🐰23rd Charm🐰

My steps were quick as I move towards Vitto's parked bike.

"Walk faster na, carrots! I want to ride your bike na!" I excitedly beamed at him.

"Let's just hail a cab. Ang kulit." He replied in his nonchalant tone.

I pouted in disapproval, "But you promised me that you'd let me ride on your bike if I eat gulay!"

"Some other time. C'mon, mag- taxi na lang tayo." He turned his back on me and I sniffled broodingly as I watched him walked away.

"Gusto ko sa bike! Hindi ako kakain kung hindi mo ako iaangkas sa bike mo!" My feet seemed to have their own minds stomping sulkily like a child. He stopped to throw me a bored look.

"Suit yourself. Bye." He said flatly as he walked away. Ugh!

"Carrots!" I frustratingly shrieked that even bystanders halted to throw me odd glances but I chose to ignore them. I'm good at dismissing people anyway.

Nang lingunin niya ako'y magkasalubong na ang mga kilay niya at bakas ang pagkayamot sa gwapong mukha. You got it right, people! My carrots is getting more handsome each passing day and it was starting to irk me for he keeps on getting unwanted attention from harem of girls!

Sinubukan kong makipagsukatan sa nagbabanga niyang tingin pero sa huli'y natalo din ako. I was about to open my mouth to say something when his brow twitched as if challenging me to go on and I lost my remaining resolve as I immediately pursed my lips and soften my gaze like a puppy. His shoulders then slumped and he walked in my direction to unlock his bike from the bike rack. After a while, he started to step closer and I grabbed the handlebars of the bike and kicked the stand up. I couldn't help but smile from excitement but it died soon when he tossed me a somber look when he noticed I wasn't moving from my position.

"How can I get this out when you're blocking the way? Move." He hurled and I pouted as I stepped aside so that he could take the bike out of the rack. He lowered the stand again and unhooked the backpack strap from his shoulders to hand it to me. I looked at him in wonder.

"Kandungin mo." Supladong utos niya. Inabot ko iyon ngunit nang tumalikod siya'y lihim akong umismid. Wala talagang pinipiling araw ang pagsusungit niya. Sinipa niyang muli paangat ang stand ng bike saka siya sumakay. Napatunganga ako sa upuang nasa likuran ng bisikleta habang yakap ang may kabigatang bag niya. Bakit ngayon ko lang na- realized na nakapalda ako kaya paano ako uupo doon?

He impatiently turned his head and grumbled, "Are you getting in or not?"

"Sungit!" Naiinis na ismid ko. He clicked his tongue as he snatched his bag from me. I neatly tucked the back of my skirt before climbing onto the back seat and I was surprised when he deposited his bag on my lap without warning.

"Kumapit ka." Aniya saka pumedal at sa gulat ay naiyakap ko ang isang kamay sa baywang niya kasabay ng pagsubsob ng mukha ko sa mabango niyang likuran. It's a good thing that I only applied light make- up today otherwise it would have been wiped off his white button down shirt.

"My face!" I shrieked.

"It's still the same face. Stop breaking my ear drums." He muttered impatiently.

I glared at his back before turning my gaze at the blurring view in front me. Although Vitto was currently irritating me with his unromantic behavior, I noticed a change in my mood as we drove past the numerous acacia trees that lined the roadside of the campus as the wind was playing with my hair.

I ignored the shocked looks I was getting from people as we passed. I was enjoying the ride on his bike more than I enjoy riding Heaven's prized Lamborghini. Maybe, this is why he preferred riding a bike than racing a car. With this kind of ride, one can have all the time to appreciate the beauty that only nature can offer.

I sighed as I leaned my head at Vitto's back. God, this ride's so calming it makes me want to sing. And I was just about to sing when dark clouds hovered and drops of water started trickling down.

"Hold on tighter." Bilin ni Vitto at binilisan ang pagpedal sa bike. Humigpit ang pagkakayakap ko sa baywang niya. Malapit na kami sa exit ng university nang biglang lumakas ang buhos ng ulan na ikinatili ko. Higit pang binilisan ni Vitto ang pagpapatakbo hanggang sa makalabas kami ng tuluyan sa campus at mabilis niyang itinabi ang bike sa harapan ng unang café na nadaanan namin.

"Basa na 'yong bag. Go inside." He ordered swiftly, and I promptly followed it, frowning as he pointed out his wet bag that was in my arms. How can he worry about this damn heavy bag over his own girlfriend?!

Hindi maipinta ang mukhang pumasok ako sa loob ng café. I felt so unfabulous as the customers eyed me. I am dripping wet and my bun was all a mess. Sigurado akong humulas na din ang make- up ko at mukha na talaga akong basang sisiw idagdag pang mas concerned ang boyfriend ko sa mabigat na bag niya kaysa sa akin. I'm so damn pathetic, dang it!

Umingit ang glass door ng café tanda na may pumasok at sa amoy pa lang ng tumabi sa akin, 'di ko man ito lingunin, ay alam kong si Vitto iyon. I gave him a disapproving glare before shoving his heavy bag into his chest. Salubong ang dalawang kilay na tinungo ko ang isang bakanteng pang- apatang mesa sa sulok na katabi lamang din ng salaming dingding kung saan tanaw ang labas.

How can the best day ever turn into the worst day ever? I made a lot of effort to put on natural-looking makeup and style my hair, but the rain just wiped it all away! Even though I had planned to take Vitto on our first bike ride together, the weather wasn't on our side. Ni hindi man lang narinig ng carrots ko ang ginintuan kong boses sa pagkanta!

Vitto sat down on the seat next to me, and I folded my arms and turned my head away. Despite the fact that I was beginning to chill due to my damp clothing and the intense air conditioning in the café, I refrained from talking to him about it. I find him to be quite irritating today!

Unable to bear the silence no longer, I faced him again and saw him placing his beloved bag on the side to open it. I would have lit that sack on fire sooner if I could have. He would undoubtedly take out his large Biochemistry book to make sure it is protected from the weather. But my lips pursed when instead of a book, he brought out a t-shirt and handed it to me.

"Go change your clothes. I'll order something that would warm us up."

I swallowed as I stare at the shirt. "T- That's for me?"

"That will do for now. Don't worry, nilabhan ko 'yan." He said gruffly then placed the t-shirt on the table. He left me to place an order on the counter. He misunderstood me again. I don't mean anything harmful when I asked him. He's really annoying!

Nang tingnan ko siya mula sa pagpila sa counter ay lalo akong napasimangot nang mapansing pinagtitinginan siya ng mga babaeng nakapila. He doesn't care if he was soaking wet as he stared at the menu in front him. He wasn't even aware how beautiful he was even with his dripping hair.

I scowled even more when I noticed the women from the queue on the counter were openly gawking at him. And the smart man didn't care whether he was drenched in water while his gaze was fixed on the men. He was unaware of how stunning he was even with his dripping hair.

I quickly got to my feet and headed straight for the ladies room to change. I must quickly returb Before someone decides to converse with my carrots. I scowled at my drenched attire. In fact, I got it specially for today. I haven't yet taken a picture or uploaded my OOTD to my IG.

The smooth, warm fabric of Vitto's shirt enveloped my body as I slipped it on. The more I breathed in his aroma, the less irritated I became. The shirt was quite large for me so I tucked it in my skirt. Napangiti ako nang makita ang repleksyon sa salamin. I look fabulous with my carrots' shirt on. This is perfect.

I hurried back to our table and stopped in my tracks when I saw Vitto sitting there and waiting. He was looking far outside the mirror-paneled walls as if the rain had stolen his soul. He wasn't wearing his glasses anymore and the wet polo was neatly placed on the back of the seat he was sitting on, leaving him with his ash gray t-shirt.

I suddenly heard warning bells in my head when I saw a girl wearing a flirtatious smile walking towards our table. Nagmamadaling nilapitan ko ang mesa namin upang maunahan ang pangahas na babae. Bago pa man ito makapalit ay nakaupo na ako sa upuang kaharap ni Vitto. Kung hindi pa ako exaggerated na tumikhim ay hindi pa siya tumingin sa akin. Kumunot ang noo niya nang mapansing habol ko ang paghinga. Naiinis pa rin ako sa kanya kaya inismiran ko siya.

I hugged myself unconsciously as my body began to shiver. My skin stings from the cold, and the air conditioner does nothing to alleviate it. For a few moments, Vitto stood up without a word from where he was sitting with a handkerchief. My gaze followed him and my lips parted when he stood next to me.

"Let down of your hair." He said commandingly which made me frown again. So bossy.

"Why would I? I'm not Rapunzel." I huffed which only earned a death stare from him. "Fine!" I struggled in defeat before untying my hair, which I had spent more than an hour doing. I scowled as I took a sip of the hot chocolate he gave me to try to at least warm up. And I quickly tensed up as Vitto wiped my damp hair with the handkerchief. Dahan- dahan akong napatingin sa kanya at sinisigurong hindi iyon produkto ng imahinasyon ko nang bigla na lang akong mabahing. Pulang-pula ang buong mukhang napatakip ako sa bibig. Gosh! Nakakawala ng poise!

"Sabi ko kasi sa'yong mag- taxi na lang tayo." Panenermon niya bagaman ipinagpapatuloy pa rin ang banayad na pagpapatuyo sa buhok ko gamit ang panyo.

"You're aware that it will rain?" I asked in awe.

"Wasn't it obvious from the dark clouds earlier? Where'd your common sense go?" Masungit na sagot niya at sa halip na mainis ako sa kasupladuhan niya'y kinilig pa ako. So, he was insisting that we should ride a taxi 'cause he knew that it would rain. Ayaw niya lang akong magkasakit. He's so sweet 'di ba?

I put my mug of hot choco onto the table and smiled giddily. I scooted closer to him, wrapping his arm around my shoulder to enclose myself in his warmth and I rested my head on his chest. It was more effective than the warm chocolate I'm drinking. I heard him clicked his tongue but he never pushed me away. Part of his shirt was wet but he still felt so warm and comfortable to snuggle with. His fragrance became more distinct and I'm getting addicted to it.

"I'm already feeling sick. You should take good care of me if I catch a cold." I faked a cough.

"That's why you have to go home after drinking your chocolate so you could take a bath." Aniya.

Napasimangot ako. "I don't want to go home." Naiisip ko pa lang na mga maids lang naman ang madadatnan ko sa bahay ay tinatamad na akong umuwi. Isa pa ay may training camp ngayon si Heaven kaya tinatamad din akong pumunta sa bahay nila dahil wala siya. Si Healia naman ay laging busy sa pagaaral kaya wala din akong makakausap.

"Mas lalo kang nakakainis kapag matigas 'yang ulo mo." He muttered. Nakasimangot na umayos ako ng upo saka siya tinapunan ng naiinis na tingin.

"Nakakainis ka din naman e. You're more concerned pa nga sa bag mo kaysa sa akin." Nagtatampong sabi ko. He looked at me lazily as if getting used with my tantrums.

"Do you think you'd be able to change into that shirt if my bag got soaked?" He asked and I paused. So all this time that I'm pissed off with him, he was just considering my well- being. Why was he making those sweet things show up in an unromantic way? But now that I knew it, it tastes sweeter than any other sugar.

The facial muscles soften as I bit my lower lip. Kinuha ko sa kanya ang hawak na panyo saka ipinunas iyon sa basang- basang buhok niya. He was silently looking at me and now that no glasses were covering his eyes, I was drowning with those melting orbs of dark chocolate I felt my throat dried.

I was almost shocked by what seemed to be electricity running through my skin when he caught my hand holding the handkerchief. He took it from me and put it on the table. He handed me the mug of hot chocolate and I seemed to take a sip from it and woke up all the nerves in my body when I felt the burning of my tongue.

He seized the cup from me right away and placed it on the table. My face was all flustered as I covered my mouth with my palm. The burnt stings that the corner of my eyes welled up. Without a word, Vitto stood up and seconds later, he came back with a glass of ice- cold water. He gave it to me and I gulped it down quickly to ease the stinging burnt on my tongue.

"What are you thinking choking it down like that as if you're drinking a cold soda?" He chided as he took the glass from me and handed me some paper towels. I was still covering my lips as I stifled my sobs. Gosh! Up to when will I embarrass myself in front him? Not to mention that my tongue really stings!

Tila aburidong hinila niya ako payakap kaya agad kong itinago ang mukha sa dibdib niya. Pero hindi pa man nakababawi sa kahihiyan ay muli na naman akong bumahing ng napakalakas. I was so embarrassed that I wanted to bury myself six feet under.

"How come that you're so loud yet you easily get embarrassed?" He asked, his tone amused.

I peeked at him and glared, "Of course! I should always look beautiful in your eyes."

He smirked, almost like teasing. "I don't always see you as beautiful. You often look like a bunny to me."

"Cause I am your bunny!" Again making a fool of myself, I yelled and sneezed, but when I heard him chuckling quietly, everything seemed to stop. As I gaped up at him, dumbfounded and entranced, my mouth hung open. Why? With that grin on his face, he just got more handsome as triple as ever!

"Carrots." I called softly while still staring at him in daze. He just gazed back at me as he waited for me to supply my statement. He had lost his smile, but his gorgeous face still wore a tender look.

"Don't smile so handsomely like that in this kind of places. You might get another harem of admirers again. I hate that." I hissed quietly making him grimaced.

"You're crazy." He clicked his tongue. I was about to reply when my sneeze overtook my statement.

"Stay here. I'll hail a cab." Aniya at akma ng tatayo ng yumakap ako sa baywang niya upang pigilan siya.

"Don't wanna go home yet." I moped.

He impatiently sucked in a breath, "You look like you're getting sick. Let's go to somewhere warm."

My whole body became tensed as I slowly turned to him. "S- Somewhere warm?" I felt beads of sweat starting to form on the tip of my nose. He nodded and I was sure my face was flustered.

Where is this warm he's talking about? Does he mean, a place where we can cuddle and—

Gosh! I still don't know if I'm already prepared for this!

😳