Race 29

I've finished all my shoots for this week, and I'm looking forward to some rest. Next week is going to be hectic, so I need to recharge.

Unfortunately, it's been hard to meet up with Easton lately because of his frequent business trips. I miss him.

However, he suddenly texted me,

'Are you free tonight?'

I immediately replied to him.

'I have free time today. Why?'

'I want you to take you out tonight.'

I smiled with excitement.

'I'm wondering, where are we going on a date?'

'Baby, don't be excited. You are spoiling my surprise.'

'Easton, I haven't seen you in a few days.' 

I sighed.

'I'm sorry baby, I'm just a bit busy right now. Don't worry I will spend my night with you.'

'I love you.'

He replied.

'I love you too.' 

After a long day of work, I decided to take a shower and freshen up before heading out. With nothing much to do in the condo, I thought of going shopping to entertain myself. Besides, I have a date with Easton later and I wanted to look my best, so I figured I might as well buy a new dress for the occasion.

As I stepped out of the shower, I looked outside and saw that the sun was shining bright. The clear sky and the cool breeze made me feel light and uplifted. While I usually spend most of my days at work, I do take some time to relax and enjoy the little things in life. I no longer go to the office much to check on the cars we release, but I have full confidence in our engineers. The local cars we make are of excellent quality.

I then headed to the mall to do some shopping. I spent a long time browsing through various stores, looking for the perfect dress to wear on my date. After a while, I got tired and decided to take a break at a nearby coffee shop. I ordered an iced coffee and sat down to rest. As I looked around, I noticed that there were more people inside the cafe than when I arrived. Feeling a bit uneasy, I immediately stood up and took my order to go.

As I was walking towards the north wing of the mall where my car was parked, I noticed three people standing near the food court. One of them had a familiar face, but I couldn't quite place it. Intrigued, I approached them to get a closer look.

I was surprised to see Einah silently staring at a couple who seemed to be conversing about something. As I was about to leave, the woman suddenly poured juice on Einah. Although Einah's hand was clenched as if she was stopping herself from hitting the girl, she avoided making a scene.

I was shocked to see the man tolerate the woman's behavior and even laugh at it. I couldn't believe what I was witnessing, so I moved closer to get a better look.

"Hey!" I yelled at them. Einah turned to me in shock while the other two just stared at me.

The unexpected action I took next surprised both of them, especially Einah. I poured iced coffee on the woman, causing her eyes to widen and her mouth to open in shock.

The woman screamed at what I did. "Oh my god! Oh my god!" she cried out, turning to her boyfriend. "Babe, my dress!" she exclaimed, trying to salvage what was left of her outfit.

"What's your problem, miss?" the man said, looking at me with a puzzled expression. But before he could say anything else, he was suddenly stunned when he stared at me.

"Don't you know what this dress looks like? This dress can't just be paid for by your soul!" the girl whined.

I raised my eyebrows at her and stared at her dress. Then, with a mischievous grin, I showed her my palm and said, "Oops...it just slipped out of my hand. I didn't know you were wearing an outdated Dior dress collection."

The girl was about to attack me, but luckily her boyfriend stopped her. "Chanty, don't!" he interjected, trying to calm her down.

She angrily faced her boyfriend, still fuming over what had just happened.

"France, seriously? This woman is completely fixated on us," the man stated firmly, as he blocked his girlfriend's path towards me.

"I said stop," he shouted at his girlfriend, trying to control the situation.

"Why are you stopping me, France? What's going on?" his girlfriend asked, growing visibly irritated.

"Don't you recognize that girl?" France said, with emphasis.

"Who? Her?" She looked at me up and down.

"Can't you see? That's Red Domingo, Einah's rival," He said I smirk, asserting my dominance.

"By now you know who I am. I don't know what business the two of you are having with Einah. I just can't take it seeing the fierce Einah in the race bullied by the two pathetic. You humiliated her in public by just pouring her with that cheap juice you bought. If I were you, think about what humiliation you would do to her. Pouring drinks is an outdated trick as outdated as your Dior dress, girl." I told the woman, and she didn't say a word even to her boyfriend. 

I turned my back on the two people and grabbed Einah's wrist. She didn't resist as I led her away in silence. We eventually found a table in the food court where Einah sat down without saying a word.

I took a seat across from her and asked, 

"How long are you going to stay silent?" She looked up at me, and I noticed that she didn't seem like her usual snobbish self.

Concerned, I asked her what was wrong. She shrugged her shoulders and let out soft sobs. I asked her again, and she finally looked up at me with tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Why are you crying?"I took a paper napkin out of my purse and handed it to her. She shook her head and gently wiped away her tears.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned.

"Nothing," she replied. "I just wanted to say thank you to you. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come to help me."

I reached for her hand and caressed it gently with my thumb.

 "It's okay, no need to thank me. Just don't cry." I gave her another paper napkin, and when she stopped crying, I couldn't help but ask her.

"Who are they?" I asked curiously.

She looked unsure because of my question.

"Since I wasn't involved in what happened earlier, I was just really curious, that's why I asked," I smiled awkwardly at her.

"Uhm...I don't know how to say it."

She took a deep breath and glanced at me before introducing two people named France and Chanty, who were once very important to her. She then proceeded to narrate their entire story to me. As Einah continued speaking, I couldn't help but feel angry at France and Chanty for what they had done to her. Their actions towards Einah were unforgivable. However, after sharing her story, Einah seemed to feel better, and we both became more comfortable around each other.

"So, you have a date with my brother?" She asked. 

I nodded,

"Yes, tonight. I don't know where he will take me." 

She purses her lips.

"I didn't know that my brother is so in love with you —" She said I didn't hear anything else she said.

"Huh? What is it?" She immediately shook her head and smiled awkwardly.

"Nothing, by the way, what time are you going on a date with my brother?"

"I don't know what exact time he will pick me up, why?" She stood up and took her handbag.

"Sorry, I have to go. I almost forgot that I had something else to do." She came to me and kissed my cheek.

"Good luck on your date with my brother." She said and she left.

I didn't pay attention to her hurry and went home.

At seven in the evening, I was already finished preparing myself when the doorbell rang. I grabbed my purse and opened the door to see Easton's handsome face. He greeted me with a wide smile and I came closer to him and hugged him tightly. I couldn't help but miss his scent and every single thing about him.

"Baby, I can't breathe," he said. I immediately let go of him, thinking he was having some sort of respiratory problem.

"Sorry," I said, concerned.

"I can't breathe because my heart beats so hard for you," he said, smiling and revealing that it was just a cheesy pick-up line.

I hit him lightly on his arm. "Where did you learn that?" I said, giggling.

"Secret," he said, giving me a playful wink. I shook my head and chuckled.

"Shall we?" I smiled at him and held his arm, ready to continue our outing.

We arrived at the port and I turned to Easton, giving him a questioning look. He just smiled at me and got out of the car first. Then, he turned to open the door for me.

As I stepped out of the car, I was surprised by the sight around us. Huge yachts were lined up beside the port. I looked at Easton and asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

He didn't say a word, but took my hand and led me straight to the end of the port. There, we found a yacht waiting for us. As we went up, I heard romantic and classy music played by an orchestra. Easton helped me climb up to the top of the yacht. The wind was cold and the waves were weak.

I was speechless about his effort in arranging this romantic dinner for us. After a while, he asked me, "Did you like it?" 

I tip-toed and kissed him on his cheek, saying, "I like it."

We arrived at the table and Easton pulled out a chair for me. The waiter brought our prepared food and we enjoyed a classy and atmospheric date. After we finished eating, we went to the deck, and I closed my eyes as a gentle breeze hit me. Easton hugged me from behind, resting his head on my shoulder, and I could feel him smiling into my neck and smell his expensive cologne. I turned around in his arms and held him tightly by the waist, wanting to express how much he meant to me.

"Thank you." I looked up at him.

"For what?" I asked curiously. He kissed the top of my head. "For coming out with me tonight. Thank you for being here for me." I smiled at him. "And thank you for taking me out." He grinned down at me. "I appreciated your efforts towards me, even though you were busy, you still managed to bring me to this dinner." He squeezed me tighter for a second. "It means a lot to me." Then he kissed me.

Just then, the sound of fireworks caught our attention, and we both watched in amazement. When I turned back to Easton, he was no longer hugging me.

Every beat of my heart raced as I saw him kneel in front of me.

"Raniyah Ellen Dominggo, I promise to love only you forever. I will be a deserving man for you, make you happy, be ready to serve you, and be a good boyfriend," he said. The light from the fireworks reflected in his eyes and made them shine like gems.

"Can you take this ring as a symbol of my promises and love for you?" he asked, taking a small box from his pocket that contained a promise ring that shimmered slightly as he picked it up to show me. My heartbeat slowed down and a soft smile formed on my face as I nodded eagerly and exclaimed, "Yes, yes, YES!"

Easton chuckled and placed the ring on my finger. As I touched the silver band, I knew that the promise he made me would be kept and that we would be together for eternity. I leaned in and kissed him tenderly, feeling his arm wrap around my back and his hand resting on my lower back. Our kiss deepened, and I tasted the sweet and salty flavor of his lips, savoring his delicious taste as my body melted under his touch.

As we broke apart, he smiled and his eyes became misty. "Thank you, Raniyah. And I love you so much," he said.

"I love you more," I replied, and he lifted me, kissing me again.