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Decorated arches with flowers and silk cloths filled the setting, with dressed up ladies in royal dresses, gentlemen in suits, and organizers pacing back and forth ensuring the parade characters' attendance. Beside the last and grandest decorated arch was Clara De Los Santos' angelic face with a scowl being lighted by the orange tinges and hues of the setting sun. Guests could care less about her idignant expression though, she looked fiercely beautiful as photographers took the advantage of it with flashes of camera here and there.
With Cris Ibarra noticing such, he laughed heartily and tried caressing her cheek.
"Why so snappish, amore?" he whispered. Clara rolled his eyes which made another chuckle escape the glossed lips of Cris.
Clara could at least admit to everyone that she and Cris is a perfect match with their foreign attributes. Everyone at most adored them as a couple for as if fate has conspired to let the star-crossed lovers of Dr. Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere finally have their happily ever after.
It was the month of May and through it is the yearly Flores de Mayo celebration and the Sagala or Santácruzan. Now to what makes Clara ever so grumpy. As expected, she was chosen as the Reyna Elena for the parade. Cris wasn't her partner and she didn't expect that.
"Let it go," he softly said with a smile.
"It should be you! You should be my escort," she muttered with distaste.
"The Reyna Elena's escort should be a young boy, representing her son, Constantinople."
"But the other-"
"Stop comparing ours to others. This is what's right. I'll be the Reyna de las Flores' escort. I'm just in front of you for your sake." Sighing in defeat, Clara just decided to let her guards down. Besides, even if she chose to throw tantrums and complain about why Cris isn't her partner before the parade, nothing will change in it, her partner will still be a young boy and Cris will still be in front of her. A smile slowly crept her lips and Cris was more than happy to have photographers take pictures of them.
Two figures emerged from the busy crowd, one in an offshoulder blush pink tulle gown that has sheer sleeves reaching the wrists, adorned with little flower crystals. Clara pouted, she must be the Queen of Flowers in the parade, the woman Cris was going to escort. The other figure was wearing a simple white longsleeve paired with a dark coloured male slacks and leather shoes.
It was as if Clara's angry bubble bursted, seeing the handsome rough looking man changed her sour mood. Her smile got wider until Cris noticed it.
"What's with your smile? Wipe it off, Clara, it slowly turns to be disturbing." Cris looked forward and saw the reason of her disturbing smirk.
Elijah.
"Ah! There you are, Sasa!" the organizer exclaimed and sashayed his way to the woman named Sasa. The latter plastered a reserved smile and gave a short glance at the man beside her.
"Shall I leave you now?" he asked while fondly looking at her. The lady nodded her head and as a response the man kissed her forehead and fixed a stray hair or two before turning his back.
Clara was back at her starting frown, with more distaste than the first one. Cris chuckled to this and ran a hand to her forehead. For he knew, a probable reason to her distaste; Elijah being sweet to that Sasa lady.
"Don't touch me!" Cris was caught off guard at Clara's outburst. She tried stomping her way out of the crowded place. He simply rolled his eyes at her petty reasons, but shock passed his face when another figure quickly grabbed her arm.
"What did I just tell you?" she glared with her seemingly now dark orbs at the surprised Elijah. Her face reddened. How did she not realize that the hand that grabbed her arm was a bit calloused, rough and larger than that of Cris? Regaining her composure, she mentioned an apology and gave a genuine smile at Elijah.
"The organizer was calling you that's why I grabbed your arm, I'm sorry I startled you." Cris hid a smirk at Elijah's words and granted Clara a raised brow. That's what one gets for being too petty, he thought.
"Where's Ate Clara?" Heads turned to the young voice who asked, holding a small crucifix on the right and a small crown on the other. A moreno with a deep set of doe colored orbs, a not-so-flat nose and thin lips was the characteristics of who Clara will walk with, the young Constantinople. He was dashing at his young age.
Clara held the little crown from Basilio and placed it atop his head, she held the crucifix on her right hand and Basilio's little hand on the left.
The parade, then, was about to start. Cris felt Sasa, the chosen lady to represent the Queen of Flowers, held his arm. When they both glanced at each other, smiles were shared. Glancing on his left was Elijah, carrying the other end of the arch.
"Cris," the soft voice of Sasa called him.
"Hmm?"
"Don't tell Elijah." He looked at her intently waiting for her to carry on. "I grew up having a crush on you, and what has happened today was my very dream then." Cris chuckled, well, it wasn't kind of new to him. "But don't get me wrong, I just want you as a crush."
"What does Elijah have to do with this?"
"He's a suitor of mine. Anyways, you both formally met during the Simbang Gabi, right?"
"What about it?"
"Well, I remember him talking about you endlessly for that duration." He shrugged his shoulder and thought, maybe Elijah was weirded out of him. "The new year came and he didn't stop. If I hadn't known him any better, I might conclude he likes you." Cris glanced at Elijah, the latter has his brows furrowed at their quiet conversation. Cris blushed when he noticed Elijah's face slightly softened, he didn't mind that much knowing that the flickering gas lamps were the only source of light. He wouldn't be so embarassed.
"I'm sorry." They both apologized at the same time. How could Cris always be awkward in front of him? He tends to always lose his calm and composed demeanor when Elijah's a meter or two around, and he isn't pleased with that idea, even Clara notices that.
"I do have a query, Elijah." Cris pursed his lips and continued. "Are you new here?" Elijah nodded his head. "I've been here since December of last year." That explains why he looked so new to Cris then during the simbang gabi.
They spent the duration of what's left on the parade in silence, but Cris felt jittery for a reason he himself doesn't even know. He wasn't quite sure if it was for what is going to happen in the future or just Elijah.
Why was Elijah even an option?
Cris mentally facepalmed. Admittedly, Elijah looks very masculine, making his sex appeal go oozing. He might be a potential boy crush. As if Cris was going to admit the boy crush part to himself. He tried casually glancing to Clara and to his dismay, she only had a cocky grin.
What else did he expect from his girlfriend who kept on pushing him to some man?
He deeply sighed.
"Are you alright?" Startled by the familiar husky voice, Cris stepped on his own foot and almost tripped himself. Good thing, Sasa was holding onto him and he regained his balance in that split second.
"I didn't saw that one," Elijah lightly coughed and tried not to smile at Cris' adorableness and preciousness or for simply being too oblivious into losing his cool all too suddenly. Cris rolled his eyes and swallowed the invisible lump on his throat. He was never embarassed like that in his whole life and wasn't even a clumsy person to begin with!
"It's okay to loosen up, Ibarra." Cris turned his head at the man beside him and raised a brow. "You're too stiff everytime Clara isn't beside you. To be frank, you sometimes look constipated in a straight face."
Did he just tell him he looks constipated? As if he'll let that happen to himself! The audacity of this man is slowly seeping through his nerves and he isn't impressed.
The parade has finished and the other guests and photographers took time to have a picture with the participants of the Santacruzan. Clara took that opportunity to ask Sasa for her flower crown.
"What for?"
"For Cris." Clara helped Sasa remove the flower crown on her head as to not mess up her hair. "Thank you so much, Sasa."
Clara caught the two men talking seriously, she slowly paced their way and tried placing the flower crown on Cris' head. The victim turned his head and saw Clara's very sweet smile.
"You, mischievous creature, is really up to something, huh?" Clara smiled until her eyes turned small. "Another scheme to embarass me?" She stepped back and replied "A tiny bit only." Showing Cris her index finger and thumb inches apart using her right hand and fiddling her phone on the left. "Anyways, smile." She captured the straight looks of both unprepared men. "One more time," she insisted and tapped Cris' shoulder.
"I thought you already looked adorable almost tripping yourself a while ago." Cris sharply glanced at Elijah.
"I thought you didn't see that one?"
"Never thought you'd look more adorable wearing a flower crown," Elijah shrugged.
"A flower- what?" Cris' face was a synonym for confusion.
"Smile!" Elijah wrapped his arm around Cris' shoulder, with the latter having a flushed face. Clara felt Sasa beside her taking a picture as well, chuckling while doing so.
"Maria Clara de los Santos!"