh. I sighed. "I thought I told you already you don't need me for practice dates, Brian. You're a great guy. You really are. You need only be yourself to get this girl. When she sees who you are, she's going to fall for you. So, just ask her out already. Trust me."
"I do trust you, Dayne," he said quietly. "That's why I am doing it. I am asking the girl I like out to dinner."
Silence. But he just asked me. Wait.... Is he....?
O!M!G!