Chapter 6

February 14, 2014

Valentine's Day

Nikka stared at the ceiling from her bed. She had been dreading this day. Valentine's day was surely a day for couples... and she actually hoped that by now Marcus would truly notice her. But she hadn't seen him since her birthday.

She knew she was being selfish since they really didn't even have a relationship but she felt like he actually forgotten about her. Though he called like two to three times a week, she still missed him. There was not a day that she looked forward to see him holding her favorite mocha latte whenever he picked her up from school. A month was too long...

She sighed as she placed a pillow on her face. Aside from Marcus, she only had Vera and Dominic. She could have planned something with them but she was not in the mood for anything else. All she needed was Marcus.

A knock from the door had her get up from the bed. She opened it, expecting her mom but to her surprise, it was Marcus. He was holding one red rose and a heart-shaped balloon.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he greeted and Nikka couldn't resist not to give him a big hug.

"You came!" she exclaimed.

"Whoa! Hang on! You're going to break my neck."

She let him go as he smiled at her.

"Sorry. I just... missed you that's all."

    "I can see that,"and he chuckled. "Listen, why don't you get dress and let me treat you for lunch."

     She smiled widely.

     'A date with Marcus?! How exciting!' she thought.

    "Are these for me?" she asked, staring at the items in his hands.

    "Yes," and he handed it to her. "Anything for my beautiful girl."

      That endearment always made her heart catapulted  inside her chest.

     She placed the rose on the bed and let the balloon float to the ceiling.

     "So I'll wait for you outside, okay?" he called from the door.

     "Wait! I got something for you, too. Come inside for a bit," he motioned for him as she stepped inside her room and walked towards the closet. He stepped inside, and sat on the bed.

     She opened the closet and a picture of him on the mirror caught his eye. It has a heart around it and he creased his brows. Having a picture of him will not be unusual. What he didn't understand was the heart around it.

     Nikka closed it before he could make sense of what he saw. He cleared his throat as she approached him.  The fitted shirt and jeans hugged her curves and caught his attention suddenly.

How come he never noticed it before?

But he stopped himself before his mind coukd go any further. He took a deep breath as he forced a smile, and calmed his nerves.

    "What's this?" he asked as Nikka handed him a long black box.

    "Open it," she said and sat beside her on the bed. "It was not much but I thought it would be nice to give you something coming from me."

     He opened it and saw a chain link bracelet engraved with his name. He took it out and dangled it between his fingers.

    "Wow! Thank you," he said as she gave him a sweet smile.

    "Do you want me to put it on you?" she asked.

    "Sure," and he gave it to her. She took it, wrapped it around his left arm as Marcus watched her. There was something different about her. Was it her hair? No, that  can't be. She's definitely grown up and his eyes focused on her lips. Her eyes lifted and met his as her hand rested on his arm. She smiled sweetly as he tried hard not to reach out and cupped her face. For the first time, he saw her differently and he hated himself for thinking that way. Then, he cursed himself silently.

       To stop the sudden nervousness he felt, he stood up quickly.

     "Ummm... thank you again. I'll-I'll wait for you outside," and he started towards the door. He didn't understand why he suddenly felt nervous. He needed to move away from her to calm himself. "Dress warmly, okay. It's really cold out there."

    "Oh, okay."

    "Thank you for this, by the way. It was really nice of you."

     "Oh, that's nothing. It's actually been sitting in my closet for two weeks. I'm just glad you were able to wear it finally."

     "So, let's get you ready. I'll be in the kitchen to check what Tita Martha's cooking. We might have to eat here first and just get some desserts later. With what she's cooking right now, I'm sure my stomach will not resist it," and he went out the door.

     She laughed. "Okay. I'll get ready. See you in a bit."

     He smiled and turned his back on her. As soon as she closed the door, he blew a breath on his face. When did he ever feel so uneasy with Nikka? He could feel his heart racing inside of him.

    He went straight to the kitchen as Martha was cooking while her husband,  Anthony, wrapped his arms from behind her. He whispered something in her ear that made her laugh and he kissed her on her cheek. It was a lovely scene and somehow he found himself wishing he could have the same one day.

     Martha turned her head towards him and smiled. Anthony let her go and motioned for him to come.

    "Sorry. We forgot about you," Anthony said. His eyes laughing. "I hope we didn't make you uncomfortable. We rarely show our sweetness to other people."

    "Oh no,Tito! That's okay. Mom and dad always have those moments. I'm used to it."

"So, Marcus, how about you? Have you ever thought of getting married?"

"I did, Tito. But... I don't know..." and he looked away, trying to avoid the question.

"Well, one advice, Marcus. You will know she's the one the moment you found her."

"How?"

"Only you can tell how," and his eyes darted away from him as he gazed at someone behind him. He turned his head and saw Nikka. Marcus blinked once and swallowed hard.

Nikka was wearing a black turtle neck with black tights, red mini-skirt and black thigh high boots. It was not too revealing yet it's enough for Marcus to focus his attention on her once again. His eyes focused on her ruby red lips as he bit his lip hard, trying to stop the sudden rush of blood to his face. Heat rose in his entire body and he clenched his fists to fight it.

"Wow, princess! You looked stunning. Aren't that a bit too much for a lunch date?" her father asked.

She lifted a brow and her eyes widened.

"Dad, it's not a date. It's just lunch."

"Well, if you say so. If I haven't known both of you, I might have thought you're already dating and you're just keeping it a secret."

"Dad!" she cried in embarassment.

"Okay, okay," Anthony chuckled. "I'm kidding."

Marcus cleared his throat. "So, ummm... Tito, we'll be going now."

"I thought we'll be having lunch here first?" Nikka asked, confused.

"Well, change of plans."

"Go, princess! You don't want to make your prince waiting."

Nikka rolled her eys as she approached her father and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Bye, dad!"

"Have fun! Marcus, take care of her, okay. I trust you."

Marcus nodded as Nikka walked towards her mother and gave her a kiss. Her mom moved away slightly as she leaned on her shoulder.

"My baby's grown up," she sighed.

"Mom, I'll always be your baby."

"Yes, of course," and she let her go.

He took her hand and she looked up to him. He swore, she saw her eyes twinkled, and somehow he was delighted to see it. Yet, he knew he shouldn't.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes," and they headed out to his car.