Throwing Rules to the Wind, page 17
“Okay, okay. I’m on my way. Please keep him there.” She took a deep breath. “I’m going to talk to the manager.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Matt took a sip from his beer. Royce tapped his hand on his knee.
Why does he keep staring at the sliding door? Is his girl coming?
Royce had invited him out for dinner, which he had never done before on a Monday night. Matt did not want to go home just yet that evening, so he had accepted. They had already ordered dinner, Aria’s best sellers—barbecued ribs and fried rice. Matt rubbed at his belly and glanced outside the glass wall of the private section in the restaurant. On the other side, the main hall was filling up as a band prepared onstage.
Suddenly the sound system in the smaller room buzzed to life, blasting a rock ballad. Behind Matt, the door slid open. Royce’s face lit up.
“Excuse me, man.” Royce stood up and patted Matt on the shoulder. “I think I should step out for a while.”
♬♬ I was lost, but you came to me.♬♬
Matt choked on his beer.
What the fu—
But it was her, whispering, singing, trembling. Zara stood by the door, clad in a black crochet halter minidress and wearing the tallest pair of heels he had ever seen her wear.
♦ ♦ ♦
♬♬ Trapped in the shadows of doubt.
I was shipwrecked, but you saved me.
Now I’m on the shores of utopia.♬♬
I sound horrible!
Keep singing, keep singing!
Matt studied her.
“I’m horrible. But I’m saying sorry to my man.” Zara reddened.
♬♬ There’s a light that shines about you.
It drives the darkness in me away.
The waves calm when I am with you.
Keep me in your arms.
Don’t let me go.♬♬
After another unambiguous tremble in Zara’s voice, Matt made his way to her.
“Zara . . . ,” he breathed. He reached for her hair but then pulled his hand back.
“Please hold me.”
His eyes bored into hers. “What’re you apologizing for?”
She breathed unsteadily.
He’s talking to me. At least.
“I’m sorry I talked to Don.”
He shook his head. His gaze fell to the floor.
She sucked in a breath. “I’m sorry I didn’t trust you.”
What does he want to hear?
“I’m sorry I . . . I know he’s someone you look up to professionally.”
“You hurt me—” His hands rose to his hips.
Her chest heaved, and her eyes watered.
Oh my god, I’m not doing this right.
Her lower lip quivered, and she bit it. “I’m sorry! I’m insecure, and I didn’t trust you. I-I wanted to do something special for you after you introduced me to your family. Gave me a key to your place.” She covered her face as tears fell.
This is it. He’s going to end things. I should leave before I fall apart.
She stammered, “I’m sorry for the things I said. I tried to fix myself. I went to talk to my exes.”
He did a double take. “You did what?”
“Then somehow I went to my dad’s and fell apart while talking to him.” Her words came out in a flurry. “Because Dad has a son with another woman. She abandoned the boy.”
When a glower etched on his face, her hands fell to her sides.
My family is dysfunctional, while his parents . . . they’re perfect.
The image of Matt talking pleasantries with his family after his sister’s recital flashed through her mind. In an instant, tearing through her thoughts was the memory of her recent visit at her father’s clinic.
Us together would just ruin all that blessed togetherness . . .
Oh god. After flying here and doing the song, I have to give him up anyway. Shit!
“Never mind.” Her shoulders slumped, and she stared at the ground. A whisper, “Can you just forget about tonight?”
Matt’s face fell. “Zara—”
This is it? I’ve come so far—
Shut up. This is for the best. For his best.
She continued, “You don’t have to listen to me.” Her face crumpled. “You deserve a normal girl.”
Before he could say anything, she ran out of the room, then out of the bar. Across the road she went. Around the corner of a building, she scooted off, the cold wind lapping against her tearstained cheeks. He might go after her to console her, make the break gentle, but she did not want any of it. She wanted the break to be devastating, like a knife tearing through flesh, so that she would never ever hope, never ever allow herself to fall in love again.
She hailed a cab. It dropped her at her hostel, which Royce had said was the nearest to the bar.
Matt stopped calling her phone after a few times. Nobody was groveling tonight. Even though she had planned to do that at first. She wanted to bury her face in a pillow and soak the sheets until her eyes burned.
This is it. I’m never going to see him again.
Maybe I should hibernate here for a week. Maybe drown in alcohol.
She trudged up the stairs and entered the tiny cramped room. To stay the night there was not what she had planned. Being with Matt, in his apartment, that had been her hope. After reconciling, they would have picked up her things and laughed at how measly the room was.
The evening was looking very dire indeed.
Laine: Zara, are you still out?
Zara: I’m in Cebu.
Laine: Are you for real? When did you go?
Laine: Did you and Matt make up already?
Zara: No. I’m flying back tomorrow.
Laine: What happened?
Laine: Zara?
♦ ♦ ♦
Zara shifted the sling of the duffel bag on her shoulder as she entered the airport.
“Mabuhay![54] Maayong pag-abot.”[55]
I hate Cebu. I hate this shitty, shitty city.
Her feet weighed like lead, her hands hid in her jean pockets, and her eyes were bloodshot. She put on her sunglasses, took out a tissue, and blew her nose.
Maybe I could call in sick this whole week. Apparently I have the flu.
She trudged past a restaurant.
No appetite.
She passed by a Cebu delicacy shop, stocked with dried mangoes, otap,[56] and chicharon.[57]
No, no.
She dragged her feet past a souvenir shop.
Effing tourist traps.
Her eyes fell to the floor yet again.
God, why are there so many people here? It’s too early in the morning.
“Zara!”
Her head snapped up, her eyes wide.
Matt ran up to her, his hair disheveled. Zara’s pulse started to race when she noticed that he was still in his clothes from last night.
“You haven’t gone home?” she breathed.
“Are you okay?” he asked instead. He reached out to remove her sunglasses, but she brushed his hand away.
“Laine told me you were flying out today,” he said.
Zara looked away.
Oh god, pity talk.
“I was right behind you when you stepped into the cab last night. I didn’t know where you were staying.” He tousled his hair and placed his hands on his hips. “Nobody’s ever sung like that for me before.”
“Ha-ha. Okay, let’s laugh it off. Now, can I go?”
“It almost drove me crazy that I couldn’t talk to you. I called the girls, and Laine found your flight details from your dresser calendar.” Matt lifted her chin. “Did you mean every word?”
Her heart stopped beating. When he laid a finger on her sunglasses, this time, she let him take them off.
She nodded firmly, meeting his eyes. “Yes.”
“Can you please forget about everything else—the past, fears—and just focus on the here and now? On us?”
She bobbed her head. “I want to if . . . if—”
“No ifs. I’m not just any man. I’m the Matt who loves you. And I won’t want any other girl.”
Her eyes watered.
“Why’d you run away? I wanted so much to hold you last night.”
“Me too,” she croaked. “I have issues I’m still dealing with. I wanted to spare you this.”
“Zara, you have somehow possessed me as it is.” He shook his head in disagreement. “These past days without you . . . An emptiness was growing inside me. It’s been weighing me down, so much so that when I think of you, I find it difficult to breathe. Then seeing you last night, hearing you declare your feelings for me, something I’ve seen you struggle to control—that meant the world to me.”
All at once, she allowed hope to creep into her heart. “I have to take care of some things with myself, my family—”
“I can be right there beside you.” He slid a hand around the side of her neck.
She nodded vehemently, covering his hand with hers. She bit her lip as she fought back tears.
“Will you let me take care of you? Can you trust me?” He let his palm skim to the nape of her neck. “I’m simple, Zara. When I tell you something, I mean it.”
“Yes,” she breathed.
“Do you think you can move your flight to tomorrow?”
Before a tear fell, she slipped her hands around his waist and buried her face in his chest. He turned her face up to him and chuckled.
“We both look like crap.”
She merely shook her head and stuck her nose into his shirt again. “God, I miss this smell,” she muttered.
“I haven’t gone home since last night. I came here directly from the bar.” He pulled away, but she drew him back. “I must reek of smoke and beer.”
“I don’t care,” she croaked. “I missed you so much.”
“What have you been up to?” He shook his head. “You rambled on last night about meeting your exes? And another brother? Did I catch those right?”
She nodded. “T-there are things I have yet to tell you.”
“I’m game for anything with you.” He laid a cheek on her hair. “Come home with me.”
I love Cebu, I love Cebu!
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Meeting the Castillos
“If you want to leave, I’ll gladly go with you,” Zara whispered to Matt.
“I’m staying.” Matt gave her a kiss on the forehead.
They had arrived a moment ago at the reception lobby of Selena, a Spanish restaurant and bar on the mezzanine floor of the Peninsula, to meet with Zara’s family. The hall twinkled through its chandeliers; the tables were covered with immaculate light pink linens and topped with shiny china and cutlery. Matt and Zara blended well into the setting—Zara in a peach sundress, Matt in a white banded collar shirt and chinos.
“I haven’t talked to Dad yet. And Mom, well, she seems to have accepted what I did.” Zara wrung her hands together. “Kind of, I don’t know, sweeping it under the rug, I suppose.”
“Babe, it’ll be fine.”
The maître d’ escorted them into the restaurant. As they strolled in, Zara’s and her father’s gazes met. He seemed to hesitate before waving at them. As Zara and Matt approached them, Philip leaned back on his chair and ran his fingers down the sides of his mouth. Zara bit her lip when she saw Corinne looking like she was joining a firing squad, gusto gleaming in her eyes. Dexter sat across their parents, appearing pensive. When his eyes landed on Zara and Matt, the corners of his lips lifted.
Zara gripped Matt’s hand even tighter, stopping them in their tracks. She whispered, “Remember, if at any time you want to leave, just say the word, and I’m out of here with you.”
“Don’t worry.” Matt chuckled. “The worst thing that could happen is that I’ll fart while we’re having dinner.”
“I love you,” she whispered fervently.
“I love you too.” He covered her hands with his. “Trust me, this’ll be fine. My mother’s friends like me.”
“Okay, okay. Just don’t leave me, because my family is a little bit dysfunctional?”
“Never.”
♦ ♦ ♦
“Matt, is there anything you would recommend on the menu?” Corinne asked.
Matt stared at the long menu encased in a black leather folder.
Zara gritted her teeth. “Mom, he hasn’t been to this restaurant before.”
But Matt answered, “Tita, I suggest the pulpo[58] for starters. The locals in Barcelona also typically have pan con tomate con jamon[59] for appetizer. Are those fine with you, Tita?”
Zara blinked a few times as she perused the menu in her hand.
Octopus?
“You’ve been to Spain?” Corinne asked.
“Yes, one spring some years back. I accompanied my mother in an arts and music tour.”
Corinne nodded. “I’ve never been there. I’ve only ever gone to France and Italy. Philip has been there, of course, for a doctor’s convention.”
Philip merely grunted.
“Did you go around the country or just Barcelona?” Corinne continued.
“We stayed in Barcelona but went out of town to Girona and Figueres,” Matt answered. “The city is laid-back. Food is expensive but really good.” He flipped over a few pages on his menu. “For mains, may I suggest the cochinillo[60] or the filete de ternera?[61] The suckling pig should be fine, but we Filipinos have the lechon,[62] which, to me”—he shrugged—“is far tastier.”
“Yes, I do agree about the lechon.” Corinne took a deep breath and leaned forward in her seat. “And what about wine?”
Matt closed the booklet. “For pairing, one can never go wrong with wine from Ribera del Duero,” he commended.
Corinne studied Matt. “What do you know about this Ribera del Duero?”
Matt glanced at Zara and Dexter, who were both staring, before clearing his throat. “It’s a region near Barcelona, Tita, that’s quite well-known for producing red wine. We visited one of the vineyards.” He raised an eyebrow at Zara, whose mouth had slightly opened. He whispered, “Babe, should those be fine?”
Zara nodded. “Yes . . . yes, those are fine.”
“Honestly, I prefer beer though.” Matt chuckled.
Philip grunted yet again, “I second that.”
Corinne shook her head before turning her attention to her daughter. “So, Matt, have you met Zara’s friends?”
“You mean Laine and the girls?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, I have.”
“And?”
Zara scowled. “What do you mean ‘and’?”
“How’re you all getting along?” Corinne asked Matt.
Philip cleared his throat. Matt grinned at Zara.
“They love him,” Zara answered. “Why?”
Philip caught the waiter’s attention so they could order.
“Oh, merely asking.” Corinne shrugged. “You girls spend so much time together. It’s so difficult to get any of your time.”
Zara flashed her mother an incredulous look. “That’s not—well, Laine enjoys chatting with Matt, Anne wishes she’d find someone like him, and Jaz loves him because he talks to Liam.”
Dexter cleared his throat noisily. “So, Matt, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve done a background check on you—”
“Kuya!” Zara groaned.
“And I can dig even deeper,” Dexter continued, crossing his arms over the table. “So far, no bad credit history, no criminal records, no drug incidents, which is a bit unusual for someone who belongs in a rock band.” He pursed his lips. “Are you related to anybody in the police force or the military? You know, somebody who can cover up dirt for you?”
Zara’s eyes bulged out of their sockets. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
Matt’s grin merely grew. “Actually, when I was in college, I had a bandmate who had to go through rehab. That’s why I never did drugs.”
Dexter laughed at Zara’s expression. “Okay. I’m just messing with Zara.”
Zara sighed and rolled her eyes.
“But I did check you out.” Before Zara could protest, Dexter shifted in his seat so that he could face Matt fully. “So, Matt, I have some questions to ask you. How about we go to the bar for a private chat?”
Matt moved his chair back. “I’ve got nothing to hide.”
“Kuya.” Zara glared at her brother. “Don’t you dare make him break up with me.”
As Dexter and Matt stood up to leave the table, Philip suddenly spoke up, “Dexter, don’t let your sister wait too long.”
Dexter nodded, then winked at Zara.
As she watched her brother and Matt walk away, Zara whispered, “Thanks, Dad.” She shook her head when Dexter straightened his back, attempting to make himself a tad taller than Matt. “I suddenly feel like I’m back in college. Like I haven’t yet become a professional and earned respect for the choices I make.”
Corinne laughed and, in a softer voice, said, “Based on the photos that Dexter showed me of the two of you, this is the most serious you’ve ever been over a man. Your brother was just concerned.”
Zara groaned once again and turned to her father. “Dad, can you please make him stop looking into my affairs?”
Philip glanced at the bar. “Unfortunately, it seems that Matt is happy to indulge your brother.”
They watched as Dexter and Matt clinked shot glasses and downed their drinks.
“Dexter has promised not to cross many lines,” Corinne said with a hint of laughter in her voice.
She reached for Zara’s hand. Zara’s eyes dropped to the table.
“Honey,” her mother started. “Your father and I would like to apologize for not handling our family’s situation well the past years.”
“Zara, I’m sorry about what happened with Ria. It’s all in the past now,” Philip explained ruefully. “I really messed up back then. Your mom and I went through counselling. I’m very glad she found it in her heart to forgive me. Else we wouldn’t be having this lunch today. I probably wouldn’t be seeing you and Dexter.” Her father’s face crumpled.
