"Let me drive you home." I eyed him like he just sprouted two heads. We were walking down the expensive smelling corridor of the casino that leads to the main lobby.
"I'm okay." I said, flipping my small body bag to my right and searched for my car keys. It had been a fun night, catching up with former colleagues and senior stakeholder who visited Manila this weekend. Glad he still remembered me. We had a few drinks at the Skybar which had a breathtaking view of the city. It was a chill Sunday evening, interesting conversations and reminiscing happy work memories. When it was time to head home, we all said goodbye and this guy (let's call him R) offered to drive me home. I didn't work with him, he probably joined the company when I already left but we vibe well.
"You might have had too much to drink. Did you even know what I ordered?" R asked, smiling as he shoved one hand on his pocket.
"No, but it tastes good. Seriously, I'm okay." as I said the word 'okay' I tripped on the small road bump as we exited towards the parking lot.
He held back a laugh. "Told ya."
I gave him another look, but this time I tried to focus my slightly blurry vision toward his face. He's not my type, that's for sure. He looks, err, clean. Way too clean. He has fair skin without any marks or scars. Damn, his skin looked more feminine than mine. He has small eyes that turns into slits when he smiles. He's wearing a silver bracelet that looks as expensive as his white tshirt and fitted acid wash jeans. His nails are spotless, it's like he's never touched any grime his entire life. I remember our conversation earlier that he's supposed to have a trip abroad but postponed it since our senior stakeholder is visiting. In other words, he's rich, and it's his own money for sure.
"What?" his brows furrowed and that's when I realized I may be staring at him too long.
"Nothing. Okay, where do you live? I can get you a Grab after you drop me off. I just want to be safe." I handed him the car keys.
He took it carefully. "No need, I'll book my own ride."
I'm sure he can afford it. I recall he paid for the bill earlier and didn't take a photo of the receipt. We usually do that so we can split the bill after. He didn't seem to mind. I tried to do a mental math of how much each of our drinks costed and felt a sharp pain in my temple. I groaned as I stepped inside the car.
"You wanna get coffee or anything?" he asked as he started the engine.
"No. I just want to go home." I gasped as I remembered something. "Hold on." I fumbled for my bag, and checked my wallet. I breath a sigh of relief. I thought the cash I got was part of my drunken hallucination.
He shifted the gear to drive and we exited the parking lot. "What is it?"
"My winnings!" I grinned.
"You won?" his eyes are slits again. "How much?"
"Good amount. I think I'm coming back here next week." I smiled to myself. Who would've thought? The unlucky woman who sucked at choosing men, can be lucky somewhere else it seemed! I put the wallet back inside my bag and hugged it close to me.
"Careful though. Just bet what you can lose." He looks calm as we speed along the uncongested highway.
"Yeah. I'm used to losing, it feels good to win sometimes." I know I'm not referring to gambling anymore.
He seemed to sense it. "Woah. Is that why you drank a bit too much tonight?"
"Did I?"
R shrugged, I liked how he takes his eyes off the road very quickly, a snap of a second, to look at me. The right amount of time, the calculated movement of his eyes, hands on the steering wheel and cautious foot on the gas pedal. "Well, you drank it like it's beer."
"I don't drink often anymore since I started running and working out." I said, my eyes are on the road, part of me wished the drive would take longer than usual. It's 12AM but who knows, maybe some bit of construction along the way, no?
"Ah, good for you. I don't drink much these days as well. But I like trying different beers when I travel."
I wanted to ask more about his travels. I wanted to know if he's as rich as he looked like. Not sure why that would matter anyway. We're not friends, we're not connected in any social media platform, this is probably the first and last time I'll see him. I wonder why the thought made me sad. I didn't even know if he's already with someone but there is a very high possibility that he is.
"I'll rest for a bit. Wake me up when we reached the mall there on the maps." was all I sad to not keep the conversation going. I closed my eyes and drifted off comfortably in my seat.

















