Friday. 8 pm. Starbucks, Shaw.

P.s. I sent you his dick pic. on g-mail, baks, para high res. Chos! His picture, so you could easily recognize him. Enjoy the night. Xoxo. ;-*

He laughed upon reading the dick pic. part of Yari's text message, and had laughed even more when he went to his g-mail account. He saw how well picked his date was, based on his clean-shaven face, clear-cut features, rosy-white complexion, and dimples on both cheeks-just the kind of man who could swoon anyone.

Where did they even find this guy? He thought, tracing his eyes at the guy's facial features to sense if he'd get allured. A minute passed, his reaction was a plain face. Oh, come on, Uno. What is the picky you trying to sense? No one had ever leveled your standards for a man aside from Sylvester. But hmm. He could be a catch for many, though. He slid his phone back in his pocket and left his office to grab a mid-meal with his father.

"How's my son?" Marco asked when the crew left after taking their orders.

He shrugged. "Better than ever," he replied before taking a sip from his brewed tea.

"Hmm." Marco grinned. "Does Dos' return have something to do with that?"

Uno nearly coughed out the brewed tea he had just drank after receiving his father's query. He wasn't used to talking about his love life with his parents, no matter how open and close they were.

"W-what made you think of that?" His eyes refused to lock gazes with his father.

"I'm your father. Of course, when it comes to you, I could sense whatever, even without you saying anything. But I had to ask, son." His face turned serious. "I hope this question wouldn't brush any offense on you, 'cause though you're my son, I wouldn't tolerate you hurting Dos or any woman just 'cause you're in need to appease the gushing waves of your second round of identity crisis. So, how sure are you that you wouldn't end up breaking her--"

"Dad," he cut him off. "I'm on it, okay? I'm finding ways to assure myself and mostly to assure her. Though I could tell you now that I wouldn't end up breaking her. Pero gaya nga ng sabi niyo, I have to be sure 'cause there would always be circumstances that might prove me wrong barring my certainty."

"It seems to me that Nicole and I have brought up such a fine young man." Marco's smile was irremovable. "Whatever the result would be, whoever and whatever you'd choose yourself to be and be with, your mom and I would always accept you as you and your future partner as him or her or they, okay?"

He quickly averted his watery gazes from his father. He had always been too emotional whenever his parents spoke out about how warmly loved he is for being whatever he is. "Parang tanga..." he mumbled, voice weakened when he felt like freeing the tears wanting to escape his eyes. "Sa public place pa talaga. You could've chosen a better place, Dad. Not here. Gosh. I cannot." He fanned his teary eyes with his bare hands as he blew some air to relieve himself.

Marco chuckled, extending his arm towards him to hand a hanky. "Take this, son."

He took unhesitatingly, even blew his nose on it. "Thanks, Dad," he said, handing the hanky back to his father, who stared incredulously at him.

"And you're returning my hanky after blowing your nose on it?" They both laughed. "I love you for who and what you are, but hygiene is everything, son."

"Arte." He rolled his eyes laughingly.

They laughed harder.

After a few, their orders came. They both had busied themselves knocking them plate by plate with chit-chats on the side. When they were through, they walked back to their office, which was just a few establishments away.

The day must have run so fast, Uno didn't notice it was almost time for him to head off for his date at eight in the evening at Starbucks, Shaw. So, without fixing his haggard self, he took his briefcase and pushed to his feet.

He just slid himself inside his car when his phone rang, displaying his best friend's name on the screen.

"I'm on my way," he cut Yari to the chase, for he knew he only called just to remind him about his date. "And no, I ain't mad at you at all," he cut him off the second time, 'cause he also knew he'd be apologizing for agreeing with Dos' plan and executing it with a will. "Just. Don't. Fucking. Flirt. With. Her. Understood?"

His last line sounded like a threat. It garnered sniggers from his best friend. "Tanga! Wiz mang-aagaw si watabels! Vaklang toh! Sige na, I just called to say sorry and to remind you about your date at eight. Drive safely. Kingina ka~~" he uttered his last word in a singsong tone before disconnecting the call.

He then drove off to Starbucks, Shaw.

The guard had just pulled the glass door open for him to foot in when his eyes caught a familiar man waving his hand at him. He was seated at a two-seater table at the end corner of the shop, wearing a pair of black suits and tie.

Uno narrowed his eyes into slits to catch a focused view on the man's visage who was smiling from ear to ear at him, still waving his hand.

Oh, so he's my date. He strode to where the man was--no nervousness, second thoughts, unpleasant feelings, nor welcoming feelings such as excitement or exhilaration. Just neutral.

From a closer view, he could tell it would be hard for anyone, including him, to claim that his date's a homosexual, more so when he spoke using his deep, manly voice. "Technology didn't give you justice," the man blurted out, rubbernecking Uno's mien with amusement etched in his face.

Ghad, how am I supposed to react? I couldn't return the praise because, in his case, it's the other way around. He suddenly remembered the night when he was about to fetch Dos at the airport, and his mother sent him her picture. Back then, he knew he fanboy-ed Dos' sightliness, even wanted to scratch her poreless face.

He blinked his thoughts of Dos away and bestowed a thin smile to his date as he said, "Thanks," before pulling a chair to occupy.

There were already platters and bowls of bread and pasta on their table. Wow--was the only comment he could give before he traveled his eyes from their table to his date, who didn't sway him at all in any aspect.

"Do you want something else?" His date smiled, his dimples showing.

Dos' dimples are deeper than his, he thought of her again.

"Nah." He shook his head. "These," he dropped his gaze on the table, "could full my fill. Thanks for asking, though," he said. "How about you? Do you want anything else? It's on me."

The man shook his head. "By the way,' he extended his hand towards Uno, "I'm Lucio. Lucio Karlo Martin."

"Magnus Nikolai Iglesias. Uno will do." He took his hand in his. "Fancy meeting you."

"Twice." Lucio winked. "Your surname rings a bell," he softly poked Uno's arm resting on the table," are you the heir of 'the' Marco Iglesias, the notable hotelier in the country?"

Uno nodded. "Why did you ask?" He dragged his arm that Lucio poked off the table and secretly wiped it with a table cloth. Pasmado ba 'to? Basa, eh.

Instead of answering his question, Lucio took a brown leather briefcase from under the table. He pulled out something that left Uno standing on his feet and so decided to go.

"I'm a financial advisor, Uno. Maybe you're interested in investing for a life insu--"

"I came here not for that." Uno fumbled on his wallet and placed several bluebills on the table, leaving Lucio's mouth ajar. "Now, if you would excuse me. I'm heading off."

My gosh! He groaned, angrily tapping on his phone to dial Yari's number as he trotted to where he had parked his car.

"You called? Tapos na agad date--"

"The fuck was that, Melchizedek?!"

"Bak--"

"That guy wasn't looking for a date! He was looking for an insurance investor!"

His rants unintentionally drew laughter from Yari, which was way too contagious that he had laughed along.

"Sorry, bakla. Wiz ko noselift 'yarn, promise, cross my beki heart, hope you die."

"Fuck you?!"

"Charot! Pero maiba tayo, how was the date naman? Kahit papa'no naman siguro may naitulong 'yon para sa muling pagbibinata mo kahit binentahan ka lang niya."

"Muling pagbibinata? What?"

"Jusko, Nikolai, dzai! Mga i-de-date mo, sagot ko na. Pati common sense mo, sagot ko pa rin?!"

When he understood what Yari meant, he said, "He didn't sway me, Melch. I even thought of my first meeting with her when Lucio told me technology didn't give me justice. I thought of her when I saw Lucio's dimples when he smiled. She was everywhere in the corners of my mind."