Habit.
"An act or behavior in which a person consciously or subconsciously does repetitively. Most of us have certain habits that sometimes could be our signature that makes us unique."
Senthie Salvador had habits that others found strange, yet it didn't bother her since she believed that being weird meant being unique.
**********
'Of all places, why here? Why here in this hotel? Why at Belle's?' she asked herself in her mind.
As SENTHIE looked around the place, she was reminded of the last dinner she had with Kenzo. She felt her guilt building up again inside her stomach. It had been a week since the day she had ended their relationship and turned back to being friends. They didn't see each other after that and she hoped that Kenzo was doing okay. It took only a day for her to recover from the pain, but she still felt guilty and bad for him.
She checked her watch to see it was 7:30 in the evening. She was phoned by Mr. Liam of GMC yesterday to have a meeting with him, he told her that they would be discussing the lease contract. And guess what? Belle's was their meeting place.
Senthie turned her gaze to the side and watched the wonderful view outside. She wouldn't get tired of it. Whenever she stared at the moon, she would always find herself lost in a trance as if it was pulling her soul, leaving her body behind. She didn't know why, but for her, it felt like the moon was talking to her, saying that she didn't have to worry about anything and everything would be all right. She was pulled back to the present when she heard a man's voice.
"Excuse me? Ms. Salvador?"
When she turned her gaze to him, she froze for a second, no blinking.
Who was this creature?
The man in front of her was like those guys in a virtual boyfriend app and he'd likely be the man that she would create in that app and the next day he would introduce himself as her boyfriend in real life. In short, he was her type. The first one that she noticed was his thick eyebrows and hooded eyes, they looked so sexy that she was captivated by them just like the moon did to her, they were magnetic. He had a warm ivory complexion, a pointed nose, and perfectly proportioned pink lips. His hair was parted to the side and was pulled back, but there were a few strands of bangs that fell over his forehead in some way. He was way too freaking handsome.
The man called out one more time and waved his hand at her face, making her snap out of her reverie. "You're early, Ms. Salvador."
Senthie stood immediately and introduced herself--when something fell to the floor. When she looked down, she saw her bag lying on the floor as if saying 'how dare you to drop me!' She forgot that it was on her lap a while ago. To her embarrassment, she picked up her bag in an instant and apologized to it as she brushed off the dirt or dust on it--in case it had. Senthie heard the man chuckle which made her heart skip a beat. His laugh was quick and soft, enough to make her blush.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh, but I find it funny when you said sorry to your bag," the man said when Senthie turned her gaze to him. The smile on his lips was still visible.
He was handsome. His voice was handsome. From his dark blonde hair down to his black leather shoes that she thought had just polished--everything was gorgeous.
"It's okay. Just a habit of mine," she replied.
"I see." The man nodded and gave her a hint to take a seat. He pulled his chair to sit across from her and placed his black leather portfolio bag on the table.
Even his bag was gorgeous.
"Mr. Liam, right?" Senthie asked as she put her bag on her lap.
The man denied her question as he pulled a card from the pocket of his black suit. He handed it to her and she reached for it. It was a calling card.
"Liam is my secretary and I am his boss. I'm Jimhuesh Anderson."
Senthie's eyes almost poked out when she saw his position in GMC. She turned her gaze at him, blinked a few times then stared again at the calling card.
Senthie couldn't believe that the young man before her was the vice president of GMC. Was he for real? What was he doing here? Why would the VP of one of the top companies in the country personally conduct an interview like this? Was this natural? Of course, it wasn't. Was this a scam? Or maybe she was just overthinking things?
"Excuse me, Ms. Salvador. I'm not a painting meant to be stared at. I'm here to interview you," he said calmly.
Senthie didn't notice that she was gawking at him.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Just a habit," she said awkwardly.
Senthie couldn't help but wonder why did he come instead of Mr. Liam, and why was he doing an interview here in the evening.
"I guess, you have all the habits that no one would expect." He smiled.
Senthie knew it was strange that she had these habits. Everyone told her that she was weird--and guess what? She wasn't offended. She would take it as a compliment. She loved that part of her, she would always embrace all the weirdness she had in her body-- because, for her, it only meant that she was unique.
"Yeah, I think so, too." Senthie smiled at him and cleared her throat. Her heart was beating faster when she decided to raise a question, "would you mind if I ask something?"
Jimhuesh leaned his back on the chair and adjusted his tie. "No, I don't mind. Go ahead and ask."
"Do you always do the interview here?" she asked as she clasped her hands together that were on her lap. She was nervous.
Jimhuesh crossed his arms over his chest and responded to her, expressionless. "You don't like it? Fine, we can end this interview now for good. Would that be okay with you?"
"No! I'm sorry for asking," she cried.
'What was that? He said he wouldn't mind. That's minus five points for him,' were the thoughts that ran through her head. Wait... what? Did she just compute?
Jimhuesh chuckled. "Don't worry. I was just kidding." He leaned an elbow on the table, chin resting on his knuckles. His eyes didn't lose her's when he added, "there will be no more interview because you've already passed."
What just happened?
Senthie fought the urge to roll her eyes and just faked a happy and contented face. "Really? Thank you very much, Mr. Anderson."
The truth was, she wanted to ask him what just happened. Why there would be no interview and how the heck did she pass without taking it.
"You're welcome, Ms. Salvador," he said, unzipping his bag. "Read this contract and sign it. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask." He handed the contract and a pen to her.
As Senthie read the contract, she felt that he was staring at her, so she glanced over him and when her eyes landed on his grey eyes, he gave her a half-smile that made her more uncomfortable. As much as she loved to be stared at by this beautiful creature, she would like him to stop. He wasn't just staring at her, he was studying her. Senthie continued with the contract and let herself concentrate on it.
Jimhuesh seemed to like staring at her. She was halfway through the contract and she still felt his eyes on her. Well, hello? She wasn't a portrait meant to be stared at. She wanted to throw these words back at him, but of course, she wouldn't do that. She wouldn't dare get to his bad side.
The contract was only six pages, so It didn't take long to finish it. Senthie was about to sign it when Jimhuesh asked all of a sudden. "Do yoy happen to know Rychie Aquino?"
Senthie was lucky enough to make a surprised face. It was fortunate that she was still looking at the contract when he asked.
She straightened her back and looked at him.
"No, I don't think I know someone with that name." She lied. "Can I ask why?"
How did he know Rychie Aquino? And why was he asking her that?
He narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Oh, nothing. Never mind. Are you done reading the contract?"
What was that smile? As if he knew she was lying. Senthie acted calm and signed the contract.
"Yes, already signed it too, here." Senthie passed him the contract and he signed as the witness. The lessor named in the contract was the CEO of GMC, Jennifer Anderson, who Senthie suspected to be his mother.
After he affixed his signature, he slid the contract into his bag and zipped it, then he clipped the pen into his front pocket as he stood.
"Congratulations, Ms. Salvador. You'll just have to wait a month to open your store," he said, extending his hand for a handshake.
Senthie stood up and took his hand. It was big and warm. She didn't feel any butterflies in her stomach, instead, she just felt safe. "Thank you very much, Mr. Anderson."
-----------------------
Senthie unbuckled her seatbelt as they stopped in front of her house. "Thank you for the ride, sir."
She wasn't expecting this, he insisted on taking her home.
This wouldn't happen if it wasn't because of the number coding (a scheme in the Philippines, aiming to reduce traffic congestion by travel banning vehicles). She couldn't bring her car and would have to commute again if he didn't offer her a ride.
He looked past her shoulder, cocked his head to the side, and asked, "Is that your boyfriend?"
Was it Kenzo?
Senthie turned to see who he was talking about.
What the heck in the world was he doing here? What was with the bag?  Did he go hiking or something? And why did he bring a cat with him?
Senthie saw a man standing in front of her door and looking at Jimhuesh's car as if wondering whose it was. She couldn't help but twitched the corner of her lips at the sight of him.
"He's just an annoying guy I know," she answered without looking at Jimhuesh.
"I see. Goodnight, Ms. Salvador."
Senthie turned back her gaze to Jimhuesh and smiled. "Goodnight, Mr. Anderson. Have a safe drive."
When he smiled and nodded, it was her cue to get off the car. As she shut the door of his black Ferrari, she waved a hand and thanked him again.
She wanted a car like that. She watched the black Ferrari disappear from her sight and then turned around to face the annoying guy--he waved at her looking dorky. Senthie noticed that he dyed his hair from black to golden blonde and it was long enough to tie it in a ponytail.
"What are you doing here, Walter?" she asked as she rolled her eyes with her arms crossed over her chest, bag in her hand.
Not waiting for his answer, Senthie walked past him as he made a way for her towards the door. He was now facing her side profile. Not turning her head, she caught a glimpse of the cat in his arms meowing at her. "And you also have a cat with you."
Walter chuckled and then petted his cat as he responded, "isn't she adorable? Her name is Nana."
Suddenly, Senthie felt her blood boiling. "What? Are you kidding me?" she grunted, turning her full attention to him. "I admit that the cat is cute, but why call her Nana?"
"Why? I missed Nana, already," he answered while lifting the cat up and down.
Senthie rolled her eyes and searched her bag for the key to the double door. When she found the key, she put it in the keyhole and twisted it to unlock it. She pushed the right door and opened it, fit enough for her to slip through.
When she got inside, she evil-laughed in her head as she tried to push the door abruptly when suddenly it was halted by Walter's foot.
"Don't even think about it, you know that I'm stronger than you," he said, peeking his head to the door.
Heck with those bulging muscles of his. He was wearing a fitted shirt so it enhanced the structure of his biceps more.
"Fine!" she said, turning her back on him as she rolled her eyes.
Whenever Walter was around, she couldn't count how many times her eyes could do a roller coaster.
As she turned on the light switch in the living room, she heard the clicking sound of the door locking, a sign that Walter was already inside and was just behind her.
"Aren't you happy to see me?" he asked teasingly.
Not bothering to look at him, Senthie plopped her butt on the long sofa in front of the TV and answered him with another question. "Why would I?"
"Oh, come on! I'm sure you missed me," he taunted as he put down his bag on the floor beside the sofa chair. The cat was pretty behaved in his arms.
This time, Senthie stared at him and then rolled her eyes. "Not even in your dreams."
"Oh, by the way, I dyed my hair. Does it suit me?" he asked, running his hand through his hair. Cat on his lap, rubbing its head with its paw.
How cute.
"No," she said firmly as she crouched and rested her elbows on her knees while massaging her temples in a circular motion.
He was giving her a headache.
When he put down his cat and let it run around the house, Senthie knew he was getting serious. "Let me ask you another question, then."
Senthie yanked her bag and stood up. "No more questions."
The expression on Walter's face was serious enough to get her attention. Senthie's forehead wrinkled as she waited for his question.
"Why are you in the VP's car?"
_____________________________
Hello, Noomiells!
Thank you for reading this chapter. Hope you liked it. :D
What do you think about Senthie's habits? Did you also find them weird?
Can you guess what the relationship is between Walter and Senthie?
How did Walter know that it was the VP's car?
I would like to know your opinion. Please, let me know! :D