08

"Ilang views na?" tanong ni Anais sakin. Nakadapa siya sa massage table habang ako naman ay nagpapalinis ng kuko. Andito kami ngayon sa spa. The charity ball is tomorrow so we're making this day our relaxation and pamper day.

"Yo...100 freaking k views!” sigaw ko sa kaniya. 

Napabalikwas siya ng bangon. Halos matamaan na niya yung masahista. "HOLY SHIT! IS THAT FOR REAL?" she asked, amused.

"Yes, it is! Grabe ahh last month ka lang nag start ng youtube pero trending ka na agad. You should really thank me,” I said while picking out a design for my acrylic nails. 

"Oo na, thank you. Well, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be able to have this much views. Iba talaga pag Chanel Suarez." Umupo na si Anais sa tabi ko at nagpa-manicure na rin. Yung totoo, nag trending lang talaga yung video namin na yun dahil sa gwapong violinist na andun.   

For the past month, I've been busy with the preparations for this ball. Of course, it's my first time doing this so I have to set the bar high. Sa mga nakalipas na charity balls ng House of Suarez, si mommy talaga ang nag-oorganize at ang gaganda ng mga kinalabasan nito. This time, I got sponsors and I decided to put a theme for this event para naman kakaiba. I made the theme "Moonlight in Paris". The moonlight being my mother who is shining brightly up there. 

Sa sobrang pagkabusy ko, hindi na rin kami nagkikita madalas ni Dee pero tuwing gabi naman ay nag-uusap kami. He's always the one who messages first. May mga times pa nga na nagpupuyat na talaga ako para sa kaniya eh pero worth it naman kasi masaya siya kausap. I feel so different whenever I'm with him. He always boosts my confidence and encourages me, supports me in everything I do. I actually like him already, so close to falling in love with him. Although, I'm trying to stop whatever I'm feeling right now because I'm not even sure if he feels the same way. I've never felt such a strong connection with any other person besides him and I don't want any of this to stop. Unlike Lili, I'm afraid to take risks in love. It's because I don't want our friendship to go to waste. But I'm still holding on to that chance because I don't want to end up wondering. This time, I'm choosing to take that risk because I know he's worth it. 

Pagkatapos namin ni Anais sa spa ay pumunta muna kami ng Mary Grace Cafe to grab a quick afternoon merienda. 

Pagkatapos namin ni Anais sa spa ay pumunta muna kami ng Mary Grace Cafe to grab a quick afternoon merienda. 

"I've been really wanting to tell you this. I'm going to start dating again. Date lang muna. No relationship first,” Anais said while sipping her hot chocolate. 

"Well, it's been a while since you last dated. Sana naman matinong lalaki yan ah." I took a bite of the slice of sansrival cake I ordered. Kain nanaman ako ng kain tapos magrereklamo akong tumataba ako. I don't make sense sometimes. 

"Girl, I'm telling you. He's a freaking Asian god. Half-Chinese. Our parents are business partners. Classmates rin kami last year. He's been totally eyeing me ever since pero ngayon ko talaga bibigyan ng chance. Ka tropa niya si Dee and he was in my party rin if you didn't know."

"Haba ng hair mo ate girl ah. Patingin nga niyan." She showed me a photo of the guy she was talking about. It's Zeke, Dee's best friend. 

"Ezekiel August Uy."

"I saw him in Dee's condo last time. Nung nag samgyup tayo."

"Oh, you've met him na pala. Hottie noh?" she giggled.

"Hey, as your best friend, I am warning you. Leave a space, a distance, between the both of you.  Mahirap na baka lokohin ka lang niyan,” I told her. 

"Nanay ba kita? Excuse me! Baka ako yung maging heartbreaker saming dalawa HAHAHA."

"Whatever,” I scoffed and continued eating my cake. 

"Eh, how's the progress between you and Dee ba? Getting there na ba?" she asked teasingly. 

"I don't know. I'm honestly just going with the flow. Bahala na kung ano mangyari. But for the record, I really do like him,” I confessed. Marahan siyang tumili at tinapik-tapik ang braso ko. 

"He likes you too. Trust me. I see the way he looks at you. He never looks at anyone like that. He's like an ultimate heartthrob in campus noon pero he doesn't entertain girls swooning over him. He's always the serious type in relationships.''

"But still, I don't want to assume. I'll just wait and see how it goes."

Umuwi na kami ni Anais pagkatapos kumain. Pagkadating ko sa bahay ay dumiretso muna ako sa piano ko. I'm practicing another piece for me to play sa charity ball which is "My Heart Will Go On". It's one of the best romantic songs I love so I decided to learn it on the piano. I asked Anais to sing this while I play. Buti nalang napapayag ko rin siya. 

Today's the day of the ball. Nagsimba muna ako bago pumunta sa Grand Hyatt Manila kung saan ito gaganapin. Maaga akong nakapagcheck-in dahil titignan ko pa ang venue at kakausapin ko pa ang emcee at coordinator tungkol sa program. Inilagay ko muna ang mga gamit ko sa kwarto saka bumaba sa venue to check on the decorations. 

Kasama ko ngayon si Faye. The color scheme of the venue is light pink, white, and gold to give it a romantic feel. The cocktail area has a red carpet of course. The entrance tunnel is decorated with tons of flowers and fairy lights. Candles are also placed on the sides and the aisle is a glass mirror which gives an illusion effect. Sa mismong ballroom naman ay nagpalagay ako ng additional ceiling decor na mga chandeliers and flowers. All the tables are mirror tables with it's matching white chairs na may stainless gold outline. Napuno rin ng mga centerpieces are mga lamesa which mainly consists of flowers with their vases and gold accents. The venue also includes a lighted dance floor and a huge LED wall. The grand piano on the other hand is set on the stage. 

"Wow! This venue is so beautiful. I am really out of words,” banggit ko kay Faye. Sobrang galing ng nakuhang event stylist ng coordinator ko. I quickly went up on stage and touched the piano. Everything looks so well done. Nakakamangha ang styling na ginawa. 

Agad akong nabalik sa katinuan nang tumunog ang phone ko. 

"What's up?"

["Andito na ako sa lobby. Paakyat na ako ng room."] Anais and I will be sharing a room for us to get dressed later.

"Ok, I'll be there in a while. See you." I ended the call and talked to my coordinator first before going back to the hotel room. 

Pagkarating ko sa room ay nagpapaayos na si Anais. She literally brought her whole glam team with her para ayusan kami. Mga celebrity makeup artists pa ang kinuha niya. Well, what can I say? Anais can be extra most of the time. I grabbed a white robe from the closet and changed into it before sitting on the black high chair beside Anais.

"Nakapag-practice ka na ba?" I asked her. 

"Yes, I did,” she said while reaching out for my hand and holding it. Nakita niya ata akong nanginginig sa kaba. "Don't worry girl. You'll do great. Tita Carol is proud of you,” she said, giving me assurance. I smiled at her. 

"Thank you, Anais." 

Halos mga dalawang oras din kaming inayusan. My hair was made into a half-up half-down hairstyle. Simple lang din ang ginawang make-up sa akin. It's something fresh. Kind of like a dewy look. Brown, pink, and nude tones were used. My lipstick was in a shimmery pinkish nude color. I wore my dangling diamond earrings with its matching diamond necklace. Anais' look on the other hand is a bit bold looking. Her hair was tied up into a curly updo. She had smokey eyes and a dark red glossy lipstick. She used a pair of pearl earrings and a pearl necklace.

Nagbihis na kami pagkatapos. Both our gowns are made by yours truly. Mine is a blush colored gown with an intricately beaded top going all the way on the top half of the bottom part which is made of tulle. It also has puffed tulle flower sleeves. Anais' gown is a fitted silver fully beaded gown with a slit on the right. It is also an off shoulder top with feathered sleeves. 

Of course, there will always be a mandatory photoshoot pag si Anais ang kasama ko. We decided to take photos in the bathtub with a glass of champagne in our hands. Nagpicture rin kami sa hallway sa labas ng room. We stayed inside the room for a while after habang hinhintay ang go signal ng coordinator para makababa na kami sa venue. 

I was about to message Dee na magkita nalang kami sa ballroom nang biglang may kumatok sa pintuan. Faye hurriedly opened the door revealing Dee in his black tux matched with a black bowtie and a white polo inside. His hair was slick back. He was also holding a bouquet of flowers on his right hand and a white gift bag on his left. 

"Dee! How did you know my room number?" I asked while hugging him. 

"Kanino ko pa ba malalaman?" he said while looking at Anais who is eating Piattos while looking at us. 

"By the way, these are for you." He handed me a bouquet of light pink baby's breath flowers in a white wrapper and a black ribbon. These are actually my favorite flowers. They look so aesthetically pretty. Ang bango pa. 

"And here is my mother's congratulatory gift for you." Oo nga pala. He told me a few weeks ago na hindi makakapunta si Tita Sol dahil may exhibit siya sa Singapore ngayon. He gave me the white gift bag he's holding. I opened it and saw a small canvas painting inside. It's a painting of a girl playing the piano in the middle of the river under the brightly lit moon. 

"Oh my gosh! This is so beautiful. I will display this in my office,” I exclaimed. 

"She painted it for you but I mostly told her what to put in the painting."

"Thank you talaga kay Tita! Oh no, wait. I'll just message her personally later or tomorrow about this."

"I knew you'll like it."

"I don't like it. I love it!" 

Narinig kong napaubo si Anais sa sinabi ko. "Andito pa ako ah baka di niyo alam,” she said. "Prom ba punta niyo?" Napatawa kaming dalawa ni Dee. 

"I heard you're dating Zeke?" tanong ni Dee. 

"Yeah, I'm trying to see how it goes. He's a great guy naman." 

A few minutes later, Faye told us she was paged by the coordinator at sinabing pwede na kaming bumaba sa venue. Pagkalabas namin ng hallway ay nag-offer si Anais na picturan kaming dalawa ni Dee. And because Anais is a perfectionist, medyo natagalan kami dahil andami niyang pose na pinapagawa samin para daw maraming pagpipilian. 

Pagkarating namin sa venue, marami nang mga reporters and photographers na andun. Dee offered his arm to me and I gladly wrapped my hands around it. We graced the red carpet together and smiled for photos. The reporters even interviewed us asking if we were dating. Buti nalang to the rescue itong si Faye na tinawag na ako papasok sa loob. 

When the program started, the emcee called me on stage for me to give my welcoming remarks. 

"Good evening everyone. It is my pleasure to welcome all of you to the 2019 Annual Suarez Charity Ball." Nagpalakpakan ang lahat. I saw Dee and Anais from a distance cheering for me. 

"This year, we commemorate my late mother, Caroline Danna Suarez and remember her as a woman of leadership. With this, I will be continuing what she started and instilled in me as I grew up. To help the children's dreams come true. To make them have a nice future through education which is something I was lucky enough to have. I want to break the stigma that education is only for the privileged because the truth is that education is a right all children deserve." I paused for a while. 

"So come with me on this journey to help build the future. The future of the children who will in turn change the world. Thank you." I heard the cheers of the crowd as they stood to clap their hands. Pagbaba ko ng stage ay sinalubong ako ni Dee ng ngiti. 

"You did great, Dani,” he said. 

I mouthed him a 'thank you' and he led me to my seat. We ate dinner after a few other speakers from several sponsors and foundations. When it was time for the entertainment part of the program, Anais and I went up on stage to start the show. 

"Good evening once again. I am here today with my best friend Anais Hera Valdez. I will be playing the piano while she sings. I hope you'll like our performance." The crowd clapped their hands. I held Anais' hands and looked at her. 

"Fighting!" sabay naming sabi. We both went to our positions. I gave her a signal for me to start playing the first note. After which, she started singing.

I don't know if damang dama talaga ni Anais yung kanta or magaling na singer lang talaga siya. Her voice sounded like she's in love. And when the song's climax reached, she hit that high note perfectly. I don't know why she stopped joining singing contests. She deserves to be a singer because she does not just sing a song. She tells a story and gives meaning to it. 

Nagsitayuan ang mga tao. Pati na rin ata ang mga balahibo ko. Gosh. Anais would definitely slay as a singer. Pagkaharap niya sa akin ay napansin kong medyo may luha sa kaniyang mga mata. She immediately hugged me and I felt her tears on my shoulders. At first, I thought it was tears of joy but when I saw Kai from the crowd, I now know the reason why. 

The rest of the party seemed a bit overwhelming for me. Nauna nang bumalik sa hotel room si Anais. I just gave her space for now kasi hindi pa naman niya sa akin nakekwento. I'll wait for her to open up to me first before I interrogate her. Pagkatapos nang buong program ay nagkaroon ng after party but I did not bother to stay so I went outside the sa garden ng hotel to get some fresh air. 

I was seated on the bench while looking at the sky when I felt something on my shoulders. Dee draped his suit on it and sat beside me. 

"What are you thinking?" he asked. 

"Nothing,” I lied. 

"Just give her space. She'll be okay." I pouted and looked at him. Mind reader ata ito eh.

We stayed silent for a while when I decided to talk again. "I miss my mom,” I said while looking at the moon. "I wish she's here right now celebrating my achievements with me."

"What you did today was exceptional. I know that I have no right to speak for her but I think everyone will agree when I say that she's proud of you." Napangiti ako sa sinabi niya. Naisip ko tuloy bigla itsura ni mommy. Siguro todo ngiti siya sa taas habang nakatingin sa akin dito. She's the only person who gives me strength to continue achieving my dreams and I dedicate everything I do to her. 

"The moon's pretty, right?" he asked. 

"Yes, it is."

"But I think that the moon will never be as pretty as when it is surrounded by stars." He looked at me. I stared at his beautiful hazel brown eyes. "And you're one of the stars up there." He held my hand. "Every time I look at you, I always remember the stars because you shine just like them." I felt my cheeks heating up. My heart was also beating so fast. 

"Every time I see you smile, I keep on finding ways on how I could be the reason for that smile." Napatingin ako sa kaniya. "There's just something in you that makes me feel complete. You make me happy,” he paused. 

Parang gustong kumawala ng puso ko sa katawan ko. 

"I like you, Dani."