Never Descending

Chapter 16

Path

"Thank you for trusting us, Ma'am."

The secretary smiled brightly at me while she was joining me on my way out of the building.

Sinuklian ko ang ngiti niya. 

"No worries. To be honest, I was really impressed with what they presented."

Her eyes lit up. "I assure you that you won't have any regrets po!" magiliw na dagdag niya.

Mas lumawak ang kurba ng labi ko dahil sa kagalakang ipinapakita niya. Kalaunan ay nagpaalam na rin kami sa isa't isa dahil tuluyan na kaming nakalabas mula sa gusali.

Ilang minuto na rin ang nakalipas mula nang matanggap ko ang mensahe ni Ace kanina na nandito na siya. I quickly spotted his car so I went straight there.

I greeted him with a smile as soon as I got inside. I instantly felt the sun rays from the outside hitting on me. It was exactly noon time so the extreme heat isn't very much surprising.

"Sorry, ang tagal ko ata." I briefly said. "Did I keep you waiting for long?" I offhandedly asked while wearing my seatbelt.

Madali ko iyong naikabit kaya't bumaling din agad ako sa kaniya. I stiffened when he naturally leaned near my position to reach for the sun visor of the car. His manly arm tightened a bit as he pulled it down. 

Agad noong naharangan ang sinag ng araw mula sa pagtama sa mukha ko. His initiative immediately brought comfort to me. It feels good without the sunlight touching my skin.

"Not really," his voice was a little husky when he muttered it while we were still a bit close to each other.

He then withdrawn his hand and went back to his place. His every movement seems instinctive. It looks innate and spontaneous. It makes me feel... warm.

Nakapako lang ang tingin ko sa kaniya hanggang nahanap niya na rin ang mata ko. His tender eyes gazed at me.

"How did it go?"  he asked.

I remained staring at him in daze. Still caught up from his small gesture a few seconds ago.

"It.. went well," I mumbled in a small voice, suddenly feeling flush for an unknown reason.

His stare lingered at me. May kaunting bahid ng pagtataka mula roon marahil dahil sa kakaibang pinapakita ko. I tensely looked away. I suddenly got anxious that he might see pass through my soul and apprehend what's going on with my senses.

Kahit sa iba na ko nakatingin ay ramdam ko pa rin ang mabigat niyang titig. Inabot pa ng ilang sandali bago ko narinig ang pagsisimula niya sa makina ng sasakyan. I cleared my throat to get back from my trance.

"The offer was.. really nice," I decided to expound about my answer to his question. 

Bumaling pa ko sa kaniya habang nagkukwento para mabura ang pagkabalisang nararamdaman. Sa kalsada naman siya nakaharap at hindi sa akin kaya't hindi naging mahirap iyon. 

"I took the deal since it seems like a very good catch." I pleasantly added. "Overall.. I was satisfied with how it went," 

Unti-unti naman nang kumakalma ang t***k ng puso ko kaya't nagagawa ko nang ngumiti. I saw him nodding a bit after what I said.

"That's great.." he calmly said. "I looked over their company's record and their reputation seems to be reliable enough,"

Bahagyang natutop ang labi ko sa sinabi niya. I never expected him to go to that extent but it somehow feels gratifying to see him showing much interest.

We continued talking about it until the topic drifted to some architectural matters. I don't have enough knowledge about it but I just say what I know so he can correct me if I'm wrong. I listen to him intently when he sometimes articulate certain factual information. I got so engrossed with the conversation cause I feel like I'm learning a lot from him. And it just feels super nice to me.

Magaan ang pakiramdam ko hanggang makarating kami sa restaurant. I'm relieved that I was atleast able to shrug off the tiny awkwardness that I felt a while ago. The air between us was light and easy even until we were already eating.

"How about you, by the way?" I asked out of interest. "How was your morning at work?"

Umangat ang tingin niya sakin, dahilan para magtama ang mga mata namin. His profound eyes are always overwhelming.

"It was... fine," he said. "Everything went smoothly as planned."

I nodded a bit while cutting the steak. 

"Was it a conference or something?" I asked out of honest curiosity. I'm genuinely intrigued about how things work in the business world. 

"Not entirely," he said. "Just an executive meeting for our forthcoming project. It's quite a big one so we're thoroughly gearing up for it," the way his mouth twitches at his every word was distracting. Ace's diction was very sexy. And his voice sound so masculine too. I can't help but think highly of his aptitude.

I can't help but blink dreamily at him. My eyelids are leisurely getting heavy. I unconsciously rested my elbow on the table and placed my chin on my palm as I stared fixedly at him. Is it legal for a person to be this ideal? It seems like he already fulfilled so much for his age.

"Ace.." I softly started. "...how old are you?" I asked out of the blue when I realized that I can't recall seeing about it online.

Bumagal ang paggalaw ng kamay niya hanggang sa tuluyan nang huminto ang mga ito. His eyes then gradually find its way towards mine. His brow lifted a bit at slight perplexity.

"I'm 26," he muttered using his usual prim tone.

Tumango-tango ako. Hindi niya agad binawi ang tingin mula sa akin kaya't ilang sandali pa kaming nagkatitigan. Hinintay kong tanungin niya rin ako. Nang wala pa ring sinumang nagsalita sa amin ay umarko ang kilay ko.

"Aren't you interested to know mine?" I cheekily asked.

He just stared back at my grinning face.

"You're 24," he stated without even blinking.

Dahan-dahang nabura ang kurba mula sa labi ko. Napakurap ako nang ilang beses habang manghang nakatingin sa kaniya.

"You knew?" I exclaimed the obvious. "How come?" I followed up.

Tamad siyang nag-iwas ng tingin at binalik ang atensyon sa pagkain.

"I heard Zane mentioning one time that you both have the same age," he sluggishly said without giving me a glance. "He's crazy over you." he spat.

Hindi siya nakatingin sakin kaya't hindi ko mabasa ang ekspresyon niya.

I chuckled at what he said. For some reason, I  find it amusing.

"Seriously?" halakhak ko.

I indulge the amusement for a while but eventually stopped my quiet laughs when I realized that he doesn't seem to be having fun as much as I do.

"But.. if you're 26 right now..." tumingin ako sa malayo habang sinusubukang mag-bilang sa isip. "When did you even start establishing your business?" 

That's bizarre. I can't even imagine how young he is that time. I heard his family has a business too but he's not the usual-type of heir who used inheritance for easy access. The widespread information about him is that he started everything from scratch by his own.

Sa tanong ko ay muli ko nang nakuha ang atensyon niya. Mula sa bagsak na tingin ay inangat niya na ang mata patungo sa akin. 

He gazed at me attentively.

"I started saving money in high school then eventually began investing in prominent corporations." he modestly said.

I slightly leaned forward in sincere inquisitiveness.

"Corporations like?" I curiously inquired.

He shrugged mildly. 

"Malls, banks, and many more." he stated.

The crease on my forehead just grew deeper. 

Can't he just be more specific? I'm not good at making guesses.

"What malls and banks?" I urged in anticipation. "SM? BDO?" I jokingly guessed before a faint chuckle cracked from my mouth.

Nabitin sa ere ang halakhak ko nang sumagot siya.

"Yes," he simply said.

Unti-unting bumalik patungo sa kaniya ang tingin ko. Nanatiling nakaawang ang labi ko ngunit wala nang tunog ang lumalabas mula roon. 

"No way.." I blinked repeatedly in astonishment. "Seryoso?"

Tumango siya.

"A lot of people may not know but buying stocks from those enterprises is actually quite easy, Iris. It can also be the most viable step since you can start for a small price until your asset grows." he affirmed. "I was a mere student in middle school back then so that was all I can execute that time. But I think it paid off since I was already able to fund and start my own business during college," 

To say that I was appalled was an understatement. My bewilderment was beyond words.

Hindi ko mapigilang usisain pa siya tungkol doon. Kung anu-anong tinanong ko dala ng kyuryosidad.  If only I knew these things before, maybe I'm already a billionaire by now too! Dammit! All I ever do in high school was put make-up on my face.

"So that upcoming deal that you're talking about is for an international partnership?" I asked in stun for I can't help but get surprised to where our conversations are bringing me.

His reflective eyes gaped solely at me. Tipid siyang tumango.

"Yes.. but we're quite apprehensive about it. We have a lot of competitors and the association is requiring distinct qualifications,"

Tila may humaplos sa puso ko habang nakatingin sa kaniya. His uncertainty is humbling. He have come this far yet still feels like he's lacking. To me, it was as if he always provides room for enhancement. I can't help but admire him even more for this.

"I know you'll make it, Ace." I sincerely blurted out all of a sudden. 

I didn't know where the confidence in my voice is coming from as I stare straight into his eyes. 

He looks quite taken aback by my sudden seriousness but he didn't retreat his gaze. Tinapatan niya ang intensidad ng tingin ko.

"If there's anyone who's immensely driven for this field, I think that's you." I earnestly said without taking my eyes away from him. 

Ang klase ng tingin na iginagawad niya sakin ay nakakapanghina. Nakakalunod at nakakaubos ng lakas. 

"Your heart belongs to this path, Ace." I softly muttered. "This path belongs to you."

My heart twitched inside my chest. The sensation that I was feeling inside right now was overpowering. It was too much for me. I don't think I ever felt this much erratic pulsation before. The throbbing was hard to handle.

Pumungay ang mga mata ko.

"I don't think there would be anyone else more deserving than you." I tenderly said with finality.

The way something in his eyes started to glimmer made my chest tighten even more. 

The luminous view was alluring and fascinating. 

It was totally overflowing that I just nearly forgot how to breathe.