Chapter 3: The Mystery Ball

A mystery letter was delivered from Tiffie’s front gate. Bobby didn’t keep his promise. Three days had passed. There’s no any sign of him. In order to take off that kind of longing, Tiffie took the letter and slowly opened it. The paper was scented with vanilla and prime rose. She sniffed it for a while before reading it. Maybe, it’s from Bobby. However, it disappointed her because it wasn’t from Bobby’s.

You are cordially invited for the Mystery Ball. Please wear your mystique costume. Shall we meet at 8 in the evening at Amore Hotel Ballroom? Do not think twice for you shall meet the man of your dreams tonight.

Tiffie saw the red stamp at the bottom of the message. She concluded that it was from the owner of the Las Casas, herself. Eriana was creating another event to find their potential partner. Maybe, Eriana heard from her twin that Bobby left her. This kind of event was organized for her to take a potential gentleman that could swoon her eyes. Well, she can enjoy that kind of moment in order to forget Bobby.

She walked inside her bedroom. When she opened the wooden cabinet, she could smell Bobby’s perfume. Spicy. He even left his white shirt. Tiffie took it and wrapped it with her arms. She laid herself in her bed. Closed her eyes, she dreamed of Bobby staring at her eyes. His charming smile could let her easily sweep her feet. Her feet could float into heavens as she could daze at the stars and sunset. His lips could ignite the fire with just one kiss. The only kiss, that they shared during the ‘Kiss and Tell’ event.  She missed his presence as she ate the last slice of mango crème graham.

   It took her five minutes in checking her clothes in every drawer of her cabinet. None of it fitted for her taste. She decided to have a quick shopping. Good thing, her time schedule was perfect for her shopping spree outside of Las Casas de Amore. She pushed the red button and arranged for a ride through the secret intercom. She took her purse and wore her sunglasses to make herself a little bit of mystique. The garage door creaked when Tiffie pulled it up. There was her blue Vespa scooter. The violet Hello Kitty helmet was hanged at the left throttle. She rubbed some sunblock lotion before she sat at the seat. Then, she started its engine and pointed the secret button in her remote control to close down the garage door.

   Tiffie relaxed herself by breathing the fresh air coming from the sea. There were several houses along the way. She even passed through the vegetation and greenhouse beside the Amore hotel. Then, she turned left to a small shop that led to Pollyie’s boutique. She parked the scooter in front of it. Her left hand pressed the doorbell twice. Pollyie did not appear. Later, she realized that it was still 9 in the morning. Maybe, Pollyie had to go back to Manila for her supplies.  She was left no choice but to go outside of the Las Casas.

Tiffie checked her wallet if she had her license with her. Luckily, she had it and decided to go further. The sun was already above her head when she reached the Poblacion of San Juan, Batangas. There were several shops to check for dresses. But, none of them fitted for her taste. It’s almost lunch time. She chose to stay for the nearby café. The bell rang when she entered the small door. There were few tables and the cashier counter was located at the side. Tiffie chose the table near the road in order to look after her scooter.

The young lady wearing white apron suddenly in front of her. “What’s your order, Ma’am?” She said in a friendly tone while holding her notepad.

“I like to order a clubhouse sandwich and medium-sized iced vanilla coffee.” Then, Tiffie handed the menu board to her as she waited for her order.

Two teenage girls approached Tiffie. The girl from the left side was wearing a pink scarf which Tiffie endorsed last month in an online shop. The girl which looked older was wearing a denim jumper and was holding a camera.

“Are you, Miss Tiffie O’ Hara the media influencer of Pantra?” The girl with pink scarf said.

“Yes.” She raised her eyebrow. “Is there any problem?” She took away her sunglasses.

“Can we get an autograph?” They both said with excitement.

Tiffie could see the sparkle in their eyes. She had no choice but to give in their wish.

“Alright then. You may also take some pictures with me.”

 The two sat beside her and took selfies before her order was served. The teenage girls thanked her. Another set of teenagers asked for her selfies but the manager of the café told them that she needed some privacy. Tiffie thanked the manager and told the teenagers to wait for their moment. She’s about to take a bite of her clubhouse sandwich when she saw Pollyie’s presence in the other side. She blinked her eyes twice. The tomato slice slipped and went to her shirt. Pollyie went to her direction and handed her some tissue.

“If I was in your situation, I will not eat that.” Pollyie sighed.

“What’s the matter? It’s still fresh.”

“But it slipped on your shirt. Imagine the germs from your shirt going inside that tomato slice.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s so disgusting.”

Tiffie placed the poor tomato at the side of her plate. She continued to devour her sandwich. The clubhouse sandwich was no match with Bobby’s grilled sandwich. She closed her eyes for a minute and wished that she could taste the heavenly food again.

“Too bad, there’s no air-conditioned machine in here.” Pollyie snatched the tissue from the tissue holder at Tiffie’s side. “I hate summer season because it makes my make-up mushy.” Then, she told Tiffie about the emergency delivery in Tagaytay. “The other dresses that Eriana ordered were there. Unfortunately, my driver cannot drive me there.”

Tiffie carefully sliced the other side of her sandwich. “What’s your arrangement now?” She focused her eyes at her food.

“Drive me there.”

“With my Vespa?” Her fork slipped down from her hands. “Not with my Vespa, we can’t enter the Star Tollway with that. And, I can’t risk my li---”

Pollyie placed her fingers between her lips to silence her. “You will drive my precious baby. If you will do my favor, then I will reward you with the most beautiful dress.”

Without further ado, Tiffie put back the fork at the plate. Then, she took a sip of her iced latte before she followed Pollyie’s instructions. She parked her Vespa at the behind of the rural bank near the dry market. After that, she followed Pollyie where her precious black BMW X1 parked. It was her first time to drive a Sports Activity Vehicle. When she opened the driver’s seat, the smell was so fragrant that she could feel the pine trees of Baguio City.

“Let’s go now, Tiffie.” Pollyie hopped at the front seat and buckled herself. “We shall waste no time to get my precious dresses.”

“Ok. I wish that you will be comfortable with me, Pollyie.” She winked at her as her left foot stepped at the gas pedal.

---~~~---

  It was raining hard in the afternoon. A traffic of vehicles was created when a luxury car stopped in the middle of the Tagaytay going to Sta. Rosa Road. Fritz came out from his mechanic shop when he heard terrible loud noises outside. He took his umbrella and checked about what kind of commotion was happening there. His eyes caught at the two ladies who looked desperate. Their car was not functioning at all no matter hard the lady with coffee-brown hair tried to start the engine. Still, the luxury car didn’t move. Several angry tourists stopped at their directions and glared at their situation.

“Oh, Pollyie… We cannot make at the ball tonight.” The lady with coffee brown hair bit her nails while the lady with purple hair walked into circles. “Plus, we cannot leave your baby here.”

“You’re probably right, Tiffie.” The lady with purple hair gently tapped her shoulders. “Too bad, I forgot my phone. We can’t contact any mechanic or any from the LCA to fetch us here. I should not let you come with me at the first place.”

“It’s not your fault that we’re in d---.” Tiffie noticed someone’s watching them. “I think someone might help us.”

“Alright, I’ll get him.” Pollyie ran towards him.

Pollyie’s outfit got soaked wet. Well, it didn’t matter because she needed to catch him. The raindrops made her vision got blurry. She stepped on something that lost her balance. Her left leg wiggled a bit that caused her to fall. Pollyie closed her eyes praying that might fall straight to the ground. Luckily, she fell to someone’s broad arms. His chiseled jawline and round shape dark brown eyes.

      Yes, his charming smile captivated her. He had the perfect set of teeth which she admired most. Her heart pounded fast as her eyes met his. Maybe, this young man will be perfect to be her partner for the Mystery Ball since her partner withdrew last night. Their two worlds stopped for a while as the invisible electricity flowed through their bodies. Silence grew between them. Pollyie realized that they were staring at each other for a long time. Tiffie was already folding her arms as she was waiting for them.

“Sir, do you know any towing services?” Pollyie asked in her gentlest tone.

“Yes.” He caught his umbrella at the side of the road. “Take this and wait for me here.”

He marked his word. This gentleman came back with his old pick-up truck. Then, the two ladies watched him pulled their luxury car away from the middle road. He even offered them to stay at his shop for a while. They agreed and watched him inspecting their car’s problem.

 “I guess that you need to let your car stay here for a week.”

“A week!” Pollyie stood up from her chair. “I need to go back at Las Casas de Amore right now!”

“I think that we could trust your precious baby here, Pollyie. We don’t have a choice.”

“Fine then.” Pollyie gave him a glare. “If something will happen with my precious baby, then you will pay for that double. I know that you can’t even afford the price of my BMW.”

He offered his calling card. “Keep this to contact me.”

“Of course.” Pollyie slid it inside her Birkin’s clutch bag. “You will drive us today.”

“Name your price, sweetheart.”

“I’ll arrange that after you will take us there…” She gave him a warning look. “Alive.”

“No problem.” He gently touched Pollyie’s chin. Tiffie could feel the raging tension between them.

----~~~---

    They changed their wet clothes with the dresses that they got from Pollyie’s boutique. Fritz gave them hot honey and lemon tea to ease the chilling that they were experiencing. He gave the final inspection of the car and instructed one of his men before they hopped inside his pick-up truck. Tiffie couldn’t help herself but to stare at her cell phone. Still, she didn’t receive any text messages from Bobby. In order to ease her boredom, she laid herself comfortable at the backseat. The pickup truck stopped in front of the rural bank. It caused her to fell from her seat. Then, Tiffie realized that she needed to get her Vespa. She waved Pollyie and Fritz a goodbye before she looked for her Vespa.

There was the familiar man that she’s been looking for. He put down his phone when he saw her coming after. Tiffie hugged him tight.

“There you are!” Tiffie laid her head at his chest and felt his heart beating. “I thought that I will never see you again.”

“That should be my line actually.” Bobby poked her head. “I got worried when I never saw you in our house. I waited here for almost 4---” Tiffie sneezed twice. “Are you alright?” Tiffie sneezed again. “Geez, I think that you catch something.” He touched her forehead. “Oh dear.” Without further ado, he carried her inside his car.

“What about my Vespa?” Tiffie glanced at her poor scooter being behind. “Let me out!”

“I’ll ask someone to get that.” He said in his angry tone. “You manage to have a concern with your toy but you don’t have any concern with your health.”

“It’s none of your bus---” She didn’t finish her sentence when a transparent liquid ran from her nose. Bobby opened his drawer and threw some tissue to her. Tiffie covered her nose with the tissue. “It’s not an ordinary toy, Bobby. That scooter is sentimental to me.” Jake gave it to me when we celebrated our first anniversary together in Amore… She sighed and looked away from him.

---~~---

 It’s only thirty minutes before the Mystery Ball will start. Bobby told her to stay inside the house because of her condition. She’s having a fever. But she didn’t want to miss the celebration. She strolled to the kitchen and searched for a paracetamol. Tiffie watched Bobby blended hot green tea with lemon. Then, he poured the creamy chicken mushroom soup into the small bowl.

“Here, you better eat this in order to get well.”

Tiffie took a sip and stared at him with her signature puppy eyes. “Can I go with you in the Mystery Ball?”

“It’s a still a “no”, Tiffie. You might get worst.” He touched her forehead then he put it into his neck. “You better sleep after finishing your dinner.” He gently patted his head.

“Ok.” She stood up and opened the medicine kit. “I shall just drink my meds up for better tomorrow.” Bobby gave her a half-smile. “By the way, your soup tastes good.” She gave him two thumbs up and popped the vitamin c pill and paracetamol before drinking the rest of the tea. “Enjoy the view tonight.” She was to plant a small kiss on his right kiss. Her lips landed on his lips. She felt something electrifying that made her to push him away. “I better sleep now.”

‘Bonne nuit, Ma Cherie. (Good night, my dear in French)’, he told her but Tiffie didn’t reply back. And, he watched her closed the door of her bedroom.

---~~~---

Tiffie covered her face with the pillow for several minutes. When she heard that Bobby’s car went off, she got from her bed. Then, she saw herself at the mirror. Tonight, she’ll be the mystery girl so Bobby will not notice her presence. She applied different of shades of blue eye shadow onto her both eyes after applying the natural foundation in each side of her face. Next, she glued some blue and pink crystals in the edge of her lower eyelids. Gently, she applied the sparkling gold Loreal lipstick.

   Tiffie opened her cabinet to check for some dresses. Luckily, she remembered the bluish dress puff-sleeve dress which Pollyie had been hand-sewn the gold sequins around it. Quickly, she wore it and slowly turned around to check if it fit with her makeup. Then, she partnered her dress with light blue wings. She sprayed some White Linen on her both wrists and around her slim neck. Voila, she’ll be a perfect mystique fairy with her fairy mask. Tiffie slid the scented paper inside her bag. Then, she checked the time before her ride arrived. Probably, her twin sister was already waiting for her in Amore Hotel.

---~~~---

Upon arriving the lobby was almost empty. The bell hop accompanied her to the Ballroom Hall. There she could hear the classical orchestra music. Many guests were dresses in different costumes and masks. Eriana was wearing orange vintage empire gown as if she belonged with the high society during the regency era. Her little silver crown was decorated with stunning little diamonds and pearls. She raised the glass of champagne. Everyone in the ballroom did the same. Tiffie didn’t have any choice but to grab one glass of champagne from the waiters.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! I hoped that you will enjoy my “Mystery Ball” which you might find the partner of your dreams. Gentlemen, you can find your partner to invite her for the first dance.” She glanced at the orchestra men. “Mister Conductor, can you play the Blue Danube?” The conductor wearing the clothes in the regency era nodded and started to command his members. The gentlemen in different costumes started to look for their partners.

In order to avoid the crowd, Tiffie walked through the buffet table. There were different kinds of pastries from panna cotta to different cakes in various shapes and flavors. There were different fruit slices carefully decorated in the middle part. The salad bar was in the left side while the pasta and entrees were in the right side. Tiffie took a bite of one of the dark chocolate balls. The appetizing taste of nuts at the top of it craved for more.

“Hungry already?” Bobby asked her. He looked like a dashing vampire with his black cape, a handsome red vest with detailed white lace jabot which was attached in his white long-sleeve shirt. “I thought that you will stay at home, Tiffie.”

“Just let me enjoy the night, mister.” She pouted her lips and turned her back.

Bobby held her arms. “I couldn’t tolerate that kind of attitude of yours. What if something will happen to you…”

“Let me go.” She tried to brush him off. The more she tried, the more Bobby held her tightly.

“Let the lady go.” Fritz commanded.

Tiffie pushed him away. Then, she draped her arm to Fritz’s. She saw Bobby’s face turned into gloom one upon seeing them entering the dance floor. He did not waste any time to get near her. He invited Pollyie too as he guided her in the dance floor which she happily accepted. Gracefully, Tiffie moved within the rhythm. Pollyie and her exchanged their partners when they both turned counterclockwise.

Tiffie’s eyes met with Bobby’s once again. He held her tight. Their bodies were only centimeters away from each other. Tensions grew deeper when his lips went near her as they swayed to the beautiful rhythm of the Blue Danube. Tiffie glanced at the other dancers whose eyes stuck with them. Suddenly, her legs trembled. One of the heels of her stilettos was broken that made her lost her balance. Her vision turned to blurry that caused her dizziness. Maybe, her fever had come back.  Luckily, Bobby caught her in no time. They stared at each other for a minute.

     Tiffie placed her finger in between his lips. Then, Bobby brushed it away in order to claim her lips. He could smell the sweet and nutty taste of dark chocolate bourbon that she had last time. When she opened her mouth, they shared the sweet and tender taste. It’s sweeter than the chocolates. Tiffie’s heart pounded fast as she felt the kisses growing intensely. The fire went out when Bobby broke the kiss.

A few moments later, Bobby carried her to the vacant table. Tiffie still felt the dizziness from the thrill of kissing Bobby.

“I was swept away by your beauty, Tiffie. Forgive me for my presumptuous attitude.” He drank the champagne and refilled it again. Then, he smiled as he gently rubbed her hands. “Your hands are cold.”

 Tiffie began to tremble because of the cold temperature. Plus, the cold air coming from the dozen of inverter aircons. Bobby scooched his chair and sat close beside each other. Next, he removed his black cape and in order to cover them. He wrapped her with his arms as he radiated her off. Tiffie rested her head against his shoulder as they watched the other dancers in the dance floor.

“I want to go home, Bobby.” She softly whispered. “It’s so chilly in here.”

“That’s why…” He sighed. “Alright, I’ll drive you home.”

“But you need to stay with me there.”

“Of course, I will stay and watch over you.”