Fiona and I had been staring at this piece of paper for over five minutes already. I flipped it and read the number written on it in blue ink. My eyes flickered over the blue pen on the coffee table.

"Yup, it's real. It really happened, Queen," Fiona whispered, then took a sip of her hot choco. "And according to that paper, you found your king, under the name of Jake Dela Cruz."

"I married a stranger. I looked him up on social media last night and I couldn't find him. Maybe it's not his real name."

"Yeah, the same goes for him, Rox Ilagan," she reminded me.

I groaned. Should I call Jake? If I do, how should I tell him that I lied about my name?

"I didn't know why I didn't give him my real name. I guess, he didn't look trustworthy last night."

Fiona grabbed the photo strips from last night and inspected it.

"Well...he looks hot."

"And he knows it."

"Aside from fake marrying each other. What are you guys? I mean, are you even friends already?"

"From what I can remember, no. We were just strangers who happened to save each other's Valentine's. We're barely even friends—"

"But you kissed twice in a span of what? Three hours?"

"I know."

I grabbed my phone and started typing down his number. It was only nine in the morning so it meant I still have a few hours left to decide if I would call him. I pressed the save button and typed, hubby.

"Honestly, it was the most fun I had with a guy. Last night was about spontaneity and just enjoying my singlehood."

"Yeah, I can see that." Fiona nodded, putting down her empty mug on the table. "So, what are you going to do about it?"

"What I'm gonna do is I won't think about it. Now I'm going to take a quick shower and I'll make a decision when I get home at 1 P.M."

I took a quick shower, got dressed, and head to the university which was a couple of minutes-walk away from our apartment.

The hours went by quickly even though we barely discussed a thing in my classes. It was mostly seat works because they needed an output for the day. But I bet some of my instructors were a little hang over from the previous day. They were mostly young. Only a couple years older than me and dating, so I thought maybe they went partying last night, too.

I saw Denise in one of my classes, and she apologized again. I told her it was fine, and Ansel didn't bother to reply to any of my messages anyway. Not even the last one. She said she would make it up to me and set me up with someone better. I told her not to bother herself finding someone better.

I grabbed a rice in a box meal on the way home, and when I got back to the apartment, I found a note from Fiona on the fridge.

Will be home in 5. I hope you're on a date by that time.

I wasn't sure if she was being a supportive friend or just the kind of friend who tolerates bad habits.

I headed to my bedroom to get changed and plopped myself down on the bed as I devoured my meal. Time flew by quickly and it was already almost four in the afternoon. I still hadn't made up my mind when my phone beeped.

If you still haven't decided, here's what I think you should wear tonight: LBD. Denim jacket. You can borrow my shoes. Thank me later.

I smiled. I told her how I hated my velvet dress from last night.

Maybe I should give this a go.

I dialed Jake's number and he didn't pick up until I almost drop the call.

"Go for Jake," his voice reverberated from the other line.

"Uh, hi. Jake. It's me... Rox. Remember me?"

"Hey, how can I forget?" he asked, and I could hear him laughing inside. "Does this mean you want to go out with me tonight or you want me to hear you say you're never going out with me?"

"Yeah," I laughed.

"Yeah what?"

"I'll go out with you."

I paced around my bedroom, anticipating whatever he was about to say next.

"Great, I'll text you the address. It's about an hour drive from your apartment."

"Okay, cool."

"Or do you want me to pick you up?"

"Oh. No. No. That won't be necessary."

"I'll see you at 5:30."

I took a tentative step forward as I eyed the two-storey restaurant in front of me. A large signage was up on the wall of the building.

Cocina de Madrigal.

It was one of the expensive restaurants to dine at in the area, and I couldn't believe that Jake and I would be having dinner here. I crossed the parking lot and what seemed like the restaurant's garden and made it to the front door.

"Good afternoon, miss," a crew greeted me as I stepped inside. "Do you have a reservation?"

Jake texted me a few minutes ago that he was already here.

"Yeah, I think the reservation is under the name of Jake—"

"Alright. Let me check," he mumbled before going through their book.

I looked around the restaurant, taking note of the interior design. The ceiling had wooden accents, and there were antique chandeliers dangling from it, but you could tell that everything was well-maintained. Everything from the wooden tables to the marble floor screamed expensive. This restaurant looked like a huge dining room from an old mansion.

"Alright. Jed will show you to your table, miss," the crew gestured to a much younger crew standing close to him.

"Thanks," I mumbled before following Jed.

We went up the staircase and led me to the second floor of the restaurant. There were fewer customers up here, and I immediately spotted Jake sitting on a table near a large opened window.

He perked up on his seat and waved at me.

"Hey," he greeted me, and I offered him an awkward hug before taking a seat.

I reminded myself I shouldn't be nervous about this date. I had been in tons of dates before. I had even kissed this guy twice last night. But then again, I was fully sober right now, and we were still somewhere in between being friends and strangers.

"We'll call you when we're ready to order," Jake mumbled to the waiter and handed me a menu.

The waiter, Jed, nodded before darting across the room.

"Wow," Jake gushed, gesturing at me. "You look even more beautiful today."

I flicked my hair back and smiled at him, making him chuckle. Now I was thankful Fiona picked my outfit. I felt more confident in this little black dress than I did in yesterday's velvet dress. Or maybe it was because my date was right in front of me.

I couldn't tell which is which.

"Did the guy contact you last night?" he asked.

I groaned and shook my head. "Not even a single message."

"Now we can conclude what kind of guy he really is."

I chuckled. "The kind I won't waste my time on."

"Shall we order now?"

I nodded and opened the menu. My eyes almost bulged out as soon as I read the first thing on the menu. Why on earth did he invite me here for dinner? Everything on it was expensive. I knew how to splurge, but I hadn't splurge so much on a single date before.

"Wow, good thing I'm not way past my credit line this month," I joked.

"Oh, no. No. No. Tonight's my treat. I haven't taken you out for a proper dinner last night, so here we are now."

"Okay. I guess I'll have this pasta," I murmured, pointing on the menu.

This is definitely the most expensive date I had been in, and I hoped this would also be one of the most decent one.