Love, Heila (Tagalog)

Chapter 10

The weekend passed in a blur of small, walk-in orders, and by Sunday afternoon, the shop had finally slowed down to a peaceful quiet. The weather had completely cleared up, leaving behind a bright, sunny sky and a gentle breeze that made the dried lavender hanging from our ceiling sway softly.

Hijomi had the day off to take his aunt to the grocery market, so it was just Rehan and me handling the weekend inventory.

"Rehan, paki-baba naman 'yung logbook ng delivery sheets doon sa pinakataas na istante," utos ko habang nakaluhod sa sahig, binibilang ang mga natitirang ceramic pots sa ilalim ng counter. "Masyadong mataas, hindi ko abot."

Without a word, Rehan stepped up behind me. Because of his height, he didn't even need to stretch his arms much to reach the heavy leather-bound logbook. As he leaned forward slightly to grab it, his chest brushed lightly against my shoulder. The faint, clean scent of cedarwood soap immediately drifted into my face.

"Here," his low, baritone voice rumbled directly above my head, handing me the book.

"Salamat," sabi ko, turning around quickly. But because I was still kneeling and he was standing right over me, my face ended up just inches away from his waist. I looked up and bumped my forehead straight into his solid abdominal muscles. "Aray!"

Rehan instinctively reached down, his large, warm hands gripping my upper arms to steady me. "Are you okay? You should look before you stand up."

"Kasalanan mo, ang tangkad mo kasi, para kang pader!" pinalo ko nang madrama ang braso niya bago ako tumayo, completely ignoring the way his grip tightened for a split second before he carefully let me go. I brushed off the dust from my denim shorts. "Pero seryoso, salamat. Muntik na akong ma-out of balance doon."

Rehan turned his face away quickly, clearing his throat as a faint pink tint crept up his neck. He walked over to the other side of the long wooden worktable, picking up a water spray bottle to hide his sudden nervousness. "For a boss, you are just clumsy, Heila."

"Aba, sumasagot ka na talaga ngayon, ha? Nahahawa ka na kay Hijomi," asar ko sa kaniya, flipping open the logbook.

"I just need to answer."

"Tss. Nasaan na nga pala 'yung mga binalik na glass vases ni Marion mula sa executive dinner?"

"They are in the washing basin. I already cleaned them," Rehan replied flatly, his posture straightening at the mention of Marion’s name.

"Wow, talaga? Ang sipag naman ng assistant ko ngayon," nakangiti kong sabi, genuinely impressed. "Si Marion nga pala ay nag-text sa akin kanina. Sobrang nagustuhan daw ng mga board members 'yung centerpieces natin. Sabi niya, kung hindi raw dahil sa magandang setup natin, baka boring tingnan 'yung pavilion."

Kahit itago niya, nakita kong kumunot ang noo niya.

"He flatters you too much," Rehan muttered under his breath, carefully wiping down a broad monstera leaf with a damp cloth. "It was a standard floral arrangement."

"Ang bitter mo talaga kay Marion," natawa ako nang malakas, leaning my elbows on the table to look at him. "Mabait naman siya, ah? Customer na siya ni Mama simula noong maliit pa 'tong shop. Kung alam mo lang, noong nagka-cancer si Mama, siya pa 'yung nag-asikaso ng ilang legal documents para sa akin kasi wala akong alam sa mga ganoong bagay. He's a really good friend if you ask me."

"I'm not asking, boss," he said flatly.

"Ang sungit mo."

Rehan paused his hand, his dark, sharp eyes lifting to look at me. He absorbed my words silently, his expression unreadable, but the subtle tension in his jaw softened just a fraction. He looked down at the flower in front of him. "He really did that for you?"

"Oo. Kaya malaki talaga ang utang na loob ko sa kaniya," tumango ako, seryoso ang boses. "Kaya sana huwag mo na siyang titingnan nang masama kapag pumupunta siya rito, okay? Hindi naman siya kaaway."

Rehan didn't answer immediately. He set the spray bottle down and walked toward the front display window, checking the locks. "I do not look at him badly. I just think he is too soft."

"Ganiyan talaga kapag maalaga at mabait na tao," sabi ko habang nagsusulat sa logbook. "Kesa naman sa'yo, napakasungit mo sa ibang tao pero kapag dito naman sa shop, napakasipag mo. Ang gulo mo rin kausap minsan, Rehan."

Rehan stood by the glass window, the afternoon sunlight framing his sharp silhouette perfectly. He looked back at me over his shoulder, a soft, incredibly quiet gaze hiding beneath his dark eyelashes. To me, he was just being his usual quiet, enigmatic self. I had absolutely no idea that his heart was hammering inside his chest, or that he was silently keeping count of every single time I smiled at him during our afternoon shift.

"I am only consistent with the things that matter to me," Rehan said softly, his words were rich and deliberate.

"O, sige, sabihin nating consistent ka na kung consistent," banat ko naman, totally missing the deeper meaning behind his words as I shut the logbook with a loud thud. "Dahil natapos mo na ang mga vases, sagot ko na ang meryenda natin ngayon. Gusto mo ba ng siopao doon sa tapat?"

Rehan blinked, his serious mask sliding back into place, though the corners of his lips gave a tiny, almost invisible twitch. "The pork one. Not the chicken."

Napasinghap ako sa bilis ng sagor niya. Parang babae lang, kahinaan ang pagkain.

"Sabi ko na nga ba, mahilig ka rin sa pagkain," natatawa kong kinuha ang wallet ko sa ilalim ng counter. "Diyan ka muna, bantayan mo ang shop. Huwag kang aalis!"

"I am not going anywhere, Heila," Rehan whispered firmly as I pushed the glass door open, the brass bell ringing cheerfully above me.

He watched my figure cross the sunny street through the glass window, his long fingers resting gently against the wooden counter. The shop was filled with the warm, comforting scent of fresh blooms and damp soil, and for the first time in a very long time, the runaway heir from Seoul felt completely at home.