27: Elise (i)

27: Elise (i)
I GOT UP before Anna completely lost it. She was covering her entire face with her hands, feeling incredibly embarrassed but extremely thrilled.
I got her. I really, really did.
“It’s Valentine’s Day, so I brought flowers for two single, beautiful ladies I know are here. Here’s for you, Anna.”
Anna quickly extended her right hand to take the flowers and chocolates while still covering half her face with the other hand. “Thank you, Gian. Happy Valentine’s Day! Eeeeh!” Still screeching the longest screech ever, she turned and ran back to the beach house.
Gian and I laughed while watching her, and Tootsie, who momentarily didn't know whether to follow or stay, eventually ran after her. Tootsie was, for all intents and purposes, really Anna’s dog.
Then Gian turned to me. An awkward moment passed as he seemed unsure of what to say.
“I thought you don’t do Valentine’s?” I said, trying to help.
He handed me a box with a long-stemmed rose and a ribbon-tied chocolate bar. “I don’t want you to be lonely on Valentine’s Day.”
I couldn’t help but smile as I accepted it. “Thank you, but I’m really okay. I’m not lonely. I… I don’t have anything for you except… Happy Valentine’s Day!”
“And that’s fine.” He grinned, all awkwardness gone now. I liked how his eyes watched my face with the look of warmth on it. “Walk with me?”
I shrugged. “Sure.” We turned together toward the wider part of the beach. “So, are you going back to Manila tomorrow?” I asked.
“Yes,” he answered.
I kicked away the pang of sadness I felt about that. I wished I could spend more time with him and I didn’t know if I could tell him something like that or if I was being forward. This sucked. “Mom said we’re going to file charges against Charis. Does your mom know?”
“Uh-huh. She also wanted that, remember?”
“Will it not be awkward since she’s your Ex’d?”
He turned his head towards me. “Elise, I really am beginning to hate that term.”
“Okaaay. I had to try.”
“You always have to,” he whined in his baritone voice and I laughed. I lifted the chocolate bar and started to open it, but since it was awkward to hold the box with the single rose, he took the bar and unwrapped it himself for me. I just couldn’t lose my smile as I watched until he had handed it back. I took a bite, chewed, smiling still.
Gosh, he gave me Valentine gifts. I was just so happy! “Hmmm. I love chocolates. Thank you. Where’d you get this?”
“Why do you want to know? Just enjoy it.”
I threw him a scathing look. “Spoilsport.”
“Do you know of anyone who got a gift ask where it was bought? Next thing you’d ask is how much it cost.”
I laughed again. I’m so happy I’m an idiot. I tried to calm myself before he called me out. He watched me with a small grin on his face and I felt the blooming of a blush on my face. 
Okay, Elise. Behave!
I swallowed the chocolate and turned to him. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long time since I bit into an honest-to-goodness chocolate bar. It’s either a cake or a smoothie or something else. I’m really liking this.” I brought the bar near his face. “You want some?” He hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth. But I pulled the bar back. “Wait. Let me cut you a piece.” Feeling flustered and trying to hide it, I tried to cut a small corner that was exposed. But only a tiny piece came off. “Oops.”
“Let me have it,” he said.
So, I put the tiny piece into his mouth. His mouth brushed against my finger, but instead of pulling away, he gently bit it. My body buzzed with electricity and excitement. “Gian…”
He laughed while chewing the chocolate. “Hmm. That is good.”
“When was the last time you actually bite into a chocolate bar yourself?”
Chewing, he thought about it.
Uno. Dos. Tres... Seis.
I laughed.
Reluctantly, he smiled. “I’m sorry but I honestly don’t remember.”
“When was the last time you gave someone chocolates on Valentine’s Day?”
A gentle smile appeared on his lips. “About twelve years ago.”
Trina. Of course. It had been a long time since he loved enough to remember doing the basic things. And after Trina... it’s me.
At the next moment, we stopped and faced the beach, quietly gazing at the dark ocean, the starry sky, and the shadows of the islands visible from the beach of Puerto Galera.
It was a perfect Valentine’s night. There was no one else around, Gian was beside me, and I loved him. It didn’t have anything to do with romance. It was because he was kind, sweet, thoughtful, sensitive, and just wonderfully Gian. Always my hero.
A peaceful silence passed over my mind. I closed my eyes. My heart and soul aligned like magic. Everything just fell into place.
Shit. I am in love with him.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, curiosity and worry heavy in his voice.
I opened my eyes and stared at him, trying to look like I didn’t just have an epiphany. But my world had been rocked and I was so overwhelmed I just stared at him.
“Elise?”
“That you really made Anna’s night. I’m sure she’s got pictures of your gifts plastered all over her timeline by now, and she’s enjoying all the likes and hearts.”
He teased me with his look. “What about you? Did I make your night?”
“Yes, you did. But you just might be trying to be polite.”
He laughed louder. Then he reached for my hand. When we continued walking, we were holding hands.
Oh, yes! Valentine’s Date. Beach. Stars in the night sky. Right. But I was thrilled to my bones. I couldn’t believe I was with Gian, and we’re walking on the beach on a Valentine’s night.
“So… how many days will my leave be?” I asked again, using a neutral subject to calm the pounding of my heart.
“Two weeks.”
I stopped in surprise. “Two weeks?”
“Two weeks.”
“Two weeks?!”
“You heard me the first time,” he said.
“I can’t be away from work for two weeks!” I shrieked.
I heard a huff. “Your wound will be completely healed by then, and your scratches and bruises should be pale enough to be hidden with makeup. You can’t be back to work looking like you’ve been run over by a truck.”
“But what about Kyle’s team? Who’s going to defend the project in the meeting?” Kyle was one of the startup applicants. I liked the proposal he pitched, and it was one of the portfolios I wanted to defend in the approval meeting next week.
“I’ve already approved it. The budget will arrive next month.”