Make Her Mine in 50 Days

Chapter 5

“Brendt!” gulat na bati sa akin ni Kiel nang makita ako sa loob ng elevator at tinapik pa ang aking balikat nang makapasok siya.

My eyes pierced through the girl he was with. I was on my way to attend a meeting with a client, when the elevator stopped on their floor.

How dare she tell me she likes me when she’s also hitting my friend?

She hesitated going inside the elevator and tried to hide herself in the corner.

“Good afternoon, Sir Stewart.” I almost couldn’t hear her greeting as her voice was so quiet and sof, like she was just forcing herself to greet me.

I saw Kiel move closer to Xylia. My jaw clenched, and I sighed before I composed myself to ask a question.

“Where are you heading?” I asked Kiel.

“Out for lunch,” he answered.

“With her?”

“Uh... Yes. I asked her out for lunch,” he said with a smile on his face.

Nag-iwas naman ako ng tingin at saka tumikhim. “I never thought you’re dating someone.”

I heard him chuckle. “We’re not dating at all, Brendt,” he corrected me.

My brows shot up. So they’re not dating, huh?

“I need to court her first,” he added, and Xylia violently reacted.

Napakunot naman ang aking noo. What’s taking this damn elevator so long?

“What?” natatawang tanong ni Kiel kay Xylia.

“Stop making fun of me,” giit ni Xylia.

“I’m not making fun of you, Xylia.” Kiel sounded so serious. “It’s true. At gusto ko na ring malaman ng best friend ko kung sino ang babaeng kinuwento ko sa kanya simula noong nagtrabaho ka rito.”

My eyes slightly widened. I suddenly remembered the time when Kiel’s being problematic about a certain girl he’s falling for.

The girl he was talking about was... Xylia.

Bahagya naman akong natigilan nang akbayan ako ni Kiel at iniharap kay Xylia. I can see that she wasn’t expecting that Kiel and I are best friends.

You’re caught already, Xylia. Stop playing with me anymore.

“Xylia, Brendt’s my best friend,” pakilala ni Kiel sa’kin bago ako nilingon. “And Brendt, Xylia’s the one I’ve been talking about.”

“Oh...” sabi ko at nagtiim-bagang. “Bagay kayong dalawa,” dagdag ko sa mga salitang kusang lumabas mula sa aking bibig.

I almost thanked all the Gods when the elevator opened, right after that awkward introduction. I just tapped Kiel’s back before I went outside of the elevator, leaving them behind. 

I unbuttoned the first three buttons of my shirt when I got out of the conference room. We were having a conference at a beach resort. It was such a good idea to hold a conference in this kind of serene and relaxing venue. You can relax right after a long discussion of your colleagues from the same field.

Just staring at the endless horizon, it could already make you calm. Samahan pa nang pag-ihip ng sariwang hangin mula sa dagat ay gugustuhin mo na lang talaga ang makapagpahinga.

“Ah!”

I was startled when I heard a shriek from a woman, not that far from me. She was removing her heels from her feet as she fell on the sand.

Why do I find this somehow familiar?

Bumuntong hininga naman ako bago nagdesisyong lapitan siya upang matulungan.

“Are you okay?” I asked her and offered my hand.

Hindi nakaligtas ang pagtagal ng kanyang titig sa aking mukha bago niya inilipat sa aking kamay na nakalahad. She bit her lower lip before giving me her hand. Agad ko naman siyang inalalayan patayo.

“You should not wear heels at the beach. It’s not purely sand. May mga maliliit na bato rin dito,” I told her.

I crouched a little and saw grains of sand that stayed on her skin.

“Excuse me,” magalang kong paalam bago pinagpag ang buhangin sa kanyang binti.

“I’m sorry...” she apologized. “N-Naghahanap kasi ako ng signal, eh…” she reasoned out and her eyes slightly widened as she put her phone over her ear.

Napangisi ako bago umiling. “Mag-ingat ka na lang sa susunod,” sabi ko na lang bago siya tinalikuran.

I saw a hammock tied in between coconut trees. Magpapahinga muna ako rito sa dalampasigan bago bumalik ng hotel.

“Stewart!” Hindi pa ako masyadong nakakalayo ay tinawag niya ako gamit ang aking apelyido.

Hindi ko napigilan ang pagtaas ng aking kilay. She remembers my surname when we introduced ourselves earlier at the meeting...

“Thank you!” she shouted.

Nilingon ko naman siya at ngumiti. “No problem,” sabi ko. “Just call me Brendt,” dagdag ko pa.

“I’m Tiffany, then,” pakilala niya sa kanyang sarili at saka ngumiti.

Habang nagme-meeting kinabukasan ay ramdam na ramdam ko ang paulit-ulit na pagsulyap ni Tiffany sa akin. I often caught her eyes she would just smile before averting her gaze, acting like nothing happened.

I just want to work, but whenever I go, there will be girls trying to win my attention.

“Mr. Stewart,” Mr. Saavedra greeted me and offered his hand.

Mr. Saavedra is the CEO of one of the top five real-estate companies. I heard a lot of interesting things about him. I believe that I can learn more things from him.

“Mr. Saavedra.”

We shook our hands as soon as my palm reached his.

“I would like you to meet my daughter,” he told me.

Doon pa lang ay napataas na ang aking kilay. Nilingon niya naman si Tiffany na nakikipag-usap ngayon sa isa pang CEO.

Sa pagkakaalam ko ay nag-iisang anak lamang siya ni Mr. Saavedra. He only has one daughter and his wife died a few years ago. It was in the news’ headlines before.

“Tiffany,” he called his daughter, and she turned around to us. “Come here.”

Nang lumipat ang kanyang tingin sa’kin ay agad siyang napangiti. She immediately excused herself from the man she was talking to and went to us.

“Tiffany, he is Brendt Stewart, CEO of Stewart Highfields,” pakilala sa akin ni Mr. Saavedra. “Brendt, this is my daughter, Tiffany. She’s currently handling our company as her training while I’m guiding her.”

I smiled at Tiffany. “It was nice meeting you again,” I told her.

“Same here!” natutuwa niyang sabi. “I’m really delighted to meet you.”

“Oh! You two already met each other?” gulat na tanong ni Mr. Saavedra.

“We met at the beach, Dad,” she explained. “He helped me from my clumsiness.”

“Well, maraming salamat sa pagtulong sa anak ko kung ganoon, Brendt. I owe you one,” sabi naman ni Mr. Saavedra sa’kin at mukhang tuwang-tuwa. “Sana ay magkamabutihan pa kayo ng aking anak.”

Mabuti na lang at napigilan ko ang pagtaas ng aking kilay habang si Tiffany naman ay agad na namula ang mga pisngi.

I don’t know why but she always lingers beside me during seminars. She will always accompany me during breaks. I’m not complaining, though. She’s a great company, and she has a lot of knowledge about business. I believe that their company will be in a good state in her hands.

We even exchanged numbers for communication purposes, afterwards. Kahit si Mr. Saavedra ay nakipagbigayan din ng numero. This will be good for our business. We can have a merger with them one time. It’s good to make ties with companies who can stand alone.

“Thank you for the lunch, Mr. Saavedra,” pasasalamat ko naman nang makalabas kami sa isang seafood restaurant na aming kinainan.

He invited me for lunch even before our plane landed here in Manila for our seminar in Cebu.

Nararamdaman ko na ang pangangati ng aking braso dahil sa kinain kong alimango kanina. I’m allergic to crabs, but I can’t help but eat it. It was Tiffany’s favorite and they’re both expecting me to like the dish. After trying a few bite, just to prove to them that I also liked the dish, I stopped eating it.

“Next time, I hope we can grab lunch again,” sabi ni Mr. Saavedra.

“It’ll be my pleasure, Sir,” nakangiting sabi ko naman bago nilingon si Tiffany. “Hope to see you around. Thanks for the warm company these past few days.”

Her cheeks heated up again as it slightly turned pink. “Thank you rin...” nahihiya niyang pasasalamat.

Muli ko siyang ngitian bago nagpaalam sa kanila. I took a cab on my way to the hospital. I need to see a dermatologist to take some action of my allergy.

“Drink this medicine. It will be gone after an hour,” she told me and placed medicine at the top of her table. “And, put this gel over your rashes to prevent it from itching while the medicine doesn’t effect yet.”

I did what I was told. Nakahinga naman ako ng maluwag nang mawala na ang pangangati at ang tanging lamig na may halong init na lang na dulot ng gel ang nararamdaman ko sa aking balat.

Napakunot naman ang aking noo nang marinig ang isang pamilyar na boses habang ako’y patungo sa elevator. My eyes travelled to the sign of the clinic she’s about to enter as soon as she was done with her call.

Hindi ko alam kung bakit biglang gumapang ang galit sa aking sistema nang makita kung ano ang klase ng clinic na kanyang binibisita.

Really, huh? I was gone for only a few days and she’s already pregnant? Or maybe she was visiting the OB-gyne to prevent herself from getting pregnant.

“Xylia?” I called her to confront her.

Gulat niya naman akong hinarap at halatang nagulat sa aking presenysa. She wasn’t expecting to see me here, of course.

“S-Sir...” she stuttered.

Kahit pigilan ko ay hindi ko mapigilan ang sarili kong magpakita ng pandidiri sa kanya. I hate girls like her. She’s disgusting.

“That fast, huh?” Bitterness dripped from the tone of my voice.

Nakita kong kumunot din ang kanyang noo.

“I’m only gone for a few days, and then you’re already pregnant?” I couldn’t help but express my disgust. “And you even have the guts to tell me that you like me?”

“I’m sorry but I think you’ve mistaken me for someone I’m not,” she even defended herself.

“Oh, really?” paghamon ko sa kanya.

Pigil na pigil ang aking nagliliyab na galit. Ang ayoko sa lahat ay pinaglalaruan ako. Nadala na ako noon. I remembered when Sandra used to tell me that I’m special; that she likes me, but then she still left me for someone else. f**k that sweet lies that made me fall over and over again.

And now, it’s happening again.

“I hate liars,” I said, spitting those words out of my mouth “Telling me that they like me when the truth is they like someone else.” He chuckled sarcastically. “If you like my best friend, then stick up for him. Huwag mo na akong isali sa laro mo. I already played that game for years and I’m already done with it. Spare me from being played at.”

I can’t afford to lose anymore.

This is why I hate watching romantic movies or series. Those kinds of films only focus with the girl’s agony. Hindi nila pinapakita masyado ang paghihirap ng mga lalaki pagdating sa pag-ibig. Ang akala nila ay ang mga babae lang ang nasasaktan at natatakot. Guys fear, too. We’re not robots who cannot feel any emotion. Just like women, if we’ve loved someone dearly and it caused us pain, we also can’t get over it easily.

But in those movies and series, men’s agony is just a part of scenes behind the camera. They don’t show it.

Her lips slightly parted. Akmang sasagot siya nang biglang bumukas ang pintuan ng clinic.

“Xy, binigyan ako ni doktora ng mga vitamins para kay baby,” her friend enthusiastically told her. “I’m so excited na makalabas na ang baby ko. I have a feeling na magiging healthy and good baby siya.”

My eyes caught her hand tapping her tummy. So, her friend is the one who’s pregnant, and not her.

Guilt immediately crept into my soul. What an asshole, Brendt!

Unti-unti namang napalingon sa’kin ang kanyang kaibigan nang mapansing hindi siya nabibigyang pansin ni Xylia na pirming nakatingin sa akin.

Her friend’s eyes widened when she saw me.

“Is he... Brendt?” she whispered, asking Xylia but I was still able to hear it loud and clear.

“He doesn’t matter anymore,” naninimdim na sabi ni Xylia bago umiling at saka ngumiti sa kanyang kaibigan. “Tara na! Let’s go and get your things in your apartment., pag-aya niya at agad na hinatak paalis ang kaibigan.

Napapikit naman ako ng mariin at saka bumuntong hininga.

What’s happening to you, Brendt? Don’t let fear and hatred eat your f*****g system. You’re better than this. Not everyone is like Sandra...