Eight

~Flashback~

Five days after meeting Yuhan, I received a friend request from someone named Kit Gonzales. He was Yuhan's friend. The conversation went like this:

Kit: Kyla?

Me: Yes. Who's this?

Kit: It's Kit. I'm the one who asked my friend for your name last Sunday at the bar, if you remember.

I immediately recalled the incident. And the word 'bet' popped into my mind.

Me: Yup! I remember. I even remember your friend telling you guys that he won the bet. How could I forget that?

Kit: Ah, I'm sorry about that. I hope you're not too angry. I was eyeing you that night at the bar, and they were teasing me because I was too shy to approach you. So, I challenged my friend, Yuhan, to approach you and ask for your Facebook name. I didn't know he would take it so seriously. But we didn't mean any harm. I hope you won't hold it against me.

I raised an eyebrow at the length of his explanation. I told myself that he was just feeling guilty. I still replied to his message because I had nothing else to do. I had just arrived home from work and was resting in my room.

Me: Okay. So, what's up? Why did you message me?

Kit: Oh, nothing. I just wanted to get to know you. And maybe ask you out for dinner, since we never had a chance to talk last week at the bar. If that's okay with you.

I paused, considering his offer. I didn't have any plans for the evening. Instead of wasting the night sleeping, there was no harm in going out with him. Besides, he might be good-looking too. After all, they say birds of a feather flock together. So, there was a high chance he'd be attractive as well. At least, that's what the more mischievous part of my mind suggested.

Me: Yeah, that's fine with me. If you want, we can go tonight. I don't have any plans later, and I'd like to get out of the house.

Kit: Great! I'm free tonight. I'll send you the details later.

Me: Okay.

"7:00 PM. Kit and I were scheduled to meet at a mall in Valenzuela. Moments later, I saw a guy walking towards me. Based on Kit's description of his outfit in our chat, the guy walking in my direction matched it perfectly.

And I was right about him. He was just as attractive as his friend. He was slightly taller than Yuhan, and he made me acutely aware of how petite I was in comparison. His face was very innocent-looking, with slightly slanted eyes framed by thick eyebrows. He had a sharp, defined nose, rosy thin lips, and a prominent jawline. Delicious! Haha.

He was also more muscular than his friend, with bulging chest and arm muscles visible through his blue long-sleeved shirt, which was rolled up at the sleeves. He wore slacks and black shoes, looking like he had just come from the office. And of course, when a man wears slacks, certain things tend to be highlighted.

I tried not to stare at that particular area, afraid he'd catch me and I'd be mortified, but my eyes betrayed me.

I felt my face flush with heat at what I saw. Very promising. Haha. I tried to calm myself as he approached, needing to regain my composure.

He flashed a smile when he reached me. I lost my train of thought again when his dimples appeared.

"Hi! I'm Kit. Have you been waiting long?" he asked as he approached me. "Why are you blushing? Are you feeling warm?" he added immediately.

I knew I wasn't blushing because of the heat. I was standing in front of a Hercules incarnate, and my blush was barely sufficient.

"No, I'm fine," I said, trying to hide the blush. "I'm just a little tired. The taxi dropped me off at the wrong place, so I had to walk a bit." I offered as an excuse.

"Hmmm, okay. Let's go, you must be hungry," Kit said, gesturing for me to follow him.

I just followed him. We stopped in front of a Japanese restaurant.

"Is this okay? It's my favorite place," he said, indicating the restaurant in front of us.

I just nodded in response. We went inside and were escorted to a table. The restaurant was beautiful, and just from the smell, you knew the bill would be in the thousands.

The ambiance was incredibly relaxing, almost like a spa. Ornamental plants added a fresh, calming touch to the space.

"You're very quiet. I hope you're not still angry about what we did to you," Kit suddenly said.

"No, I'm not," I replied quickly. Honestly, I wasn't that angry anymore. It wasn't really his fault; I was the one who had made assumptions, which had bruised my ego.

He just smiled in response. We sat in silence for a few minutes. I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what to talk about since I didn't know him at all. I was used to things being more 'action-oriented' when I went out, with less talking. A bit like a 'pokpok' vibe, sorry, I'm just a bit sex-starved. Haha.

"Am I boring to be with?" Kit suddenly asked.

"No, I'm enjoying myself," I replied.

"So, you enjoy it when I don't talk, when I'm practically invisible, is that it?" he asked, flashing his handsome smile.

"Huh? N-no, I didn't say that," I stammered, flustered. My response had been stupid, and his charming smile wasn't helping my brain function properly.

Kit just laughed, his dimples deepening. Hayyy...

He looked at me, and I looked down, unsure of what to do in that moment.

"You're really cute. And beautiful," he said.

I became even more flustered. I didn't like those kinds of direct compliments. Thankfully, the waiter arrived and took our orders. I let Kit choose what we would eat since I didn't know the restaurant's specialties. I was surprised by how much he ordered.

"That seems like a lot, don't you think? I'm not exactly large. Do I look fat to you? And I'm not starving," I asked, firing off a string of questions.

"Haha! I'm not expecting you to eat it all. I'm also quite hungry. This is my first decent meal of the day," he said, smiling.

"Huh? Don't you have lunch breaks at the office?" I asked.

He just laughed at me. My question was a bit dim-witted. He was wearing office attire, and I was asking if his company had lunch breaks. Even construction workers get lunch breaks, right?! What was happening to me? My brain just stopped working properly.

"I do have lunch breaks. But I was swamped with work earlier. So, this is my first proper meal of the day," he replied.

We started eating when the food arrived, and our conversation flowed more easily. Kit was a pleasant conversationalist, always making sense. Unlike me, who had been rambling nonsense earlier. I was mortified, certain he thought I was an idiot.

I learned that he was 26, single, and worked as a manager at a company in Valenzuela.

"So, you're my older brother?" I said to him.

"Why, do I look old to you?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

I felt like I had been thrown out of the restaurant's window. He did have a baby face. And I was only a few years younger than him. Ouch. His reaction had completely backfired on me.

I saw him grinning, trying to suppress a laugh.

"You're cute when you make that face. Like you're about to... well, you know," Kit teased.

"Whatever!" I replied, feigning annoyance.

"Haha! How old are you, anyway?" he asked.

"20," I replied curtly, waiting for his reaction, but he didn't laugh.

"So, you're still studying?"

"No, I'm working."

"Vocational course in college, something like that?"

"No. I'm an undergraduate."

I almost wanted to say I was a 'slut', just for the heck of it, even though I wasn't.

"Why?" he asked again.

"Wow! It's like a quiz bee, so many questions," we both laughed.

"I just got a little lazy with studying. That's why," I replied seriously.

"Don't you plan to continue?" he asked again.

"I do, but I don't know when. I don't have enough motivation to continue yet," I replied. After that, he didn't ask any more questions.

I looked at Kit again, realizing how incredibly hot he was. Something had to happen tonight.

"So, where do you plan to take me after dinner?" I asked directly, looking at him. I gave him my best 'I want you to sleep with me' look, a technique that had never failed me before. Hopefully, it would work on this demigod. I saw surprise in his eyes.

He chuckled briefly, then gave me a mischievous smile.

'Yes, there's hope,' I thought to myself, continuing to eat.