The day was already well underway. Stela started this holiday by straightening her hair. She had even replaced her favorite earrings with a new pair. She hurried because her phone wouldn't stop vibrating. Yes, R was the culprit.
The guy had already been waiting in the alley of Stela's housing complex for an hour. It was R's own fault for showing up while she was still busy choosing which lipstick to wear. Men would never understand how women felt about makeup.
Stela quickly grabbed her bag and phone, remembering to lock the door behind her. She even jogged a little in the wedge sneakers she was wearing. Damn it, all her other shoes had suddenly become impossible to look at, and those were the only ones that caught her eye. She cursed her luck, having to fight the urge to fall with every step.
R immediately got out of the car and opened the door for Stela. She stopped to catch her breath, bracing her hands on her knees.
“Morning, gorgeous,” R greeted her.
Stela was annoyed by R's innocent smile, as if he hadn't done anything wrong. She climbed in without a word, pointedly ignoring him. The guy was seriously clueless. His eyes traveled from the top of Stela's head to her feet, then he looked away, confused.
R didn't want to dwell on it. He returned to the driver's seat and prepared to spend the weekend with his new girlfriend. Now it was Stela's turn to stare at R from head to toe.
It was so simple. The guy was wearing a T-shirt and pants as usual, along with the same watch he wore every day. Only his shoes had changed. They were still designer, of course.
Stela turned away and stared out the window. Why had she gone to the trouble of showering for two hours, choosing an outfit for half an hour, putting on makeup for an hour, and even straightening her hair? The person who had asked her out wasn't dressed up at all. She felt irredeemably stupid. Stela was mortified beyond belief.
“Tsk, waiting an hour for you to get dressed wasn't a waste after all,” R remarked, breaking the silence.
“What do you mean?”
“You look beautiful.”
Stela couldn't hide her smile. Damn it! Why was she enjoying being flattered by a guy like this? She seemed used to receiving compliments, but this time felt different. Like a safe kind of flutter.
“Tsk, whatever! Drive already!”
“Yes, ma'am.”
R drove slowly. It was definitely not the proper definition for a sports car. Who cared? If he could, he just wanted to make time move more slowly.
No one would have expected someone like R to wake up early just to pick Stela up ahead of time. Even though the long wait had ruined the plan, they would still arrive before everyone else. It was only ten o'clock, an hour earlier than scheduled.
“Did you book the tickets?” Stela asked.
“That was Loen's job.”
“Tsk, figures. Always relying on other people.”
R turned toward Stela. “It's not like that. Loen happened to be out with Vero and Aunt Kia yesterday, so I asked him to pick them up while he was there.”
Stela swallowed. “Oh.”
“Just ‘oh’?”
Stela remained silent. She knew she'd made the wrong accusation this time. But wasn't R usually way too dependent? On his mom, his friends, and her, too.
“Stel!”
“Watch the road!”
R hit the brakes quickly—not because he was angry, but because the traffic light had turned red.
“That's why you should make a habit of asking questions. Don't jump to conclusions.”
“Sorry.”
Teo carefully carried two glasses of iced Americano. Sanas quickly took one and set it on the table. The café they visited today was quiet. Maybe the customers were still wrestling with their blankets. These days, people usually preferred staying loyal to their beds whenever a holiday came around.
Sanas was glowing with happiness. She hadn't stopped smiling since Teo picked her up. She was thrilled by the progress in the case she was handling.
“Thank goodness. Ramon was arrested last night?” Teo asked.
Sanas nodded. “Yeah. He's willing to cooperate. Ramon has even called his own lawyer. The first hearing might be two weeks from today.”
“That's strange.”
“Huh?” Sanas asked, confused.
“If Ramon really is the powerful man you and Stela described, he shouldn't have obeyed so easily. Being put in handcuffs must have been a blow to his dignity.”
Sanas nodded in agreement. She had been puzzled at first, too. Ramon had always denied the prostitution allegations against him, but suddenly he was willing to be taken away by the police without a fight. As if he knew everything would become more complicated if he kept dodging the issue.
“For now, all we can do is keep an eye on things from a distance, Yo. Especially Stela.”
“Does she know yet?”
Sanas shook her head. “I haven't told her anything. I don't want to ruin her mood.”
“Don't worry. Stela's with R right now.”
Stela waved when she saw her two friends in the distance. Vero and Mia immediately quickened their pace. R was startled to see three guys behind the two girls. There was no mistaking Kenand beside Dean and Loen. Seriously.
Dean and Loen pulled up chairs between R and the others, while Vero and Mia sat beside Stela. R's gaze remained fixed on Kenand, who had chosen to sit a little farther away from them. Noticing where R was looking, Mia turned her head as well. She let out a breath when she saw Kenand's eyes locked with R's.
“Sorry, R. I didn't mean—”
“Bring him over here. It looks bad. People are going to think he's stalking us,” R cut her off.
“Okay.”
Mia got up and went over to Kenand. At first, the guy argued. Of course he did. Who wanted to sit in the same place as his own enemy? But Kenand was still a guy who lost to his girlfriend. He didn't want to start a fire where there was nothing to burn.
The guy sat stiffly, crossing his legs and folding his arms over his chest. No one could tell where he was looking. As long as he stayed away from R's crew, that was all that mattered.
“Relax, Ken. We don't have a problem with you right now.”
Loen nodded quickly at Dean's words. Kenand glanced over, then lowered his leg. He looked at R for a moment before turning toward Mia, who was smiling at him. He returned her smile, then reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly.
Not long after that, they started chatting comfortably. They debated what drinks to order and talked about even the most uninteresting things. Kenand had managed to enter their circle of friends, thanks in no small part to Mia's hand, which remained faithfully clasped in his.
“So, are you two officially together now?” Kenand asked bluntly.
Stela and R exchanged a look, then nodded. There had been no dramatic confession or formal proposal; everything had simply happened on its own. R had never asked Stela to be his girlfriend like a normal teenager would. He had merely shouted that she would be his if she agreed to have dinner with him.
“Why would you want to be with a creature like him?” Kenand asked, pointing at R.
Stela stared intently at R, searching for an answer. “I wonder that myself. I don't know why I want to be with him either.”
Stela's answer immediately made all her friends laugh except R. Dean and Loen even smacked R on the shoulders because they couldn't hold back their laughter. R merely snorted in annoyance, with no intention of retaliating. Staying silent was the classy way to reduce his embarrassment.
“Because love isn't about whether you want someone or not. It's about what you need. Comfort, for example. And R has that,” Stela continued.
R's soul seemed to float straight to heaven. His friends' cheers carried him there. Stela was resting her chin in her hand, smiling at him. Damn. Seriously. How could a heavenly creature be sitting right in front of him?
“Crazy, crazy! Girls these days are way better at sweet-talking,” Loen said.
“Sweet-talking has nothing to do with gender,” Stela replied.
“Okay, okay. Your turn, R. As the guy, you need to be better at this stuff.” Vero was getting excited.
“What? Tsk, I don't do cheesy lines. Too cliché.”
“Okay, cliché. Keep it simple, like Stela did. Why do you like her? Don't say it's because she's pretty, sexy, or anything like that. That's boring.” Kenand kept probing.
“Tsk, I don't know.”
“Come on, don't hide behind excuses. Just admit you're too proud,” Mia said, helping her boyfriend's efforts.
“Tell me this: can you explain what God looks like?”
The four of them shook their heads, while Stela stayed busy staring at her guy.
“Yeah. That's more or less how it feels.”