Chapter 3

Sa opisina ng NovaSpire, nakatayo si Ash sa harap ng glass wall ng kanyang opisina, tinitingnan ang lungsod sa ilalim ng lumulubog na araw. Kanina pa niya iniisip ang dinner nila ni Maya.

It wasn’t just a date for him, either. Maya was... different. Hindi siya tulad ng mga babaeng nakilala niya—hindi tulad ni Victoria. Maya didn’t care about his wealth or his title. Ang gusto ni Maya ay ang pagiging totoo niya. And that scared him.

“You're distracted,” biglang sabi ni Julian, papasok sa opisina nang hindi kumakatok. May hawak itong isang tablet, pero hindi nakaligtas sa kaibigan niya ang seryosong itsura ni Ash.

“I have plans tonight,” sagot ni Ash, tumatawa nang mahina habang umupo sa kanyang desk.

Julian raised an eyebrow. “Plans? Don’t tell me—date? The CEO of NovaSpire is going on a date?”

Napailing si Ash pero may ngiti sa kanyang labi. “Don’t make it a big deal, Julian. It’s just dinner.”

“Just dinner? Kung ganon, bakit parang mamamatay ka sa kaba?” tanong ni Julian, nakangisi.

“Because it’s with someone I actually like,” sagot ni Ash, kasabay ng isang malalim na buntong-hininga. “And she doesn’t know who I really am.”

Tumahimik si Julian, tinitigan si Ash nang may bahagyang kunot sa noo. “You haven’t told her?”

“No. And I’m not planning to. At least, not yet. I want her to know me for me, not for the CEO of this company.”

---

Friday Evening. Nakatayo si Maya sa harap ng closet niya. "Ano ba dapat isuot sa casual dinner?" she muttered. Eventually, she settled on a simple, fitted blouse and high-waisted jeans. Natural curls, light makeup. Simple pero presentable.

Pagdating sa restaurant, she chose a table near the window, glancing at the city lights habang hinihintay si Ash. Her phone buzzed.

𝗔𝘀𝗵: I’m here. See you soon.

Hindi niya mapigilang ngumiti. Ilang minuto pa, nakita niyang pumasok si Ash at agad siyang tumingin sa gawi niya. Hindi niya alam kung bakit, pero parang bumagal ang oras nang makita niya ito. He looked effortlessly handsome in a simple button-down shirt and jeans. Wala ang pretensyon na minsan niyang nakikita sa mga lalaki sa dating apps.

“Hey,” Ash greeted her, his voice warm. “You look great.”

“Thanks. You too,” Maya replied, trying to sound casual kahit na kinikilig siya.

They ordered drinks, and the conversation flowed effortlessly. Napakadali nitong kausap—walang awkward silences, walang pilit na small talk.

“Sabi mo you’re into movies, right?” tanong ni Ash habang umiinom ng wine.

Maya nodded. “Yeah, kahit ano—comedy, drama, action. Ikaw?”

“I’m more into sci-fi,” he admitted. “Something about exploring possibilities fascinates me.”

“Wow, Mr. Deep Thinker,” biro ni Maya. “But okay, I’ll give you that. Sci-fi’s cool.”

Natapos ang gabi na parang isang blur. It wasn’t the fancy setting or the food—it was how easy it felt to talk to him.

---

Habang tumatagal ang gabi, mas naging komportable sila sa isa’t isa. Napuno ang table nila ng tawanan, kwentuhan, at masarap na pagkain.

“It’s been a long time since I had this much fun,” sabi ni Maya, halos hindi makatingin kay Ash habang sinasabi ito.

“Me too,” sagot ni Ash, tinitingnan siya nang diretso sa mata. “You’re different, Maya. And I mean that in the best way possible.”

Biglang natigilan si Maya. Ang mga salitang iyon, bagama’t simpleng pakinggan, ay tumama sa kanya. Totoo kaya ang sinasabi ni Ash?

Before she could say anything, dumating ang waiter para dalhin ang bill. Inabot ito ni Ash at mabilis na binayaran.

“Next time, ako naman,” biro ni Maya, pilit na binabawi ang seryosong atmosphere.

“Next time?” tanong ni Ash, nakangiti.

Maya bit her lip, realizing what she’d just said. “I mean, if there’s a next time.”

“There will be,” sagot ni Ash.

---

The morning after, nagising si Maya na may ngiti sa labi. Naalala niya ang pag-uusap nila ni Ash kagabi. Pero habang iniisip niya iyon, may bahaging nag-aalangan sa kanya. Bakit parang malabo ang sagot niya tungkol sa trabaho?

Habang iniisip niya ito, may kumatok sa pinto. Si Ava, dala ang dalawang malaking tasa ng kape.

“Spill!” utos nito habang inilapag ang mga tasa sa mesa.

Napabuntong-hininga si Maya at umupo. “It was amazing, Ava. Parang... ang gaan lang ng lahat.”

“Uh-huh. Crush mo na siya?” tukso ni Ava, sabay higop ng kape.

“Crush agad?” Maya raised a brow. “We just had dinner.”

“Girl, ikaw pa ba? Your eyes say it all.”

Napatawa si Maya. "Fine, maybe I like him a little. Pero hindi pa ito sure."

“Pero seryoso, Maya. Ano ang feeling? Totoo ba ‘yung vibes, or am I romanticizing this for you?”

Napatingin si Maya sa bintana, iniisip ang bawat detalye ng gabi nila ni Asher. “It felt... real,” sagot niya, halos pabulong. “Pero alam mo naman ako. I don’t trust easily. Alam ko dapat mag-ingat.”

Tumigil si Ava, tumitig kay Maya, at hinawakan ang kamay ng kaibigan. “Maya, you deserve to be happy. Kung totoo man ang nararamdaman mo, then give it a chance. Pero kung may doubt ka, huwag mong baliwalain ‘yun. Your gut never lies.”

Napangiti si Maya. Isa ‘yun sa mga bagay na mahal niya kay Ava. Palaging nandiyan, palaging may tamang payo. Pero ang tanong, kaya ba niyang sundin ang payo na ‘yun?

---

Meanwhile, on Ash’s side, he sat in his sleek office, staring at his laptop. The dinner with Maya replayed in his mind, and he couldn’t help but smile. It had been so long since he felt genuinely connected to someone.

But then there was the looming shadow of his father. Reginald Reed was the epitome of pressure—always demanding excellence.

“Focus on the company,” his father’s voice echoed in his head. “You don’t have time for distractions.”

Pero iba si Maya. She wasn’t a distraction—she was... different.

Tumunog ang phone niya, isang message mula kay Julian, ang matalik niyang kaibigan.

Julian: So, how was dinner with your mystery girl? Spill.

Napailing si Asher. Julian always knew how to poke fun.

Ash: It was great. Thanks for asking.

Julian: Great? Or life-changing?

Ash smirked but didn’t reply.

---

Later that day, habang nagmi-meeting si Maya sa office, nag-buzz ang phone niya. Message mula kay Ash.

𝗔𝘀𝗵: Hey, want to hang out this weekend? Maybe a walk at the park?

Maya felt her heart flutter again.

𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗮: Sure, sounds good. What time?

---

Saturday afternoon nagkita sila sa isang park.

It was surrounded by trees and a cool breeze. Maya wore a casual sundress, and Ash looked effortlessly handsome in a simple shirt and jeans.

They walked and talked, laughing about random things. Napansin ni Maya ang pagiging down-to-earth ni Ash—walang yabang.

“You never did tell me exactly what you do,” Maya said casually, though curious.

Ash hesitated for a moment. “I work in tech. It’s... complicated.”

“Hmmm, mysterious,” Maya teased.

He chuckled, changing the topic smoothly. Pero hindi iyon nakaligtas kay Maya.

---

Pag-uwi ni Maya, binuksan niya ang SoulLink app at nakita ang profile ni Ash. May maliit na bagay na nag-click sa kanya. Ash—software developer, part-time artist.

Her gut told her there was more to him than he let on.

But for now, she decided to let it slide. Kung may itinatago man siya, malalaman din niya ito in time.

And maybe—just maybe—it wouldn’t matter as much as she thought.