It was so slow, so real.

Alam kong hindi dapat pero hindi ko rin magawang iwasan. It's just so hard not to when you have every reason why not. He was far from perfection but that only made him more admirable. At hindi na ako magugulat kung malalaman ko na gusto siya ng hindi lang iisang tao.

He just has that strong appeal that would undoubtedly make a woman fall even without him trying.

Patago ko siyang tiningnan mula sa likod ng pader na pinagtataguan ko. Abala siyang nagbabasa ng libro sa garden area ng malamansyon nilang bahay. May patio kasi roon na pawang kulany puti at ginto ang tema. Prente siyang nakadekwatro sa mababang sofa habang hawak ang librong binabasa.

Even up to this point, hindi ko pa rin magawang pigilan ang sarili ko na gustuhin siya.

"Señorito..." mahina ang boses na wika ko.

Para akong sinampal nang paulit-ulit ng katotohanang dala ng isang salita na iyon. It simply shows how different we were and how impossible it was to have an us.

I am way out of his league.

"Come here, Tori. Stop hiding there."

I flinched and abruptly hid myself behind the wall. Bahagya ring nanlaki ang mga mata ko sa gulat.

"Tori," he called in a more serious tone.

Napanguso ako. Iniyuko ko ang ulo ko upang itago ang aking mukha nang magsimula akong maglakad patungo sa kaniyang direksyon.

"Walk properly. Baka matalisod ka pa sa kakayuko mo," pag-aalala niya.

Bahagya akong nag-angat ng tingin ngunit nakaiwas pa rin sa kaniya. Ayaw ko siyang tingnan. Natatakot ako na kapag nagtagpo ang mga mata namin ay mas lalo lang akong balutin ng ilang. At ayaw kong bigyan pa ang sarili ko ng dahilan para mas magustuhan pa siya.

"Have you eaten?" he asked as soon as I stepped inside the patio.

"Opo, pagkatapos po ninyo kanina," sagot ko.

A soft tap on the sofa echoed in my ears. Doon na ako tumingin sa kaniya ng diretso. He gently closed the book he was reading and looked at me directly.

I almost stepped back, only if I didn't stop myself from doing so. On a normal basis, I would be looking up to him just to meet his eyes. Madalang na makita ko siya ng ganito kalapit.

And seeing him this close just made my heart sink in a deep ocean of admiration not just because of how he magnificently looks, but on how he wears himself. Kahit na simpleng puting shirt at cargo short lang naman ang suot niya ay ang guwapo niya pa ring tinitingnan.

Dala na lang rin siguro ng dugo nilang espanyol kaya angat ang kagitingan niya. Matangos ang ilong, may kakapalan ang magulong kilay, saktong kapal na mga labi, at kumikinang na bilugang mga mata.

He just has everything every woman would fall for.

Kaya hindi siya bagay sa isang tulad ko.

Isang unano.

"Sit here," he said, not sounding like a boss that I must follow.

He's too good.

Way too far for my reach.

"Ano po, babalik na lang po ako sa loob," nakayukong tanggi ko.

"Tori?" he prompted. "Look at me." I found myself obeying his words. Nag-angat akong muli ng tingin at sinalubong ang mga mata niya. "Sit here, Torianna. I won't harm you." He chuckled.

Matapos magpakawala ng isang buntonghininga ay pinuno ko ng tapang ang sarili ko bago naglakad palapit sa kaniya.

The sofa was reachable for me. Kaya alam ko na hindi ako mahihirapan at hindi na kakailangan ang tulong niya.

But Señorito being the man that he is, he stood up and carried me himself. He made me sat comfortably on the space he wanted me to sit on. Para lang siyang bumuhat ng papel at hindi man lang nahirapan.

Pagkatapos ay muli na siyang nagpunta sa tabi ko. Ngunit nagkamali ako nang isipin kong uupo siya tulad kanina, dahil imbes na gawin iyon ay nahiga siya.

"So, this is what your view looks like whenever you're looking at me." Señorito slowly blinked his eyes while intently staring at me.

"Señorito," ang tanging naiusal ko sa kawalan ng sasabihin.

This wasn't what I was expecting. He's so impossible for me. For sure, everyone would agree to that. Sadiyang mahirap lang iwasan na gustuhin siya lalo na kung araw-araw ko siyang nakikita.

He's a good catch. A good man.

Someone who would be any mother's dream son-in-law.

A dream man.

The man who stole my heart.

But someone not meant for me.

"Let's make my mom's wish come true, Tori," he whispered after a while of us sharing nothing but silence.

Kusang nanlaki ang mga mata ko sa narinig. "No way, Señorito."

Marahan niyang kinuha ang kamay ko at hinawakan ng mahigpit. At bago ko pa man mapigilan ay tumibok na ang puso ko ng maligalig. Sana lang talaga ay hindi iyon umabot sa pandinig niya, dahil ayaw kong malaman niya, o maski ang makakuha siya ng ideya, na gusto ko siya.

"Why not? I like the idea," he rebutted with a grin. "Don't you?"

Who wouldn't like that?!

Kaso alam kong hindi dapat. At alam ko naman na hindi seryoso ang Donya Margarita nang sabihin niya iyon.

"Unfair iyon sa iyo, Señorito," dahilan ko.

"Why do you say so? I liked it." He laughed softly. "Why are you so negative about it?"

Napailing ako, hindi pa rin makapaniwala sa mga sinasabi niya.

"Sure ka po bang alam mo ang hiling ng Donya?"

Mas lumawak ang ngisi niya sa akin. "Of course, Tori, I know. I heard it clearly, and I want to fulfill it."

No way.

Muli kaming pinamahayan ng katahimikan. Wala akong ideya kung ano ang dapat kong sabihin sa kaniya o kung paano ko ililiko ang usapan gayong mukhang desidido siya.

And when he finally let the bomb explode right in front of me, I was left with no choice but to remain speechless staring at him with tears in my eyes.

"Let's get married, Tori."

一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一

Hello, as you may have noticed I changed the entire prologue of A Four Feet Conqueror. On that note, the following chapters would also undergo changes. The overall flow of the story changed for a reason. I'll keep the reason to myself for now.

Even though nagbago ito, at hindi katulad nang una ninyong nabasa, sana ay suportahan ninyo pa rin ang story ni Torianna.

From the start up to this date, thank you for all the acceptance, appreciation, and love.

一 love, aerasyne.