Page 46 of Chasing Mr. Prefect
“8 o’clock sharp! BYE!”
“Sama talaga ugali nun,” I complained to Cholo.
“How else are you two best friends?”
I rolled my eyes at him and opened my usual food delivery app.
CHAPTER 19
That day didnotgo as planned.
I wish I said no but given all that had happened, I was keen to make amends to Liana.
The morning started off fine, with only a small argument before we all went on our respective tasks.
“Be happy I’m not sending you to QC,” Gian said as I whined about being asked to go to the warehouse grocery in Alabang to get the ingredients for Liana’s party desserts and giveaways tomorrow. We met up at the Mcdo branch outside our village, where he handed out the tasks to people who were in on the plan and lived with us in the South. One group was to arrange the venue while Gian was going to the caterers and the outreach office.
“Make sure you get everything on this list and if anything’s not there, you go to ATC and get it there instead.”
I frowned at the list he handed me and then looked wistfully at the person who was assigned to do this with me. Cholo was peeking at the list, unaware I was leering at him.
“These should all be in there,” he said and I heard a clanking of keys as he took them out of his pocket. “Do we need to get anything for the food things?”
“No, that’s taken care of. Tonight, go to my place, dinner is on me as payment for your trouble. Liana will be there so do NOT spoil anything or you will be dealt with.”
Gian left after that ominous warning. I sighed and dramatically looked at my sausage platter order.
“Don’t worry, there’s lots of time,” Cholo said, taking a bite from his sausage mcmuffin sandwich.
“Grabe effort ni Gian,” I commented. “I’m impressed. Liana’s always loved working on the kids events. She knows all of their names by heart. So Gian planned her party as a kids’ outreach. Genius!”
Cholo gave me a weird look.
“Selos ka?”
“Why would I be jealous? I ship them. It’s just cute how people can love like that.”
“Does it baffle your cynic mind and stone cold heart?”
“How dare you. I have emotions,” I said, making a face as I finished the last few spoonfuls of sinangag on my platter.
He just downed the rest of his oversugared coffee before shaking his head at me and reading the rest of the list.
The traffic washeavy as it was a Friday but we were lucky enough to get a parking space close to the entrance. Cholo was efficient with the items, knowing where each product was and exclaiming here and there as he realised how much cheaper it was here compared to his regular grocery store. He also had to keep me at bay as I regularly lost focus when seeing cool and delicious-looking stuff—like those giant bags of seaweed-flavored Turtle Chips—and promised me we could get calzones after the task.
Only for him to end up losing focus twenty minutes later when he found a little girl crying near the freezers, clutching a Totoro doll.
“Hey, hey,” he said, abandoning the shopping cart. I watched as he gently brought himself down to the child’s eye level. “Where are your parents?”
I blinked, feeling my insides turn into mush. The little girl softened up as he calmed her down and we were on the way to the customer service counter the next minute, with him holding the kid’s hand. I followed them, mesmerized as I pushed the shopping cart along.
What are all these tingly, foreign things in my abdominal cavity?I asked myself, unable to stop watching Cholo in his element. Even my heart was beating extra fast.
Agh, crap. Are those my ovaries tingling?
I kept quiet and paid for the haul as Cholo led the kid to the customer service area. The kid’s parents appeared within the next minute, looking hassled and worried, and I had finished paying when Cholo found me again.
We found a couple of seats near the corner and got calzones as promised.