Before I even notice it, it was already Saturday afternoon. I got out of my shift at the coffee shop. I still have two more hours left before we leave to the venue of the date.

I keep pacing around my room thinking about a lot of things. My thoughts are a complete mess because of this date. I don't even know what thought should I deal first. The thought of Patrick hating me when he finds out is one thing. Another thing is the fact that I know nothing about Claire. Well, except for the very limited information that was given to me.

Heck! I just learned she exists a week ago!

The last major thought that keeps jumbling back and forth in my head is my readiness. I don't think I'm ready to go out on a date at the moment. After last time, I am not ready to see anyone. I still feel disoriented and basically, empty. I feel like I should still succumb to my bitter broken heart.

But still... there's something I need to do. With these many problems brought to me by this dreadful date, I should try to fix at least one. I get my phone at the nightstand and search in my contacts. I immediately found Patrick's number. I contemplate pressing the call button.

Should I do this? But what if he doesn't understand? After all, this is something I shouldn't be discussing with him on the phone. Maybe I should seek help, first. Yes, that is what I should do.

I scroll down my contacts until I see his number. When I press call, I wait for him to answer.

Krrinngg, Krrinngg, Krrinngg, Krrinngg, Krrin-

"Hello, Justin! What's up?"

"Hey, Sancho! Do you have time now? I need to say something to you."

"Okay, sure. What are you going to say?"

This is it, Justin. Tell him.

"Hello?"

Justin just do it! Tell him.

"Justin? Can you hear me?"

Justin! What are you doing? Open your mouth and say it.

"Hey, Justin! Are you still there?"

"Y-yes, I just want to tell you that..."

Just say it!

"Tell me what?"

Oh, screw this!

"Aria and I broke up!" is what I manage to blurt out.

"Oh?"

Sancho is quiet for a while, maybe thinking about what I said. I know I shouldn't have reverted the topic to Aria. But I can't. Actually, maybe this is what I should say first. After all, it will cause so much confusion if I told him I'm going on a date with Claire Solistre. He'll think ill of me without knowing about my break up.

"What happened?" Sancho asks. I take a deep breath before answering.

"She... she cheated on me."

"She what?!"

"She had been cheating on me for the last five months. I caught her the day after our third year anniversary."

"Oh shit! That must have stung. We met a few days ago. How come you didn't tell us?"

"I couldn't bring myself to say it to you guys. We met up to have some fun before the school year starts. I didn't want to dampen the mood because of my problems."

"Okay, I understand. But why didn't you call me earlier when it was still fresh?"

"I just- I really don't know. I was hurt and I didn't like to share my pain with others."

"Hey! Look. I understand. But what change your mind to tell me now?"

This is it, Justin. This is where you open about the topic of Claire Solistre.

I take another deep breath to calm myself before answering Sancho.

"It's because my brother set me up on a date with the cousin of his girlfriend who-"

"Really! That's great. It's so nice of your brother to help you out." Sancho cut me off.

"Well, actually the girl is C-"

"Well, if I have a brother like yours who will help me through my heartbreak, that would be great! But sadly, I'm an only child so, I can't really relate. But, I'm happy for you. This is a great opportunity for you to get over the heartache. By the way, when is this date? " He cut me off again.

"Actually, it's today at 7 pm. Bu-"

"Holy shit! It's today! That's like two hours and a half! Are you preparing now? I should go now so that you can prepare."

"No! Wait! Don't go. Actually, I don't want to go to this date because-"

"You don't want to go? But why? Your brother has given you a great opportunity. Look, Justin. I know you are still on the "depressing stage of the break up". But, it doesn't mean you should ban yourself from going on dates. If I were you, I'll definitely grab any opportunity to meet other girls."

"But Sancho the girl that my brother set me up with is Cl-"

"And so? You haven't even met the girl yet. Just go on with the date and see for yourself if she's someone worth the chance. If not, then go and find someone else."

"Sancho, the girl is-"

"You know what? I get what you're doing. You're trying to stall by talking to me. I'm ending the call so you can prepare. Just take my advice. Go for it."

"Bu-"

"Goodbye, Justin! Good luck! See you on Monday." And with that, I hear the beep sound at the other line.

Unbelievable!

I can't shake off what just happened. I shouldn't have called Sancho. But then again, if I called either Roby or Chris, they'll definitely rat me out to Patrick. They'll do that without hesitation nor further explanation. Sancho is the only one who can listen to an explanation before concluding. But sadly, he wasn't much of help earlier.

Just as I was thinking about what I should do next. I heard a knock on the door. I already know who it is before he speaks.

"Kuya Justin, are you in there?!" Ryan yells.

"Yeah, why!" I tell back.

"Please prepare now. We're leaving in 30 minutes."

"What! Why so early?"

"Because the Solistre cousins are already on their way to the venue. So, we need to go there now."

"But, the meeting time is still 7 pm so what if they went early."

"Kuya Justin, we shouldn't keep the ladies waiting. Now, get ready and we'll be leaving in a few minutes."

Exactly an hour later, we are now on the way to the venue. I'm driving while Ryan is giving direction via Google Maps.

You may be wondering why I agreed to this when I can exert my authority as the older brother over Ryan. First of all, I don't do that. Yes, as the oldest child, I have authority over my brother because he's my responsibility. But, most of the time, I just let him do what he wants to do as long as it's a good thing to do.

Secondly, this isn't just a simple date. This is basically a tiny version of Ryan's family meeting Diane's family. It means they are taking another serious step in their relationship. Having both families in good terms can strengthen their relationship. So not meeting Claire is not an option.

"So... how were you able to set up a date like this?" I ask Ryan.

"Actually, this is Diane's idea. I just said that you and Ate Claire should meet. Diane liked it. She decided that we'll have a double date and arranged everything. All I did was tell you about it." He answers.

"I'm surprised she was able to find such an exquisite restaurant. Its name "Aristo Pinoy" already sounds fancy. When I googled it, I was even shocked. The reviews are great and its rating is a five star. The only negative reviews it had are the price. But I saw a lot of comments countering them. They said that the price is worth it with such taste and services they offer." I narrate.

"Actually, Ate Claire's parents own that restaurant."

I almost pressed the brake when I heard this revelation. I know I shouldn't be this surprised when Patrick already told me that Claire's an heiress. But still, I just realized that I'll be meeting a very important person. I'm glad I didn't bail on this.

"So, we're going to a restaurant owned by Claire's family?"

"Yes, I tried to give some money to Diane to cover the expenses. But she said that it was Ate Claire's treat. When Ate Claire found about me, she went with Diane to meet me-"

"Wait a minute! You had met Claire?" I clarify.

"Yeah, I did. And Kuya, I'm telling you. You'll love her. She's so kind and funny. She's the one who drove me home that night I told you we are going on a double date with them." Ryan reveals.

"When she found out that I have a brother who is studying at the same university, she was excited to meet you. She doesn't know you too. But she wants to know if she had seen you around the campus. So, she agreed to this double date and offer to treat us to her restaurant. Isn't that great?". Ryan continues.

"Yes, that does sound great."

"Oh look, Kuya! I can see the signage from here." Ryan says as he points to his right.

I look at where he is pointing at. Indeed, I see the sign of the Aristo Pinoy restaurant. As I drive closer, I see the full extent of the restaurant. It is even more beautiful in real life than in pictures. It has a massive parking lot and a man-made hill in the center. The man-made hill has the most beautiful landscaping and stairs at the sides and on the middle. The restaurant itself is on top of the hill and a two-story building that looks like a grand nipa hut.

Right after we enter the parking lot, I start to feel my heart racing. The nervousness had started kicking in. After all, I'm just minutes away from meeting this infamous Claire Solistre.

Who is she?