Chapter 8: My Boyfriend

-=Yesha's Point of View=-

I left Xavier's office feeling victorious; I hope what I did put him in his proper place, but I have my doubts.

G5 is not far from my office, so I decided to walk there.

There were a lot of people on their lunch break as well, but I was still hoping we could find a place to eat because I only have an hour of lunch break.

When I checked my phone, I noticed a text message from Dustin. He was already waiting in G5 in front of the National Bookstore, according to the message he sent.

I spotted him right away when I arrived at the meeting location he had specified in his text message.

In all fairness to Dustin, he stood out from the crowd, and I was about to approach him when I noticed him talking to a cute Chinese-looking guy.

"Excuse me, but..." The Chinese-looking guy rudely interrupted me without glancing my way, making me frown.

"Get lost, miss whomever you are, can't you see we're busy?" He said, irritably, finally looking at me, and I could see the astonishment on his face as he saw my face.

His mouth is agape as he stares at me, and I swear I can see him drool. I'm not trying to brag, but a lot of people have mentioned that I could be a celebrity because of my looks, which I usually disregard.

"Uhmm... Hi, my name is Rui; what is yours?" He asked with a smile as if he hadn't just hissed at me a few minutes ago.

"Actually, I'm the sister of the guy you were flirting with," I responded, pulling Dustin away from this rude Chinito-looking guy, and I could see the disappointment in his eyes as he looked at both of us.

"Goodbye, Rui! I'll text you later!" Dustin said this while waving to Rui.

"Dustin, you've only been here since this morning, and yet you can't stop yourself from flirting with a stranger. I mean, it's different here than it is in the United States," I felt like I was already acting as a big sister as I said that.

"Uhmm, I'm actually from the United Kingdom, not the United States, and besides, I've been a good boy since I only received two numbers from those lovely girls I met earlier, plus another one from Rui," he bragged.

When I heard his answer, I had an inner facepalm. I didn't know what to say in response, but I couldn't blame the people around him because he's so damn attractive.

A lot of people were staring at us, which made me wonder if they were thinking if we were on a date or what.

"So, where would you like to eat?" I inquired.

"Hmmm... I'd like to have Filipino food," he replied after a few moments of contemplation.

"Ok, I know a place that serves authentic Filipino food," I said.

The restaurant I was referring to is on the mall's second floor, and after finding a table, we summoned the waiter to place our order.

To satisfy his hunger for Filipino food, I ordered the usual: pork adobo, fried pork spring rolls, pinakbet, and halo-halo for dessert.

After taking our order, the waiter left to convey it to the kitchen, informing us that our food will be ready in fifteen minutes.

While we waited for our food, I decided to have a look around, but I was startled to see a familiar face approaching the restaurant's entrance.

"Dustin, hurry up! Put your arm around my shoulder!" I immediately ordered Dustin.

I could tell he was perplexed, but it was a good thing he did what I told him to do.

"Hello there, Mr. Fajardo. Are you also here for lunch?" I inquired, trying to look sweet with Dustin.

"Yes, I'm here for my lunch break; I didn't expect to see you," he explained.

I observed how he stared at Dustin, particularly at Dustin's hand on my shoulder.

"Where are my manners, by the way, Mr. Fajardo, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Dustin. Dustin meet my boss, Mr. Fajardo," I said introducing them to each other.

Xavier's expression darkened upon hearing how I introduced Dustin to him, while Dustin felt uneasy and is most certainly puzzled as to why I introduced him as my boyfriend.

"Do you mind if I join you?" He asked, his gaze fixed on me.

"Yes." 

"No"

Dustin and I almost answered at the same time, and when I looked at him, he had a wicked smile on his face, as if he had finally figured out what was going on.

"Don't mind her, Mr. Fajardo, you're welcome to join us for lunch, by the way, like my girlfriend said, my name is Dustin, Dustin Wills," he said, holding his hand in the air as if waiting for a handshake.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Dustin. You can call me Xavier." Xavier accepted Dustin's handshake.

As soon as the waiter arrived, Xavier ordered a large number of items from the menu, enough for at least 10 people.

Our order was finally served after twenty minutes. I tried to concentrate on my food while ignoring Xavier's piercing look.

"How long have you been together?" He unexpectedly questioned while we were eating.

I cleared my throat first, then looked at Dustin as if to say, "Let me do the talking."

"I've known him for about a year, but we only started dating six months ago," I explained, squeezing Dustin's hand.

"I see, but isn't he too young to be your boyfriend? I assume he's only seventeen, or perhaps eighteen?" He inquired while waiting for confirmation.

"Please allow me to correct you, Xavier. I'm only sixteen, but I honestly don't mind our age gap as long as we love each other. They say that everything is fair in love and battle," Dustin emphasized.

After hearing his response, I relaxed inwardly; it was a good thing he knew what to say, but I can still sense the tension at our table.

"I see... so, is he the one who bro..." 

"That's enough, Mr. Fajardo! It was all in the past now," I suddenly said, stopping him from talking.

How could I forget that he was aware of my breakup; wasn't that the reason I got drunk when we met in the bar?

He only shrugged his shoulders, but I could tell from his eyes that this matter is far from over.

Our lunch continued, and after finishing my food, I excused myself to freshen up.

When I entered the restroom, there was no one else around, and thus I was free to conduct my business. However, I was taken aback when I noticed that I was not alone upon exiting the cubicle.

"What do you think you're doing here? This is the ladies' room!" I shrieked.

He didn't say anything when he lock the door.

"What exactly are you doing? Don't dare to do anything or else I'll scream," panicking, I warned him.

When I observed him coming toward me, I subtly took a step back. He continued to walk slowly towards me, much like a predator does to its prey.

I continued to back away till I felt a cold wall in my back, and I could already feel the sweat on the back of my neck when I saw the determination in his eyes.

I instantly closed my eyes as I noticed his face approaching mine, and I was preparing him to kiss me when I heard his voice near my left ear.

"Break up with him and be with me instead," he whispered while softly biting my earlobe. "I'm very certain I'm a better lover than he is."

With that little contact, I felt my desire run wild, and before my body betrayed me, I swiftly opened my eyes and distanced myself from him.

"I can't believe you're insinuating such a thing, Mr. Fajardo; I may have made a mistake sleeping with you, but that doesn't make me an easy woman," I retorted.

I hastily unlocked the door and dashed back to our seat before he could make another move on me.

Being alone with Xavier screams danger, therefore I had to stay away from him at all costs!

Dustin was still eating his dessert when I returned to our table.

"We should go right now!" Then I asked the waiter to get our bill and was about to take out my wallet when I felt a strong hand grasp my hand.

"Let me," Xavier said looking at me intently.

I didn't protest and let him pay our tab, and after thanking him, I dragged Dustin out of the restaurant.

"Think about my offer, Yesha; I promise you won't be disappointed!" Xavier yelled.

I ignored him and continued on my way with Dustin. We only came to a halt when I felt it was safe to do so.

"What was that all about?" Dustin inquired.

"Nothing," I responded, "just ignore him."

I returned to the office, while Dustin chose to watch movies as he waited for my shift to end.

I tried to concentrate on my work, but I couldn't help but feel Xavier's stare from his office.

I had the impression that time was going extremely slowly; the good news was that Xavier was unobtrusive since he works in silence in his office.

"Finally!" At 5 p.m., I felt as if the weight on my chest had been lifted.

Immediately after waving goodbye to my coworkers, I snatched my bag and ran out the door.

"Goodbye, Xavier!" As I walked to the elevator, I could still hear my colleagues saying their goodbyes to Xavier.

I sighed in relief when I finally got inside the lift heading to the parking lot; I wasn't sure I could stand being in the same room as Xavier any longer.

It crossed my mind to resign, but I genuinely enjoy my job and couldn't leave my comrades, who have become my friends.

I texted Dustin to meet me in the parking lot before I left the office, and when I checked my phone again, I got a text message from Dustin saying he was already waiting in the parking lot.

In the parking lot, I spotted Dustin right away, but I didn't expect to also run into Angie.

"Hello there, Yesha! Is he your boyfriend? He's rather attractive "Angie said while trying to be adorable in front of my half-brother.

"No way! He is, in fact, my half-brother. This is Dustin, my half-brother, and this is Angie, my coworker."

I realized Angie wasn't paying attention and was instead staring at something behind my back, so I turned around to check what she was staring at and the horror I felt when I saw who it was.

"Hey, Xavier! Are you going back home?" Angie asked a smile on her face, fully ignorant of the trouble she had caused me.

"Actually, I was about to leave when I noticed you guys. Oh, and aren't you going to introduce me to your half-brother, Yesha?" He queried, emphasizing the word half-brother and grinning gleefully.

"Mis...ter Fajardo, Sir, this is my half-brother, Dustin," I eventually confessed, and when I saw the look in his eyes, I was terrified.

"We'd better get going," I frantically reply as I dragged Dustin to my bike, and we left, but not before I heard Xavier's remark.

"It's a pleasure to meet your brother, Yesha!" he stated with sarcasm in his voice, emphasizing the word brother, and for some reason, I felt it was a curse word.

I could feel Xavier's gaze on me even without looking back, and I knew my life in the office is about to become more turbulent.