24: The Courtship Game part 2

The meetup location is in a local restaurant surrounded by cozy music and hearty delicacies. It is Ashmille’s first time to visit this place. It seems expensive, not sure if she can afford it. But then she remembered it was Drino who invited her. Either way, she has extra funds just in case.

She saw a gentleman sitting handsomely near the window.

“Alejandrino?” she asked softly with a husky voice because she was feeling uneasy.

She's dressed in a beige pleated dress, paired with 2-inch open-toe black wedge sandals, and a black handbag with a dotted pattern.

Drino turned and saw the girl he was waiting for. He’s wearing a royal blue coat, a white polo, beige pants, and white faux leather shoes.

He opened his mouth slightly, stunned for a moment. Oh, how I missed this face and voice. Am I dreaming? Is this really Ashmille? He thought.

“W-Whoa, hello. Congratulations! You’re a cum laude and a licensed psychometrician!” he greeted awkwardly.

What a way to start a conversation with a beautiful woman after three years of no communication.

He approached her, expecting a hug, but stopped himself.

“Thanks. How about you?”

“Nah, I don’t have any awards. It’s too hard to achieve what you did. Have a seat.”

They both sat.

“Magna cum laude was my original goal.”

“What happened?”

“Like what you said, it was hard to achieve such a feat.”

“But look at you now. You’re also a licensed psychometrician.”

“How’d you know?”

“Well, some of our batchmates passed too, and I saw your name on the list.”

“How about you?”

“Nah, I didn’t proceed with it. And this is me now. My career shifted drastically.”

“Excuse me, Ma’am and Sir,” a waiter served them food after they ordered.

They started eating while talking.

“I remember the Design a Darling app you made for your thesis. Who would know that you did something similar to that today, your Drino app. What a foreshadowing.”

She admires him for being so successful despite not taking the board exam.

“Right, I guess I have a passion for establishing apps even way back in college. I am definitely not a computer programming guy, but I simply love working with them and turning them into a business.”

“How’s your Design a Darling going?”

He scoffed. “No particular news about it. Oh, but I still have a copy of its coding. Kept it just in case I would need it in the future, just like how I did with this current app, who knows.”

“I see.”

“You remember the programmer I worked with for my thesis?”

“Uh-huh,” she nodded.

“He was also one of my programmers for the Drino app. Up until now, we’re still buddies and workmates.”

“Wow. How is he?”

“Right after my spontaneous self decided to create a ride-hailing app, I immediately called that programmer dude at past 1 AM. He just kept saying yes to whatever stuff I requested him to work on, even though he worked full-time at another big IT company at that time. A year later, he quit working for them, and he decided to start anew with my startup. I even stopped him from resigning because I was not confident that my startup would succeed. He has a family now, and I’m afraid he would lose a stable job that pays him well. But here we are, I am thankful that he believed in me and in my company, which is now ours.”

“That’s good to hear. You’re handling everything outstandingly.”

“Thanks. And-And you? How are you doing? You look graceful. It’s been years, huh.”

“It was quite a long time. A lot has happened already, especially to you. To be frank, I didn’t know you’re now an influencer and a businessman.”

“Come on, I am not that famous,” he laughed softly. “My page didn’t cross your homepage. Besides, my fans are mostly young adults. And it would be embarrassing if you saw what I’m doing on the internet.”

Drino was both glad Ashmille didn’t see how he’s doing now because some of his videos and pictures posted publicly are funny and absurd. But he felt an ache. He also feels slightly dismayed that maybe she was never curious about him after they parted ways.

“I checked your social media pages a month ago. That's how I found out what you've been doing lately."

“O-Oh?” he stuttered. “What do you think of me after you saw it?” He’s bashful.

“More or less the same…”

He waited for her to speak more.

“But with a huge upgrade from the Alejandrino I used to know.”

“Do you like the current Drino you’re talking with? Or do you prefer the old one?”

“That’s an intriguing question. Are you serious about asking that?”

“Yes, I’m serious. I want to hear your answer.”

“Hmm…” she hummed. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t answer that.”

“Why?”

“Unlike the old Alejandrino I spent a lot of time with during thesis days, the current Alejandrino is a stranger to me despite talking with him face-to-face.”

“So that’s how it is,” he tittered.

“Regarding your message to me before. What does ‘Let’s continue our story. It’s time.’ means?”

She’s intrigued by what he meant by that.

“It means… this!” Drino motioned his hands.

“Huh?”

“I mean, I wanted to meet you for a catch-up on how life’s been going. Let’s continue our story from college by having a cup of coffee. That’s why I invited you here. Don’t you feel that three years was too long to go without a meeting like this?”

“Ah, I get it.”

*cellphone vibrates*

“Pardon, I had to answer this.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Drino excused himself and left the table. After a minute, he went back to his seat.

“I’m so sorry about that.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, just my manager is intruding into my personal business and work-related concerns. Alright, enough of me. Let’s hear about you.”

He was already eager to know her before, and now he’s more eager to get an update on her after three years.