Owned by a Speed Racer

5

"Who's Daisy?" was my question to all four of them. Nathan, Zed and Emman remained silent as I crossed my arms. "Who the hell is Daisy, Ian?" I queried but he just glared at Nathan for mentioning the name.

"I will set this building on fire if no one answers my question.”

Emman, the liveliest of them all, grinned. "She won't really do that, right?"

My scowl deepened. "Oh, I will. So, care to enlighten me?"

Zed gave me a look filled with disapproval. It was clear from the look he gave me when I first opened my mouth that he doesn’t like me. Well, who cares? I’m not trying to win Ms. Congeniality. "Lexus, your girlfriend is acting like an overgrown brat. How do you even put up with her? Looks nothing like a royal pain in the ass to me.”

Ian draped an arm over my shoulder and I stiffened at the sudden contact. “Yup, you’re actually right about her being a royal pain in the ass. But this brat right here is my pain in the ass and I think I can handle that.”

          Under different circumstances, I would’ve been delighted to hear him say that. But right now, all I could think of was who Daisy was in Ian’s life and why, after a full year of stalking all his social media accounts, I’ve never heard her name before.

"Whoever Daisy is, I bet she’ll be better than this Monteverde girl right here,” Zed added, obviously wanting to add salt to the wound. I took Ian’s arm off my shoulders.

“Who gave you the permission to compare me to a flower?" My temper skyrocketed but I held myself back. I did not want to get in a fight with one of Ian’s friends. Not that high on my to-do list but as I stared at the smug-looking Zed, I made a mental note to include it on the list.

"Stop it, Zed." Ian butted it. Zed looked bored as he sank back to his spot on the couch. I looked at the office clock and saw that it's already four twenty. His meeting is only ten minutes away.

"Tell me who Daisy is." I pressed Ian desperately. I stomped my foot and kicked his shin and it made him wince. Emman was obviously enjoying the little show because he kept on grinning while he was watching us. No matter how much I press Ian for the answer, he still wouldn’t budge. Zed glanced at me and shook his head.

"Daisy is his first love, okay? Now will you lay off my friend because we need him for the meeting, bratty socialite?” Zed just couldn’t help but call me names. I would like to have him buried to the ground alive.

I felt a sting on my chest when I looked at Ian and saw his expression. His eyes seemed to tell me that Zed was telling the truth. I wanted to ask a myriad of questions but what came out of my mouth was "You fell in love with a flower?"

I saw a smile on Ian's lips. I almost wanted to smack him for smiling. "What does she look like?" I asked with insecurity present in my tone. I've never been insecure, ever. My parents raised me to be confident, despite my flaws and shortcomings. I was always the apple of their eyes. The center of attention. But as I asked him that question, I felt like I was only second best.

"Daze, listen—"

"Guys, just got a message from Trina that the investors are here." shouted Nathan in a hurry. Ian scratched the back of his neck. “We gotta roll.”

"We'll talk later, okay? Kailangan na naming umalis. We don't want to make the investors wait. Just stay here. I’ll be back right after the meeting ends.

I don't know why I agreed without further questions. "Okay." was all I could manage to say. They went out and I was left alone inside the office. His office, by the way, is not a room. It's the whole top floor of the building. The floor-to-ceiling glass windows are panoramic and I have a great view of the whole city from here. I decided to sit on his swivel chair and wait for the sun to set.

While I was fidgeting with my phone, it suddenly lit up to a text message from Ian.

I'm sorry for the way Zed acted a while ago. He’s just going through a rough patch and he doesn’t take well to strangers but he’s nice once you get to know him.

I was unsure how to respond so I just ignored his message. I went through all the desk drawers and found nothing useful. Just endless stacks of papers with printed-out sales reports, a few pens, sticky notes and a granola bar. Stacks of folders littered his desk. His computer was turned off and I tried to open it to connect to f*******: but I couldn’t guess his password so I gave up on the fifth try.

After watching the beautiful setting sun, I decided to recline and close my eyes. I don't know how long I was out, but when I woke up, I found a coat draped over my body. I rubbed my eyes and yawned. I looked behind my back and into the window. My eyes bulged when I saw the color of the sky. It was a deep black. I checked my wristwatch and saw that it was almost seven.

"s**t!" I cursed. Daddy's not going to be happy when I get home. He can be a bit strict when it comes to me, since I’m the youngest and also the craziest. He has this weird thinking that I should always be looked after. I was about to call Ian when I heard the ding of the elevator. I gazed and he stepped out with a tired smile.

"So, sleeping beauty's finally awake. Kanina ka pa ba gising?” I shook my head as a response. “Kinausap ko lang yung secretary ko sa baba. Let’s get you home,” he said. He didn’t sound annoyed or angry. He sounded normal. It was quite new to me.

“Okay,” I nodded. He smiled and offered his hand and I gladly took it. I was a bit taken aback when he offered to carry my school bag but I agreed nonetheless. We boarded the lift and it took us down to the parking lot. He opened the car door for me and that made my forehead crease. He's acting too nice and it’s starting to make me doubt his motives. He revved the engine and onto the road, we went.

"Can I hold your hand while you're driving?" I asked. I don't even know what has gotten into me to ask him for something silly like that. I was preparing myself for the rejection but it didn't come. Surprisingly.

Instead, I saw a small smile appear on Ian's lips. He didn't answer but he took my hand in his. My mouth dropped open as he intertwined our fingers.

I looked outside his car window thinking, so what if Daisy's his first love? I'm going to be his last. I’m going to be the one walking down the altar in the end.