ELEVEN
A call from Bruno managed to pull Claire out of her office desk for lunch. The two met at their usual restaurant, two blocks away from Claire's workplace. Bruno was beaming as he spotted her on the table.
"Hey, beautiful. What's up?" He pecked her on the cheek before pulling a seat across from hers.
"Good. What are you doing in the city, and what's with the rush?" Claire urged, her smile bright.
"I had some work to do and I couldn't leave without seeing your pretty face. I need to get back to Montesby before dark actually," he answered fast while peeking on his watch.
"Oh, I see." Claire sipped her iced tea.
"Um, do you have any plans this Saturday?" Bruno asked, staring expectactantly at her.
Saturday? Claire pondered inside and the answer was no. But why was he asking? She was curious.
"No, I don't," she replied. "Why? What are you up to?" She scowled at his mirthful face.
"There is a 50th Anniversary party for our company. I was hoping you could come with me this Saturday," Bruno said hesitantly. He was probably afraid to be too imposing. "I mean, only if you can. Everyone will be like . . . I'm the director of what, if not the CEO of whatever . . . And I don't want to feel lost engaging in boring conversation. So I need a company of my own because my brother will surely be busy."
Oh, his brother. Claire took another sip at the thought of him. Wasn't it better to not see Ryan? She wondered, but Bruno's hopeful gaze was something else. Boy, this was a pure mess.
"Where will the party be?" she asked, deep inside trying hard to make the decision.
"Wait," uttered Bruno and scurried his hands towards his backpack. He produced a well-designed invitation card after a short moment. "It's all written here." He gladly handed it to her.
“Okay.” Claire silently went through it.
"So do I have myself a date?" Bruno grinned.
Claire smiled as she finished reading, and then glanced up at him. "Well, you certainly do. But can I bring a friend? It's just . . . I hate going places without her and she loves big parties. She won't forgive me if she leans I had fun on my own."
And she needed a wing-woman to go through that coming evening in which, by all means, was going to have Ryan in the picture.
"Of course, beautiful. Although that's a single person invite," Bruno muttered thoughtfully. "Well, you can have another one. As for me, I'll have to figure out my entrance." He went through the bag and got her another one.
"But it's your party. Why would you need an entrance?" Claire chuckled.
"Oh well . . . " Bruno grinned charmingly. "No one will recognize me even if I cry that I'm the owner's grandson."
Claire laughed heartily. "You're such a troublemaker, aren't you?"
"A family black sheep." He laughed. "And I love playing incognito, trust me, and I'm not bothered."
When Claire told Gena about it, the latter was enthralled and immediately started planning for what to wear and other details. It's her best friend's contiguous enthusiasm that Claire liked the most about her; she needed Gena as much as she needed her.
"Will Ryan be there?" Gena asked over the phone.
"Certainly," Claire breathed while climbing into her bed to call it a day.
"Now that is more interesting! Finally I'll get to see the man behind my friend's insanity up close. I can't wait!" Gena's cheeriness made Claire scowl.
"I'm not insane!" she admonished.
"Oh, yes, you're not. You're perfectly sane, my friend." Gena was sarcastic and it made Claire laugh a bit.
Maybe it was true. Around Ryan her sanity would strangely disappear.
Saturday came in a whiff. The two best friends were ready for the party. Gena was in a red cocktail dress, the same color as her bright lipstick, her straight Asian hair parted to the sides. She looked heavenly and her smile was brighter.
"Oh, I'm excited!" she murmured for the umpteenth time, teasing Claire who was a bit anxious about this evening.
Ryan was going to be there, she thought, and this detail was a bit eerie as anything was to be expected.
"Oh please. We're here—let's go," Claire uttered with a sigh, as the Uber pulled over in front of a luxurious hotel where a red carpet staircase adorned the front entrance.
She was wearing a black glittered dress, floor length, backless, with a plunge V-neck and a thigh length slit. She was sexy and fashionable, and she was utterly aware. Holding the skirt of her dress, she exited the Uber.
They walked nonchalantly to where Bruno was standing, waiting for them as agreed, right at the entrance while fixing his bowtie with a frown.
"Okay, if the younger one looks like this, then how does the older one look like? Oh girl, you're in really big trouble!" Gena murmured.
"Shut up, Gena. I already know what I signed up for, so you don't need to remind me," Claire said with a big smile, that's directed to Bruno.
He was grinning incredulously as though his heart had skipped a beat, with his eyes glistening with pleasure as the ladies took a few wide stairs to where he was standing. Evidently he was captivated.
"My God, you look gorgeous!" Bruno exclaimed. Claire smiled humbly, flushing. "Are you ladies trying to steal the spotlight tonight?" He was now staring at Gena next.
She flushed, too.
"You look stunning yourself, black sheep. Seems like the Tux really treats you good. You should wear more often," Claire teased.
Bruno waved his hand as though she was spitting nonsense. "Me and tux? Nah, it's cramping my style."
The three of them shared a carefree laughter.
"Um, this is my best friend . . . Gena," Claire said pointedly. "Gena, meet Bruno, my newest friend." She gave them a quick introduction.
"Hi, Bruno. Heard a lot about you?" Gena uttered.
"Good stuff, I hope?" He replied with a friendly kiss and partial hug.
They walked inside the grand ballroom. With Bruno playing photographer from whatever magazine he mentioned to the security team, they both laughed upon getting a go-ahead pass. He was quite a charmer.
The venue was beautiful and exorbitant. A golden chandelier was hanging high above the ceiling. People inside looked as radiant as the place itself. It had three open floors arranged like side balconies, in which other guests were chatting over drinks.
Bruno led them to a big well-decorated round table, where they all settled. Sooner he excused himself for a minute for an untold reason. Gena busied herself with her phone, and Claire was getting familiar with the party by wandering her gaze around.
That's when she spotted someone, who as always, managed to take her breath away. He was dressed casually in cream cropped pants and aqua marine stylish coat; the shirt beneath was half buttoned. She could clearly see it even from a distance.
"Ryan." The name slipped out of her lips in a sweet whisper, her heart beating fast.
Ryan was smiling forcefully at some couple while sipping the drink he was holding, his free hand dug into his pants' pocket. Indeed he was breathtakingly handsome, and his smile . . . No, his smirk was one hell of a temptation.
"ATTENTION EVERYONE!" A mirthful female voice commenced the event.
Claire knew right away that it was Doris. She looked up at her. Just as she always was, so classy, so fine, so elegant; she wore a suit, slim-fit, and the same color as Ryan's jacket.
"Yeah, right." She glowered, unable to help the disdain.
The party began and at last it was Ryan's time to take the spotlight as the President of SK. His exhibition at the front was welcomed with a warm round of applause, ogling eyes from ladies, and slight envy from some of his gender. He smiled warmly.
"Thanks everyone for being here tonight," he said. "It's our great pleasure to celebrate the fifty . . ." he continued with his celebratory speech, amidst which his confident gaze collided with Claire's from somewhere among the guests.
He went on with his speech, with a perfect indifference, before announcing the presence of the SK chairman, Mr. Stevens himself, who appeared like a youngster in his black suit. The applause was exceedingly high towards him.
Bruno finally returned to the ladies. "Are you girls comfortable?" he asked.
"Yeah, we are good," Gena replied, and Claire seconded. "Oh, your grandfather looks handsome. Now I know where you all get your great looks from."
"Yeah, and he looks very energetic today," Claire said with a warm smile.
"I'm just glad there's no part of introducing family members, because I hate the charade," Bruno said, and they all looked at him. "What? I'm just being honest here! Can you imagine meeting someone who asks what accomplishments you have in life? I mean, what is that? It's totally obnoxious to me."
"Oh, he's so damn right," Gena agreed wholeheartedly. "I hate that myself. It's so hard being with people who measure a person's value with the kind of job and accomplishments they have, like my parent's snobbish friends." She grimaced.
Claire sighed. "That's the harsh reality we live in. If we're all the same then what's the color of life? Let them be, and let us be, and cheers!" She raised her glass, and the two joined in.
Frankly, Claire was far away from their conversation. She only eyed one person who eyed her back with gallant. She was angry at him, and yet kept wondering why she was.
Minutes later, a handsome young man with dark skin appeared out of the blue at their table. He casually placed a hand on Bruno's shoulder as a way to announce his presence. He was smiling handsomely.
"Such a great company you have here, Bruno," he let out a flattering remark that made the ladies in question smile.
"Hey, dude. What's up?" Bruno greeted him. "Oh, these are my friends. She is Claire, and that's Gena," he introduced them.
"Harry Rys." Harry gave them a handshake in turns while having a seat. "Claire? I think I've heard quite a lot about you," he said softly.
"Oh?" Claire uttered.
Seeing her expression, Harry immediately added, "Oh, forgive me for being brutally honest. It's just, keeping secrets between the four of us has become almost impossible, so try to understand. And trust me, I'd really love to change that."
He tried to flat the tension and it really worked. He appeared to be good with words and even in settling moods. He was black, not bulky but fit, and had very nice teeth and eyes. He was a type that one wouldn't stop staring at, if he's given a chance to talk.
"It's okay," said Claire truthfully. "It wasn't a secret anyway." She smiled, then felt a pinch on her thigh that nearly made her squirm.
Gena! She mentally snarled.
"Okay, who is this one again?" Gena whispered when the guys engaged into their own conversation.
"You just heard him. Harry Rys," Claire replied. "And I know that look and the pinch, and the fact that you have a thing for black guys. All the best, girlfriend." She smiled over a bite of some unknown appetizer, the taste exquisite.
"Hey, shut up! I'm only checking possibilities here." Gena nudged her, and both shared a stupid laugh.
After some minutes of conversing delightfully, they suddenly had the pleasure of having Doris approaching their way while holding Ryan's hand.
She was congratulating him for the nice speech, and for the perfect party she had turned into as promised.
So, they worked together? Claire couldn't fathom what this new discovery meant to her?
They were dating and stuck to each other the whole day long, probably everyday, and here she was sneaking around with this bastard . . . Kissing him in the park like a sleazy woman.
The table was enough for six people. The two sat down and greeted the others. Claire stared at them blankly, hiding the fury consuming her inside. Doris rested her gaze straight on her, and their eyes collided.
"Hello, Claire," Doris muttered with a slightly startled look. "I almost couldn't recognize you tonight."
"Oh really?" Claire smiled.
Well, she should've stuck to that instead, Claire thought.
"Yeah, you look stunning tonight," Doris said. "I should've guessed it was you Bruno was dying to invite." She threw him a mischievous grin, and he only nodded his head.
"Well, thank you. And you look beautiful, too. In fact . . . you always do," Claire said. Doris smiled proudly. "And I'm glad Bruno was kind enough to invite me. He's such a gentleman." She now faced Bruno, smiling fondly.
"Thank you, beautiful. It's my great pleasure," Bruno uttered, and the rest had a lingering smile.
Gena eyed her best friend suspiciously, as she shifted her eyes towards Ryan. It seemed like she understood perfectly the irony behind Claire's words, and most especially what she was about to say right now.
"Hi, Ryan. I've quite enjoyed your speech. Congratulations for the big day," Claire said curtly.
"Thanks, Claire. I'm glad you enjoyed it," Ryan returned, similar in manners, and the two stared at one another in a language only their minds knew.
Jerk! Claire felt like plucking his cynic eyes right here and then. She clenched her fists under the table and swallowed the fury away. She then took a very deep breath of composure.
"I'm going to the restroom," she told Gena.
"Okay." Gena was occupied with her own adventure over the smiling Harry who was now talking.
Claire smiled knowingly. She could tell the Asian was smitten.
"And you should put your Asian charms into use if you want to capture the black chocolate," she whispered to Gena, teasing her. "Well, that is if he's available . . . unlike some manwhore I know." Now she glared gravely at Ryan, who was smiling at something Doris had just said.
"Um, okay?" Gena grinned, for she knew her best friend's temper and at the moment it was piling up in her throat like a fishbone.
Claire could feel Ryan's eyes stalking her as she headed to the restroom.