THIRD PERSON'S P.O.V.
Filia stirred, waking up slowly because she felt cold. She opened her eyes gingerly, but was startled to see Jharied's face, sound asleep right beside her. She froze completely in her seat—she couldn't believe they both fit there.
She continued to stare at Jharied, studying his face. There was no denying many women liked him; he was handsome, rich, smart.but such a womanizer. Ugh. She whispered in her mind. Filia was shocked when Jharied suddenly opened his eyes; he had been awake the whole time, just pretending to sleep. She didn't know what to do as Jharied smirked at her, and she gasped when he pulled her closer by the waist. Her heartbeat raced further.
"I love you," Jharied whispered softly. Filia couldn't understand what she was feeling; her whole face was flushing crimson.
She swallowed as Jharied stroked her cheek gently. She could feel the rush of electricity flow through her body. She looked at his lips—and so did Jharied. The urge that he had been suppressing before was uncontrollable now. Jharied captured her lips in a kiss.
The softness of his lips utterly disoriented Filia; she could hear the loud pound of her chest and feel butterflies in her stomach. She couldn't understand herself anymore.
She didn't realize she was responding to his kiss until it was happening. She scanned the surroundings, worried someone might see them. Jharied pulled her closer around the waist. Moments later, their lips slowly parted. Both of them were breathless, staring intensely at each other.
Neither of them said a word. They felt each other's presence. Filia was angry with herself, knowing she had given in to Jharied's kiss. She just wanted to melt into her seat. How am I ever going to face him later? He will probably think I like him too! This is so embarrassing. I don't want to fall into his trap. Calm down, self. Don't confess! She struggled to calm herself, but her heart would not listen; it was still racing.
"Let's eat already! I'm starving!" Arman shouted.
"Finally! I thought you guys weren't planning on eating—I've been hungry for ages!" Alex complained.
Filia's throat went dry when she realized Jharied's friends had been awake.
"Wake up the lovebirds over there!" Lara instructed Arman.
Filia shut her eyes straightaway. Jharied burst out laughing at her reaction. Filia pinched his side, but he laughed even harder.
"Bro, let's eat first. We're in Pangasinan now. Let's just eat at SM Rosales," Arman said.
"I don't care where you guys want to eat," replied Jharied.
"Are you hungry?" he asked Filia, who was still keeping her eyes shut. "You can open your eyes now. You look ridiculous. They don't care anyway," he added.
Filia slowly opened her eyes and saw Jharied smiling-a real smile she had not seen him wear before.
"Fix yourself up first. We're going to eat. We still have a long way to go," he said. She just nodded. Jharied stood up, and she rose too, keeping her distance.
"Where are we eating?" Arman asked.
"Chowking will do," Roy answered.
"Let's go to Inasal—unli rice," said Alex.
"Somebody's being stingy again," Kris said, giggling low.
"Jharied should pay. He's the one who invited us," said Arman.
"Exactly. Whoever calls for the outing should pay," Roy agreed.
"Admit it, you didn't bring any money," Jharied asked coldly. "Why do you have to gang up on me?
"You already know the answer, that's why you're paying," replied Alex.
"You guys owe me a lot already. There better be something in return," Jharied said, looking back at where Alex was sitting.
"Yeah, we got you covered," Rey assured him.
Filia wondered what they were talking about. In a few minutes, they arrived at SM Rosales. Their driver looked for a parking space.
"Inasal it is, then, so we get our money's worth," said Alex before the car stopped.Filia fixed her things and put a diaper on Chichay. On the other hand, Jharied prepared the food he had ready for Filia.
"Mang Jose, here's a thousand pesos. Just decide what you want to eat. We'll meet you back here later," Jharied said with a smile.
"Thank you very much, sir," Mang Jose replied and got out. Filia followed, then Jharied's friends. They all walked into the mall together.
People couldn't help but stare at them, the young women and men in particular, but the group ignored them, their hunger being a priority.
"I'm just going to the restroom," Filia announced. As she turned to walk away, Jharied took her hand.
"You guys go ahead. We'll follow," he said seriously to Roy. They nodded and kept on walking.
"I'll go with you. Give me your dog," Jharied said. Filia wanted to protest, but she couldn't as Jharied took the leash and pulled them along.
When they arrived in the comfort room, Jharied finally released her hand."I'll wait for you here."
Filia simply nodded, managed a small smile, and went inside the ladies' room. Jharied leaned against the wall, holding Chichay, who was sitting beside him. The women coming out from the restroom kept staring at him.
"He's so handsome."
"I know. and the dog is cute too," whispered two girls excitedly.
Jharied turned to look at them. They smiled; he rolled his eyes. A little later, Filia emerged, and Jharied immediately strode towards her.
"Let's go," he said, taking her hand again. They walked past the two girls, Jharied giving them a menacing look.
"He's so grumpy," one girl said. Filia looked at Jharied and secretly smiled.
Upon arrival at Mang Inasal, they immediately sat down and waited for their orders.
"Do you have a swimsuit, Filia?" Lara asked.
"No. I didn't bring one. I thought we were just traveling, not going to the beach," she replied.
"Don't worry, we have swimsuits there. I'll take care of it," Lara said with a knowing smile and a wink.
"Here's your order, Ma'am and Sir," the waiter said as he placed the food down. They had ordered four servings of unlimited rice.
"Let's eat with our hands!" Kris exclaimed excitedly. Filia and the rest got up to wash their hands.
"Seriously, bro, you've got Filia in lockdown," Alex joked.
Jharied glared at him and then ordered food for Filia, including dessert.
"Hey, bro, let me have some," said Arman.
"Stop it, Arman. That's for Filia," Rey reproached him.
"Just a taste, it looks good," replied Arman with a pout. Alex hit the back of his head."You're ruining Jharied's strategy," he whispered.
They settled down quickly when they heard Lara's voice. They looked at the special arrangement Jharied made for Filia.
"Wow, I wish I had a boyfriend that sweet," Kara said. Filia's cheeks flushed.
They started to eat, silent because they were all ravenous. Jharied looked at Filia; every time that she took a bite, she fixed her hair because rice kept getting stuck in it.
A hand brushed Filia's hair back, and she looked up in surprise at Jharied, who smiled at her.She smiled back-her heart racing once more. Jharied picked up a strawberry from his packed lunch.
"Here. Say ah," he said.
Filia looked at Jharied's friends - they promptly looked away, feigning interest in eating. She had no choice but to follow. Even the soy sauce and rice were enough to make Jharied wipe the corner of her mouth, and Filia looked away quickly, suddenly blushing and giddy again.
Meanwhile, the three girls were smiling as they watched them. They didn't complain because they didn't want to further embarrass Filia, and so they just endured the intense giddy feeling caused by Jharied's actions.
Would you like me to continue the story, perhaps resuming the car ride and their eventual arrival at La Union?