Reckless Nights with the Hot Governor (SPG)

Chapter 19

TRIXIE'S POV:

NANGINGITI akong nakakapit sa braso ni Anton. It was already 9 o'clock PM when we finally walked out of the last studio for the day. My feet were killing me from all the runway walks and pose holds, I’d been in heels since 7 o'clock in the morning, and my back was screaming for a break.

Sanay naman na ako sa gan'to pero iba pa ngayon dahil may taong naghihintay sa akin na matapos sa trabaho. I was worried that Anton was tired and bored the whole time while waiting for me. Kung pwede ko nga lang madaliin ang lahat e, gagawin ko.

Nakakapagod ang trabaho ko. But when I turned to see Anton standing by the door, wrapped in a thick black puffer jacket with only his eyes visible above his face mask, all the tiredness just melted away. Mabuti na lang, hindi siya nagreklamo na magpanggap na bodyguard ko.

“Natapos din, finally.” I murmured as we walk to our own car.

Napangiti naman ito. Maraming tao sa paligid kaya hindi ko siya mayakap. Nakahawak lang ako sa braso niya habang nakaalalay siya sa akin na parang bodyguard ko.

“You did amazing today, by the way. That last runway look? Ang ganda mo talaga– you're like a snow princess.”

I felt my cheeks heat up despite the freezing air. “Talaga?”

“Yeah. That was the best shots for me,” aniya pa na ikinangiti ko. “Pero lahat naman e maganda ka. Ang ibig kong sabihin, iyon ang pinakanag-standout sa akin.” Dagdag niya.

“Thank you, babe.”

Ngumiti naman ito na inalalayan akong sumakay ng kotse at saka mabilis na umikot sa harapan at sumakay ng driver side. Nagsuot kami ng seatbelt na nagkangitian.

“Anyway, are we going home now, babe?” he asked me.

I shook my head, gesturing toward the street. “I was thinking– why don’t we take a walk? There’s a plaza a few blocks from here and it looks beautiful at night. Snow’s still falling, and there are a lot of people out. We can blend in easily with all these masks and jackets.” I suggested.

Kuminang ang mga mata nito. “Magdi-date ba tayo, babe?”

Natawa ako. “Yeah, kung iyon ang tawag do’n,” pagsang-ayon ko ditong napalapat ng labi na halatang kinikilig!

“A’right, idate ko na muna ang superstar girlfriend ko,” aniya na nagtaas baba pa ng mga kilay bago pinaandar ang kotse.

My heart leaped with excitement. It had been so long since I’d had a real, secret date. No cameras, no crew, no one asking for photos. Just me and him, like any other couple.

IPINARADA nito sa isang tagong parking ang ginamit naming kotse. We even change our jacket, bonet and wear facemask. Hindi kasi malabong may sumusunod na paparazzi sa akin kaya kailangan naming mag-ingat.

“Damn, napakaganda ng girlfriend ko pero– itinatago ko,” aniya na inabot na muna ang aking mga labi.

Napangiti ako na naipikit ang mga mata. Buong pagmamahal na tinugon ang masuyo at malalim niyang halik bago kami nagyakapan.

“Akala ko, madali lang ang trabaho mo, babe. Hindi pala. Nakaka-pressure at nakakapagod din ang mga ipinapagawa nila sa'yo,” aniya na may bahid ng lambing at lungkot ang boses.

Kumalas ako na ngumiti sa kanya. Hinaplos siya sa pisngi at nagkatitigan kaming dalawa.

“Sanay na ako sa trabaho ko, babe. And I'm happy with it. Pasensiya ka na, hindi manlang kita maipasyal dito. Sobrang busy kasi ng schedule ko sa buwang ito e. Lalo na't nagbakasyon ako last week sa atin,” saad ko dito na tumango-tango.

“I understand, babe. Sasamahan pa rin kita sa trabaho at– sa gabi na lang tayo babawi sa isa't-isa. Mas gusto ko namang sumama sa'yo sa trabaho kahit maghapon akong tatayo. Kaysa maghintay sa condo mo sa buong maghapon,” aniya na bakas ang sensiridad sa mga mata.

Napangiti ako. Muling inabot ang kanyang mga labi. We shared one more sweet, deep and passionate kiss before getting out of the car. We walked hand in hand through the snow-covered streets, our boots crunching against the ice. The city lights reflected off the white ground, making everything glow like magic.

Naigagala naman nito ang paningin, namamangha ang mga mata at kahit may suot siyang facemask, I can see it in his eyes that he is smiling while looking around.

“Wow,” I murmured. “I’ve lived in Toronto for the past fourteen years, and I’ve never been here at night during winter. It’s like a movie scene.”

Totoo namang hindi ako gumagala dito. Mahigit isang dekada na ako dito pero hindi ko pa rin nalilibot ang Toronto. Anton gently squeezed my hand kaya napatingala ako dito.

“That’s because you’re always working, babe,” he said gently. “You need to take breaks too. Enjoy the city you live in. Hwag puro trabaho. Masarap mabuhay na nage-enjoy ka at itini-treat mo ang sarili mo,” dagdag nito.

I leaned my head on his shoulder, still looking around. “I am enjoying it now– because I’m with you,” I said quietly.

A group of kids ran past us, throwing snowballs and laughing. One of them accidentally bumped into me, and I stumbled slightly.

“Hey, careful,” Anton said, pulling me closer to him-- like a protective boyfriend. “Nasaan ba ang mga magulang ng mga ito? Isako ko mga magulang nila e. Tama bang hayaan nila ang mga bata e nasa kalsada tayo?” aniya pa na umiiral ang pagiging strict politician.

Natawa ako na inabot itong pinisil siya sa pisngi. “I'm okay, ano ka ba? Makapal ang suot ko at hindi naman ako nasaktan e. Pagbigyan mo na, nagkakatuwaan sila at mga bata iyan,” aniko dito na napabuntong hiningang niyakap ako at hinagkan pa ako sa noo.

“Let's go?” aniya na ikinatango ko.

Magkayakap kaming naglakad-lakad. Masaya ako na walang nakakakilala sa akin. Pakiramdam ko, malaya ako sa mga sandaling ito. Lalo na't kasama ko si Anton. We walked over to a bench and sat down for a while, watching the people around us. Even in the cold, everyone looked so happy. Their faces lit up with joy, breath forming little clouds in the air. Napakasaya nilang pagmasdan na ini-enjoy ang snow at malamig na klima.

“You know what it makes every night special like this?” Anton asked, turning to look at me.

Napalingon ako dito, naghihintay sa kanyang sasabihin. Ngumiti siya na hinagkan ang palad kong hawak niya, kahit may suot kaming gloves.

“No one knows who you are. You can just be–Trixie. Not the supermodel, not the face on billboards. Just you. The real you. And I like this woman sitting beside me right now,” aniya na ibang-iba ang kinang sa mga mata.

Napatango-tango ako. Sinalubong ang kanyang mga mata. “Sometimes I forget what it’s like to be normal. To go out without worrying about cameras or headlines. Minsanan ko lang maramdaman ang kalayaan ko. Kapag nasa loob ako ng condo, o kaya ay nasa bansa ako. Nasanay na nga ako e, nasanay na nagtatago sa publiko. Kaya minsanan lang magpakita ang totoong Trixie na tinutukoy mo.” Pagkukwento ko na naigala ang paningin sa paligid namin. “Nakakamis maging malaya. Minsan, napapagod na rin akong maging sikat na modelo. I have no privacy. Ni hindi ko hawak ang oras ko. Kontrolado ang bawat galaw ko. Bawal akong magkamali dahil ikakasira iyon ng imahe ko.”

He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. The only part of my face not covered by my mask and hat. “Well, tonight, you’re normal,” he said. “Just a girl on a date with a guy who really likes her.”

My heart fluttered. “Really likes her, huh?” I teased. “Paano mo naman nasabi, Mr Governor, hmm?”

He softly chucked and shook his head. “Siguro kasi– I am that guy,” aniya sabay kindat.

Ako naman ang natawa pero deep inside – kinilig ako at masaya sa kanyang tinuran. Ilang minuto pa kaming nagpalipas ng oras habang nakaupo sa bench. Pinapanood ang mga tao sa harapan naming nagkakasiyahan sa snow.

“Ang lamig na,” I said, rubbing my hands together. “Can we go somewhere warm? Maybe get some coffee?” Aniko na ikinatango nito.

“Good idea,” he replied with a smile, standing up and helping me stand up. “There’s a small coffeeshop just around the corner– I spotted it earlier. It looks cozy, and not too crowded.”

“Sige, doon na lang tayo para hindi na tayo mapalayo.” I agreed.

We walked a few more blocks until we found the coffeeshop. It was a tiny, warm space with wooden walls and soft lighting. There were only a few people inside, a couple in the corner, a student working on a laptop. We took a booth in the back, where we could sit without being seen. Kahit hindi kami basta-basta makikilala, mabuti na ang nag-iingat. Wala akong kasamang bodyguard ngayon at oras na may makilala sa akin? Dadagsain kami ng mga tao na walang kahirap-hirap.

Anton took off his mask and scarf, and I did the same. “Finally,” I sighed, feeling the warm air on my face. “My nose was starting to freeze.”

He chuckled. “What do you want to drink?” he asked. “I’ll get it for you. My treat– you worked hard today.” Aniya pa na napakindat sa aking ikinangiti ko.

“A white chocolate mocha, please,” I replied. “With extra whipped cream. And maybe a slice of chocolate cake if they have it?”

“Extra whipped cream and chocolate cake,” he repeated, smiling. “Got it. I’ll be right back, babe.” Aniya na hinagkan pa ako sa noo.

Muli kong isinuot ang facemask ko. While he was at the counter, I looked around the coffeeshop, feeling so content. It was just a simple place, but being here with Anton made it feel special. When he came back with our drinks and the cake, he set them down on the table and sat across from me.

“Here you go,” he said, pushing the mocha toward me. “I got myself a black coffee. Mas gusto ko kasi ang black coffee lalo na't sobrang lamig dito.”

I took a sip of the mocha, it was sweet and warm, perfect for the cold night. “Thank you,” I said.

We sat in silence for a while, just drinking our coffee and eating the cake. Then I reached across the table and took his hand.

“Thank you, Anton. Thank you for this day. Ewan ko, basta, napakasaya ko kasi ngayong araw. Nawala ang pagod ko na kasama kita nang gan'to.” Aniko ditong napangiting dumaan ang kakaibang kinang sa mga mata.

“I'm happy to hear that, babe. Kung pwede lang araw-araw kang samahan sa mga photoshoot mo e. . . gagawin ko. Siguradong mahirap bumalik ng bansa pagkatapos ng bakasyon ko dito,” aniya na dumaan ang lungkot sa mga mata.

“May mahaba pa naman tayong panahon e. Let's stay like this, babe. Pero– masaya ka naman, ‘di ba?” I asked him.

Tumitig siya sa mga mata ko. Ngumiti ito na marahang tumango. “Yeah, I am, babe. Sobrang saya kong. . . kasama kita.”

We sat there for a long time, wrapped in each other’s arms, drinking our coffee and watching the snow fall outside the window. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t think about work, or cameras, or my career. I just thought about Anton– his hand on my shoulder, his voice in my ear, the feeling of being safe and loved. Ang simple pero– sobrang saya ng puso ko ngayong gabi na kasama niya nang gan'to.

“Ready to go home?” he asked after a while.

I nodded, but didn’t want to move. “Just a little more,” I said. “I want to remember this night forever.”

“A’right, babe. As you wish.” Aniya na hinagkan ako sa ulo at nanatili na muna kami sa aming pwesto.