Love At First Sit

Lights and Butterflies

Just when Roxanne was about to lean in more, Wish's stomach rumbled. They locked eyes and laughed.

"I think we should go find a place to eat," Roxanne whispered. Their faces were still inches apart.

"Let's go." Wish smiled.

"Let's just walk. I've been drinking and the traffic is so heavy."

He nodded and walked with her down the busy street of the business district.

They shared a few laughs people-watching while looking for a place to eat. They tried to spot doppelgangers, people who looked like people they knew or well-known movie stars, as they walked by. A group of five young gangster-looking teenagers cursed out a taxi driver for enforcing the four-passenger rule. A man in a nice suit carried a bouquet of flowers as he walked across the street.

"Makati really is just one huge mess," she commented with a sheer cheerfulness in her voice. She was enjoying their walk together. She quickly texted Mina that she's going to hang out with Wish. Her friend teased her with a reply:

"It's about time to water your withering plant, girl 😜."

Roxanne gasped when she read her message.

"You, okay?"

She turned scarlet. "Y-yeah, just a bit tipsy."

"So, where do you like to eat?"

She inhaled the smell of what the vendor from a Jolly Jeep was cooking. Roxanne wiggled her eyebrows. "What do you think?"

"Are you kidding me? We only have an hour till it's February 14."

"So?" she asked. "Is there a need for a grand gesture?"

Wish was bemused.

"You don't want to do anything special on Valentine's Day, then?" Wish checked.

She shook her head. For Roxanne, Valentine's Day was just a day. Any day is what you make of it—whether it's a made-up holiday, or the day you finally land a date, several years in the making.

"We've only known each other for a few hours, Wish. Isn't it a little too soon to celebrate Valentine's Day together like a thing? Besides, all the good places are booked this time of the year, especially the motels," she said, and deliberately coughed.

Wish's eyebrow quirked as he ran a hand distractedly through his already disheveled hair.

Roxanne started to blush. "So, are we eating here or what?"

"No way," he said disapprovingly. "You never know if the food there is safe or clean, or free of bacteria and vermin."

"I always enjoyed a dirty, fried bologna from time to time," she confessed. "But I would like to hope it's not that dirty."

"Okay. Fine," he finally agreed, shrugging but smiling anyway.

Great, their first unofficial date together - in a Jolly Jeep!

They observed more of the city after buying a giant vanilla sundae cone from a convenience store.

Roxanne asked about his job to fill in the silences. She was a curious little thing and had quick comebacks for his vague answers.

"So, how long have you been working as a bartender?" Roxanne inquired while they walked along Ayala Avenue.

"About a year. I am just an amateur. How about you? You said you're a call center agent. Tell me about it?"