Love is Clumsy, Love is Blind
Dana was surprised, rose up suddenly from the bed, and looked at the message one more time. He did send her a message. What's happening? she thought. She dropped herself back to bed only to stand up again. There's no way in hell she could fall asleep now.
During this occasion, she missed Jess the most. She used to call her anytime to tell her everything as soon as it happened. But now that Jess is occupied with her studies and research at Stanford, she has no one to call to share this moment.
She walks in a circle in the middle of her living room, biting her nails. An old habit her mother hates. She took a deep breath and decided to play the piano instead.
Running her fingers on the top of the keys, her phone ping for another message received. She's already scared to even look at it, but then what will she do? She still has to check it.
A sigh of relief escaped her lips when she saw it was just a message from Bobby. She opened it to see a message that says, - Goodnight, Princess!
She dropped the phone like it burned her hands, and slammed her head on the piano. Why??... all her brain screams in total confusion.
---
Is it already too late? Is she already asleep? Should I send another message? Does a, how are you message too bland? Those are the questions running in his head staring at his phone right on his face under the cover. His teammates are already sleeping. He can hear Kai Hern and Ling Chee in a snoring feat.
He takes a deep breath and rolls on his stomach and sends another message. He wants to kick himself acting like a novice when it comes to girls. But after sending the new message he hid his phone under his blanket, grunt, and buried his face on his pillow.
"Ugh!... get a grip, Grand! What are you sixteen?" he mumbles to himself.
When his phone vibrates under the jumble of blanket he scrambles to grab it to see the message. Dana's name is on the screen. He never opened a message so fast in his life.
After reading the message he punched the air and said, "Yes!"
That night he fell asleep with a stupid grin on his lips.
---
Dana sat properly in front of the piano, arch her back, pulled her shoulders, and started playing. A soft melody floats in the air. She closed her eyes and let her fingertips do the talking. She is totally engrossed with the piece she's playing when a shrill sound breaks her concentration. She lifted her fingers from the keys, stared at the piano lid, thinking if reading the new message will help her fall asleep or keep her awake.
She is reluctant to pick up her phone, but she's never been good at waiting and ended up checking the message still.
Can we meet for a cup of coffee tomorrow? is what she reads that renders her in total bewilderment. With her fingers shaking, she typed in a reply. The reply that Jess usually gives her when she can't take all her nonsense.
She grins imagining what the receiver will think of it.
9:45 AM
Even when Dana was too hype up last night she surprisingly was still able to sleep like a log. And now the bigger problem awaits her.
With matcha latte in hand, she surveyed the clothes lined up on her bed. Why this meet up she's been dreaming about, happened when she still wasn't able to go shopping! What are these boys thinking?!
She sighs dramatically having given the most difficult decision of choosing what to wear for a first date. Should she go for a skirt, a dress, or jeans? Casual, cute, formal, friendly, indifferent, or …. ugh!!! she thought, walking out of the room and just finished her latte on the balcony.
While sipping her drinks, she checked her phone. No message. Should she send one first? She now regretted replying a 'K' on his message last night. She doesn't know what time they will meet and where. And her pride is stopping her in sending the first message.
She checked the time on her phone, it's ten fifteen. She hasn't eaten breakfast. She doesn't have an appetite, too nervous to even eat. She stretched her legs and closed her eyes inhaling the cool air. The temperature is getting colder nowadays, is the last thought on her mind, as she falls asleep.
---
"Bro, what's with all these staring on the phone thing that has been going on with you?" Kai Hern asked Grand.
Grand is eating his lunch with his phone continuously twirling on his left hand. He keeps on glancing at the time thinking if it's the proper time to send a message or he should wait a bit later so as not to sound too eager for the date.
But then, it is just a coffee date.
He suddenly stood up from the table that surprised the others and all looked up at him with puzzled expressions.
"Sorry, finished your meal," he said to his team that was all looking at him in puzzlement. "We only have half-day practice today according to the boss, I'll leave you with your lunch, I'm heading out first."
He left the cafeteria before they could ask him any more questions. He was in a hurry because he suddenly remembered he hadn't picked up clothes or a place for later.
He checks the time on his wristwatch, twelve forty-one. He quickly dialed her number as he entered his room, while all the guys are still in the mess hall and no one will disturb and listen to his call.
His forehead knotted when the call just kept on ringing until it dropped with the voice prompt advising him to dial again. Which he did, thinking, why she isn't answering her phone. Did she change her mind?
The second call connects after the third ring that surprised him. He heard a small voice at the end of the line mumbling.
"Hello? Did I wake you up?"
Rustling can be heard in the background, and then a much clearer voice, "Grand?"
The husky voice laced with the drowsiness of sleep, calling his name punched his gut that left him sucking for air. Can she be more sexier?.. the thought runs on his heads.
"Sorry, if I woke you up."
"Oh it's okay, I'm awake now."
"Mn. We are still on for later, right?" insecurity leaks on his voice, which he hopes she didn't catch.
"Yeah, what time and where?" she asked casually as if it's not their first time to schedule a meetup or talk for that matter.
"Do you have any coffee shop or any place in mind? Your call."
"You're the one who asked me to meet, I don't have an idea for a place to hang out," she answered bluntly.
He feels his face warm in embarrassment. He mentally kicked himself to get hold of himself.
"The coffee shop from last time, how about it?" as soon as he spoke he hit his head on the wall and cursed himself. What was he thinking asking him to meet in the place where she first saw him with Li Na.
He was about to apologize when Dana agreed and ask him what time she should be there.
"Uhm, I could pick you up."
"No," she quickly said. "I'll meet you there. Four o clock, right?"
"Yeah." …
"See you." then she hung up.
Grand slapped his face in such force that it actually hurts his cheek. "Stupid!" cursing himself.
---
Dana threw her phone in the middle of the living room in annoyance. How dare he?! She thought fuming.
"Oh, so you want to bring me to that same place where you brought that what her name is girl. Is that the only place you know? Or that's your go-to place for your conquest?" she said, talking to herself in the bathroom mirror.
In split seconds in that call, she wants to make an excuse not to go through with the stupid coffee date. But the thought of meeting him excites her more than it irritates her.
She quickly finished her shower and picked the first outfit her hands landed on. She doesn't feel like dolling herself up for him. If she is just one of many, why bother.
She's still sulking when she went out of her apartment all the way to that stupid coffee shop. She won't buy any more blueberry muffins there!
---
Grand seated himself at the far end table of the coffee shop but with the direct view of everyone entering the store. He doesn't want to miss Dana when she enters.
And indeed the table he picked was a good place to easily spot customers coming in. He saw Dana as soon she exited her taxi. She's wearing a black tennis skirt, a white long sleeve blouse with a ruffled collar that has a black satin ribbon. Her beautiful face is framed in her luscious shoulder-length hair that bounces every time she moves her shoulder.