"CITY OF PINES"

Only two weeks had passed, and the swift construction of Scott's Café's new branch in Baguio had already begun. Since Andrew entrusted me with the management, I was the first to go there.

"Are you sure you don't need someone to accompany you?" Manang Sela asked me that morning as I prepared to leave.

As expected, when Andrew and Lana returned from their honeymoon, their lives returned to normal, much like mine did. The house that Lana used to own, which my brother bought from our aunt, was now the residence of the couple along with Andrea. Meanwhile, Mama Cecille stayed at the townhouse in Mercedes Estate.

"I'll be fine, Manang. I'm used to cooking anyway. Besides, I'm independent, so you don't have to worry about me," I replied as I closed my suitcase containing all the personal belongings I would need.

"You should have Sonia get groceries for you," she added.

Manang Sela was referring to the caretaker I had hired to clean the house once in a while.

"What about Marius? When is he going there? Will you be with him? Wait, is that young man your boyfriend now?" Manang Sela continued with a series of questions.

I couldn't help but let out a soft laugh at the consecutive questions from Manang Sela.

"Maybe Marius will head there tomorrow. And as for your question about whether he's my boyfriend, I haven't given him an answer yet," I said, laughing softly once again.

Manang Sela simply nodded. "The truth is, I don't know if I'll feel reassured or anxious in the presence of that young man when he's with you."

"Why is that?" I asked, in a tone of disbelief.

"I don't trust any man, my dear. Maybe that's why I never got married," she replied to me and chuckled at what she said.

I couldn't find a suitable response to Manang Sela's statement. I couldn't blame her either, because I knew she was aware of Marius' playboy reputation. Perhaps Mama Cecille had mentioned it to her.

Manang Sela excused herself to go out for a while. It was past five in the morning, and I was sure she wouldn't let me skip breakfast.

Truth be told, I was running late with packing. It would have been better if I had done it last night. However, due to a load of work at the office, I came home late. Marius was in the same situation; he couldn't pick me up last night because he was also preparing for the trip to Baguio.

I didn't bring Mang Poldo with me on the trip to Baguio. Honestly, I wanted some time to unwind, so I was excited to travel alone. This was something Manang Sela strongly objected to. But because of my firm refusal and decision, in the end, she had no choice but to let me have my way.

I was already on the road out of Manila when I received a call from Marius.

"Sam, good morning," he greeted me.

I chuckled softly upon hearing his voice, detecting that he seemed to have just woken up.

"You just woke up, didn't you?" I asked him, unable to hold back a wide but amused smile.

"Yeah. Are you on your way?" he asked and answered in one go.

"Yes," was my brief reply.

"Call me when you're there, okay?"

"Sure."

"I'll see you tonight," he said, which caught me off guard.

"Tonight? I thought the opening was still tomorrow—"

"I miss you, that's why I want to come over there and be with you as soon as possible," he replied.

His words brought a smile to my face once again. It felt like my heart was tickled, and I almost giggled from the rush of excitement. Thankfully, I managed to keep my composure.

"Alright, what time do you think you'll be here? So I can prepare dinner?" I asked him in return.

"Can you still do that? I mean, will you still have the energy to cook after you arrive? You'll probably be tired," Marius had a point in his statement, so I didn't immediately answer.

"It's probably better for you to rest when you get there. I'll take care of dinner for us later. Tomorrow, we can go shopping for ingredients if you really want to cook something, right?" he continued.

Marius' last comment really amused me. "Oh, so you're really emphasizing that you want me to cook for you, huh!" I playfully remarked.

I could almost imagine the wide grin that must have appeared on Marius' lips after I said that. And I wouldn't be mistaken, because when he spoke again, it was evident from the tone of his voice that he might even be chuckling.

"Well, isn't it true? I'm feeling all giddy," he added.

I couldn't deny that Marius was being truthful in those moments. His tone of voice was a clear indicator of his emotions. It was endearing to think that he was getting flustered, just like I was.

"Alright, if that's what you want, no problem," I said to him.

"Yeah, you can make it up to me next time," he joked and let out a soft laugh.

In a little while, he bid me farewell as well. He mentioned that he would be leaving the office by noon and would travel to Baguio after lunch. Truth be told, I wanted to tell Marius that I couldn't wait to see him and be with him either. But I restrained myself and managed to hold back.

*****

I was standing in front of a two-story wooden cabin resthouse. It was surrounded by towering pine trees, which was the main reason I had decided to buy it.

Technically, it was quite far from what one could call the nearest neighbor. However, as a fan of privacy and tranquility, I didn't see that as a downside.

After a moment, I inserted the key into the gate's keyhole and pushed it open. Since I was alone, I quickly locked the gate behind me. Opting not to park my car in the yard, I parked on the side of the road instead, as I knew I would be leaving shortly to grab a meal.

"So stunning," I whispered to myself, gazing in admiration at the house before me.

The rest house was fully furnished when I purchased it. I hadn't personally met the previous owner, but according to our lawyer who handled the transaction, they only spoke with the sole surviving child of the former owners. They mentioned that the couple who used to own it had relocated to Georgia and were living there now.

After locking the large door, I settled into the chair closest to me.

The house was clean as I had expected, thanks to the weekly cleaning done by my caretaker. Manang Sonia, who was probably around five years younger than Manang Sela, managed that. The only thing missing was food in the fridge, as I planned to stock it personally.

I let my gaze sweep across the entire house for a moment. Then, Marius' handsome face immediately came to my mind. I knew, and I was sure he would love my house. Given that he was an engineer, I was aware of Marius' high standards when it came to architectural structures. However, at this moment and with the beauty of this rest house, I was confident that he would be impressed.

At that point, I remembered Marius' request earlier. I stood up and retrieved my cell phone from my bag.

"Hey," he greeted as he picked up after three rings on the other end of the line.

"I'm already at the house. I'll step out for a moment to grab something to eat," I said.

"Great. I'm about to leave the office too. If I don't get caught in traffic, I might be in Baguio before nine in the evening. Where do you want to meet?" he asked.

"Let's maybe assess the situation later. Anyway, I need to get this done. I'm getting a bit hungry as well," I said truthfully, following up my words with a soft chuckle.

"Alright, I'll see you tonight," Marius said before the line finally disconnected.