Bad news for Ryde… I'm not the kind of person who backs down after a rejection. First failure doesn't make me give up. Instead, it fuels me to level up my game. It's a challenge for me.
"Why are you suddenly asking me this?" Jenna's voice is laced with suspicion.
She's in the middle of her vacation with her family somewhere across the world. I've called her because I want to ask if she has any knowledge about dating older guys. She has many girl cousins, so I'm hoping one of them has had experience dating an older man.
"Come on, this is definitely not for research purposes!" Jenna catches on to me so quickly, and I'm not even surprised. We have been friends for years, after all, and she's the closest female friend I have.
"Are you dating an older guy? How old? Four years older? Oh wait, you've already dated Rico, who's four years our senior, so this must be someone… way older. Five? Six?"
I roll my eyes and chuckle. "I actually don't know," I say honestly.
"What do you mean you don't know?! You're dating this guy, and you don't even know his age?" She groans, and I can imagine her pinching the bridge of her nose.
"I'm not dating him, alright? Not yet."
"Okay, tell me."
So, for the next hour, I'm busy spilling the details to my best friend. Toward the end of it, I hear Jace's voice as he demands Jenna to put it on loudspeaker. He's so nosy that we just told him about it, even when it's supposed to be a girl's talk only.
"Are you serious, Blair? A kitchen worker? You've got to be crazy," Jace sounds alarmed. "I get that Leo, the punk that he is, traumatized you, but you shouldn't date someone way below your league!"
"I'm not dating him yet, Jace. You missed the important info here. And he's not even interested!"
"The fact that you are talking about this is proof that you won't let go of this matter. Who knows if he's playing hard to get to hook you more? If you think he's more than five years older, I tell you, this is a bad idea. To top it all off, he's a goddamn labor worker!"
I groan. "Why did you even let him hear us, Jenna? He's overreacting!"
"It's called concern," Jace says. "I know you have a bad taste in boys, and it shows well in your dating history; you can't deny it. What's even more alarming about this is that you're crushing on an old man who must have bills and debts piling up in his one-bedroom shabby apartment. You don't even know if he has a family to feed!"
In the end, I just laugh at Jace's worries. He's overthinking it.
This isn't anything serious. I've had many crushes before, and this is no different from those times. But with Jace's concerns, it's like I'm about to marry the man! It's ridiculous.
For the next few days, I'm busy with my artworks and relaxing. I love painting and drawing, and I had my first exhibit when I was seventeen. I started earning my own money then.
It's just a hobby, though. I'm not planning to study Arts in college. Mom wants me to study Business while Dad wants me to be an architect like him.
In the end, my decision is to study architecture. I guess it's because of my love for art. I have a sketchbook full of illustrations of famous buildings and houses.
I suppose it started with my interest in Dad's work. The designs of his well-known skyscrapers and buildings inspire me. I also grew up watching him pursue his passion, which has always intrigued me as a child.
Sunday comes, and I'm here at the construction site again. I visited Sky Pearl's main hotel twice earlier this week, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ryde somewhere in the place, but he simply wasn't around anywhere I looked.
He's probably working inside the kitchen of one of their restaurants, I'm convinced.
Wait. Why didn't I even think of asking the manager instead of just hanging out there from time to time?
The managers of the hotel's restaurants must know everyone under them. I don't intend to pry into his life, alright. I only want confirmation so I'll know where I can see him other than in the construction site.
Now that I've thought of it, I smile as I walk across the dusty floor of the site. I've set it as my goal this week.
Victor follows me to the building, but when I begin walking to the buffet table, he halts and stands in the corner. He usually doesn't ask questions about my affairs, but I know he's very observant. He must have figured out by now why I'm suddenly visiting Dad's workplace every Sunday.
I notice that there are more than four employees from Sky Pearl who are arranging the buffet table. I'm halfway there when I realize… he's missing. Ryde isn't among them.
I look around but don't see him. Where is he? Is he in the bathroom? In the food truck outside?
My smile fades. I'm about to ask where Ryde is when my phone rings.
My mom's calling, so I hurriedly go outside because there's a loud grinding noise on the first floor.
I answer the call the moment I'm out of the building. Mom tells me something about a dinner happening later that night with some of her friends, and she instructs me to prepare for it.
While she's telling me the venue and suggesting what I should wear, I look up at the second floor of the building. From where I stand, the whole building can be seen, and the front part of the second floor is very clear to my naked eye.
In the barricade of an unfinished balcony, there stands a group of construction workers. But there is someone who clearly doesn't belong to the group.
The man is wearing jeans and a plain white shirt that hugs his muscular body perfectly. It reminds me of those male models in the fashion magazines I've seen.
Wearing a hard hat and standing inches taller than the men around him, Ryde looks serious and brooding while talking with the construction workers.
I forget I'm talking to my mom. Heck, I don't even know if I'm still breathing!
Handsome faces aren't new to me. I've even met and talked with some famous celebrities before.
But Ryde… he's just different. He exudes a manly aura that I have never found in anyone else. He's effortlessly charismatic. He looks calm and yet dangerous. Reserved but wicked. Quiet but magnetic.
Anyway, why is he up there? With the way he's talking seriously and how the construction workers are nodding, it seems like he's giving them commands.
In the middle of his conversation with the group, his eyes suddenly find me, which makes my heart jolt in surprise!
His gaze holds mine darkly.