“THANK YOU,” I said sincerely.
I shook my head before I smiled. At that point, I seemed to have little hope for him. Honestly, I have had feelings for Calix since college. Imagine, I even applied to the bar he owned just to be with him every day.
Funny thing, because this is not the course I finished, I chose to apply here even though I have no experience as a waitress.
I do not know when I will stop this illusion, that he will like me one day. Maybe I will just stop when he married another woman. But while he had not yet found that woman, I know I still have a chance.
“Room service!” I knocked again on the closed door.
I looked up my bore eyes at the top of the door where our guest musician’s name was indicated.
“Logistic Band?” I read the paper clearly.
That’s when the door opened, and the tall man confronted me earlier.
For a few seconds, I felt like a rock magnet absorbed my being because of this handsome man in front of me. It just made me realized that he was really handsome.
His expressive eyes and his red lips made my heart jolt. He was wearing a black leather jacket with a piercing on the left side of his eyebrow.
He glanced at his wristwatch then at the ice bucket I was holding.
“Do you usually takes twenty minutes before you serve a bucket of ice here?” He has a deep voice that made my knees trembled.
I need to swallow hard before I realized what he just said. I shook my head and wore my sexy smile.
“I’m so sorry, Sir. There’s just a little problem outside.”
He smirked and folded his arms over his broad chest as he stood in front of me and leaned against the door frame.
“And the management allowing their employees to use their phone during work hours?” He smirked again.
I averted my gaze because of what he just said. I didn’t say anything because he’s right. How can I defend myself if he caught me already?
“Hi, Miss!” the man’s face who asked me for an ice bucket earlier greeted me.
I walked over to the man who has a big smile on his face.
“Dude, you are scaring the waitress.” He even tapped the shoulder of the man who scolded me.
“Come in.” I was surprised when he pulled one of my hands to get inside the room.
And the room fell into silence as they saw me with a man holding my hand.
“Hi, Miss,” a man holding a glass of wine waved at me.
“Guys, this is . . .” The man next to me bowed to me, waiting for me to speak.
“Cherry,” I answered weakly.
“Cherry!”
“I’m Zach,” said the man who greeted me earlier.
“Sky, at your service,” he introduced himself and saluted me.
“And I’m Jeff.” He turned to me and held out his hand to me as I reached for him. I was wondering why they introduced themselves to a waitress.
“And this man behind you is Rexon.” Then he just smiled widely at me.
I simply nodded, uninterested, and turned to face the tall guy emerging from the dressing room.
“And here is our manager, Dawzon Del’Torre.” He glanced at me and nodded slightly.
“You will be on air in minutes,” he said to the boys.
“Tsk. I haven’t had taste the alcohol in my throat yet,” Zach muttered.
“Ah, I’m sorry, Sir,” I immediately said.
“It’s okay, Cherry.” I felt Jeff’s palm on my shoulder.
I immediately put the ice bucket on the table, which was slightly soluble. I bow in shame because of my misfortune tonight.
“Anything you want, Sir? Another bucket of ice or anything?” I asked them as I saw their disappointment gleam on their faces because of the delay.
“Sure,” Zach answered immediately.
“No, we’re fine. You may leave now, Miss,” Rexon said. He took the bottle of beer and pour it into a glass. He used some leftover ice in his glass and sipped on it quietly.
I bow my head down and leave the room silently. But Jeff followed me outside.
“Are you here every night?” he asked.
“Yes, Sir,” I answered politely.
“Just call me Jeff,” he replied, and I nodded to him.
“I’m sorry about Rex,” he added.
“It’s okay, Sir.” I smiled at him sweetly. He seemed very friendly, unlike the man named Rexon. I frowned as I remembered his cold face.
“Thank you again. Would you like to watch our performance later?” he asked softly.
“Yes, sure!” I pressed my lips and nodded.
I went back to the counter with so much disappointment because of the trouble I made. I frowned as I sat in an empty chair and watched the people seem to be making a fuss and shouting.
I glanced at Calix, who was leaning on the table with a lighted cigarette in his right hand.
“Hey! Are you going to fantasize about Sir Calix again?” Jacky leaned over me while holding the tray.
“Ha? No!” I shook my head.
“What’s new?” She placed the empty tray on the table and looked down at me.
“Nothing,” I answered weakly.
“I heard you broke a glass again. How many more will you break this week?” She giggled.
Honestly, every time I serve, there was always a broken glass, and I was always the one to blame by the customers even though sometimes they were really the ones to blame.
“Not funny,” I still forced to answer.
“It’s really not funny once you receive your paycheck.” She grinned again.
I just sighed at what she said. I sat down at the chair and looked at Jeff’s group went up the stage.
“Oh my God!” Jacky screamed.
I was surprised when people shouted, and even Jacky next to me pulled my T-shirt to stand up immediately.
“Rex! Rex!” the crowd and Jacky shouted.
“Tss.” I stared at them and stood up because I was already covered by the people who rushed in front of the stage.
“Go, Logistic! Go, Logistic! I love you, Rexon!” the crowd chanted.
“They’re really handsome,” Jacky said as her cheeks seemed to be reddened by the tremor.
Rexon was already testing the mic, then my eyebrows arched at them.
“Where is the handsome there?” They were just dazzled by the light.
“Gosh, are you blind?! Or maybe because the only handsome in your eyes is Sir Calix!” she exclaimed, and I just ignored her remarks.
“I mean, they didn’t even catch my attention.” I folded my arms annoyingly.
“How could you say that?! They are the sensational band in history today! They are great, and have a look!”
I laughed and twitched my brows.
“I met them earlier at room five where I served,” I said without hesitation.
“Oh, shit! Really?! If I only knew, I would have served them!” she grumbled with regrets.
I just smiled then shook my head.
“Hello? Mic test.” I quickly glanced at the stage when I heard Rexon’s voice.
The crowd immediately shouted.
“Good evening, everyone! Are you having fun?!” he shouted loudly.
“Yes!” Jacky also shouted with the crowd.
I, on the other hand, seemed to be stunned by the softness of his voice. He bent down to adjust the guitar to his shoulder and slightly tapped the string.
“Are you ready, guys?!” He even raised one hand in the air then smiled at the crowd.
I swallowed hard when he smiled, especially when he bit his lower lip slightly after kissing the mic.
I quickly took a deep breath and held my chest, then I turned to Calix, who was also busy watching them. I turned to Rexon again, who now backed away while pulling the mic stand.
“Would you dance, if I ask you to dance? Would you run and never look back? Would you cry, if you saw me crying? Would save my soul tonight?”
My heart sank down to my feet when his eyes hit mine. I swallowed hard ’cause he stared at me as if I was the only girl here.
I also did not think that his voice was so cold. As well as his singing gestures, especially how he held the mic.
He literally took me somewhere I could ever imagine. He started to smile a bit while he was singing. I sighed at the strength of my heartbeat because of the effect of what he did. The butterflies on my stomach were getting wild. It seemed like I didn’t want to break that look, but I was disappointed when he closed his eyes and hit the chorus. I was eager to see his dark orbs again, but his gaze turned to the other side and focused on the crowd.
“Cherry, at table eight!” Calix called to me.
“Hah, yes.”
Calix stared into my eyes before he handed me the glass of cape cod vodka.
I walked slowly because Rexon’s voice still swayed me, and my heart relaxes and tamed.
“Miss, here!” I felt someone held my arm, so I turned around to stop.
I immediately placed their order on their table and tried to leave, but he grabbed my arm again.
“Miss, can you stay for a while?” he added. I was pulled by force, which made me sit on his lap.
“WHAT THE HECK?!” I shouted loudly, trying to stand up, but he quickly grabbed my waist. “How much do you want just to be with me for tonight?” he whispered to me that pierced my ear. “You’re rude, man!” I said out loud and slapped his face hard. I did not care when the music stopped, and the room fell quiet because of what I did. I stood up and walked away from him. “How could you do that, bitch?!” The man raised his hand and tried to hurt me when someone suddenly intervened between the two of us. My lips parted when I recognized who the man was. “Take off your dirty finger on her or else, I will gonna punch you to death,” he said in a low rumble voice. “Rexon?” I said as my lips trembled. *** “Cherry Mae!!!” The loud voice of Jacky made my heart flinched. “Cherry!” She knocked on the door repeatedly. “Oh, Jacky?!” I opened the door with furrowed brows. “Cherry, look at this carefully!” She hand
“DAD, take your medicine after we eat,” I said while chewing the food in my mouth. “Don’t worry, I always take my medications on time.” I nodded and then continued eating. “How is your work?” He started a conversation quietly. “It’s fine, Dad. We have a lot of customers this weekend. It’s as close as vacation,” I said between bites. “Well, that’s good. Just be careful because there are a lot of men in the bar,” he warned. I swallowed in no time at what he said, so I immediately drank water. Fortunately, he did not ask again, so I finished the meal. “Be careful going home!” I waved as I went down to the resto-bar to enter. He just nodded at me then sailed away. When I turned around, the fancy flashes of cameras welcomed me. I did not expect their series of questions. “Miss, is it true that your rumored boyfriend is the vocalist of the Logistic Band?” the reporters asked. I was shocked by the number of the
THERE were a lot of people when I entered inside the resto-bar, while Rexon went through the backdoor. It was dark inside, with just the light from the disco ball illuminating the space. I chose to sit on the solo chair at the corner of the bar. Because it was dark, I was comfortable no reporter would approach me. “What’s your order, Ma’am?” The waiter approached me immediately. “Ah, just lemon juice,” I said. He immediately complied, so I smiled. I waited a few more minutes to hear some shouting and applause from the audience. “Good evening.” He spoke in a low tone. The audience was not wild, so there was no reason for me to be nervous. Again, my focus was on him. The way he stood up and combed his hair. His masculine body, not-so-dark eyes, and prominent jaw. His groovy moves and an alluring smile that attracts many people made my heart skipped a beat. He hasn’t sung yet, but I feel like I’m getting drunk. But one thing is for sure,
“DROP ME OFF on the corner,” I pointed to him, who immediately braked.I opened the door, but it was locked. So I turned my frown face to him and shot him a glare.“Open the door,” I said emphatically.But he just kept holding on to the steering wheel.“Can you please open the door so I can get down?”I heard him sigh. I was swallowed up ’cause I was the one who kept my gaze away from him.“They followed us,” he said, glancing in the rearview mirror, so I quickly turned around.“Damn! What’s wrong with them?” I seem to have run out of patience.“They want the truth,” he said. And the car started again.“Wait. Where are you taking me?” Out of shock, I grabbed his arm.He glanced down at my hand, and then he smirked.“Oh, I’m sorry,” I quelled.“We’re going to my pad. There&rsqu
I WENT OUT of the bathroom and found him sitting on the sofa with his eyes closed. I hesitated a few times before I sneezed as he opened his eyes.“Want some autograph on that?” He began to let out a foreign smile.“No, thanks,” I said sarcastically.“It’s up to you,” he said, then shrugged at me before standing up.“You can sleep in the other room. I’ll just take you home tomorrow.”“No, I’m going home now. It looks like our followers are gone,” I replied.He stared into my eyes for a moment before finally smiling.“Do you think I will do anything bad to you?” His lips curved a bit. He stepped closer to me.“I’ve never said that,” I said, high on my forehead, but deep inside, my muscles were shaking with nervousness.“Hmm . . . But that’s not what your eyes say.” He took another step. He’s
“DO you need anything?” He raised an eyebrow and now leaned back in his swivel chair.“Ah, it’s about the issue—” I was about to say something when his jaw tightened on me. “I would like to apologize . . .” I wrapped my two palms in front of me with intense nervousness. Add to that the quiet surroundings and the fierce beating of my heart.“Issue about what?” His back rose from the chair.“The issue about us.”I swallowed when he suddenly burst out laughing in front of me.My lips twitched because of his perfect look while doing that.“Are you serious?” He can’t stop laughing while saying that.I nodded. He suddenly became serious when he noticed I was not moving.“Okay!” He nodded at me and drank the juice I was carrying. “I thought you weren’t thinking about that. Gossipers make up stories about the personal lives
WE ENTERED the elevator, and because it was crowded, I could not help but cling to Calix. I frowned as I looked up at the light above as if it was a tortoise, too slow when moving a number. Calix almost hugged me because the people next to me were all men. I do not know if I will breathe or shut up due to extreme nervousness. I also heard his heavy exhalation as he bent over me. When the elevator finally opened, I was able to breathe correctly. We went straight to the office, and we were immediately welcomed. Dawzon and the attorney stood up when they saw us. “Good morning, Mr. Fuentes and?” He looked at me. “Cherry, Cherry Mae Banaag,” I introduced myself as Dawzon reached out to me. “Oh, I forgot. I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s okay, Mr. Del’Torre.” Calixto, who was looking at our hand, caught our attention. So I withdrew my hand and smiled slightly. “Good morning!” Calixto’s attorney also greeted us. “Please sit
“THERE SHE IS. Please come over here, Miss Cherry.” He motioned for me to come over. They waited for me to approach Rexon, who was now smiling while waiting for me. I want to slap him hard on his face because of what he did. This was not what I thought he would say to everyone because this was not included in our conversation earlier. I took a deep breath first and glanced at the press waiting for me. Until I glanced at the frowned forehead of Calixto and Dawzon, who were in a corner. I took another deep breath before smiling broadly as I approached Rex and the band. He’s smiling at me, who obviously enjoyed playing with me. If you think you can manipulate everything like that, you are wrong, Rexon Del’Torre,I whispered to myself as I got closer to him. “Hi!” he greeted. He quickly pulled my hand closer to him and addressed the press who was there before me. He even slightly smiled at the media, who went ahead to