Tiffany

I pushed the cart I was holding towards the snack section. If there’s any food that should never be missing in my pantry, it’s junk food.

“That’s it? You didn’t even mention your real intention for meeting him? What a waste of opportunity, Tiffany! You’ve waited for that moment to come for so many years already!”

I pouted and quickly put my favorite junk food into the cart. I didn’t bother to give Jairus a second glance. He had been following me and complaining ever since I told him about my encounter with Travis yesterday.

“It can’t be helped. It seems like he really had to go to Jela yesterday.”

I bit my lower lip and continued walking. I tried hard to ignore the pain I felt when I remembered about woman.

Jela Agoncillo has been Travis’ best friend since college. I know she only sees Travis as a friend, so I didn’t worry before. Even though there were times when they spent a lot of time together.

But people change. So do feelings. That’s why I’m no longer sure if Jela hasn’t fallen for Travis. Especially now that they’re both experiencing the blinding lights of the spotlight.

As far as I know, Jela wants to focus on her modeling career. That’s why she only accepts supporting or cameo roles in movies or television shows. Apart from that, they even have the same manager.

“Are you jealous of Jela?”

I was taken aback while reaching for the instant noodles because of Jairus’ question. I turned to him abruptly.

“Of course not!”

He looked at me with suspicion. His cheeks even puffed up as if he were holding back laughter.

“Really? But it seems that you feel threatened by her. Whereas even though you’re not close to each other, you didn’t used to be jealous of her.”

Truth be told, Jela and I have never been close before. Don’t get me wrong; I really have nothing against her. It’s just that I feel uncomfortable whenever I’m around her.

Furthermore, their constant bickering, like cats and dogs, with Jairus didn’t help. I don’t know how it started, but it seems like they didn’t like each other from the moment we introduced them to one another.

“I’m not threatened,” I denied his accusation.

I glanced at the list on my phone before pushing the cart forward to the next aisle.

Earlier, he offered to push the cart when we arrived here, but I wanted to do it myself.

“Why are you here, anyway? Don’t you have a blind date or something?” I changed the topic. Now he’s the one leading the way.

He frowned at me. “Don’t remind me about that. But I really admire my mom for almost finding a girl for me to go on a blind date with every day.”

I laughed at his remark, but deep down, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. His mother has been bugging him about having a girlfriend ever since we graduated from college, and I know it somehow puts pressure on him.

“She keeps telling me that she wants to see her grandchild soon. And I’m like, of course she will. Weeds live long.” He shook his head.

I playfully threw the soap I picked up at him, but he quickly caught it.

“You’re such a jerk! You’re also an only child, so you should try to understand.”

He looked at me in disbelief. “You’re an only child too, but it’s not the same with Auntie.”

I was taken aback when he mentioned my mom. Even now, I still hope that she and my dad will reconcile. Especially since they haven’t formed their own families since they separated. My mom is currently in the province, while my dad works in another country.

“Well, at least I’m not No Boyfriend Since Birth,” I defended myself.

Before he could protest, I continued with my shopping. Once I made sure I had everything on my list, I lined up to pay.

“By the way, don’t forget our appointment the next day,” Jairus reminded me.

I nodded. It’s already December. Aside from exchanging gifts, this month is also filled with love because of the many weddings taking place.

We were just discussing the details of the prenup shoot project we were going to do in Batangas while waiting. As I approached the counter, my attention was completely captured by the magazine stand nearby.

I completely lost focus on whatever Jairus was saying, and my lips pressed together firmly as I saw who was on the cover of one of the fashion magazines.

It’s none other than Jela. She’s wearing a blue round-neck shirt with short sleeves and a slit on the lower middle part, exposing her flat stomach. It was paired with an A-line white chiffon waist skirt. Her lips were slightly parted as she projected a fierce look in front of the camera.

“She’s so beautiful, right? As far as I know, she and TJ are really close friends. But they also look good together, don’t they?”

My ears seemed to ring as I heard the woman in front of me say that while also looking at the magazine.

“Yeah, that’s true! Honestly, Travis has chemistry with anyone he’s paired with, but he and Jela just have that special compatibility.”

I felt my blood boil upon hearing the words of another person she was with. It was cold in the supermarket, but my head suddenly heated up.

What are they talking about? The two of them can actually pass as siblings, if not best friends.

Besides, they haven’t even seen us together with Travis. Not in front of the camera, but in real life. They would surely notice that our chemistry is stronger compared to Jela or anyone who has been his on-screen love interest.

After a while, the line moved forward, and I finally managed to pay. Jairus quickly took the items I bought. I just let him because he wanted to help earlier.

“Do you have anywhere else to go?” he asked as we left the supermarket.

I shrugged. “Not anymore. I just really wanted to shop today. Why?”

He placed a hand on his stomach. I think I know what his problem is.

“Let’s grab something to eat. I’m hungry.”

I nodded. Since I was alone at home, I often felt lazy to cook.

“Okay. So, I won’t have to order for delivery later when I get home.” I agreed with him.

He frowned, then lightly flicked my forehead. I glared at him and punched his arm in return.

“Poor future spouse of yours. If it’s not canned or instant noodles, you’ll often be eating take-out,” he teased as we started walking again.

I shrugged. I’m not really friends with the kitchen or anything related to it.

“Travis can cook,” I proudly said.

Seriously, is there anything that guy doesn’t know how to do? He can even clean a house and wash his clothes!

I was surprised when he suddenly put his arm around me. “You’re so confident about that part, huh. Like you two are meant to be in the end,” he teased with a mischievous grin.

I rolled my eyes at him. “It’s not just like that. It will happen.”

He didn’t say anything more. But the teasing was still evident on his face.

I ignored it and went straight into one of my favorite fast-food places that we passed by.

I don’t know why, but even though I often order food from here when I get delivery, I never get tired of it.

He offered to order and stood in line. So, I took the eco-bag from his hands and looked for a place for the two of us to sit. Since it’s usually crowded here, I waited for a spot to open up before grabbing a seat.

It didn’t take long for Jairus to arrive, carrying a tray with our orders. He quickly placed it on the table and arranged everything. I couldn’t help but chuckle at him because he looked really hungry.

Just as he was about to start eating, I stopped him.

“Wait. I’ll just take a picture,” I told him before taking my camera out of my bag.

He furrowed his brows and blinked his eyes deeply in response.

“Are you for real? It’s just a burger, fries, and spaghetti, Tiff. It’s not like a picturesque scene of mountains or food from a five-star restaurant,” he reminded me.

I raised an eyebrow. “So?”

He let out a deep sigh as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

“Nothing. Just hurry up. I’m hungry already.”

I smiled and started taking photos of our food from different angles. Once I finished, he was about to start eating when I gently slapped his hand.

“What is it this time?” he asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

I grinned and took out my phone, opening the camera app and switching to the front camera.

“Let’s have a selfie first. I’ll post it on My Day.”

He scowled and looked at the camera. “It’s not a selfie because there are two of us.”

I gave him a stern look. “Stop being so contrary! You’re hungry, right?”

Because of what I said, he quickly smiled, so I immediately pressed the click button.

“Happy? Can I eat now?” he confirmed.

“Yeah.”

I let him start eating while I took care of posting on my social media accounts and sharing it in my stories.

Once I was done, I started eating my burger. We continued talking about the prenup shoot we were going to do the next day until we finished. We stayed a few more minutes before finally leaving.

As we stepped out of the mall, we were immediately greeted by the intense heat of the sun. I had an umbrella with me, but I was too lazy to use it. So, we quickened our pace as we walked towards the parking lot.

Jairus took public transportation to the house where I was staying earlier because he couldn’t wait to find out what happened yesterday. So, we used my car to get here, and I was the one driving. As much as possible, I didn’t want to lend it to anyone else.

Surprisingly, the road is clear. Which is very rare.

In an instant, I suddenly remembered the conversation of the women I was following in line earlier. Due to the annoyance I felt, I slightly accelerated while driving.

“Tiff, just calm down. We’re not in a hurry anyway.” Jairus adjusted his seating position and held onto the handle.

I didn’t say anything. Until I abruptly turned the steering wheel to the left.

But to my surprise, a car suddenly emerged from the intersection I was about to turn into. I was able to brake quickly, and so was the other car.

“What the hell?” Jairus exclaimed in shock.

Annoyed, I got out of the car. I ignored Jairus calling after me.

Even though my car didn’t actually hit anything, I still looked at its front to make sure. Then I walked towards the parked black Porsche and knocked on its driver’s side window.

But whoever was inside seemed unwilling

to roll down the window, so I knocked again.

However, I just stepped back when the door opened, and the man, who seemed to never leave my mind, got out of there.

“Travis?”