Tempted [Tagalog]

Chapter 15: The Girl Who Bakes

"NASAAN ka na ba?" Belle asked from the other line. "I thought we made it clear na 7AM pa lang ay narito ka na dapat sa school! Are you really taking this seriously?!"

Kaagad kong nailayo ang cellphone sa aking magandang tainga matapos tumaas ang tono ng pananalita ni Belle. Minsan, hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit masyado silang tense, samantalang ako naman ang gagawa ng task na ito.

Uh, kairita.

"Filipino time, Belle!" iritang sagot ko. "At saka isa pa, can you relax and chill? I will make sure na sa gagawin ko pa lang mamaya, uwian na agad kasi panalo na ako. Okay?"

"Don't be so sure, Allie," she answered confidently. "Baka ma-disappoint ka. Like I told you, commoners are not—"

"Easy or not, he's still a guy," sagot ko. "And guys like him has weaknesses. Kailangan ko lang alamin kung ano ang kahinaan ng lalaking 'yon and the bet is done!"

I heard Belle let out a deep sigh.

"Fine. Pero binalaan kita, Alison," she said. "By the way, Clarkson isn't around yet. Nakakayamot kayong dalawa! Masyado niyong niyayakap ang pagiging Pinoy niyo, kainis!"

Medyo natawa ako sa naging reklamo ni Belle. Not too soon, I ended our call at matiyagang naupo sa waiting lounge ng cake shop kung saan ko naisipan na bumili ng cake.

I was sitting on one of their tables just near the glass window, busy na pinapanuod ang kalsada. It's almost nine in the morning kaya wala nang gaanong estudyante sa mga oras na ito. But the busy streets occupied my thoughts for quite a bit.

"Ms. Alison Garcia?" tawag ng isang babae na siyang tumanggap ng order ko kanina. "Your order is ready, Ma'am."

I smiled at her at saka tumayo na. Nauna siyang naglakad palayo sa akin, so I immediately followed her. She stopped in front of a room with double doors made of high-quality wood and escorted me inside.

"Chef Mikael will show you the cake from here," the lady who accompanied me earlier said, as she bowed her head and bid goodbye.

Nagkibit-balikat na lamag ako at muling isinukbit ang aking Gucci bag sa balikat. I made my way towards the center part of this room and the whole room smelled a mix of chocolate along with the different kinds of aroma; making my inner self salivate from this mouthwatering goodness. It was actually Clarkson's suggestion na kung gusto ko raw makuha agad ang puso ng commoner na 'yon, daanin ko raw sa sweet things.

Yuck.

Palibhasa, babaerong fuckboy kaya ang daming alam na pakulo. Galawang hoka—what's that term again? Ah, basta! Galawang Clarkson!

"Good morning, Ms. Garcia," bati ng isang babaeng nakasuot ng chef's uniform sa akin.

I shifted my gaze at her as she's now giving me a wide smile. Naglakad siya palapit sa akin habang abala siya sa pagpupunas ng kanyang mga kamay. Sandali akong napatingin sa mukha niya at hindi ko maiwasang mapataas ng kilay. She's clearly not wearing any makeup right now.

But damn! That didn't erase the fact that she's indeed, a beauty—well, next to me syempre! Her natural brown hair tied in a messy bun. And her pinkish lips matches her rather fair complexion.

"You must be Chef Mikael?" I asked. "The girl earlier said that my order is ready and since I'm in a hurry, can I get it now?"

She was taken aback for a bit but I didn't bother. Gaya ng paulit-ulit kong sinasabi, ang isang diyosang gaya ko ay hindi dapat pinaghihintay ng ganito katagal. But to cut the crap, I gave her my sweetest smile instead.

Her surprised reaction then went back to normal and again, her plump lips curved into a smile as well. Hm, professionalism at its finest. I like that!

"S-sure," she said. "Please, follow me."

Tumangu-tango ako at muli kaming nagtuloy sa paglalakad hanggang makarating kami sa parang isang maliit na diner kung saan kasalukuyang makapatong ang maliit na blueberry cheesecake na in-order ko. I smiled the moment I set my eyes on it.

"Blueberry cheesecake with a touch of homemade vibes," anunsyo ni Chef Mikael habang maingat na inilalagay ang cake sa loob ng kahon.

"W-wait!" I held her arm which immediately stopped her from what she's doing. "I want my order to look homemade as much as possible and that elegant box won't do."

"I beg your pardon?"

Napabuga ako ng malalim then rolled my eyes. Maganda na sana ang isang 'to, medyo bingi lang. What a shame, though. Lamang na sana siya sa akin in terms of baking skills but looks like ako pa rin talaga ang almost perfect na sa mundong ito.

"Ang sabi ko, I want that cheesecake to look like I'm the one who baked it," I said, trying to sound calm. "So, that elegant box won't give the homemade vibes kasi they don't match."

I crossed my arms while one eyebrow arched heavenwards. As much as I want to keep my angelic side in front of this girl, sadyang hindi ko magawa. Ang dami niyang tanong.

Nakakaloka!

Another thing na nakakainis is the fact that I'm running late at alam kong anytime lang, tatawag na naman si Belle dahil late na ako sa usapan namin.

Gosh! Hindi pa man nagsisimula pero stressed na ang beauty ko. Kapag talaga nakuha ko agad ang loob ng Justice na 'yon, kukunan ko ng video ang pagwawala ni Aome para naman sa effort na ginagawa ko ngayon.

"You must be Clarkson's friend?" tanong ni Chef. Muli akong napatingin sa kanya while she's busy fixing the cheesecake in a simpler box.

"And what is it with you?"

She looked at me then shrugged.

"Nothing," she said nonchantly. "It's just amusing na for the first time, after our summer fling last year, this is the first time na he actually recommended my cake shop to someone else—"

"Wait, last year?" naguguluhang tanong ko. "You two had something last year?"

She once again smiled at me, showing a small dimple on the lower part of her lips. Hindi na niya sinagot ang katanungan ko and instead, she hand me the box of cake wholeheartedly. Napangiwi ako sa ginawa niya but I didn't let her see my reaction. Maingat kong tinanggap ang kahon ng cake as we make our way out of this room.

Dumiretso ako sa counter then paid for the cake. I turned my back at them and when I was about to take another step, Mikael called my name which made me stop halfway.

"Ms. Alison," she called. "Please tell Clarkson that I am always waiting for him whenever he's bored. Thank you!"

Halos mapanganga ako sa naging pahayag niya pero bago pa man ako makapag-react ay tinalikuran na niya ako matapos niyang kausapin ang cashier niya.

What the hell just happened?

My other hand immediately balled into fist. Another two-faced b***h added on my list. Nakakairita ang kalandian ni Clarkson!