Not long after that call, Mona received another call from Felix. He was wondering if he could take her out to dinner. She wanted to. Alam niyang nakapangako na siya rito na paglalaanan niya ito ng panahon, but she still has some things to do.

So, he compromised and brought takeouts instead. Kaya lang, nang marinig ng mga kasama niyang dadalhan siya ng pagkain ni Felix, nagsimulang mag-ingay ang mga ito. So, Felix, in his attempt to impress her employees, brought food again for everyone.

"You didn't have to do that," she told him. Sa isang tabi sila pumwesto habang masayang nag-aagawan ng pagkain ang mga empleyado niya. The guys were so happy they got free food again.

"I have to. I want to be on everyone's good side," nakangiting sagot ni Felix.

"They already like you."

Masaya ang mga ito para sa kanya dahil may boyfriend na siya. Pero kung nagkataong hindi gusto ng mga ito ang naging boyfriend niya, they'll surely tell her. So far, puro papuri pa lang para kay Felix ang naririnig niya mula sa mga empleyado.

Felix smiled and held her free hand. "By the way, do you like hiking?"

"Tangang tanong ba 'yan?" Hello. If she likes hiking, then she should be thin by now. Exercise and outdoor activities just don't agree with her.

Tumawa ito. "So, ayaw mong mag-hike?"

"Why are you asking? Aayain mo ba akong mag-hiking?"

"Well, if you don't want to hike, then we'll find something else to do."

Umiling siya. "Hindi na. I already promised Fresia that I'm going."

He raised an eyebrow. "Inaya ka nya?"

"Yeah. Inaya ko rin si Aika so tatlo kaming pupunta."

"Triple date?"

"We're kinda hoping for that," she said with a sheepish grin. "Pero wala akong pang-hike. Hindi naman kasi ako mahilig sa gano'n, e."

"Don't worry. I'll help you buy them."

"Kelan?"

"Bukas?"

Napaisip siya. "Nakapag-Christmas shopping ka na ba? If you want, pwede nating isabay 'yon."

Kuminang ang mga mata nito, which she found amusing because all the guys she knew hate shopping.

"Hindi ka masyadong busy bukas? Can I have you for a day?"

Oh... so that's why. She bit her lip, eyebrows furrowing in deep thought. What's her schedule again tomorrow? As far as her calendar's concerned, she'll be super busy until February. But maybe... maybe she could spare a day for him. Kung ito nga, nakapaglalaan ng oras para sa kanya, bakit hindi niya magagawa para rito? Isang araw lang naman.

She wrinkled her nose and answered, "Hmm. Maybe for a half."

--

At dahil halos alas onse pa nagbubukas ang mga shopping mall, napagdesisyunan nilang dalawang sa tanghali na lang pumunta. She went really early to work to get things done before going out. Bago pumatak ang alas dose, pinatitigil na siya ni Tatay Ben sa pagtatrabaho.

"Mag-ayos ka na. Maya-maya lang, darating na si Felix."

"Sabi nyo maganda na 'ko. Bakit pa ako mag-aayos?" nakanguso niyang tanong.

Napakamot ng batok ang matanda.

"Syempre, Boss, para mas maganda ka mamaya!" sagot ni Tess. "Magdi-date kayo. Kailangang presintable."

Tumaas ang kilay niya at pinamay-awangan ang empleyado. "So, hindi ako presintable ngayon?"

Napakamot din ng ulo si Tess. Ngumiti naman siya.

"I'm kidding, Tess." Pinagpag niya ang mga kamay at saka sinuklay ang buhok. "Okay. 'Yong cakes, finishing touches na lang. Tess, ipa-check mo kay Tatay Ben 'yong decorations. Kapag okay na sa kanya, pwede nang i-deliver. I-ready nyo na rin 'yong Christmas biscuits natin, ha. Ralph, 'yong santa cake display, wala pa."

Ralph saluted. "Yes, Boss!"

"Dapat pagbalik ko mamaya, okay na lahat, ha? Kapag natapos kami agad sa pamimili, babalikan ko kayo rito."

"Babalik ka pa? Huwag na! Kaya na namin dito," Tatay Ben assured her. "Mag-enjoy ka naman paminsan-minsan."

"Nag-i-enjoy naman po ako."

"Kami nakakapag-leave nang matagal, ikaw hindi."

"Wala naman po kasi akong gagawin. Mabuti na 'yong magtrabaho ako. Kikita pa ako."

"Ngayon, meron na. Kaya i-enjoy mo na."

Nagsitanguan ang mga nakarinig. She waved her hand dismissively. "Fine, fine."

Pumunta siya sa opisina at sakay nag-ayos. Maya-maya, tinawag na siya nina Tess dahil nasa ibaba na raw si Felix. She fought the urge to run downstairs. She didn't want to seem so excited. Nakakahiya.

--

They had lunch first. Sa isang restaurant na may unli rice sila kumain. Mukhang gutom na gutom si Felix dahil naka-apat na rice ito. He even had dessert!

"Unbelievable..." she muttered.

"What?" he asked, over a cup of halo-halo.

Umiling-iling siya. "I just can't figure out how you stay in shape kung ganyan ka kumain."

Felix laughed. "Any ideas?"

She pointed her spoon at him. "You're a gym junkie."

Felix tilted his head, then he shook it. "Not exactly."

"So, what's your secret? Ultra-fast metabolism?"

"Well, medyo mabilis ang metabolism ko," he answered with a shrug. "But I do exercise. I jog every morning. I do marathons. I hike."

"Hmmm..."

"Ikaw?"

"I walk... to the convenience store... to buy ice cream."

Ngumisi ito. "If you want, we can exercise together."

Umurong siya. Sumandal sa upuan, gaping at him. "Felix!"

"What? I just meant that we could jog in the morning! Ano'ng iniisip mo?"

She shook her head. There's no way that he just meant that. They share the same wavelength. She knew how he thinks.

"We could do that exercise too. It's more fun to do."

Sinamaan niya ito ng tingin. "May makarinig sa 'yo, uy!" she hissed.

He laughed. "Relax! I'm just teasing you."

Tumuro siya sa halo-halo nito. "Are you done? Can we go now?"

"Bakit ka ba nagmamadali? I have you for half of today, don't I?"

"Para mabisita ko 'yong bakeshop later. Hindi naman tayo limang oras magsa-shopping, di ba?"

"Are you kidding me? It's Christmas season. Sa dami ng tao, matatagalan talaga tayong mamili."

"Then, let's go!" Tumayo siya.

Felix followed her outside of the restaurant. Hinabol siya nito at hinawakan ang kamay niya.

"Okay. But you're mine for today, okay? Just so we're clear."

"I'm yours everyday," she whispered.

"What?"

"Char! Wala!"

Ngumiti siya at hinila ito sa department store. They headed to the shoe section and asked for some hiking shoes to choose from. Isang saleslady ang nag-assist sa kanila, na sa sobrang bubbly, naeengganyo siyang bumili ng maraming sapatos.

"Ano'ng kulay ang gusto nyo, Ma'am?"

"Hindi ko alam, e. Ano ba'ng bagay na kulay sa paa ko?"

Ngumiti ang saleslady. "Ay, naku, Ma'am! Bagay po kasi sa inyo lahat!"

"Miss, isang pares lang ang bibilhin ko."

"Pero kahit alin naman po, bagay sa paa nyo. Ano po ba'ng favorite color nyo? Pink po kaya, para girly?"

"Masyadong bagets."

"Why don't you try the purple, pink, and red?" Felix suggested. Bumaling ito sa saleslady at inulit iyon. Naghintay silang sandali habang kumukuha ng sapatos ang saleslady.

"What's Angela's favorite color?" she asked a while later.

"Yellow and pink. Why do you ask?"

"I want to buuy her something."

Inakbayan siya ni Felix. "That's very thoughtful of you."

"Magagalit ba si Andrea kung sakali?"

Umiling ito. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"Great! I'll buy Angela something. Shoes kaya? Or Barbie doll?"

"Ikaw ang bahala. I'm sure she'll love your gift," he said with a gentle smile.

She smiled back and squeezed his hand.

Nang makabalik ang saleslady dala ang tatlong kahon ng mga sapatos, agad na tumayo si Felix at kinuha ang isang kahon. He took out the shoes and kneeled in front of her. Ngiting-ngiti ang saleslady sa gesture nito.

"What are you doing?"

Hindi ito sumagot. Kinuha nito ang isa niyang paa at tinanggal ang sandal na suot niya. Then, he put a shoe on. It was a grey hiking show with pastel pink highlights.

"Looks good." Isinuot nito ang kabiyak at saka siya pinatayo. "Walk around. See if they're comfortable."

Naglakad siya. Tumigil at nilingon ang mga ito. "They are."

"Gusto mo na 'yang kulay?"

She shrugged. "Try ko rin 'yong dalawa."

Naupo siyang muli. Felix repeated the process with the other two pairs. It made her feel great knowing that people are staring. Iniisip siguro ng mga ito na ang sweet-sweet ng boyfriend niya.

"So, what color do you like most?" tanong ni Felix nang matapos siyang magsukat.

"Ikaw, ano'ng gusto mo? Okay kasi sa 'kin lahat, e."

Kinuha nito iyong pares na kulay pink. "This pair."

"Okay." Nilingon niya ang saleslady. "I'll take this pair."

Kinuha ng saleslady ang mga sapatos at ibinalik sa box. And then, she accompanied them to the counter. Nang makapagbayad, pumunta naman sila sa toy store para bumili ng laruan para kay Angela.Felix immediately took her to the Barbie shelves.

Kumuha siya ng isang box ng Barbie. The doll was wearing a swimsuit.

"She already has that one."

Kumuha siya ng isa pa.

"Meron na rin sya nyan."

She put the Barbies back on the shelf and sighed. "Does she have a lot of Barbie dolls?"

Felix nodded. "Shared hobby nilang mag-ina ang pangungulekta ng Barbie dolls so they have a lot of these at home."

"Oh..."

Naglakad siya papunta sa itinitindang mga doll house.

"She already has four of those," Felix told her before she can even take a closer look.

Her shoulders slumped. It's obvious that Felix and Andrea spoils Angela so much. Maybe Angela already has everything she needs.

"Maybe I'll just give her a cupcake or something."

Inakbayan siya nito. "I'm sure she'll love that, pero baka hindi ko rin maibigay."

"Why not?"

"They already left for Hongkong for the holidays."

She noticed that his mood quickly changed. Lumungkot ang mukha nito, but he tried to hide that sadness with a smile. Sadly. His eyes remained sad.

"Hindi ka kasama?" When he shook his head, she asked again, "Are you and Andrea okay?"

"Kinda. She got mad when I broke up with her. Kaya napaaga ang alis nila ni Angela at hindi ako kasama."

"So... sa'n ka magpa-Pasko? Pupunta ka sa Baguio with your family?"

Umiling ito at hinagod ang batok. "I'm not sure. Nagtatampo sila sa 'kin, e."

"Bakit?"

"Because I broke up with Andrea."

"They really like her for you, don't they?"

"We've been together for so long," he told her, as if that one sentence could explain it all.

"Baka sya lang 'yong gusto ng parents mo for you."

"I'm sure they'll like you too."

She highly doubts that. Andrea had been with Felix since college. They had almost a decade of togetherness. Somewhere along the way, Andrea has gotten close with his family too. She's sure that they all want Andrea and Felix to get married, lalo na't may Angela na ang mga ito.

Where does that leave her?

May mga araw na gusto niyang magpakalayo-layo, just to not see Felix, just to not be tempted to steal him away from his family. But... she's happy with him. Kasalanan ba'ng maging masaya? He's happy with her too. They feel the same way towards each other. Can't that be enough?

Felix must have noticed that something was bothering her. He cupped her face.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Pinilit nyang ngumiti. "Yeah. Sure."

--

They left the toy store without any toy for Angela. Since hindi rin naman niya alam kung ano ang magandang bilhin para sa bata, umalis na lang sila kahit wala siyang nabibili. And besides, if she bought the kid a toy, would Andrea even let her accept the gift?

Felix tried to cheer her up. Inaya siya nito na mag-bowling. Since it's her first time to bowl, she had to really concentrate on what she's doing to get it right. She got pretty excited when she hit all the pins.

"Beginner's luck," Felix told her.

Of course it was. Her next bowl missed half of the pins. Isa hanggang tatlo lamang ang natatamaan ng mga sumunod niyang tira. Felix did so well, though. He hit everything, every time.

"Madalas kang mag-bowling, 'no?"

"Yeah. Favorite past time naming dati ni—" He stopped abruptly, looked at her, and then, shook his head. "We can go somewhere else. How about a movie?"

Hinawakan nito ang kamay niya at saka siya hinila palayo sa bowling alley.

"Yeah. Let's watch a movie," animo'y wala sa sarili nitong dagdag.

So, they went to the cinema after that, pero hindi niya nagustuhan 'yong mga showing na movie.

"Sa bahay na lang tayo manuod? I have Netflix," she suggested.

"Netflix and chill?" he asked with a sly smile.

"Netflix lang." She stuck her tongue out. "But we can have dinner there. Ipagluluto kita."

"I'd love that."

They headed back to his car, dala ang mga pinamili niya. Then, they rode back to her house. May mangilan-ngilan pa siyang groceries doon na pwedeng pag-eksperimentuhan. Hindi naman mapili sa pagkain si Felix. He'd eat anything as long as it's delicious.

She cooked chicken roulade habang nakikipagkwentuhan dito. As usual, si Felix ulit ang maghuhugas ng pinagkainan. While she was cooking the meal, isiningit na rin niya ang pagbi-bake ng special cupcakes niya.

They're only for special occasions, but... Felix is special to her. So she whipped up two plates of chicken roulade with java rice and creamy musroom sauce and a batch of freshly baked red velvet cupcakes.

Dinamihan niya ang serving ng pagkain dahil si Felix ang kakain. But even with that, he still managed to finish his plate in less than 10 minutes. After that, he wolfed down the cupcakes.

"Dahan-dahan. Mabulunan ka nyan."

Kinuha niya mula sa kamay nito ang cupcake na isusubo sana nito.

"Em ferrn."

She laughed at his attempt to speak. Punong-puno ng cupcake ang bibig nito.

Kumuha siya ng tubig at pilit itong pinainom. After drinking, he put the glass down and pulled her close to kiss her cheek.

"Did you have a nice day?" he asked.

Tumango siya. "I did."

He smiled and said, "Good. We can make this an everyday thing, if you like."

"Pa'no? May trabaho tayo pareho."

"We'll free our nights and weekends."

She wrinkled her nose. "I can't take leaves on weekends."

"Sundays?"

"Hindi ba family day 'yon?"

He averted his gaze. "Uh... yeah. Right."

She wanted to kick herself for making him sad again. Sinapo ng mga kamay niya ang tigkabila nitong pisngi. He was forced to meet her gaze.

"How about this: I'll free my Friday afternoon so I can be with you until... say... Saturday morning?"

"You'd do that?"

"Of course."

Natahimik sila pareho, kinuntento ang mga sarili sa pagtititigan. And then a while later, he said, "I love you."

She was so flustered and so out of sorts, nagsimula siyang kumawala sa pagkakayakap nito, while mumbling something about doing the dishes. Humigpit ang pagkakakapit nito sa kanya. She heard him laugh.

Maya-maya, humahalik na ito sa sintido niya.

"You're cute when you're nervous," he whispered. "Now, how about that Netflix and chill you promised?"

"Netflix lang," pagtatama niya.

"Riiight."