Love at the Nth Time

Truth and Lie

Chapter 29

It was the first time Seth sat in the sedan of my older sister in the passenger seat beside me. After minutes of crying and apologizing to each other, we fell silent—the moment of truth where words between us would point out the following steps to take.

Should I just leave and excuse myself? I had appointments tomorrow, although those sets of activities could wait, my pounding heart whispering at me to break the silence.

I gazed at Seth as she took off her pony and let her hair fall, and her hand brushed up the hair blocking her face, putting it at the back of her head. She sighed a little, and her eyes met mine.

"Sleep with me tonight," she uttered. Stunned to hear those words, I needed to make them clearer.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, sleep in my condo," she cut her words as if she realized something. She scoffed, and her eyes lowered. "Where's my gift?" She looked at me again.

"Told you, take it from Win." I looked upfront at the closed store.

Silence again. How long were we going to be like this? Grunted a little, my eyes checked the time on my wristwatch. Past 11 pm. Ugh. I locked eyes with Seth again.

"Happy birthday." She smiled faintly. I rolled my eyes, knowing it was not special in any way. "I'm going home. I have work tomorrow," I excused myself, holding the gear knob.

"Celine," she murmured. Her eyes were on the ground. Usually, she's talkative and annoying, but it's a hint of reservation now. "Can I receive another present from you?" She turned her eyes on me.

I nodded a little. "Sure, if possible."

"Kiss me." Staring back at her, I gulped and laughed awkwardly, avoiding the green orbs she owned. If she could peck kisses on me easily, I would die before I did it.

"What's this? Um," I stammered as my mind went blank. Good for Seth, how easy it was to flirt. I blinked and faced her again. "I had nothing to do with Johann. We're merely friends."

Her eyebrows furrowed, grasping the response she received. "Why did you bring up that guy?" I shrugged.

"Uh, I don't know," I answered, half of truth and lie. The perception of why Seth asked me to kiss her, the answer about Johann, popped up in my head as if I already knew the answers. The word in denial.

"If you really like that man, I won't stop you anymore. Just, please, be careful."

Seth stopped bothering me concerning Johann afterwards. She didn't raise the request for the other gift, and we went on our way.

The usual routine began the next day. People from different walks of life gathered around a small room to draw the image of what they wanted and shape it with the opportunity to take the first step. It's been about three years since my journey crossed the same thing. The carbon copy of energy was filled with encouragement, motivation, and positivity, although the people I long knew brought their venture into another company yet the same ol' industry.

"Uy, you're early. Do you have a client?" inquired Sarah. The person who was assisting every distributor who Director Ed handled. She's younger than me and part of the business aside from her work as the secretary. I laughed a little and watched the trainer on today's schedule, a family man full of life and dreams. I have dreams, but I couldn't imagine inheriting the enthusiasm he possessed. We weren't blood-related, but the business culture upheld the other way.

"I don't have a new one," I replied.

"Anyway, may I ask you how you obtained a gold customer?"

Gold client. Someone with an impressive background, a person who could spend massive money on an opportunity, and Mr Tim held the title. Because of the employees of more than 70 whom Mr Tim and Seth supervised, the apparent wonder of obtaining someone as influential as them stirred up the company.

*On call… Sis

"Yeah, I'm heading to her now. Starbucks, right?" I asked my sister as I strolled into the mall. She asked me to assist another client who had a connection with Mr Tim.

"Yes, thank you, sis!" I let my older sister drop the call. She's the reason I existed in the industry—grateful rather than blaming her for our family being against what we were doing.

"Seth, dude!" a voice moved past my ear, and the name he called out grabbed my attention. I turned around to see Seth looking back at me. My heart hammered a little, the nervousness halted my feet to move, and the only thing I could do was to stand in front of a clothing store. Last night, I had not moved on as she asked me to kiss her. She didn't message or call me again, and coincidence sure was messing around with me.

"Celine," Seth called me. I looked at her. The pounding of my heart calmed down as the glasses I bought for her reflected the beauty of her green eyes.

"Oh, hey there, Miss Celine," the guy beside her greeted me and tapped the back of Seth. I forced a smile and looked the other way, still uncomfortable about facing Seth.

"Let's go, Tristan," Seth said and walked away. The guy waved at me and followed Seth.

"Do you quarrel again?"

Watching the back of Seth, the tailored cream polo, black flat front pants with a pair of black derby shoes, and her sandy blonde hair moved flawlessly. What was that model doing here?

I smiled naturally at the older woman sitting on the chair in front of me. I sat down after we introduced each other. Her sceptical eyes and smile were making me uneasy. "So, you are Celine," she mumbled and sipped the coffee. My older sister provided me with basic information about her. A 40-year-old woman, a widow, and had three prominent children in the fashion industry.

I wanted to run.

Why did a wealthy woman like to know a local business and it's outside of their field too? Was she somewhat similar to the perception of Mr Tim towards Filipinos?

"Do you wanna come to see the business office, Ma'am?" I probed with a smile never fading.

"You can tell me anything about it here. What's in it for me, and how could you offer that kind of business to my promising kids? You're 22, right?" I nodded. "You're the same age as them. Do you know they're well-known in magazines and billboards?"

"Wow, what's their name, ma'am? Maybe I know them," I responded. It's nice to meet elegant people as I had no circle of friends. I could ask for advice on clothing style. The woman chuckled and leaned closer.

"You know Zalora?"

She reflected a person who loved to brag about their achievements and titles. The kind of people who enjoy the company of 'Me, Me, not about you nor us'. I heaved a sigh as I leaned on the chair. The meeting with her ended after more than an hour, and it exhausted the whole out of me. Although our conversation was overwhelmed by her and her children's accomplishments, business-related matters merely took a peek. I enjoyed some of the stories she shared, her struggles to support the kids as they worked on their interests and dreams, a mother of strength, perseverance, and courage to face any challenges to give what's best for them.

I didn't get a glance at my phone as it's unethical to face it whilst a person next to me chatted merrily. New messages were displayed on the screen, and I saw one from Seth.

Message

Seth: Celine

We met earlier, and the feeling of not seeing her presence, I wasn't the only one who didn't want to endure the same way.

Celine: Seth, I wanna eat out.

The more we'd become closer, the more I knew about her, and the more we spent time together, the things we fought over couldn't surpass the strong sense of belonging.

Seth took off the glasses, and I wore it. I groaned in pain as it made me dizzy. I removed it quickly.

"It has grade, dummy." Her hand snatched the glasses and wore it again.

"Your grade is too high. That's your fault working all night," I teased the talk s**t; I insulted myself as well.

"Right. I'm more productive at night anyway, can't help it." I watched her pour the juice into my glass. "Hey, eat out," she added.

We're here at a Japanese restaurant and sitting next to each other on the floor. Countless inquiries and concerns from people regarding the business, I leaned on the back of Seth and faced my phone. It was wrong timing as I posted on social media to share my business, flooded with comments and private messages.

"Celine, I'm planning to go to Europe. Rome specifically," Seth stated.

"Wow, for work?"

"Hmm, part of it."

"Oh wow, bring me some souvenirs."

The schedule for the last week of this month had to leave empty as I remembered I'd be going to Japan with her.

"Come with me." I lifted my back to face Seth. She turned her head, catching my eyes. I asked,

"What?"