Chapter 7

“ARE you really that surprised?” Jared asked. At first, she wasn’t sure why he said that but later on, Zharm realized that her mouth was party open. She was really surprised by what he prepared for her. She nonchalantly looked at her.

“Not even a bit,” she sarcastically said. “You could’ve brought me to a nice restaurant. God! You’re so cheap, Jared.” She was shaking her head as she walks towards the table. She heard him chuckle. Jared knows that she was just being sarcastic to hide that she was touched by what he did for her. If she admitted that she was touched by his efforts, he would just tease her non-stop and she doesn’t want that. But the truth is, Zharm is really grateful for what he did for her. She felt really special.

“Stop pretending,” he laughed. “Will you just sit already?” He pulled a seat for her. Zharm was just controlling her emotions but the truth is, she’s quite happy with how he treats her now. He seemed very sweet, contrary to the Jared she used to know who’s always annoying her. Somehow, she felt like she’s really on a Valentine’s Date. He was being a gentleman, he made her feel special and he turned her bad day into a good one. What more can she ask for? But when she’s thinking that he had already ran out of surprises for her, he handed her a bouquet of red roses. Zharm smiled as she received the flowers.

“Thank you. It’s so sweet of you,” she answered as she sat. “I never thought you’d give me a bouquet of roses. We both know that you’re frugal,” she teased.

“I am frugal, you know that, but I want to make you feel special today.” He smiled. “Besides, my Mom gave me money for it.”

“I should thank your Mom, then,” she chuckled. She looked around the backyard, looking for Jared’s Mom whom she grew close to. “Anyway, where’s your Mom?”

“She went to Vienna for a business trip.”

“Did she go with your Dad?”

“No, my Dad is here in the country but he’s been out of town since yesterday.” He offered her food that was served in the table.

Jared’s family was based in Austria but they had to move to the Philippines because of his father’s business. Her parents were both from a Filipino-Austrian descent but Jared learned to be fluent in Filipino language because his parents taught him and they encouraged him to speak the language.

“Didn’t she find it hard to travel to Austria every now and then? Why can’t she move back to Austria and take you with her?”

“Do you want me gone?” He chuckled.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that. I was just thinking that maybe it’s hard for her to travel given that she’s getting old. If your father can’t move back to Austria because of his business here, you can accompany your mother abroad.”

“Dad suggested that idea but Mom wants to spend time with him here. She said she’s okay with it. Besides, I don’t want to leave the country. I love the Philippines.” He started eating and based on his reaction, he found the food to be delicious. When she took a bite, she can’t help but agree with him. “If I move back to Austria, I wouldn’t be able to eat my favorite chicken adobo,” he said, referring to the dish he had just eaten. She chuckled.

“You can cook chicken adobo even if you’re in Austria.”

“Neither me or my mom knows how to cook.” They both chuckled. “And even if I know how to cook, I wouldn’t enjoy eating chicken adobo because I won’t be able to share it with you.” He looked at her and smiled. His gray eyes bored at her. She can’t understand why his gray eyes become prettier the more that she looks at her. How can he be that gorgeous? Her heart fluttered.

“That’s so cheesy.” That’s all she can say because she can’t really think of any witty response to what he just said. She knew that he was just teasing her again. She knew that it’s his way of letting her know about his feelings in a subtle way. But even if that’s the case, she doesn’t want to seem to be presumptuous. She chose to not mind him and continued eating her dinner.

“Seriously, Zharm, I like being with you,” he said when she hasn’t responded for a few minutes. She still did not answer him but it doesn’t mean that she was not affected by what he said. Something warm enveloped her heart that moment. It felt nice to be appreciated by someone like Jared. She feels the same about him but she doesn’t want to make unnecessary comments that would give him false hopes. Besides, no matter how sincere he may sound, she’s not just sure if he’s serious about his feelings about her.

She’s also thinking about their friendship if ever they ended up falling for each other. She’s worried about many things. What if their friendship would be ruined? What if they would just end up like her parents? She knows that she’s not ready to fall in love, especially she recently swore that she wouldn’t fall for a man like her father. She has not uttered a single word but she felt Jared’s gaze on her. Her heartbeat raced with the thought of him gazing at her. Is he mad that she hasn’t responded? But as she felt nervous under his gaze, she continued eating her food, trying to shake of the nervousness she’s feeling… until she almost choked on her food. She coughed.

“Zharm, are you okay?” Jared rose up from his seat and moved close to her. He gave her a glass of water which she immediately accepted. When she was feeling fine, he returned to his seat.

“It’s your fault that I choked!”

“Huh? Why is it my fault?” He asked, confused.

“Because of your sudden confession. I don’t know how to answer you. I feel so nervous.”

“But I always to my best to make you feel that you’re special to me.”

“But, Jared…”

“It’s okay, Zharm.” He waved his hand in dismissal and smiled at her like it’s no big deal. She knew that he was just doing that to make light of the situation. Jared doesn’t want her to feel awkward and ruin the moment. It’s one of Jared’s trait that Zharm likes. He teases her a lot but he knows when to stop especially when she’s not ready to talk about their feelings to each other. He reached for her hand on the table and gently squeezed it. “You don’t have to answer me right now. Just give me a chance to be near you because I’m happy whenever I’m with you.”