Autumn started to approach. Trees started to turn orange. Wind started to blow a bit colder and leaves started to fall leaving it in different part of the ground. Autumn is indeed a beautiful season.
I am on my way to a small boutique to apply for a job. They are hiring for designers so I'm in my white long sleeve, pants and a boots on my way. In my hand is a collection on my work before with some of the documents needed like curriculum vitae.
They are calling the applicant one by one and set a meeting for the interview. It happened that the schedule given to me is the time for the first applicant to be interviewed. The sun is not yet shinning. It's just four in the morning and yet, I'm up.
As I entered the boutique, I felt the warm atmosphere due to the style of lightning of the store. The smell of new clothes linger on my nose together with some perfume. Different color, style and sizes of clothes are everywhere.
I saw a lady standing, waiting for me at my left.
"This way, please," she said politely taking me to what I think is an office with the sign on the door saying for authorized person only.
She open the door and I follow her. After informing who's inside that I'm already here, she quickly excuse herself.
Inside is a table in the center. A few shelves and frames and a lot of sketches are all over the place. I looked at the woman sitting next to the table then give her a warm smile.
"Good Morning, Madame," I said and the interview started.
🍷🗼🍷
The interview went well.
Well, that's what I think. They say that they will just phoned me if I got the position. The interview last for half an hour because she take a look of each design in my portfolio. It's already 5 AM when I decided to sip some coffee first before heading back to our house.
Dahil maaga pa at hindi pa sumisikat ang araw, bukas pa ang ilang streetlamps at mga ilaw sa loob ng mga boutique. Hindi rin ganoon karami ang tao hindi tulad ng medyo tanghali na, puno na ng mga turista.
Habang naglalakad ay naramdaman kong may parang sumusunod sa akin. Tumingin ako sa likod pero wala akong nakitang kakaiba. Nagpatuloy ako sa paglalakad ngunit medyo binilisan ko na. I heard something kaya napalingon ako ulit sa likod.
Then I saw him.
There was a man in his hoodie jacket with a luggage on his left hand and a phone on his right that's in the air. Hindi ko maaninag ang mukha niya dahil medyo nakayuko siya at nakatingin sa kaniyang cellphone na nakatutok sa akin. I realized that it was his phone that created the click sound.
Nang mapansin niyang nakalingon ako mula sa screen ng phone niya, narinig kong napamura siya ng mahina. Nang iangat niya ang mukha niya, nanlaki ang mga mata ko. Napansin kong napangiti siya dahil sa ekspresyong naglalaro sa aking mukha.
"Good morning," he said.
Hindi ako agad nakaimik dahil sa gulat. Anong ginagawa niya rito? Nandito ba siya para sa akin? I felt my heart skip a beat. But then maybe his here because of our parents. To convince me to go back and of course the marriage.
As I absorb the fact that he is really here, a chill run down to my spine.
He is here. In Paris. In a place where I, Eiffel and Keina stay. And for a moment, I felt that it became harder to breathe.
What if he see them? What if he ask her what is she doing here? What will be his reaction? Will he be mad? at her? at me, specially when he learn that I knew what's happening?
There are lots of question in my head that I don't know what to think first and what to do. But then, another question entered my mind: What if he already knew?
Napailing ako. Hindi. Hindi niya pwedeng malaman.
Huminga ako ng malalim at pinakalma ang sarili ko. Ngumiti ako sa kaniya.
"Good morning, Landon. Ba't ka nandito? Kararating mo lang?" I asked then look at his luggage.
"Yeah. Naglalakad ako ng makita kitang lumabas sa isang store," he answered pero hindi niya sinabi kung anong ginagawa niya rito.
"A, oo. Kakagaling ko lang ng interview. Nag-apply kasi ako ng trabaho. Teka, Hindi mo sinagot 'yung isang tanong ko. Ba't ka nandito?"
"Ayaw mo?"
"Not that..." I said while lowering m head.
"For you." He said it with so much confidence that I blushed crimson.
"For the marriage, you mean?"
He didn't respond and look at his side. "There's a cafe nearby. Can we?"
We walked in silence side by side with the sound of the wheels of his luggage on the background. The sun started to shine. Tourist and French people started to fill up the street as the lights in lamppost die.
We entered the cafe and heard a mellow song. The smell of coffee filled the place. There are only three costumers inside which I guess are doing their breakfast.
We found a seat at the corner near the glass window until a server approach us. I am facing the crowd inside the cafe, while Landon is facing the glass window at my back and the busy street outside since we are in the corner.
He give us menu and let us order. I figured that they have a hot chocolate so I ordered for it with macaroons.
"I really crave for sweets this morning..." I said when Landon look at me with the frown at my order.
He just chuckled and order a strong coffee and a croissant.
The sun was out when our orders came. The Eiffel Tower from afar stood majestically as the sun shinned. The sunlight passing to the window glass giving me warmth from the back and to our side. I sipped at my hot choco.
"Pinapunta ka ba nila mama?" I asked him.
He was hesitant at first but answered anyway. "Yeah."
Uminom siya ng kape. "Where are you staying? Pwedeng makitira sa'yo?"
Muntik ko nang maibuga sa kaniya ang iniinom ko dahil sa gulat. Tumingin ako sa kaniya at nag-isip ng excuse dahil isang malaking hindi ang sagot sa tanong niya.
"U-um... ano... K-kasi—"
Tumawa siya. "Biro lang. I have my reservations sa isang hotel, don't worry."
Nakahinga ako ng maluwag. Buti naman...
We already finished our pastry and the only thing that's keeping us inside the cafe were the drinks. We talked about different things but never about the marriage. He said that he was here for business and my mom just tell him to come and find me, and of course, to convince me.
While he's talking, I tried to ignore the feelings within myself. I never thought that I'll still feel something within me when he's near. I still feel the butterfly in my tummy and the not so normal beating of my heart. I sighed mentally.
As the talk goes further, my worries about him seeing Keina started to fade. Everything's going smooth.We're talking comfortably about my interview not until I glance over his shoulders.
Damn. Destiny is really twisted. I cursed to myself.
What a small world. Of all the cafe in Paris, why here? I started to panic but try harder to calm. He should not see them.
Hindi ko alam kung napansin ni Landon ang pagbabago ng itsura ko dahil kumunot ang noo niya.
"Why?"
"W-wala. Since nandito ka naman, g-gusto mo bang maglibot muna?" I stuttered and manage a fake smile.
Tumingin siya sa akin at saka tumingin sa labas. Siguro at tinitingnan niya ang panahon. Wala siyang sinabi pero ngumiti lang. Pero parang may kakaiba sa ngiti niya. Parang may nagbago. He nodded.
Dali-dali akong tumayo at saka tumingin sa loob ng cafe. Nakita ko si Keina na kakapasok pa lang sa CR habang si Effel naman ay naiwan sa table niya. Mabuti na lang at nakatalikod siya sa amin kaya naman hindi niya ako nakita.
Lumabas kami ng cafe ni Landon nang wala siyang kaalam-alam na nandoon ang ex-girlfriend niya na may kasamang iba.
Parang na-guilty ako pero anong magagawa ko? Wala ako sa lugar para sabihin sa kaniya ang totoo.
But a small part of me thought that I'm doing this simply because I don't want to ruin the mood and because —call me selfish— I want to be with him. I want him all for me... even for just for a day.