Secret.
"Something that is hidden or kept only to ourselves, or could also be shared with someone we decided to put our trust in."
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The sun was already beaming when SENTHIE and Jimhuesh reached the crater lake of Mt. Pinatubo within two hours. It was merely around nine in the morning and the heat was already extremely too much for them. Fortunately, they were wearing sweaters--which the other hikers found weird since the usual clothing was just a t-shirt--but Senthie, and perhaps, Jimhuesh, would prefer to sweat profusely rather than get a sunburn, not to mention they even brought umbrellas to ward off the heat of the sun. They were prepared as if the sun's heat was lethal and a villain that needed to be defended against.
The hike wasn't difficult and it was beginner-friendly. The trail wasn't steep, so they didn't have to go against gravity too much--though it was dustier than earlier when they rode the 4X4 jeep. Nevertheless, the sweating part was all worth it for the prize. The lake was emerald green. The tour guide mentioned that it was because it rained two days ago. So, the water in the lake was somewhat replaced and was not as stagnant as when it was during the sunny season, which could cause the water to turn to a grayish color.
Despite the impressive view, Senthie and Jimhuesh decided to go back after taking enough pictures of the lake and, of course, selfies. Jimhuesh also offered to take a photo of her, and so, she was glad that she'd have something to look at after a long day--and it would be the photo taken by Jimhuesh, with her having the wonderful background. The picture came out great, Jimhuesh even made an effort to get the shot, he went to a higher ground level to make sure that Senthie and the view behind her would fit in one image.
Senthie was overjoyed with the overall experience but at the same time, it was also exhausting, so, she decided that their next date should be something that wouldn't be needing much effort.
"How about a movie date next Sunday? Are you okay with that?" Senthie asked, looking at Jimhuesh, driving. They were now traveling back to the GMC building. They already had taken a bath right after they arrived back at the jumping-off point, where restrooms were available, and also had lunch in the nearest town.
He turned his gaze to her. "Sure, it's your call." He smiled and then returned his gaze to the road and shrugged. "Anything you say is fine with me."
"Thanks. You said you love adventures, and so do I. But, Sunday is the day I'll be moving back to my house, so, I don't want to do anything that requires too much energy."
He glanced at her with wide eyes. "You'll be done with my mom's gown by next week?"
She chuckled. "Yes. Your mom is easy to talk to and she explained everything in detail about what she likes. I made five sketches of designs and was about to do another five, but your mom had already picked one of the first five, so, it sped up the process." She sighed in relief, still thankful and reliving that moment. "Her gown is already halfway done. I'm so excited for her to wear it once it's done!"
Jimhuesh smiled at her. "I told you, you are amazing."
Senthie was taken aback. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat and her face didn't know how to react so it remained still, but her heart went crazy as if it wanted to get out of her chest, it was screaming. Did he mean what he said? The way he said it was as if he was telling her that she was an amazing person, not just a fashion designer. She turned her gaze through the window and squealed silently, but failed and a sudden squeak left her throat. Her eyes widened in surprise as she covered her mouth.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
For a moment, Senthie shut her eyes in embarrassment. Slowly, she turned to Jimhuesh and let out a nervous and awkward laugh. "O-of course, why wouldn't I be? I was just humming loudly in my head, but my throat was itchy it wanted to hum, instead."
He chuckled. "Okay." The way he said it seemed like he found her weird or something, but Senthie didn't mind it, because it wasn't completely false, she was indeed kinda weird and she was also aware that what she just said was complete nonsense.
"You know what, since you've told me a secret... I'll let you in on one of mine so that you won't feel like I have something on you and we can just call it quits," Senthie stated.
He glanced at her, eyes wide and amused. "Fine with me. Sounds like a great idea." He smirked.
She giggled. "Uhm... Let's see... I think this should do... My father was the one who named me Rinana, and... Gomez is his last name. I changed my full name for a new beginning where I no longer have to be reminded of my father. Did you know before that, I cut my hair short like a man's? I was in high school at that time, I was in a rebellious stage."
Jimhuesh chuckled as he gave her a look of anticipation. "Rebellious stage? Now I feel invested. I want to know more about Riana."
She laughed, reminiscing that moment. She couldn't help but crack up whenever she was reminded of her past self. "Now that I think about it, I was crazy back then. My father loved my long hair very much so I decided to cut it. Everything I knew he loved, I changed all of it."
"Oh... Whatever happened to your father?"
"He left and never came back." She smiled, a genuine one. Unlike, when she was still Rinana Gomez, she felt hatred, disgust, and a bitter love for his father, but now that she was Senthie Salvador, she only felt indifferent about the man who broke his promise to her eighteen years ago. Her feelings of the past had vanished, including her sentimental side.
She wouldn't get attached to anything.
"Oh, sorry to hear that...but you seem fine now, am I right?" Jimhuesh asked in a concerned voice.
She chuckled. "Of course, look at my hair, it's long now! Though, as for my name, I still stick with the new one. Senthie Salvador."
"What's the meaning behind your name? And whose surname are you using now? Is it from your mother?" he asked, paying glances to Senthie whenever he had the chance. They were now in Alabang but were suddenly halted because of traffic. He looked at her. "I hope it's fine to ask you those questions."
She smiled. "It's fine. Besides, I won't answer if I don't want to." She sighed and looked at the sky through the window. "To be honest, I'm not a sentimental person. If someone gave me a gift or something, I'll cherish it but I won't hold on to it. I mean, if it's a thing that has no use anymore, I wouldn't hesitate to throw it away. That's how I am. Maybe, because of that, I wanted a name opposite to myself. At least, now, I'm sentimental, I'm Senthie." She laughed. "Isn't that funny?"
He chuckled. "That's unexpected. The more I know you, the more it gets interesting. How about your surname?"
The traffic now finally moved. Ten more minutes and they would arrive at the GMC building.
Senthie hesitated at first to answer his question, but she took the courage and decided to trust Jimhuesh. For her, he seemed to be a decent person, at least. He wouldn't go around and spout this information to other people. Senthie gulped before she said, "it's from my mother's husband. I borrowed her late husband's surname. I'm sure you know Walter Salva--"
Jimhuesh cut her off. His eyes were wide as he turned his gaze to her. "You're related to him?"
She nodded. "Yes. He's my half-brother."
"Wow," he uttered as he shook his head. "I don't know what to say... But, I still have a lot of questions."
She laughed. "Better to just don't say anything."
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"You're already moving back? I thought you said it will take three weeks to finish the gown?" Cecile said on the other line.
"That's what I thought. But, it only took two weeks. Why do I feel like you're not happy that I'm going back? Do you not want me to go home?"
She laughed. "You're overreacting, bes. By the way, are you coming straight to the store?"
"No, I'll just come tomorrow, instead. Everything all right there?"
"Yes. No need to worry about anything."
Senthie ended the call and put the last shirt into her suitcase. She was done packing all her things and was now ready to leave GMC. Her date with Jimhuesh was also today, in the evening, but they agreed to just meet up in the cinema instead of him picking her up. Senthie needed to take her car and her stuff, so it was unnecessary for Jimhuesh to be a gentleman.
An hour later, Ms. Jenny, GMC's CEO, came to see Senthie and the gown. She knew that it was Senthie's last day and was leaving for home.
"I came right away when I read your message. You've finished my gown?" Jennifer asked with so much energy. Full of excitement in her eyes as she took Senthie's hands.
"Yes, Ms. Jenny. You can try it on now. I really hope you'll like it," Senthie said politely with a warm smile. She led the way to the studio room and showed the mannequin wearing the finished product.
"Oh, dear," she muttered as she approached the mannequin. She traced the black velvet fabric and then the golden patterns on the lower waist with her fingers as she walked around. "This is stunning! I'm sure that everyone in Asia's CEO Awards won't be able to look away from me as long as I'm wearing this. I'll try it on now. Would you help me?"
A few minutes later, Jennifer was now wearing the gown. Senthie couldn't help but feel nervous as she waited for her feedback.
"This is...perfect!" Jennifer exclaimed as she slowly turned around and did posing in front of the full-body mirror. Both of her legs were showing as the gown's skirt had a slit on both sides. The gown had long sleeves, but one shoulder had a puff sleeve, and the other one was off-shoulder. It had golden patterns from the right shoulder to the left of the top of the sleeve. The gown's skirt touched the floor but wasn't too long to cause slips or stumbles. The hem also had golden patterns that formed a Toblerone shape complementing the one on the lower waist that formed a letter V, making the wearer look taller, slim, and sexy.
"Thank you so much, Ms. Jenny. I'm really happy to hear that." Senthie smiled widely, her heart still beating fast and hard. She couldn't believe she was the one who made the gown that Ms. Jenny's wearing. It was unbelievably better than Senthie had imagined. Though the CEO was probably in her forties, she looked as if she was just in her early thirties with the gown on.
Jennifer turned to look at her and beamed. "You deserve that compliment, dear. And by the way, I'm happy that you're dating my son."
Senthie's eyes widened. Her forehead creased. She let out a nervous laugh. "What do you mean, Ms. Jenny?"
She nudged her with her elbow. "Don't play innocent, dear. I know you're dating my son."
Senthie shook her head hard, denying it strongly. "No, Ms. Jenny, it's not what you think. We're not in that kind of relationship."
"Hmm? But you were on a date last Sunday. Weren't you?" she asked teasingly, then she added, "don't tell Jim I'm making someone follow him, all right? He will be mad at me and I don't want that to happen, so please just keep this a secret. I was just wondering why he was always in a good mood these past few days, and now I know why. Thank you, Ms. Salvador."
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Hello, Noomiells!
Thank you for reading this chapter. Hope you liked it. :D
Did you also have a rebellious stage? XD
What can you say about Jimhuesh's mother?
How about the development of JimSen's relationship? You might find it slow, but, that's how I intended it to be. So, please, bear with me, and have patience with the lack of romance from our leads up to this point.
I would like to know your opinion. Please, let me know! :D