If the Dress Fits
Page 17
Max had come with everything planned out and ready, telling me he was half-expecting he would do the trip solo. We ended up sharing hotel rooms he'd pre-paid for, although I don't quite believe that the champagne and chocolate covered strawberries were with the Peninsula's compliments.
He said he wanted to make it up to me, so w and I spent the first month of dating backpacking through Europe.
I honestly don't think anyone can compete with a first date walking along the Seine and eating chocolates in front of the Eiffel Tower on the Champs de Mars. Or a walk through the flower market in Amsterdam and eating stroopwafels while cruising along the canals.
One of my favorite memories will always be watching Italian-dubbed Rocky Horror Picture Show against the side of the Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome, snuggled up in a blanket with Max. He had it all planned, and I had to admit, it made one hell of an apology.
Then we came back to Manila, and I finally felt that my life had begun. I came home with my head brimming with memories and inspiration from Europe. Tita Merry and I hit the ground running with the foundation, and despite the slight weight gain thanks to British carbohydrates and fantastic Italian pasta, I'd never felt sexier in my life.
“Careful, careful!” He exclaimed as the staff of the fast food place passed through the window. I shot him a strange look as he pulled over to the curb just so we could put the food in areas we knew they wouldn’t topple over.
“What are you so worried about?”
“That dress took you forever to zip on,” he said, indicating the pale pink dress Regina had chosen for me to wear to the engagement party, the same dress Max took off of my body the day he told me how he felt.
At the very least, the dress had become special, a part of our history, and I guess Max recognized that. Regina had no idea what she'd set in motion when she chose this dress for me.
“Wanna see how fast you can zip it off?” I joked, wiggling my eyebrows suggestively at him. Max laughed and leaned over, kissing my lips in the parking lot of a drive-thru. We were supposed to be on our way home from the Manila Peninsula after Regina and Enzo’s engagement party, but the need to eat struck me so bad that I convinced Max to pass by the drive-thru.
“God, I am a bad influence on you,” he declared, taking the cheeseburger and unwrapping it quickly to take a bite. I gave him a little french fry-filled grin.
There was a little moment of silence, then I started giggling.
“What?” Max asked me.
“Sorry. I can't get the image of you and Tita Flora disco dancing out of my head.”
Max and Tita Flora had, in Maggie's words, 'burned the dance floor' when Tita Flora's favorite song came on at the engagement party. Regina took over my duties arranging her engagement party when I left for London, and I had to say, she did a great job. The room looked amazing, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room when Enzo asked Tita Merry’s permission for Regina’s hand in marriage.
If that wasn’t enough, Regina used the money she got from Tita Flora's inheritance to start Paint Pilipinas, an organization that went around public schools in the city to give the kids a chance to indulge their creative side and paint. Some of the kids were being sponsored to learn more about art and painting, which in turn, made them more interested in the blossoming art scene in the Philippines. It was one of the Gerund Benitez Foundation’s first projects, and I was thrilled to be working on it with Regina.
While I was in London, she and I constantly talked to each other, utilizing any medium possible for us to tell each other about what was going on with us. I didn’t hear a lot about Enzo, but as long as he and Regina were happy together, I was too. Our days in theatre together felt like a distant memory. One that I could dig up, smile fondly at, and put back away.
“Well, you’re already twenty-seven hija, your biological clock is ticking,” Max teased, imitating Tita Fauna’s flat, matter-of-fact voice.
After I came home from London, I realized that there wasn’t a lot of difference between Max and I as best friends, and Max and I as…not best friends. We still liked the same movies, judged the same people and ate off of each other’s plates.
In a way, I liked to joke, we were never really friends when we saw each other. I guess it’s because we’d known that we were supposed to be like this for a long time. We knew what we wanted before either of us could recognize it.
We’d wasted a lot of time not being honest with ourselves, and I felt like we were making up for every lost second. But I was happy, happier than I ever thought I could be. Yeah I gained ten pounds living in London. So what? It didn’t matter because the people who loved me, the people who mattered, thought I was perfect just the way I was. That was all I could ever need.
“Speaking of which,” Max cleared his throat, feeling for something in his blazer. “I owe you something. I realize it’s a little late. I was supposed to give this to you midnight of your twenty seventh birthday, but…it’s better this way.”
I looked down and my heart stopped.
Holy shit.
I kissed him, and he tasted like grease and salt, his fries spilling on his lap.
It was perfect.
Acknowledgments
Where to start?
First of all, I have to thank my friends at #romanceclass, the clingiest group I know. We’re constantly surprised by happenings and feelings, and I’m so glad I have them to support me through this CRAZY writing process.
Then of course, I also have to thank Iggy, Suzette (I still have your note!), Farrah and Carmel for beta-reading this story. They were the first ones to fall for Max’s charms!
As always, a BIG thank you to my fairy godmother Layla, who encouraged (nay, lovingly demanded) the steam and chose Max’s favorite song.
Thank you to Atty. Kat for directing me to Doc Racky Velasquez, who helped me with the vet stuff, and to Stacy and Danah Gutierrez of Plump.ph who answered my questions on steamy scenes and body image.
Huge thanks also go to my Mom, who came up with Tita Flora’s inheritance twist over lunch, and my Dad, who fact-checked my inheritance terms.
The title (and the chapter titles, if you’re reading the print edition) are by my amazing sister, Gabbie!
Sige na nga, J. Thanks na din sa ‘yo.
Oh, in case you were wondering, Ava and Scott have their own story, which will soon be out in print! Look out for Midnights in Bali at a bookstore near you.
About the Author
If you ask Carla de Guzman what she does for a living, she will tell you that she’s not quite sure.
By day, she works a regular day job and writes for a lifestyle website. By night, she’s an author and an artist, spending her midnights at her desk and making these silly love stories. She loves to travel, coming home to her dog Kimchi and spending her weekends having dinner with her crazy family.
She’s currently on a quest to see as many Impressionist paintings as she can, and is always in search of the perfect pain au chocolat.
@somemidnights
somemidnights
www.somemidnights.com
somemidnights@gmail.com
Other Books by Carla de Guzman
Cities
Marry Me, Charlotte B!
We Go Together
Midnights in Bali (published by Spark Books)
SHORT STORIES
Driving Home
Up All Night
Merry Christmas, Maggie! (coming soon)
What is #romanceclass?
The #romanceclass community of authors is a group that came out of the free class I ran in 2013, meant to encourage Filipino readers of chick lit and contemporary romance to start writing and publishing their own stories.
More authors have since joined us, through more classes, or just from interacting with us online. We’ve set up romanceclassbooks.com to showcase what the authors are writing and publishing. Most of us are indies, but even the traditionally-published authors need help getting the word out about their books. But w
e do this for each other because we read each others’ books anyway and it’s a natural thing, to share books you enjoy.
Mina V. Esguerra How to share the love (helping #romanceclass and Filipino indie authors)
Visit romanceclassbooks.com to see the full catalog of books!