I WISH I HAD A HAPPY ENDING TOO

Chapter 12

"Let's order first. I'm sure you're hungry, and we can discuss all of this once we're done eating," Sutehan said.

He was truly unbelievable. I saw him wink at me, prompting me to roll my eyes behind my dark sunglasses, even though I knew he couldn't see it.

When the waitress approached our table, Sutehan gestured toward me, signaling for her to take my order first. The waitress turned to me with a polite smile.

I scanned the menu, but nothing caught my eye. This kind of fancy, over-the-top food was the last thing I wanted when my chest felt this heavy. On rough nights, a cup of instant noodles from 7-Eleven was more than enough to get me through.

"What do you want?" I asked Sutehan without looking up at him.

When he didn't answer, I finally raised my head. His eyes were sparkling, and a quiet, amused grin played on his lips as he watched me.

Doesn't his face get tired of smiling so much?

"You," he answered softly, holding my gaze.

I raised an eyebrow at him. Turning back to the waitress, I spoke with cold sarcasm, placing a deliberate emphasis on his words. "Miss, please give the menu back to my companion. Whatever he means by 'you' for his order, I'll have the exact same thing."

Sutehan let out a low laugh, clearly amused by my retort, before turning to the waitress to place our orders.

"You're going to love it," he said, turning back to me with another wink.

"It's the absolute favorite of my future wife and the mother of my children."

I ignored him, looking away. Why would I care about what his wife and children like? But my mind snagged on his choice of words. Future? Why did he say 'future' when he's already married to Ashika and they have a child together?

Did they actually end up together? Even the man sitting across from me now hasn't said a word or told me anything about his past after we lost contact because I ghosted him right then and there the moment I heard gossip from my old friend that Ashika was pregnant and Sutehan was the father. It was really my only advantage that I was far away from him, which made it so easy to cut him off.

"Why are you wearing sunglasses inside? It's already dark out..." he noted suddenly, leaning forward slightly.

Thank goodness there was a wide table keeping a safe distance between us. My heart needs the barrier.

"Because I want to. Is there a problem?" I shot back.

He leaned back into his chair, wearing a smug, satisfied grin.

"Ah. So you want me?"

I immediately gripped the edge of the table, preparing to stand up and walk out on him. Seeing my reaction, Sutehan instantly panicked, raising his hands in surrender.

"Hey, hey, I'm just kidding!" he pleaded, his voice laced with genuine worry.

I slowly settled back into my seat. If I actually walked out and left him looking that pathetic, the staff might accuse me of child abuse. He looked like he was on the verge of tears.

‘I'm not in the mood to banter back.’

Soon, the food he ordered arrived. I was surprised to see a spread of high-end seafood, particularly fresh prawns, alongside an incredibly sophisticated presentation of sinigang na baboy (pork sour soup) and a plate of crispy lechon kawali. A rich chocolate cake was placed right in the center of the table, accompanied by a bottle of red wine. I stared at the feast, then looked at Sutehan in utter confusion.

"So... is this Ashika's favorite?" I asked, testing the waters.

His forehead creased slightly at the mention of her name. Ignoring my question entirely, he picked up a prawn and began to meticulously peel it. He added some of the sinigang to a small bowl and set it aside. Once he finished preparing the plate, he stood up, took my empty plate, and replaced it with the one he had just arranged.

"This is for you. You look entirely too frail lately."

"I can peel my own food," I protested, reaching for the serving spoon.

He gently but firmly stopped my hand.

"As long as you're on a date with me, let me serve you. Let me do my job."

My lips parted in shock. A date? The absolute audacity of this man.

I reluctantly began to eat, but Sutehan didn't touch his food. Instead, he propped his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his hands as he watched my every move. You could clearly see the sheer amazement and pure happiness in his eyes…

What is his problem? Does he think I'm filming a television commercial?

"If I melt from your staring, you're going to pay for it," I threatened.

He laughed, finally picking up his utensils to join me. This wasn't the first time we had shared a meal, but he always acted as if every moment with me was a brand-new experience.

Despite my heavy heart, I ended up eating a lot. Seafood and sinigang were my absolute weaknesses. It's my favorite—one that neither Daddy nor even Vin knew about. I didn't protest as Sutehan continued to peel the prawns for me, quietly accepting his gestures as simple thoughtfulness.

"I'm so full," I murmured, gently patting my stomach with a small pout. Sutehan was still smiling warmly at me. Seriously, does his jaw not ache from all that smiling?

I gave him a sharp glare, making him quickly look away.

"Do you think I didn't notice?" I pointed a finger at him. "You practically made me eat the entire spread while you barely touched your own plate! Are you trying to fatten me up?"

"So you were paying attention to me earlier," he teased, his voice dropping to a softer, more intimate register.

"And yes, I'd actually prefer it if you gained a little weight. Maybe then other men will finally stop trying to flirt with you."

My breath caught in my throat. Gulping, I hastily stood up from my chair.

"In your dreams. I'm going to the restroom. Excuse me," I stammered, quickly making my escape.

In the restroom, I thoroughly washed my hands and set to work fixing my makeup. I finally took off my sunglasses, relieved to see that the swelling around my eyes had subsided enough to look normal. I applied a fresh coat of red lipstick and sprayed a light mist of perfume before heading toward the exit.

"Isn't that Mr. Sute at the table near the window?"

I froze just before reaching the door, overhearing the hushed, excited conversation of two women who had just walked in.

"Yes, it's definitely him! He is so much more handsome in person, right? He mentioned in an interview recently that he already has a girlfriend. I've been dying to know who she is."

I quietly turned back toward the sinks, pretending to wash my hands again just to listen in. Sutehan's family was highly prominent in the business sector, and I recalled seeing a televised interview of him alongside his father a few weeks ago. I had watched it right after he became my boss, just to confirm his identity and ensure the whole job offer wasn't some elaborate prank.

"He looked incredibly charming in that interview. He's been my ultimate crush ever since," the other girl sighed.

"But who do you think the girlfriend is? He kept it so mysterious. He only mentioned that she was his college best friend..."

I suddenly choked on my own saliva, letting out a sharp cough. I quickly fumbled with my black mini bag, pretending to search for my phone. The two women glanced in my direction, prompting me to hastily walk out of the restroom, staring intently at my blank screen.

Damn it. My heart was hammering wildly against my ribs.

A girlfriend? Sutehan has a girlfriend? But isn't he married? And what did he mean by his college best friend?

I knew Ashika had been his friend before I came into the picture, but why did their close friendship seemingly drift apart the moment Sutehan and I started talking constantly online back in college?

"Sorry I took so long," I said with a tight, polite smile as I returned to the table.

Sutehan's eyes locked onto mine the moment I sat down. Now that my sunglasses were off, his gaze was incredibly intense, searching my face.

"Did you cry?"

"Huh? No! I just went to retouch my makeup," I lied quickly, feeling intimidated by his sudden seriousness.

He didn't break eye contact, letting out a heavy, defeated sigh.

"Let's go."

He stood up and gently but firmly wrapped his fingers around my wrist. Though startled by his abruptness, I let him pull me along, desperate to avoid running into the two gossiping women from the restroom.

"Where are we even going? It's already late at night," I protested as he led me out of the restaurant.

I stared at his broad, structured back as he walked ahead of us. He opened the passenger door of his car.

"Get in," he commanded, his tone completely devoid of his usual playfulness.

I didn't move. I remained rooted to the pavement, challenging him with a stubborn stare. Sutehan exhaled slowly, looking up at the night sky before turning his soft, vulnerable gaze back to me.

"I just wanted to take you somewhere where you can temporarily forget the heavy burden you're carrying," he said softly, his eyes searching mine.

"When you are hurting... I hurt even more."

And in that quiet moment, looking into his eyes, I felt myself completely drowning in his words.

He can read me just by looking into my eyes, and he can also awaken the demon inside my head whenever I'm hurting.