"SWEETEST SURPRISE"

Lana was in such a state when her cell phone rang. She picked it up to find out who was calling. Her chest throbbed quickly and automatically when she saw that it was Andrew.

In an instant, all the sadness she had felt earlier because of her argument with Marius immediately disappeared. Instead, that was replaced by a mixture of nervousness and excitement that eventually made her smile.

"Hey," Andrew opened in his happy tone.

Lana replied with a wide smile. "Hi, is everything okay?" she asked in response to the young man.

"Can you do me a favor sweetheart?" Andrew's tender question to her in a tone she knew she could not refuse.

"Sure, as long as I can," she thought to answer even though she really knew deep inside her that 'yes' would be the answer in the favor Andrew wanted to ask.

She heard the weak laugh that Andrew let out first before speaking again. "Can you come over here?”

Lana's eyebrows met then inwardly glanced at the wristwatch she was wearing. "Your timing is just perfect, it's five. I'll be there. Wait, where are you by the way?" when she remembered she asked.

"The driver is waiting outside the building to take you here sweetheart. See you!" Andrew said happily then the line was cut.

Lana's forehead furrowed and then she put down her cell phone. Then she started squirming. And just like Andrew said, the driver and the car that would take her to the young man were outside the building.

At the Head Office of Scott's Cafe, she was delivered by the driver. But instead of going to the office building itself, she was told to go to the shop on the first floor of the building because that was Andrew's order.

Lana shrugged her shoulders then took the cell phone out of her bag. She would call the young man to say that she was here outside the shop which looked closed because the lights were off and no one or even a customer was inside. But there were a few rings and Andrew still didn't answer her call. So she eventually decided to ask the guard on duty at the entrance of the building.

"Just come in ma'am, I know there's someone inside," he said, looking back at the logbook he was reading.

That's when she pushed open the glass door of the cafe.

It was dark inside the cafe so she hesitated to go. But her plan to leave was thwarted when a man playing the violin came out of a doorway.

Lana's chest throbbed quickly because of that. And she felt even more nervous when there was a dim light coming from the side chandelier made of capiz in a corner of the cafe.

Its light was dim which gave a romantic ambiance around. But something else happened when Lana looked around the shop. It was full of red roses. In the middle was a coffee table set on which sat a small box which caused her feet to step closer to it as if they have a mind of their own.

Lana's eyes quickly warmed up as she made sure was what the red box on the coffee table was in fact. Her chest tightened with ecstasy and for a while, her eyes warmed up until she finally burst into tears.

With her hands shaking, she opened the box only to be disappointed to see that it was empty.

Annoyance quickly replaced all the positive emotions Lana was feeling. That was despite the man there continuing to play the violin. The piece he was playing seemed familiar to her but she just couldn't remember where she heard it and the other details about the song just like the title and the artist.

"How bully!" Lana's annoyed whisper then pushed the small box back to the table. She was about to walk out when from behind her a familiar but amused voice spoke.

"Hey!"

Aside from Andrea, she has to admit that that voice is her favorite now.

Lana's eyebrows met as she dried her tears but she kept staring at Andrew even though she was very annoyed with the man's joke on her.

"W-What? You're a naughty man, so you made all this effort just to bully me, huh?" she asked frowning "And why are you allowing this to be taken in a video? Stop it, it’s not funny!" when she saw a woman taking a video. Only to find out who she was when she lowered the cell phone she was holding to reveal her beautiful face. "S-Samantha?" she said.

She smiled and waved at her. While Lana automatically felt ashamed about her manners.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Andrew was holding a ring whose tip glistened when hit by the dim light.

Lana couldn't speak as her eyes warmed again. While Andrew, in the eyes was the intense amusement when he stepped closer to her.

"Now I can say that I have found my match," when the young man was in front of her.

"Crazy!" she laughed then cried again. "W-What kind of nonsense are you thinking?" she sniffed as her tears continued to flow.

Andrew laughed softly then tenderly pinched the bridge of her nose. "Is it nonsense? When it is very obvious that you are loving this nonsense that it even made you cry," he said hugging her tightly and then planted a tender kiss on her forehead.

Lana cried, even more, when the young man did that. Especially when she remembered that Andrew had prepared breakfast for her on the veranda of her cottage a few years ago in Palawan.

She didn’t know how happy she was in those moments. All she knew was that her heart was pounding because she could feel the young man's strange feelings for her.

"Because I didn't have a ring when I proposed to you," he said releasing her from his tight embrace.

Andrew touched her chin then carefully raised her face. She was still crying at that moment so one of the young man's hands moved automatically and then dried her tearful face.

"Lana, will you marry me?" the young lady soon heard that question, finally.

As if dreaming, Lana remained to stare at the young man's face. It was only in her dreams that she was able to be with this man back then. Now, she couldn’t believe that this was also the one standing in front of her now and asking her sweet ‘yes’ while holding a ring she knew he would wear on her finger.

"Y-Yes," was her short reply then burst into tears again. "It will always be a yes Andrew ..." she wanted to add but she decided not to.

The young man hugged her tightly again after he put the ring on her finger. "You are mine, forever," he whispered before raising her face again for a passionate kiss.

That kiss was short and the young man released her as well. The truth is that she was hanged and she wanted to ask for a longer but Andrew's plan was different.

"I know you're a good dancer," he whispered.

Then she noticed that the violinist was playing only one piece over and over again. "Yeah, but I haven't danced in a long time. I doubt if I still can," she whispered followed by a weak laugh.

The man stared at her with a beautiful smile and then positioned her hand on his shoulder. "Do you dance the waltz?” Andrew asked her.

Lana smiled. "It's easy," she said with a smile while not hiding the strange pleasure in her voice.

Andrew nodded. "Good, you'll lead the way this time," he said.

She knew it was just a joke but Lana still couldn't stop laughing softly. "What is the title of that song?" moments later as they accompanied the music.

“Maybe the Night by Ben&Ben, and it would be our theme song, okay?" Andrew said as he bent down and kissed her again as they danced.

How happy Lana was in those moments, she could not say. But she doesn't have to say everything, does she? It is not necessary to always express in words what you really feel, because true love is what the heart feels.

I'll stop telling you I love you not because I'm tired but because maybe, you'll feel it more in my silence...

The other side of Lana’s mind as she responds to Andrew's earnest kiss.