Love at the Nth Time

The Aftertaste of Smoke

Chapter 7

I felt the sting in my head directly in my brain and continuously heard my phone's ringtone. I groaned and hardly reached the phone on the floor. A beeping sound of accepting a call I was familiar with and how his greeting could be, woke me up in his usual nag.

"Hey! I know you're drunk again! You just drank last night. Are you breaking a record? You have your event at exactly 10, Seth!" I slowly sat up on the bed. In front, the wall mirror reflected a lethargic androgyny woman who slept all naked and merely covered by a heavy white blanket.

*11 New Messages

My finger involuntarily paused from scrolling to one of the recipients. I opened it.

Celine: I'm just trying to find someone like you who could show me how you live in a different world. I didn't mean any harmful intentions. You know I'm curious and confused about myself. That's why I was so happy when I met you. But I'm so sorry if I bothered you this whole time. If you need anything regarding the business, you can still ask me. Thank you for everything from before.

The things she conveyed drew me to believe her sincerity.

"Give me a beer here," I demanded as I watched people gather around inside the venue.

"No. You're still at your event," whispered Win. "Why did you pony your hair?" he added.

My fingers brushed the notched lapel of the indigo tuxedo jacket I wore. "Why, isn't it cool? I used to high pony a lot back in school; popularity is normal." Here in the Philippines, if you're a beauty and a foreigner, they treat you differently.

He gazed at his wristwatch.

"Oh, they're coming now, I think."

"Who," I asked and looked around, clueless of who they were.

"Ah Seth, may you explain the details of this dress?" asked a classy old woman with smiles on her face and visible wrinkles formed on her forehead. She pointed to the dress on the glass display.

"Oh sure, my pleasure," I said and followed her walk. A tap on my shoulder altered my attention from behind, and I saw Dad. My eyebrows furrowed. He just came here?

"Hello, Mr Vinscon, you look so handsome, never fading," greeted the old woman beside me.

"Wow! Look at this, Ceng! Even only this at my wedding." I turned my head around when I heard the familiar voice. My heart jumped, wide eyes of mine looked upfront.

Shit. I knew it was Celine's older sister's voice and the assumption of Celine around, which freaked my hell out!

"Whew, you don't have a boyfriend, don't me," her voice echoed in my ear.

"Enjoying the masterpieces, ladies?" asked Dad. Unaware of his absence beside me, I locked my eyes on the long nude dress the older woman kept in her interest.

"Yes, Sir Tim," answered Rose. Her voice approached me till she stood by my side. "You're so amazing. They all looked so beautiful. Can you be my designer in my wedding gown?" she jested. I chuckled.

"Sure, but do you have someone to wear the groom's attire?" Dad laughed together with Rose, and Dad continued his conversation, which seemed like a business thing. Celine smiled.

"I'll just look around, sis," she uttered, pointing out elsewhere. I watched Dad and Rose roam around. My eyes turned in the direction of the girl who wore a sleeveless blue dress, feet covered by nude 1-inch heels. My eyebrows lifted, yet my face lowered down — too plain, the attire she wore.

I caught her feeble smile as she stared at my piece earlier. I looked at the dress, which turned out to be a size fit for tall women of all ages. I sighed a little. I watched her again, and there, the oddness, vehemence of silence wanting to scream outside me as she composedly leaned down to read the panel of a gown. Her fingers ran through her strands to put them behind her ears, letting my feet move towards the unknown gravity.

"You can touch them." Her eyes widened as she met my eyes. I smiled softly. She diverted her mind to the dress again.

"Oh, um, it's so beautiful. I might get it dirty, so no…" my hand reached hers, soft, and put it on the gown.

"It's simply a gown." My smile never seemed to vanish as her eyes locked on mine, yet the same expressionless mask she always had on.

"I like the colour and the quality of the fabric." She moved away and went to the other gowns. I breathed inaudibly and followed her, hands in my pockets.

"That's a ball gown," I mumbled from the gown displayed inside a glass where she stood still. The dress I asked Win to put in a glass box. Since this was special for me, it reminded me of the very young princess currently residing in London.

"You know a lot of girl clothes, and you imagined them, but you never wear clothes like this," she chuckled. I smiled as I watched her stare at the thing I could call a hobby.

"I love watching women since I was young. Maybe that's why."

"I see… You know how to put these details so well. I'm not into details, but it made everyone feel it's so expensive and high quality." I snickered lightly.

"You know how to judge, huh? Maybe I can hire you as my judge for my next pieces." She chuckled. My heart skipped a beat. I quickly lowered my eyes after locking them with hers. Why did my heart pound uncontrollably? I did not drink coffee, did I?

She walked away and checked the other gowns, far a bit away from me. I never understood her. Without words to depict the meaning of her actions, it was tiredly mystifying, yet moments indicated the strange connections I could link to hers.

"So that would be a huge presentation, then. I'll be happy to serve those people in need," announced Dad cheerily, raising his arms in the air like a kid while our dinner happened to be in a five-star western restaurant because of him.

"Yeah, we're feeling the same way too, Sir Tim. Especially if they're going to do the business and work for it till they reach their dreams," acknowledged Rose.

My eyes turned to the girl who ate silently beside her. Rose was a businesswoman through and through, but her? I should say, I could relate.

"Sis, taste this. It's good."

"Later," Rose whispered. Celine pouted. I looked down and smiled. I chuckled, as she couldn't fake herself with food.

I casually took out my phone beneath my suit and sent a message to her.

"Your sister's good at business matters. Dad enjoys her teachings."

"Yeah, I kinda feel bad about it if I were him since my sister wouldn't stop talking unless you tell her." I laughed a little. She's busy with her phone.

"Talking to your boyfriend?" She glanced at me for a second.

"Ah, yeah, we're talking about the food we ate lately. It's so good." I looked upfront.

"The aftertaste is delicious."

"Yes! That's what I wanted to explain to him!" Her calm demeanour got excited in a flash.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked.

"Ha, yeah, sure." She's occupied.

"Had you s*x with him?" She gazed at me, and I solely stared at her wide eyes. She faced down; I altered mine in the hallway of the Mall. "You don't need to answer if you don't want-"

"I did."

"I see." I let her exit the Amphitheatre by standing still while handing on the door.

"He's my first of everything."

What a fortunate man. Having been the first man to see her in the act of intimacy, the innocence of the memories would not fade in time. I took out the used case of a cigarette beneath my suit, with a lighter attached to it.

"Do you always have your cigarette with you? You're like my father. After you eat, you smoke."

"I didn't smoke all the time after eating. I told you, it depends on the mood." I faced her and blew a whole circle of smoke on her face. She coughed and swayed her hands as she covered her nose.

"Hey, stay away..." I chuckled. "Go away!!" She tried to push me away. "It's terrible for a second-hand smoker! Seriously stop it!" I stopped. I threw the cig and stepped on it. I lit another cigarette.

"Wanna go meet and greet some lesbians again?" I asked, staring at the empty stage. It's chilly. I exhaled the smoke, and my hand lowered to flick down the stick a couple of times to get rid of the ash.

"I think I'm okay. It's not that I wished to have close relationships with lesbians, but those lesbians at the bar are pretty. I imagined I could see Leslie look-alike there." She talked about the ideal lesbian she created from her writing.

I just stared at her and saw how she was busy with her phone.

"I'm jealous." She looked at me.

"What?"

"You seem so happy chatting with him. You're smiling..."

"Ah? Eh, no. My office mates are so funny. They have drinking sessions now with our boss, and our boss is being dramatic again." She chuckled again on the phone.

"Ahh..." I inhaled my cig and threw it out in the air. I felt kind of annoyed.

"Seth," she called out. I looked down at the bunch of lovers sitting comfortably on the field, and here I stood still from behind them, passing through time with dullness. I put the cigarette in my mouth again for an alternative and inhaled to let in the warmth.

"Hm?"

"You looked so handsome today…." Surprisingly, I looked at her, barely releasing the smoke I inhaled. She faced her phone after staring at me.

"It's my first time seeing you pony your hair like that. It suits you."

"You remember those two lesbians who approached you first at the bar?"

"Hmm, why?"

"One of them told you you're a natural killer."

"Oh yeah, why is that? Haha, as if I'm killing people." I took the cig away from my mouth and pulled her from me, grabbing her waist tightly.

She got restless and confused about where to put her arms. Perhaps she's conscious of the cigarette still on my hand holding her back. I grabbed her face below her ear and locked her eyes on mine. I kissed her. With eyes closed, feeling the softness of the small lips, I felt a lot from it. Almost melted down the moment I pressed it with mine.

I slowly moved my face away from her. Her eyes blinked. She was stunned as she stared at me blankly.

She looked down and covered her mouth and nose.

"Smells smoke, gah…."